Financial news

• Tell us: how fair are bus ticket prices where you live?

  05-05-2019 20:35
  We are looking for your help as we report on bus services and fares around England
  Bus passengers in parts of England are paying high fares to travel short distances, with new reporting highlighting a particular discrepancy between those living inside and outside major cities.Guardian research has found that passengers in parts of England are paying up to £6 for a single journey, four times the £1.50 Londoners are charged. Continue reading...
  
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• Formula E losses reach £140m as green racing attracts fresh interest

  05-05-2019 17:13 via theguardian.com
  New teams and sponsors take heart as number of spectators more than doubles in a yearFormula E, the electric-powered racing series, has revealed that its pretax loss widened by 26.7% to £22.6m last year, giving it combined losses of £142.2m since it held its first race in 2014.Formula E Operations is based in London and its biggest shareholder is Virgin Media-owner Liberty Global which has a 23.9% stake. The series features cars that are powered by a 250kW motor giving them a top spe
  
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• ‘Massively unfair’ gulf in bus fares between London and rest of England

  05-05-2019 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Research reveals Londoners pay £1.50 for a single ticket but a five-mile journey in Hampshire can cost £5.65Is the No 64 from Winchester the UK’s priciest bus?In Oldham, bus riders tire of unreliable serviceQ&A: how London stacks up against the regionsBus passengers across England are paying “massively unfair” fares of up to £6 for a single journey, four times the amount Londoners are charged to traverse the capital, Guardian research has found.Analysis of
  
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• Monopoly-themed online gambling ad faces regulator’s ban

  05-05-2019 12:56 via theguardian.com
  Advert breaches code which protects children from being targeted, ASA claimsAn advert for a Monopoly-themed online casino game is to be banned by the advertising regulator over concern that use of the board game’s familiar cartoon mascot – Rich Uncle Pennybags – might appeal to children.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that the ad, which appeared on the Mirror Online website, breached its code, which says that gambling ads must not be designed to appeal to young
  
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• The Huawei incident points to a deeper lesson for Great Britain | Larry Elliott

  05-05-2019 12:24 via theguardian.com
  Beyond the leaks and even the data security lies a message about our attitude toward manufacturingThe debate over whether the Chinese telecoms company Huawei should be involved in building Britain’s 5G network has centred on two questions: was the former defence secretary Gavin Williamson the source of the leak from the National Security Council, and would Huawei represent a security threat?These are certainly important questions, but there is a third issue that deserves an airing –
  
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• Booked a cheap Goldcar holiday rental? It could cost more than you bargained for

  05-05-2019 11:31 via theguardian.com
  It’s popular for its low prices. But you can lose your money if you have to make changes … even if it’s not your choiceWhen Kristopher Blacklock arrived in Spain for his family holiday, he would not be allowed to collect the prepaid car he had originally hired to drive his partner and three young children from Girona airport. Nor was he to be allowed a refund. Blacklock’s mistake was to take advantage of a budget deal from rental firm Goldcar.A month after booking and mo
  
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• Uber promises a bottomless well of money to investors … but not yet

  05-05-2019 10:00 via theguardian.com
  Expect a barnstorming debut at the latest tech company listing, yet there is no sign of any profits in the near futureWho wants to invest in a company that has never made a profit, admits it may never do so and is on the brink of war with its global workforce? Probably a fair old chunk of Wall Street, as it happens. This week Uber, the ride-hailing and food delivery service, will put a price on the shares it will issue in the largest tech company float since Facebook in 2012.The San Francisco-ba
  
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• Mark Carney is looking unreliable again with misplaced enthusiasm for rate rises

  05-05-2019 10:00 via theguardian.com
  The Bank of England governor believes the economy is at risk of overheating but there is no solid base for his predictionThe Bank of England governor Mark Carney must rank as one of Britain’s most popular policymakers. Since he took the post in 2013, the Canadian has often appeared to be the only adult in public life who can stay calm in a crisis. His recent observation that companies and financial markets must recognise the risks of climate change has made him a darling of the environment
  
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• How Airbnb took over the world

  05-05-2019 10:00 via theguardian.com
  In just 11 years, it has grown from nothing to a $30bn firm. But critics say Airbnb’s rise has come at a huge cost to urban life – and cities across the planet are trying to find ways to rein it in. Rowan Hughes stayed in Airbnb accommodation on holidays for several years before she decided to make some extra cash from her own home in south-east London. When refurbishing the property, she created a room with an en-suite bathroom and its own front door, listing it on the accommodation
  
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• Philip Hammond plans world’s highest minimum wage

  05-05-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Increase to £9.61 would lift millions of workers out of low pay trapPhilip Hammond is seriously considering a major increase to the minimum wage as he seeks to secure a legacy of ending low pay, it has emerged.Several sources familiar with the chancellor’s thinking told the Observer they believed he was pushing to look at the “ambitious end” of what would be possible without damaging Britain’s employment levels, suggesting he is contemplating going further than any
  
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• Austerity, not the ‘failure’ of Brexit, is behind the Tories’ election wipeout

  05-05-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  The Conservatives were punished in local government polls because George Osborne’s disastrous economic policy has caught up with themIt did not take the local election results to tell us how unpopular this chaotic government is; but they have certainly rammed the message home. I am wryly amused by reports that the main reason why the Tories are unpopular with certain voters (or leave voters) is that people are dissatisfied with the government for failing “to deliver Brexit”.I a
  
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• Apple finds wearable ‘gimmicks’ really count as iPhone slips

  05-05-2019 08:00 via theguardian.com
  As sales of its signature product peak a big change in strategy has emerged in the form of the Apple Watch and AirPodIf Apple wants to prove to doubters that there is life beyond the iPhone, then the wrists and ears of millions of customers could provide the answer.Twelve years from the launch of Steve Jobs’s signature product, Apple wearables – and the services that tie in to them – have emerged as an important component of the tech giant’s profile, accounting for more t
  
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• Big pharma can only see the benefit of R&D for wealthy markets | Kenan Malik

  05-05-2019 07:00 via theguardian.com
  There is too little incentive for pharmaceutical companies to work on treatments for diseases of low-income countries
  At the end of April, health workers in Malawi, Ghana and Kenya began rolling out the first and so far only vaccine proved to protect against malaria. It’s part of a World Health Organization pilot programme that could immunise more than one million children by 2023. Yet, while this is a welcome step in the fight against malaria, it also exposes the problems in developing va
  
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• Celebrate the value of older people | Letters

  05-05-2019 06:59
  Rather than reinforcing negative attitudes, we should embrace the contribution they makeIt was disappointing to see our older and younger generations once again being pitted against each other (“Old folk will be a burden, but must our young shoulder it?”, Phillip Inman, Economics). Far from being a burden, older people contribute a significant amount to our economy and our communities, as taxpayers, carers and volunteers, with research by the Royal Voluntary Service predicting that t
  
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• HMRC nets £5m from ‘black market’ dog breeders

  05-05-2019 01:05 via theguardian.com
  Taxman cracks down on illicit sale of canines after reports from animal welfare groupsHMRC has raised over £5m in unpaid tax after an operation to tackle dog breeders who were selling puppies on the black market.More than 250 cases involving the illicit sale of dogs were uncovered by the taxman during the four years after a special taskforce was formed to tackle the problem. In one instance, a former Crufts judge was given a £185,000 bill. Continue reading...
  
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