Financial news

• Developers may have to enhance wildlife habitats, says Gove

  02-12-2018 22:53
  Environment secretary launches consultation into ‘biodiversity net gain’ requirementDevelopers could be obliged to enhance wildlife habitats when building houses or commercial property, under new government proposals.A mandatory “biodiversity net gain” requirement could be put in place, meaning developers would have to leave habitats better off for wildlife than before any construction work. Continue reading...
  
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• British Gas engineers rebel against pension changes

  02-12-2018 15:08
  Anger mounts among 11,000 engineers as Centrica seeks to ‘slash pensions’ while ‘ignoring executive pay’British Gas owner Centrica is facing anger from its 11,000 engineers over cost-cutting plans for their pensions which have prompted claims that executives are out of touch.Leaked comments from internal message boards show workers are furious over proposals branded a “disgrace” and “tosh”, with anger at pensions being targeted for savings while le
  
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• AI and drones turn an eye towards UK's energy infrastructure

  02-12-2018 15:05
  National Grid using artificial intelligence to check drone footage of 7,000 miles of wires and pylonsNational Grid has turned to artificial intelligence to help it maintain the wires and pylons that transmit electricity from power stations to homes and businesses across the UK.The firm has been using six drones for the past two years to help inspect its 7,200 miles of overhead lines around England and Wales. Continue reading...
  
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• US farmers' troubles over tariffs show the value in looking ahead | Gene Marks

  02-12-2018 13:00
  If you’re running a business, I hope you’re thinking of the future. Not doing so will put you in the same tight spot our farmers faceWhen you drive from Minneapolis to West Okoboji Lake, Iowa – as I did early last summer – you pretty much see just one thing: farmland. And those farms are pretty much just growing one thing too: soybeans. The state of Iowa is the second largest producer of soybeans in the US – and can you guess their biggest customer? An estimated one
  
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• Forget trying to save – here’s what you really need to do by the age of 30 | Arwa Mahdawi

  02-12-2018 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Millennials such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez needn’t worry about what’s in their bank accounts. These are the real milestones to aim forPoor Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I mean that literally, by the way, as it appears the 29-year-old US politician is embarrassingly impecunious. Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, reportedly has less than $7,000 (£5,500) in savings. Shocking, right? Obviously I am aware that poor people exist, but I had no idea they were al
  
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• The WTO could be dancing its last tango, strictly speaking

  02-12-2018 12:05
  Trump and Xi’s truce at the G20 is a start but international trade still stands at the crossroadsContestants on Strictly Come Dancing dread the Argentine tango. No matter how good the choreography, it is technically tricky and devilishly difficult to get right.So the audience was holding its breath as Donald Trump and Xi Jinping got into hold for their own version of the dance in Buenos Aires this weekend. Trade tension between the world’s two biggest economies has increased markedly
  
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• Student loans watchdog who quit under Trump plans own initiative

  02-12-2018 12:00
  Seth Frotman, formerly of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, hopes new organization can succeed where officials failedA former federal student loan watchdog who loudly quit his job this year has announced a new initiative to help solve the $1.5tn student debt crisis.Seth Frotman, the former student loan ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, will lead the Student Borrower Protection Center, which also will employ several of Frotman’s former colleagues at the federal bure
  
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• Stop griping about millennials: the odds have been stacked against them

  02-12-2018 12:00
  They’ve allegedly killed marriage and homeownership. But the Fed says a ‘historically weak’ labor market could be to blameIf you’ve paid attention to the headlines recently, you will no doubt be aware of one of the most frightening and destructive forces ever to wreak havoc across the planet: millennials.They kill everything they touch, from bar soap to casual restaurants, the Olympics, marriage, sex and homeownership. Continue reading...
  
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• Whether you’re unaware or don’t care, counterfeit goods pose a serious threat

  02-12-2018 09:00 via theguardian.com
  ’Tis the season to be ripped off. We look at the problems with online shoppingIt is a fraud many people would scoff at the idea of falling for – buying a fake handbag or perfume online through what appears to be a genuine website. For others less worried about the legal, moral or quality implications, it is a way to buy a designer item without the price tag.The sale of fake goods online has blossomed, as have the problems that come with the illegal products – from perfumes made
  
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• Attack on the Fed is Trump’s opening salvo in 2020 re-election campaign

  02-12-2018 09:00
  Strains are showing in the US economy and the president knows a downturn would harm his chances for a second termThe strong economy that helped Donald Trump scrape through the midterm elections looks like it might make itself absent when he runs for re-election in 2020. In recent months, strains have started to appear that belie America’s vigorous headline growth rate and its buoyant jobs market.Last week the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Trump’s escalating trade war
  
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• The odds won’t stop May making this terrible gamble on Brexit

  02-12-2018 08:00
  It wouldn’t be wholly surprising if the PM won the ‘meaningful vote’. But no one will give much for Britain’s chances if she doesUnlike some of the people I meet, I am not beginning to feel sorry for Theresa May. In the way she has handled her referendum inheritance from David Cameron, she has aggravated the crisis at almost every turn.The chaos the Conservative party has inflicted on this benighted nation is such that almost anything could happen in the next few weeks an
  
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• Supermarket ban sees '80% drop' in plastic bag consumption nationwide

  02-12-2018 06:47
  An estimated 1.5bn fewer bags have been used after major supermarket chains began phase outThe ban on single-use plastic bags by Australia’s two largest supermarkets prevented the introduction of an estimated 1.5bn bags into the environment, and the retail industry is hopeful this is only the beginning.Coles and Woolworths’ decided to stop offering single-use disposable plastic bags midway through the year after years of campaigning by environmental groups and consumers.Continue read
  
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• 'The candles sell very well': the quest to be the last video store standing

  02-12-2018 01:38
  The passionate owners of Perth’s remaining video rental shops have innovative ways to stay open against all odds “If I’m the last DVD store, am I something?” wonders Melanie McInerney, the ebullient owner of Network Video in Mount Hawthorn, Western Australia.The DVD rental game isn’t exactly thriving these days thanks to online streaming, but she reckons there might be spoils for the final brick-and-mortar store left standing in the state. Continue reading...
  
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