Financial news

• Tory MP lobbied minister on behalf of casino over gambling laws

  03-05-2023 22:23
  
  Philip Davies lobbied culture minister to include measure after being entertained at Mayfair casinoThe Conservative MP Philip Davies lobbied the government on behalf of a casino to introduce a measure that was then included in last week’s gambling white paper, it has emerged.The MP for Shipley, in West Yorkshire, wrote in February to the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, after being entertained at Les Ambassadeurs luxury casino in Mayfair, central London. Continue reading...
  
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• US Federal Reserve votes to increase interest rates to 16-year high

  03-05-2023 20:01
  
  Rise in benchmark interest rate is 10th hike since March 2022, when the Fed started its rapid inflation-fighting campaignThe US Federal Reserve voted to increase interest rates to a 16-year high on Wednesday, even as a banking crisis has left the economy wobbling.The quarter-point rise in the Fed’s benchmark interest rate was the 10th hike since March 2022, when interest rates were zero and the Fed started its rapid inflation-fighting campaign. The interest rate now stands at 5% to 5.25%.
  
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• London Stock Exchange chief calls for UK firms to pay bosses more

  03-05-2023 20:01
  
  Julia Hoggett accused of being ‘bit deluded’ after arguing pay packages need to match those of US companies The chief executive of the London Stock Exchange has called for the bosses of UK companies to be paid more in order to match their counterparts in the US.Julia Hoggett argued that British companies were finding it difficult to attract and retain executives because they offered smaller pay packages than rivals in the US. Continue reading...
  
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• Santander issues warning after woman hands over £60,000 in impersonation scam

  03-05-2023 18:46 via express.co.uk
  
  Santander has issued an urgent warning to customers as impersonation scams have risen 11 percent since the beginning of the year.
  
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• Food price inflation: why the cost of making a family spag bol has hit £10

  03-05-2023 18:43
  
  New more-detailed ONS data on UK basket of goods shows how much staples have shot up since 2018 The cost of making spaghetti bolognese for a family of four has risen to £10, up 15.6% in the last year alone, according to the most detailed government data yet published on rising pricesThe cost of ingredients for the nation’s most popular pasta dish rose by just 24p between 2018 and 2022 but has now soared to £9.98, a 20% increase since 2018. Continue reading...
  
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• FCA urges Capita clients to ascertain if data was compromised in cyber-attack

  03-05-2023 18:03
  
  Corporate clients that outsource work to Capita – including Aviva and Phoenix Group – must ‘assess fallout from data breach’The City regulator has contacted Capita’s corporate clients urging them to ascertain whether their customers’ data has been compromised after a cyber-attack on the outsourcer in March.The Financial Conduct Authority said it had written to firms it regulates and which outsource work to Capita to ensure they are “fully engaged”
  
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• UK homeowners: tell us about your experience of trying to remortgage your property in 2023

  03-05-2023 17:53
  
  We’re keen to hear from UK homeowners who have to refix their residential mortgage in coming months or have done so recently, and how this will affect themMore than 1.4 million people will remortgage over the course of 2023, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).We’d like to hear from people who will refix their UK residential mortgage soon, or have done so recently. Continue reading...
  
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• French oil giant TotalEnergies sues Greenpeace over emissions report

  03-05-2023 17:44
  
  Green group accused company of emitting more than it disclosed but TotalEnergies says report used dubious methodologies The French oil major TotalEnergies has sued the environmental group Greenpeace France and the climate consulting firm Factor-X over a report claiming that the company massively underestimated its 2019 greenhouse gas emissions, Total said on Wednesday.The civil complaint, served on 28 April, seeks a ruling that the November publication contains “false and misleading inform
  
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• Airbnb goes back to basics with renewed focus on private room rentals

  03-05-2023 16:46
  
  New features on app to encourage travellers to consider renting single rooms rather than whole propertiesAirbnb is going back to its roots, the company has announced, with a renewed focus on renting out single rooms to travellers concerned about cost-of-living increases.Labelled Airbnb Rooms, the short-term rental app will launch a range of features designed to encourage travellers to consider renting a single room in a house to save money and have new experiences on the move. Continue reading..
  
