Financial news

• Israel’s prime minister urges Elon Musk to curb antisemitism on his platform, X

  18-09-2023 22:36
  
  Benjamin Netanyahu told the billionaire owner to clamp down on the hate on the site formerly known as TwitterIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, urged Elon Musk to address the proliferation of antisemitism on the billionaire’s social media platform X.In an in-person meeting in California on Monday, Netanyahu said he hoped Musk would find ways within the confines of the first amendment to clamp down on antisemitism and other forms of hatred on X, the platform formerly known a
  
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• Build HS2, say northern leaders, as ministers refuse to confirm Manchester link

  18-09-2023 19:47
  
  Andy Burnham says reports Rishi Sunak wants to cut line short at Birmingham ‘beggared belief’Northern leaders have called on Downing Street to honour promises to build the HS2 high-speed rail line, as ministers repeatedly refused to confirm to MPs whether it would run to Manchester.Doubts over the future of the multibillion-pound HS2 project are growing after the junior transport minister Richard Holden dodged multiple questions in the Commons. Continue reading...
  
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• Post Office: Horizon scandal victims to receive £600,000 compensation each

  18-09-2023 19:20
  
  Workers whose wrongful convictions for theft and false accounting have beenoverturned to receive payment from governmentEvery post office operator whose wrongful conviction over the Horizon IT scandal has been overturned will receive £600,000 in compensation from the government, ministers have announced.The Horizon scandal, described as “the most widespread miscarriage of justice in UK history”, resulted in more than 700 post office operators being prosecuted between 1999 and 2
  
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• The pensions triple lock is still needed – don’t let the Tories unpick it | Letters

  18-09-2023 18:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers respond to suggestions that the Conservatives are considering plans to water down the scheme designed to enhance the state pensionYour report (Treasury officials mull one-off break from pensions triple lock, 12 September) says: “Any change to the way the state pension is calculated would be controversial because the Conservatives pledged in their last election manifesto to abide by the [triple-lock] formula.”“Controversial” is an understatement. As recently as las
  
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• AI boom may not have positive outcome, warns UK competition watchdog

  18-09-2023 18:29
  
  Risks include high prices as well as proliferation of false information, fraud and fake reviews, says CMAPeople should not assume a positive outcome from the artificial intelligence boom, the UK’s competition watchdog has warned, citing risks including a proliferation of false information, fraud and fake reviews as well as high prices for using the technology.The Competition and Markets Authority said people and businesses could benefit from a new generation of AI systems but dominance by
  
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• Unfortunately for the Tories Liz Truss is the gift that keeps on giving | John Crace

  18-09-2023 17:54
  
  Almost a year after her disastrous mini-budget, ex-PM says she was right and the economy and everyone else was wrongYou’ve got to hand it to Liz Truss. Few politicians do shamelessness quite like her. Or turn lack of self-awareness into an art form. Imagine being everyone’s odds on favourite for the title of worst prime minister of all time. Worse even than David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson or Rishi Sunak. That would be enough to send most normal, sensate beings crawling unde
  
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• The big Australian companies cashing in on healthcare – podcast

  18-09-2023 17:00
  
  Some of Australia’s largest companies are getting into the business of healthcare, claiming they are making medical appointments and prescriptions easier to access. But not everyone is convinced.Health reporter Natasha May tells Laura Murphy-Oates why some experts are concerned about the rise of ‘McMedicine’Help make our podcast better by filling out our listener survey: http://theguardian.com/podcastsurveyauYou can subscribe for free to Guardian Australia’s daily news po
  
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• ‘One size fits nobody’: markers of high-quality clothing are getting harder to find

  18-09-2023 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From poorly finished seams to an over-reliance on elastane, cost-cutting in the manufacturing process is leading to less comfortable, less durable clothingGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailLast week I went shopping with some friends who also work in fashion. We did high-end boutiques first and then went hunting through the stalls at a vintage market. At the market, more than the boutiques, we found ourselves geeking out over the clothes’ intricate details.Silk crepe, 1940s tea dre
  
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• Proposed Sizewell C nuclear plant seeks outside investment

  18-09-2023 15:00
  
  Prospective investors will be subject to ‘strict national security checks’, minister vowsProspective investors in the proposed Sizewell C nuclear power plant in Suffolk will undergo “strict national security checks”, the government has said, as it formally kicked off a hunt for outside investment.The project, led by the French state-backed energy company EDF and backed by the UK government, aims to produce 3.2 gigawatts of electricity – enough to power about 6m home
  
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• Liz Truss admits 'rushed' mini-budget policies – video

  18-09-2023 13:57
  
  The former prime minister Liz Truss has admitted her mini-budget policies were rushed. Speaking at the Institute for Government, during her first high-profile speech on the economy since leaving office, Truss said: 'Some people said we were in too much of a rush. It was certainly true that I didn't just try to fatten the pig on market day but tried to rear, fatten and slaughter it on market day.' She added the reason her government was in a hurry was because voters wanted change and she wanted t
  
