Financial news

• Visa outage: payment chaos after card network crashes

  01-06-2018 23:53 via theguardian.com
  Company says it is investigating as transactions fail across UK and Europe 10.38pm BST10.22pm BST Visa said the outage was caused by a hardware failure and was not a result of “unauthorised access or malicious event”.Five hours after an initial statement, the company said its payment systems were almost back to normal.Earlier today, Visa had a system failure that impacted customers across Europe.Our goal is to ensure all Visa cards work reliably 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We fe
  
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• Bitcoin price: Expert says bitcoin, ethereum and Ripple could soon SURGE for THIS reason

  01-06-2018 20:11 via feedproxy.google.com
  BITCOIN and top alt-coins ethereum and Ripple could soon rally as buyer signals indicate the cryptocurrencies are building power for another bullish run, former analyst Tomas Salles said.
  
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• Visa DOWN: Millions affected as 'service disruption' blocks payments across UK and EUROPE

  01-06-2018 19:06 via feedproxy.google.com
  VISA has been hit by a "service disruption" which is blocking payments across Europe - with one frustrated customer comparing it to "the apocalypse".
  
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• Visa apologises after system crash causes card payment chaos

  01-06-2018 18:40 via theguardian.com
  Millions unable to pay in shops, petrol stations and railway stations across UK Millions of people were left unable to pay for goods and services in shops, petrol stations and railway stations across Britain and Europe after an unprecedented crash in Visa’s payment system.Shoppers and travellers were unable to use their debit and credit cards when the meltdown began at around 2.30pm on Friday across Europe.Continue reading...
  
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• House of Fraser TO CLOSE? Department store chain in CRISIS talks with lenders

  01-06-2018 17:45 via feedproxy.google.com
  HOUSE of Fraser is in danger of becoming the latest high street casualty, with the department store chain now locked in crisis talks with lenders to avoid an administration which could put thousands of jobs at risk.
  
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• Let’s move to Dorking, Surrey: perfect if you’re looking for the easy life

  01-06-2018 17:30 via theguardian.com
  A nostalgic market-town jumble of bow-fronted antique shops and Georgian-style bollardsWhat’s going for it? In The Communist Manifesto, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels did not make allowances for Dorking (I’ve looked). Dorking is why revolution will never come to the home counties. Dorking is what many – most? – people want in life, and fair enough. The easy life, for some at least. Job that pays. Bit of a commute, mind. Nice pubs. Domino’s pizza. Fancy restaurant fo
  
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• Quiz: have you got the entrepreneur gene?

  01-06-2018 17:24 via theguardian.com
  Dreaming of ditching the nine to five? Find out if you’ve got what it takes to go it alone. Business coach Neela Bettridge helps spot the signs that you’re a natural-born entrepreneurWhether entrepreneurs by nature, more at home in the office, or somewhere in between, millions of people are using ebay to start a side hustle, make more of a hobby or carve out a new career. Find out how here Continue reading...
  
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• Calling all entrepreneurs: apply to enter the ebay Doers scheme

  01-06-2018 17:24 via theguardian.com
  Share your brilliant business idea with us for a chance to join the ebay Doers scheme – a new initiative from ebay and the Guardian Labs to support up-and-coming entrepreneursDo you have a budding business you’d like to grow? An idea for something new you’d love to launch? Whether you want to make more of a hobby, start up a side project or carve out a new career, if you’ve got a brilliant business idea that could work on ebay, we want to hear about it. Related: Quiz: hav
  
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• Chinese firms pile in to sponsor World Cup 2018 amid Fifa fallout

  01-06-2018 17:11 via theguardian.com
  Brands seize chance to push products after western firms pull out over bribery scandalFootball fans heading to the World Cup this summer are going to get an education in Chinese TVs, mobile phones, electric scooters and Mongolian dairy products.As western companies, including Sony, Johnson & Johnson and BP’s Castrol, have pulled out of sponsoring the tournament after the Fifa bribery and corruption scandal, Chinese firms have secured an unprecedented presence at Russia 2018.Continue re
  
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• The first rule of business? Get paid. Here's how to avoid missing out on sales

  01-06-2018 16:57 via theguardian.com
  You might have the perfect creative business idea or the best-quality products in the world, but you need a seamless payment system to convert interest into a purchase“People don’t carry cheques around with them like they used to,” says Helen McDonald Mathie, an artist based in the west of Scotland, who sells most of her paintings at auctions. Related: The community space bringing Scandinavian chic to GlasgowContinue reading...
  