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• Martin Lewis warns 'one million pensioners' miss out on 'superpower' benefit worth £3,500

  03-05-2023 16:39 via express.co.uk
  
  Martin Lewis has urged low-income pensioners to claim "superpower" benefits worth thousands as millions of people miss out.
  
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• Climate protesters rework Spice Girls song to disrupt Barclays AGM

  03-05-2023 16:30
  
  Lyrics of Stop changed to ‘stop right now, no more oil and gas’ because of bank’s fossil fuel fundingBusiness live – latest updatesBarclays’ annual general meeting was disrupted by climate activists deploying Shakespeare-inspired quotes and reworked lyrics of a Spice Girls hit to condemn the bank’s role as one of Europe’s largest funders of fossil fuels.Dozens of activists from groups including Fossil Free London and Extinction Rebellion UK began their a
  
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• AI race is disrupting education firms – and that is just the start

  03-05-2023 16:09
  
  Companies’ shares plunge in London and New York after Chegg report that ChatGPT has hit revenuesThe artificial intelligence race is already producing losers. On Tuesday, education companies trading on the London and New York stock exchanges saw hundreds of millions wiped from their valuations after Chegg, a US firm that provides online help to students for writing and maths work, said ChatGPT was affecting customer growth.The firm said it had seen a “significant spike” in stude
  
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• British Gas has reopened its energy debt grants fund - and anyone can apply

  03-05-2023 15:50 via express.co.uk
  
  The British Gas Energy Trust has relaunched its fund, which is open to any Briton in energy debt who is facing fuel poverty.
  
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• DWP shares 56 health conditions that qualify pensioners for extra £441 a month - full list

  03-05-2023 15:08 via express.co.uk
  
  Millions of state pensioners could be entitled to extra cash if they have certain medical conditions.
  
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• Royal favourite Luscombe flies the flag for flavour popping soft drinks

  03-05-2023 14:55 via express.co.uk
  
  So good is its quality and service supplying the Royal Household, UK maker Luscombe Drinks holds a Royal Warrant and many will be filling their glasses with its delectable new Coronation Rose and Cherry Bubbly this weekend.
  
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• Starmer accuses Rishi Sunak of ‘killing the dream of home ownership’

  03-05-2023 14:27
  
  Labour leader castigates PM for dropping compulsory housebuilding targets for councilsUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has accused Rishi Sunak of “killing the dream of home ownership for a generation” with his decision to scrap housebuilding targets, as he again used prime minister’s questions to try to portray Sunak as privileged and out of touch.Saying that hundreds of thousands of people would be paying higher mortgages because of the fiscal chaos amid Liz
  
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• Android phone users urged to beware five messages - your bank account could be emptied

  03-05-2023 13:00 via express.co.uk
  
  Google has issued a list of warning messages for Android phone users to look out for as they could be at risk of phishing or malware attacks.
  
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• Banking crisis fears soar as world’s safest asset goes rogue and no-one can stop it

  03-05-2023 12:11 via express.co.uk
  
  Everybody knows the last financial crisis was caused by greedy bankers gambling with other people's money, and assume that's also the case today. Yet something more sinister is at work.
  
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• Ban smoking and tax fruit juice, says George Osborne

  03-05-2023 11:55
  
  Ex-chancellor urges UK PM extend sugar tax and raise legal age for tobacco to curb obesity and cancerUK politics live – latest updatesBusiness live – latest updatesSmoking should be banned and the sugar tax extended to include fruit juice and milkshakes, George Osborne has said.In 2016, the Conservative former chancellor announced a sugar tax on soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and Irn Bru, claiming the money would be used to provide more sports funding for primary schools. It was not l
  
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• Supermarket worker, 82, is finally able to retire thanks to 'life-changing' £109k donation

  03-05-2023 11:44 via express.co.uk
  
  Some older people are receiving significant boosts to their retirement savings thanks to viral fundraisers on GoFundMe.
  