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• Beware sharper economic slowdown and tougher inflation, warns adviser to central banks

  18-09-2023 13:00
  
  Bank of International Settlements said markets risk ignoring aftershocks from inflation such as insolvencies and property price fallsBusiness live – latest updatesFinancial markets should be wary of stubborn inflation and a sharper economic slowdown next year than forecasters predict, the Swiss-based adviser to central banks has warned.The Bank of International Settlements said exuberant stock markets were at risk of ignoring the negative aftershocks from persistent inflation, which could
  
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• Childcare is broken: is the UK failing its future? – video

  18-09-2023 11:34 via theguardian.com
  
  The early years education system in the UK is a mess. Soaring nursery fees are causing parents – usually mothers – to quit their jobs, yet childcare settings are so chronically underfunded they are barely able to stay afloat, prompting underpaid staff to leave in droves.The government has promised a childcare revolution, with more free hours for families. The Guardian's Alexandra Topping speaks to parents and campaigners to find out whether this additional help for parents will fix t
  
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• Help-to-buy delays leave borrowers unable to sell or remortgage and paying more

  18-09-2023 11:28
  
  Since Homes England switched contractors, borrowers have been struggling to obtain vital documentsJuan Peña is “feeling a bit hopeless” after months of dealing with Homes England, the government body that ran the help-to-buy loan scheme. The doctor used one of the loans to purchase a flat with his friend, whom he is now trying to buy out. Although he started the process in April, when there was four months on his mortgage deal left, a series of delays have resulted in time run
  
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• Bizarre laws and strange cases: 10 unexpected facts about being a lawyer

  18-09-2023 11:26
  
  Find out why certain lawyers wear wigs made from hemp, defend dead fish in court and refuse to shake hands with each other, as we reveal some awesome facts about the legal profession1 Lawyers can give legal counsel to fish
  Defendants in a court of law don’t always need to be human. In 2010, Swiss lawyer Antoine Goetschel acted in court on behalf of a dead pike, which had “suffered excessively” after an angler took 10 minutes to land the fish when it was snared on his hook (the
  
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• Coventry Building Society ‘boosts’ interest on regular savings to ‘attractive’ 5.5 percent

  18-09-2023 09:27 via express.co.uk
  
  Flexible deposits of up to £500 can be made each month with no monthly minimum, and savers don't need a linked account to qualify.
  
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• We bought a house with my parents – can we get a mortgage to buy their share?

  18-09-2023 08:00
  
  We’ve been told that no one would lend to us if they were still living in the property and fear we’re stuckQ My husband and I bought a house with my parents 12 years ago. We own one-third and they own two-thirds. We live together and it is the main home for all of us as well as our children. My husband and I also own a small rental property. Our plan was that as time went on we would buy my parents’ stake. My parents are now in their late 60s and thinking about options for the
  
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• UK student deals: top discounts and freebies to make the most of your money

  18-09-2023 08:00
  
  Arm yourself with these useful tips to save cash on food, TV and music, beauty and moreEvery penny counts when you’re studying, and there are lots of discounts around that can help ease the cost pressures on students. Here are some tips to help you avoid paying the full price.• Sign up to sites and apps such as UniDays and Student Beans, which list scores of student discounts on everything from takeaways to tech. Meanwhile, the Totum card and app (formerly known as the NUS Extra stude
  
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• How can Ovo send debt threats when I don’t even have an account?

  18-09-2023 08:00
  
  I am being warned my credit rating could be impacted when I have never had an account with it or any of the companies it ownsCan you can help me resolve a problem with Ovo Energy? I spent a year working in Ireland, and, during that time, I had mail redirected to my dad’s address in Scotland.When I returned to the UK, one of the letters was from Ovo demanding I settle an overdue bill for £1,690. I have never had an account with Ovo or SSE Energy (Ovo bought SSE’s retail arm in 2
  
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• To grow the economy in a way that benefits people and the planet, politicians must think outside the box | Mariana Mazzucato

  18-09-2023 07:00
  
  We rely on too many old ideas. Governments must foster growth that is innovative and sustainable. They could start with school mealsPoliticians from across the UK’s political spectrum seem to agree on one thing: growth. But for all the talk of resuscitating the UK’s flagging economy, there is little evidence (yet) to suggest that any party will succeed in charting a new course. Political leaders of all persuasions are – to echo the words of John Maynard Keynes – captive t
  
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• Proportion of UK house sellers cutting asking price reaches ‘highest in over a decade’

  18-09-2023 07:00
  
  More than 36% of properties have had asking price cut at least once — the highest figure since 2011UK house sellers are cutting their asking prices at the fastest rate in more than a decade, after high interest rates dampened demand for property this summer.The proportion of homes on the market which have had at least one price reduction is at its highest level since January 2011, the property website Rightmove has reported. Continue reading...
  
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