Financial news

• Nearly 500 cat figurines stolen from Gordon Ramsay’s London restaurant

  20-02-2025 22:59
  
  By Ramsay’s own estimate, he has lost more than £2,000 during one week in stolen maneki-neko cat modelsNearly 500 cat figurines were stolen in one week from Gordon Ramsay’s new London restaurant, the TV chef has said.The restaurateur, 58, recently launched Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate by Gordon Ramsay in one of London’s tallest buildings, which features the beckoning Japanese cat models called maneki-neko. Continue reading...
  
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• Thirty English councils granted exceptional financial support packages

  20-02-2025 20:24
  
  Local authorities can collectively borrow £1.5bn to plug budget gaps caused by underfundingA record 30 English local authorities have been granted effective “bailouts” enabling them to borrow money to avoid bankruptcy, as ministers advised them against selling off prized local assets such as historic buildings, parks and allotments.The councils, all of whom were experiencing “unmanageable” financial pressures, were given the green light by ministers to collectively
  
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• Americans’ confidence in air travel falls after string of plane crashes, poll shows

  20-02-2025 19:46
  
  Survey indicates 64% of Americans believe flying is safe, down from 71% who said so last yearAmericans’ confidence in aviation has slipped following a string of plane crashes in 2025, according to a new poll.As of this year 64% of Americans said they believe air travel is very or somewhat safe, marking a decrease from 71% of Americans who indicated so last year, said the poll, conducted by AP-NORC and released on Wednesday. Continue reading...
  
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• Savings providers vow to fight any attempt to cut cash Isa limit to £4,000

  20-02-2025 19:01
  
  Rachel Reeves understood to be considering proposal to reduce annual allowance from current £20,000Major savings providers have pledged to fight any attempts to cut tax breaks on cash Isas after it emerged the government was considering a proposal to slash the maximum amount that people can put into them from £20,000 a year to £4,000.In recent weeks a row has broken out over whether ministers should scale back tax breaks on the popular savings accounts. The chancellor, Rachel R
  
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• Rachel Reeves should rewrite the rulebook on GDP growth | Letters

  20-02-2025 18:44
  
  Donald Power, Dr Neil Lancastle and Andrew Risby respond to an editorial on Britain’s broken economyRe your editorial (The Guardian view on Britain’s broken economy: ‘That’s your bloody GDP, not ours’, 13 February), we are frequently reminded of the inadequacy of GDP growth as an objective, given that it includes the money spent on dealing with pollution, sickness, crime etc. But nobody gets out of bed thinking, “I have to grow GDP today”. We’re th
  
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• James Bond producers give Amazon full creative control of 007

  20-02-2025 18:37
  
  Deal is struck with heirs to film producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli, long-serving stewards of franchiseJames Bond has fallen into the hands of a billionaire’s business empire after Amazon revealed that it has acquired “creative control” of the spy franchise from the Broccoli dynasty.Amazon MGM Studios said on Thursday it had struck a deal with Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson, the British-American heirs to the film producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli an
  
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• Walmart shares fall upon disappointing forecast, fueling US spending worries

  20-02-2025 17:16
  
  World’s largest retailer expects inflation-weary consumers to pull back after shares hit record high of $105 last weekWalmart on Thursday forecast sales and profit for its latest fiscal year below Wall Street estimates, suggesting that the world’s largest retailer expects inflation-weary consumers to pull back after several quarters of solid growth.Walmart shares, which had risen about 72% in 2024 and hit a record high of $105 last week, were down 6% in early trading. Shares of its r
  
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• Anglo American writes down value of diamond firm De Beers by $2.9bn

  20-02-2025 15:39
  
  Sale of the miner, which is now valued at $4bn, may be delayed following ‘really, really difficult’ marketBusiness live – latest updatesThe world’s biggest diamond miner, De Beers, cost its parent company almost $3bn last year as the growth in lab-grown stones continues to take the shine off the industry.Anglo American was forced to write down the value of the renowned gem producer for a second consecutive year as its chief executive admitted the diamond markets had prove
  
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• British Gas pledges to focus on customers after being overtaken by Octopus

  20-02-2025 14:27 via theguardian.com
  
  CEO of owner Centrica says service will be ‘my obsession’ as profits slump by a third to £2.3bnBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of British Gas has said that losing its spot as Britain’s biggest energy supplier for the first time in four decades should “galvanise” its staff to focus on customer service and lowering bills.Chris O’Shea, the chief executive of Centrica, which owns British Gas, said monitoring its customer service was an “ob
  
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• Civil servants are leading the American resistance – with GameStop as a guide | Virginia Heffernan

  20-02-2025 12:00
  
  As Elon Musk tries to drive them out, federal workers are initiating a short squeeze on the broligarchyThe most ferocious response to Elon Musk’s coup in the US is also the most disciplined. It’s a sustained act of civil disobedience by the civil service. Amid the malignant lies of the current regime, federal workers are steadily telling the truth.This strategy is more methodical than it at first seems. Yes, the distress and anger among federal workers is palpable. But the more anarc
  
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• Energy network owners have made £3.9bn ‘excess profit’ from higher bills, says report

  20-02-2025 11:01 via theguardian.com
  Citizens Advice believes Ofgem made flawed interest rate calculation for companies in Great Britain The companies behind Great Britain’s gas pipes and power lines have pocketed a windfall of nearly £4bn from household bills during the energy and cost crisis, according to a report.The analysis, by Citizens Advice, argued that energy network owners were able to make the “excess profits” over the past four years after the industry regulator misjudged their costs. Continue re
  
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• 'We stood up to a king': New York will sue to block Trump move to halt congestion pricing – video

  20-02-2025 02:29
  
  New York governor Kathy Hochul said that the state was ready to fight the move by the Trump administration to rescind federal approval of New York City's congestion pricing program that is designed to reduce traffic and raise money to upgrade aging subway and bus systems. 'In case you don't know New Yorkers, when we're in a fight – we do not back down, not now, not ever,' said HochulTrump receives widespread backlash to social post calling himself ‘king’ Continue reading...
  
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