Financial news

• Call for Thames Water inquiry after children fell ill after swimming in river

  28-06-2023 14:57
  
  Campaigners condemn pollution and shortages as government and regulator discuss possible bailoutThames Water customers have called for an urgent inquiry into the company’s finances after children became seriously unwell from swimming in the river and homes were left without water during a drought.Campaigners have expressed astonishment that the company may be bailed out by the taxpayer after it failed to invest appropriately in infrastructure to stop sewage spills and leaks. Continue readi
  
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• I moved to a well-off area to give my kids a better chance, but now we’re deep in debt | Charlie

  28-06-2023 13:00
  
  Soaring bills have blown my budget and I worry we’re on the verge of disaster unless the cost of living crisis is sorted outThis article is part of the heat or eat diaries: a series from the frontline of Britain’s cost of living emergencyI haven’t been in debt for a long time, but as soon as prices rocketed, especially energy bills, I fell behind. I had to choose between paying my gas and electric bill each month or feeding my kids. Each month, with only those two choices to ma
  
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• Water firms push for bills in England to rise by up to 40%, say reports

  28-06-2023 12:26
  
  Plans drawn up to pay for cost of dealing with sewage crisis and climate emergencyContingency plans being drawn up for Thames Water collapseBusiness live – latest updatesWater companies are reportedly pushing for bills in England to rise by up to 40% under plans being drawn up to pay for the cost of dealing with the sewage crisis and the climate emergency.The increases are due to be announced next year and could drive annual bills up from an average of £450 to £680 in parts of
  
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• The key to wedded bliss is a joint bank account? I don’t buy it | Arwa Mahdawi

  28-06-2023 12:00
  
  My wife and I trust one another with our finances, but we have never opened a shared account. When it comes to a happy marriage, there is an easier way ...A few years ago I had a terrible shock: a bank statement arrived at my house with an extremely large number on it. According to this letter, I was filthy rich! I stared at the statement for a long time. Had I bought bitcoin in my sleep a decade ago? Had I cashed in that bitcoin when it was at its peak? Was I unwittingly skilled at finances?You
  
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• How can I get Ryanair to find my parents’ lost cabin bags?

  28-06-2023 09:30
  
  They were taken off them during boarding last December. There’s been no sign since My elderly parents flew with Ryanair from Budapest last December to visit me. They paid extra for cabin baggage to avoid checking it in.As my mother has impaired mobility, they were the last to board. A flight attendant told them there was no room for their cases and he would take them to the hold. Continue reading...
  
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• Ofgem moves to make new prepayment meter supplier rules compulsory

  28-06-2023 09:26
  
  Voluntary code bans forced installation in homes of over-85s and gives extra protection to vulnerableThe energy regulator has announced a proposal to make new rules brought in to protect struggling prepayment meter customers a compulsory part of suppliers’ licence conditions.The voluntary code of practice agreed in April bans forcibly installing prepayment meters (PPM) in the homes of people over the age of 85 and gives extra protections to vulnerable households. Continue reading...
  
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• Water bills ‘to surge up to 40%’ to fix sewage pollution crisis, as Jeremy Hunt prepares to meet regulators – business live

  28-06-2023 08:15
  
  Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial newsThames Water boss steps down amid backlash over environmental recordJeremy Hunt to ask UK regulators to investigate firms exploiting price risesIn another worrying development, Sky News is reporting that the government has begun drawing up contingency plans for the collapse of Thames Water.The news comes less than a day after the surprise exit of Thames Water’s CEO, Sarah Bentley.The talks within Whitehall, which involve the Departm
  
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• AstraZeneca pledges to plant and maintain 200m trees globally by 2030

  28-06-2023 08:00
  
  Drugmaker’s $4oom offsetting scheme aims to combat climate change and biodiversity loss caused by deforestationThe boss of Britain’s biggest drugmaker, Pascal Soriot, has warned that the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are damaging the planet and human health, as it announced a $400m (£310m) plan to plant 200m trees by 2030.The offsetting scheme is one of the biggest tree-planting programmes globally. In 2020, AstraZeneca pledged to plant and maintain more t
  
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• Google may have misled dozens of advertisers and violated its own guidelines - report

  28-06-2023 07:13
  
  Google has said the study makes “extremely inaccurate claims” and stated that advertisers are only paying for ads when they are viewedGoogle may have misled dozens of business and government advertisers about the viewership of ads running on third party websites and apps, while charging for them, a new report has claimed.Google’s TrueView is the company’s proprietary video ad product that is displayed not only in YouTube but on third party sites and apps across the intern
  
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• The oil company CEO running the next UN climate change summit - podcast

  28-06-2023 04:00
  
  The UN’s annual climate conference is being dogged by scandal months before it even begins. Environment editor Damian Carrington reportsWhen the Guardian environment editor Damian Carrington received a reply to an email he had sent to the organisers of this year’s UN climate change conference, he noticed something unusual: it was stamped with the name of the state oil company of the hosts.He tells Michael Safi how an investigation led to him proving that the United Arab Emirates were
  
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• UK has made ‘no progress’ on climate plan, say government’s own advisers

  28-06-2023 01:01
  
  UK has lost leadership in climate action and almost all targets are being missed, Committee on Climate Change findsThe government’s plans to hit net zero have been comprehensively criticised in a withering report by its own advisers that warns targets are being missed on nearly every front.Fewer homes were insulated last year under the government-backed scheme than the year before, despite soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis. There is little progress on transport emissions, no
  
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• High mortgage rates forcing sellers to accept lower offers on homes – Zoopla

  28-06-2023 01:01
  
  Research shows 42% agreeing to discounts of 5% or more on asking price – the highest level for five yearsSoaring mortgage rates and the cost of living crisis are forcing more sellers to accept lower offers to secure a property sale, according to Zoopla.The property website latest house price index showed that 42% of sellers were accepting discounts of 5% or more on the asking price of their home in the week ending 18 June – the highest level since 2018 – as buyers are driving a
  
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• Advertising watchdog bans Hyundai and Toyota electric car ads

  28-06-2023 01:01
  
  Campaigns made misleading claims about charging times and rapid-charging points in UK and Ireland, ASA saysThe UK advertising watchdog has banned campaigns by Toyota and Hyundai for exaggerating the speed at which electric cars can be charged and misleading consumers about the availability of rapid-charging points across the UK and Ireland.The Japanese car firm Toyota ran a marketing campaign on its website for its bZ4X model with the text “making electric easy”. The site claimed the
  
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