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• The community space bringing Scandinavian chic to Glasgow

  01-06-2018 16:55 via theguardian.com
  For Fika Sake has become the centre of a thriving community in the heart of Scotland’s largest city, as part cafe, part learning space and lifestyle hubThe idea for an events space centred around coffee and cake was inspired by a place where so many good things originate – Scandinavia. Fika is the most recent Swedish tradition spreading across the globe. “It’s about taking time out of your day to actually sit down and maybe relax with someone or maybe yourself – usu
  
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• Italy is a slow-motion train wreck but would it quit the euro? | Nouriel Roubini and Brunello Rosa

  01-06-2018 16:16 via theguardian.com
  It must choose whether to stay shackled by the euro or try to reclaim economic sovereigntyThe possibility of a populist, Eurosceptic government coming to power in Italy has focused investors’ minds like few other events this year. The yield differential, or spread, between Italian and German bonds has widened sharply, indicating that investors view Italy as a riskier bet. And Italian equity prices have fallen – particularly in domestic bank shares, the best proxy of country risk &nda
  
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• Mothercare to close 50 stores as part of rescue package

  01-06-2018 16:03 via theguardian.com
  Move puts 800 jobs at risk but interim chief says closures are crucial to achieve stabilityMothercare is to close about 50 of its 137 stores by June next year with the potential loss of about 800 jobs after landlords approved a financial rescue package on Friday.Clive Whiley, the interim executive chairman of the struggling baby goods retailer, said the deal was a “crucial step forward to achieve the renewed and stable financial structure for the business that will drive an acceleration of
  
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• Ripple price news: Is Ripple rising today? What is happening with XRP?

  01-06-2018 15:46 via feedproxy.google.com
  RIPPLE prices are lagging slightly today as the cryptocurrency market sees a slight slump into the red. XRP has been steadily rising in recent weeks but is yet to breach the $1 mark again this year. What is happening with XRP?
  
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• Greenpeace activists abseil into Total's AGM – video

  01-06-2018 14:55 via theguardian.com
  Four Greenpeace activists climb down into Total's AGM to protest against the oil company’s plans to drill in the mouth of the Amazon and French Guiana. The abseilers descended as the Total chief executive, Patrick Pouyanné, began his presentation, while many people protested outside the venueGreenpeace protesters abseil into oil firm Total's AGM Continue reading...
  
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• Pound US dollar exchange rate: GBP attempts recovery as UK manufacturing beats expectation

  01-06-2018 13:23 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound has ticked higher against the US dollar this morning, trading around $1.330 as investors respond to an above-forecast upsurge in UK manufacturing activity. The exchange rate has fallen from mid-April’s high of $1.434.
  
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• Pound euro exchange rate: GBP trading in narrow range despite manufacturing sector growth

  01-06-2018 13:07 via feedproxy.google.com
  THE pound has been trading in a narrow range against the euro today, making £1 worth around €1.137. This current pairing is well below May’s best exchange rate of €1.149.
  
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• Why Silicon Valley can’t fix itself – podcast

  01-06-2018 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Tech insiders have finally started admitting their mistakes – but the solutions they are offering could just help the big players get even more powerfulRead the text version hereSubscribe via Audioboom, iTunes, Soundcloud, Mixcloud, Acast & Sticher and join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter Continue reading...
  