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• Tell us your experiences with TransPennine Express

  03-05-2023 11:13
  
  We would like to hear about your experiences with the train operator – and your views on its potential contract renewalTransPennine Express trains had the worst performance of any rail operator in the UK in March, with almost 1,000 trains fully or partly cancelled.The train operator is owned by the First Group and its contract is due for renewal on 28 May, but MPs and metro mayors have called on the government to take TPE back into public ownership. Continue reading...
  
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• Trading platforms sell the dream of making big money fast. The reality can be far more brutal | Kirsty Major

  03-05-2023 11:00
  
  With wages stagnating, people are turning to complex financial products known as CFDs – risking addiction and disastrous lossesWho doesn’t want some extra cash – especially when prices are soaring and inflation is eating away at people’s savings? Over a decade ago, the answer to increasing earnings might have been to work more hours or train for a better-paid job, but these days work no longer pays. Workers in the UK are £11,000 a year worse off after 15 years of wa
  
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• Elderly couple ‘feel violated’ and £560,000 worse-off after getting fake Amazon email

  03-05-2023 11:00 via express.co.uk
  
  Scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated by impersonating trusted brands such as Amazon.
  
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• Banks urged to open more banking hubs as pensioners struggle to bank online

  03-05-2023 10:33 via express.co.uk
  
  A charity is calling for physical banking services to be maintained as many pensioners and older Britons prefer to do their banking in person.
  
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• Inside big beef’s climate messaging machine: confuse, defend and downplay

  03-05-2023 10:30
  
  A Masters of Beef Advocacy program teaches ‘scientific sounding’ arguments on cattle’s sustainability in an all-out public relations war The US beef industry is creating an army of influencers and citizen activists to help amplify a message that will be key to its future success: that you shouldn’t be too worried about the growing attention around the environmental impacts of its production.In particular, it would like you not to be especially concerned about how meat con
  
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• DWP confirms when people will get cost of living payment if they haven’t already got it

  03-05-2023 09:14 via express.co.uk
  
  More than seven million households will have received the first instalment of the cost of living payment by the end of today but some will still be waiting for the payment.
  
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• My landlord has left me in a flat with a leaking roof for a year

  03-05-2023 08:00
  
  After botched repairs, I’ve been living with damp and mouldI am a Southern Housing tenant and, a year ago, reported a leak in my bedroom ceiling. It was after three months of calls and emails to United Living, Southern Housing’s repair service provider, that surveyors arrived and discovered a hole in the recently replaced roof. It took another four months of pushing from me before a repair was made. Within a week, the leak had worsened. A month later, the same contractor returned to
  
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• UK energy suppliers to set up dedicated phone lines for vulnerable households

  03-05-2023 07:00
  
  Ofgem requirement comes amid plans to crackdown on suppliers’ conduct as research shows slump in customer satisfactionEnergy suppliers will be forced to offer vulnerable households dedicated phone lines in a drive by the regulator Ofgem to improve poor treatment of the most disadvantaged customers.The regulator is planning a crackdown on suppliers’ conduct after a slump in customer service during the energy crisis with long call waiting times and difficulty contacting companies. Cont
  
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• A castle ‘fit for royalty’ could be yours – if you have £8m to spare

  03-05-2023 07:00
  
  Rightmove publish list of fairy-tale castles that are available for purchase. First-time buyers needn’t applyAre you looking for a detached property with lots of character and outside space? Does your checklist include a banquet hall, topiary lawn, secret garden and helipad?Well, you could be in luck. With the coronation imminent, property site Rightmove has released a list of castles for sale in the UK that are “fit for royalty”. Continue reading...
  
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• From the archive: Are your tinned tomatoes picked by slave labour? – podcast

  03-05-2023 06:00
  
  We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authorsThis week, from 2019: How the Italian mafia makes millions by exploiting migrants Continue reading...
  
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• Cost of the crown part 3: the hidden history of the monarchy and slavery - podcast

  03-05-2023 04:00
  
  Documents recently unearthed by historians have shown how the British royal family had ties to transatlantic slavery. Maeve McClenaghan reportsWhile other reporters in the Guardian investigations team have travelled the country looking at horses, jewels and artworks to help uncover the royal family’s hidden wealth, for his part in the Cost of the crown project David Conn looked much further back in time.With the historian Brooke Newman, he has been digging into the evidence that shows the
  
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