Financial news

• M25 five-mile closure: drivers warned to steer clear over weekend

  15-03-2024 14:55
  
  Roadworks mean stretch between junctions 10 and 11 will be closed for first time, from 9pm on Friday to 6am on MondayDrivers have been warned to steer well clear, turn off the satnav and stick to the official diversions as some of the biggest roadworks since the Romans results in part of the M25 motorway fully closed for the first time in its history this weekend.Epic traffic jams are anticipated, with a five-mile stretch of Britain’s busiest motorway, the London orbital motorway, closed f
  
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• Honda and Nissan join forces on electric car technology to chase Chinese rivals

  15-03-2024 14:32
  
  Deal between Japanese carmakers involves components and software amid race to catch up with Chinese EV firmsHonda and Nissan have put aside the “traditional approach” of fierce rivalry to join forces and work together on electric vehicle technology as Japan’s carmakers try to catch up with Chinese competitors.The Japanese manufacturers will work together on technology for EVs, including components and software, after signing a memorandum of understanding on Friday. Continue rea
  
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• McDonald’s says it’s trying to solve tech issues affecting some restaurants worldwide – business live

  15-03-2024 13:56
  
  Global chain apologises to customers over IT problems which left customers unable to order food in countries including Australia, China, UK and Japan and led to temporary store closuresHere is the statement from McDonald’s Corporation:We are aware of a technology outage, which impacted our restaurants; the issue is now being resolved. We thank customers for their patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Notably, the issue is not related to a cybersecurity event. C
  
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• Vodafone to sell Italian business to Swisscom for €8bn

  15-03-2024 10:13
  
  UK telecoms group says some of proceeds will be returned to investors via share buybacksBusiness live – latest updatesVodafone is selling its Italian business to Swisscom for €8bn (£6.8bn) cash and plans to return €4bn to shareholders.The telecoms company said it had reached an agreement to sell Vodafone Italy as part of wider plans to streamline its European operations and that some of the proceeds would be returned to investors via share buy-backs. Vodafone will continue
  
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• Put Thames Water into special administration, Lib Dems tell ministers

  15-03-2024 09:00
  
  Exclusive: party calls for firm to be wound up as it seeks shareholder bailout, higher bills and lower fines Thames Water should be put into special administration by the government and reformed as a public benefit company, the Liberal Democrats have said.Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems’ Treasury spokesperson, will call in a parliamentary debate for the biggest privatised English water company to be wound up under legislation that has recently been updated by ministers. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘We don’t know where the money is going’: the ‘carbon cowboys’ making millions from credit schemes

  15-03-2024 08:00
  
  Carbon schemes are touted as a way to transfer billions in climate finance to the developing world – but people at the Kariba project in Zimbabwe say most of the profits never arriveIn the districts surrounding Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe, most people have little idea their villages were at the centre of a multimillion-dollar carbon boom. Punctuated by straw-thatched mud houses, the Miombo woodlands on the edge of the enormous artificial lake are mostly home to smallholder farmers. The gravel
  
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• Homes for sale in England with great gardens for spring – in pictures

  15-03-2024 08:00
  
  From a wisteria-clad grand house to a pretty cottage with roses as its theme Continue reading...
  
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• Vehicles can now be donated to Ukraine instead of being scrapped under Ulez

  15-03-2024 06:00
  
  From Friday, non-compliant cars, vans and minibuses can be sent to country which is short of vehicles to transport casualtiesMotorists planning to scrap vehicles that do not meet ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) standards in London can instead donate them to Ukraine from Friday, as a scheme is launched after a protracted campaign to win the support of the mayor and central government.The proposal dates back over a year, but was initially rejected by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, on legal grounds,
  
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• No compelling examples of what levelling up has delivered, watchdog finds

  15-03-2024 06:00
  
  Public accounts committee report shows hardly any of 71 projects due to be completed this month are on trackRishi Sunak’s levelling up agenda is beset by an “absolutely astonishing” level of delay, and the government cannot give “any compelling examples” of what it has delivered, parliament’s spending watchdog has found.The public accounts committee (PAC) said barely any of the 71 “shovel-ready” projects due to be completed this month were on track
  
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• Macmillan Cancer Support to axe 150 jobs amid soaring inflation

  15-03-2024 06:00
  
  Exclusive: Charity seeks to ‘minimise the impact’ of the cuts on beneficiaries living with cancerMacmillan Cancer Support, one of Britain’s biggest and best known charities, is planning to axe 150 jobs – one in 14 of its workforce – saying that it is getting harder to raise money to cover rising demand for its help due to increasing numbers of people living with cancer.The charity, whose services play a vital role in local NHS provision, spends £250m a year fu
  
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• Electric mountain: the power station that shows the beauty of infrastructure – podcast

  15-03-2024 06:00
  
  Utilitarian as they may be, some civic projects are so monumental they approach the sublime. And one of the most elegant is hidden inside a mountain in Wales. By Deb ChachraArchive: NASA Continue reading...
  
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• Meghan launches new brand American Riviera Orchard in return to Instagram

  15-03-2024 03:01
  
  Duchess of Sussex’s first social media post since 2020 attracts 200,000 followers within hours on new lifestyle accountMeghan, the Duchess of Sussex has launched what appears to be a new lifestyle brand with dozens of products in the works as she makes a return to Instagram after a four-year hiatus.In Meghan’s first social media post since 2020, American Riviera Orchard was announced via nine Instagram posts that together show the brand’s gilded logo and crest. Within hours the
  
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• 20,000 people off work in the UK every month for mental ill health

  15-03-2024 00:43
  
  DWP figures reveal thousands of people a month are assessed as unable to work because of mental health problemsThousands of people in the UK are being deemed incapable of any work every month due to mental health problems, figures have shown.According to official data published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), at least 20,000 incapacity benefit claims are for mental health problems – making up more than two-thirds of the total. Continue reading...
  
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