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• Data protection laws are shining a needed light on a secretive industry | Bruce Schneier

  01-06-2018 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Regardless of where we live, we all benefit from data protection laws – companies must us show how they profit off our informationWhen Marc Zuckerberg testified before both the House and the Senate last month, it became immediately obvious that few US lawmakers had any appetite to regulate the pervasive surveillance taking place on the internet.Right now, the only way we can force these companies to take our privacy more seriously is through the market. But the market is broken. First, non
  
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• Capita’s wily scheme locks naive graduates into tied servitude | Jolyon Maugham

  01-06-2018 09:48 via theguardian.com
  Graduate schemes such as Capita’s prey on a generation. My organisation wants to give these young people legal protection• Capita and FDM Group face legal action from former employees over exit feesToday’s graduates face a tough labour market – and that puts a great deal of power in the hands of recruiters. Nothing quite illustrates that as much as Capita’s Novus graduate programme.According to the marketing, it’s designed to “give the best possible start
  
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• Watchdog to investigate price rises in £2bn funeral market

  01-06-2018 09:23 via theguardian.com
  The average cost of a funeral has more than doubled since tracking began in 2004The competition regulator has launched an investigation into the £2bn a year funerals market to see if people are being charged too much when they lay their loved ones to rest.
  The Competition and Markets Authority is to look at issues including the rate at which funeral directors have raised prices in recent years.Continue reading...
  
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• I struggle to hire academics, because candidates are too good | Anonymous academic

  01-06-2018 08:30 via theguardian.com
  I’m deluged with outstanding applications for academic posts. So should I recruit the people who need the job most?Some employers complain about not having enough good candidates to fill roles. I envy them. Imagine working in an industry where entry-level jobs require “world-leading” research records, where far more people are graduating from PhD programmes than the academy will ever employ. The problem is that nearly everyone on the long list for your new permanent lectureship
  
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• Vodafone charged me a £6-a-day flat fee for sending one text

  01-06-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  On holiday in Thailand, I replied to a text but the daily roaming charge cut inI was on holiday in Thailand and have a mobile contract with Vodafone. I made sure my phone wasn’t on data roaming and was connected to wifi instead. When I inadvertently replied to a text, I triggered Vodafone’s £6-a-day “roam-further” fee. This allows you to use your normal UK allowances, but, of course, its vastly disproportionate if you send one text.Continue reading...
  
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• Clifftop homes for sale – in pictures

  01-06-2018 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Enjoy an edgy lifestyle at these properties with a view, from Guernsey to Scotland Continue reading...
  
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• Capita and FDM Group face legal action from former employees over exit fees

  01-06-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Trainees must agree to work for two years or be liable for up to £20,000 in fees for training coursesCapita’s wily scheme locks naive graduates into tied servitude, by Jolyon MaughamOutsourcing specialists Capita and FDM Group are facing potential legal action from former employees who were faced with demands for thousands of pounds in fees when they tried to leave.Both companies insist graduates and other job hunters carry out three or four months of training, for which they are not
  
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• Broadway: the 13-mile street that charts the delirious story of America

  01-06-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  This is the street that drove America forward – the path of progress as it expanded, powered by showmanship and illusionA clutch of bedraggled fancy dress characters lie in wait for visitors to Times Square on a late weekday morning, hustling for tourist dollars in return for a souvenir picture.Superheroes and Muppets compete with a collective of Disney mice, a topless woman wearing a red, white and blue feathered headdress, and her slightly more modestly-dressed friend, who has added a pa
  
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• Franchisees advised to steal workers' wages, inquiry hears

  01-06-2018 00:55 via theguardian.com
  Muffin Break owner says he was told by franchisor to ‘consider underpaying staff I can trust’• Sign up to receive the top stories in Australia every day at noon The parliamentary inquiry into the franchise sector has been handed a “chilling” succession of similar stories by small-business owners who claim franchisors suggested they should steal wages from vulnerable workers.Labor senator Deborah O’Neill, who is deputy chair of the committee investigating franch
  
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