Financial news

• About 2,000 homes in Hastings on fifth day with no water supply

  06-05-2024 19:41
  
  Most of 32,500 properties back online after mains pipe burst but hundreds to go without for another nightAbout 2,000 homes in Hastings are into their fifth day without water and will probably have to wait until at least Tuesday for their taps to be flowing again.On Thursday, 32,500 properties in Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea were left without water after a mains pipe burst. On Monday Southern Water said about 25,500 of the homes affected had had their water supply restored. Continue reading...
  
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• The Guardian view on disability benefit reform: the latest proposals are dangerously out of touch | Editorial

  06-05-2024 19:27
  
  Threatening to withdraw personal independence payments will only ramp up stress on unwell peopleThe best thing that can be said about the latest proposals from ministers to reform disability benefits is that they are unlikely ever to come to fruition. A consultation closes in late July, so the work and pensions secretary, Mel Stride, can be expected to announce changes in the autumn. Given the imminence of a general election, however, any new policies on benefits should be viewed as fodder for a
  
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• How can we expect mothers to return to work if we’re so reluctant to allow fathers to stay home? | Myke Bartlett

  06-05-2024 17:00
  
  As a bloke, I have been met with disbelief and suspicion when I’ve applied for part-time work. Didn’t I realise this was women’s work?The job I was applying for was three days a week. It was a backwards step, career-wise, but the hours were attractive. By that I mean that the role’s part-time nature would allow me to continue meeting my KPIs as majority parent.I could keep up with all that important driving and shouting that comprises a career as primary caregiver –
  
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• From sporrans to chandeliers: King Charles and Queen Camilla weigh up new royal warrants

  06-05-2024 16:22
  
  A year after coronation, firms that were under patronage of Queen Elizabeth II or former Prince of Wales reapply, while others get in on actOn first glance the list of prestigious brands reads like the wedding gift registry of a wealthy eccentric.Moët & Chandon is one of eight acceptable champagnes for the ice bucket on the (Steinway) piano. The fashion stakes are high, too, with the posh trenchcoat purveyor Burberry, the Savile Row tailor Gieves & Hawkes, and Lamont Sporrans for wh
  
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• M25 weekend closure: drivers told to stick to diversion to avoid London Ulez charges

  06-05-2024 14:44
  
  Motorway will be shut both ways between junctions nine and 10 from 9pm on Friday until 6am on MondayDrivers tempted to bypass the official diversion for this weekend’s M25 motorway closure have been warned of potential ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) charges if they stray off course.The London orbital motorway is having its second ever planned closure, with a busy stretch in the south-west closed in both directions for works, potentially bringing long delays and congestion for thousands of
  
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• How rental ‘libraries of things’ have become the new way to save money

  06-05-2024 10:00
  
  From baby clothes to popcorn makers, borrowing items rather than buying them is a growing trendA year into motherhood and I can confirm two things: babies grow too fast and clothing them is an expensive business.My solution has been to rent my daughter Stella’s wardrobe. Warm coats, swimming costumes, sleepsuits, sandals – all can be borrowed for a monthly subscription from any number of services such as Bundlee, Lullaloop and thelittleloop, amongst others. Continue reading...
  
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• As the Channel tunnel turns 30, England needs to grow up and acknowledge its deep bond with France | Jonn Elledge

  06-05-2024 09:00
  
  The two countries have been at odds over the centuries. But could there be a better symbol of our link than this engineering coup?The first passenger train from England to France carried Queen Elizabeth II to Calais on 6 May 1994. Trains carrying less exalted passengers would not set off until November of that year, and the more arresting image of English and French engineers shaking hands beneath the sea had come four years earlier. Officially, though, today is the day: the Channel tunnel is 30
  
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• Higher costs and cramped conditions: the impact of Europe’s housing crisis

  06-05-2024 06:00
  
  Affording a home has become a political issue as rents and prices soar and supply plummetsFix Europe’s housing crisis or risk fuelling the far-right, UN expert warns‘Everything’s just … on hold’: the Netherlands’ next-level housing crisisDecades in the making, Europe’s housing crisis is being felt from the Netherlands to Portugal, Greece to Germany, and in Britain. Prices and rents have soared, availability and affordability have plunged and housing has
  
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• Fix Europe’s housing crisis or risk fuelling the far-right, UN expert warns

  06-05-2024 06:00
  
  Unaffordable rents and property prices risk becoming a key political battleground across the continentHigher costs and cramped conditions: the impact of Europe’s housing crisis‘Everything’s just … on hold’: the Netherlands’ next-level housing crisisSpiralling rents and sky-high property prices risk becoming a key battleground of European politics as far-right and populist parties start to exploit growing public anger over the continent’s housing crisis,
  
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• Qantas to pay $120m after allegedly selling tickets for cancelled flights – video

  06-05-2024 04:29
  
  Qantas will hand over $100m as a civil penalty and pay out $20m to customers in compensation, after striking a deal with the consumer watchdog over a landmark action for allegedly selling tickets to flights that had already been cancelled in its system. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said that as part of the settlement Qantas had admitted that it misled consumersQantas to pay $120m for allegedly selling tickets to flights that had already been cancell
  
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• Bills you don’t owe, menacing debt collectors: the terrifying world of energy company customers

  06-05-2024 01:00
  
  A roundup of scary dealings with those masters of suspense, obfuscation and in Scottish Power’s case – sheer inventionPeriodically, I electrify readers with a drama about energy bills. Before you switch off, let me assure you that utilities companies are masters of suspense. Read on if you dare: Continue reading...
  
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