Financial news

• Mastercard ruling: almost every UK adult could receive payout

  16-04-2019 16:56 via theguardian.com
  Lawsuit could benefit 46 million people even if they have never owned the credit cardAlmost every adult in the UK could receive a payout of up to £300 from Mastercard after a court ruling paved the way for a £14bn class action lawsuit.The legal action taken by former financial ombudsman Walter Merricks claims that 46 million UK consumers paid higher prices in shops over a 16-year period because of allegedly excessive transaction fees charged by Mastercard. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Uber to cut 3,300 corporate jobs in management overhaul

  02-09-2026 18:45 via theguardian.com
  Company says it is slashing 10% of its workforce to make operations ‘simpler and faster’ • Uber drivers launch European class action over ‘soulless’ and ‘scary’ AI algorithmUber plans to cut its global workforce by about 10% as part of a major restructuring, resulting in around 3,300 corporate job losses.The boss of the US-based ride-hailing app, Dara Khosrowshahi, told staff that the changes would create a “simpler and faster” business by cut
  
  Read more

• Russian airspace becoming unsafe for commercial airlines, Zelenskyy says

  02-09-2026 17:52 via theguardian.com
  Ukraine president says aviation industry needs to take account of growing number of Ukrainian drones in RussiaEurope live – latest updatesVolodymyr Zelenskyy has declared that Russia’s airspace is becoming unsafe for commercial airlines, as Vladimir Putin promised to increase strikes against Ukraine’s energy facilities in the run-up to winter.The Ukrainian president said there was no intention to directly threaten civilian flights, but the growing number of attack drones being
  
  Read more

• BP seeks to end years of boardroom turmoil with appointment of new chair

  02-09-2026 16:58 via theguardian.com
  Ian Tyler, already in role on an interim basis, is tasked with shifting strategy to refocus on fossil fuel extractionBP has appointed a new chair after a months-long search triggered by the controversial ousting of Albert Manifold, seeking to draw a line under years of boardroom turmoil at the UK oil and gas company.Ian Tyler, who has served as the interim chair and has sat on the BP board as a non-executive director since April 2025, will assume the role on a permanent basis immediately. Contin
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Tim Cook handed $47m package for new role as executive chair of Apple

  02-09-2026 16:46 via theguardian.com
  Pay and shares deal nearly matches $58m award to John Ternus, his successor as CEO at the $4.7tn tech companyBusiness live – latest updatesTim Cook has received a $47m (£35m) pay deal as Apple’s executive chair, a remuneration package that nears the level set for his successor as chief executive.Cook, who handed over to John Ternus on Tuesday, will be paid a base salary of $2m and $45m worth of shares. Half of the share award will be based on performance targets being met, whil
  
  Read more

• Architect of UK’s AI strategy joins Anthropic amid conflict of interest warning

  02-09-2026 16:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Matt Clifford will stay as chair of government funding body for tech projects alongside his senior role at US firmThe architect of the UK government’s AI strategy has joined the US startup Anthropic in a senior role a year after stepping down from his Downing Street post.Matt Clifford, a successful tech investor, was appointed as AI opportunities adviser by Keir Starmer last year but resigned from the unpaid role six months later for personal reasons. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• UK government does not know what datacentres are being used for, FoI request shows

  02-09-2026 15:44 via theguardian.com
  Lack of information raises fears over environmental impact of the AI boomUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK government does not know what the country’s datacentres are being used for despite fears over the growing environmental impact of the AI boom.When asked in a freedom of information (FoI) request who was using the largest sites and what for, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said it did “not hold the requested information”. The ministry has s
  
  Read more

• New York law requires hairdressers to learn how to work with all hair types

  02-09-2026 15:38 via theguardian.com
  New law requires cosmetology classes to give instruction on all hair types from the kinkiest to the straightestAs of 1 September, a new law in New York state requires hairdressers studying cosmetology to be trained to work with all hair types.“This is about equal access to service,” assembly member Michaelle Solages, who sponsored the law, said in a statement earlier this year. “No New Yorker should ever walk into a salon and be turned away or receive substandard care because o
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Andy Burnham clashes with Kemi Badenoch at his first PMQs - video

  02-09-2026 15:21 via theguardian.com
  The prime minister was pressed on borrowing costs and spending during an exchange with the leader of the opposition at his first PMQs since taking office. Burnham spoke about the need to get welfare down and expressed his willingness to work with Tories on this Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Taxing the banks: what Europe’s windfall levies brought in as Burnham eyes his next move

  02-09-2026 14:38 via theguardian.com
  Ahead of a crucial budget, four countries’ experiments offer a mixed verdict on how to tax bumper profits The countdown is on. Two months out from Andy Burnham’s inaugural autumn budget, bank executives are wringing their hands over whether the government will target their bumper profits with fresh taxes.The chancellor, John Healey, is reportedly considering a windfall tax on both banks and oil companies in the late October Westminster setpiece. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Blackout risk rises as heatwave stresses largest US electric grids

  02-09-2026 14:16 via theguardian.com
  US energy department warns of potential for outages in PJM Interconnection, serving 67 million from DC to ChicagoThe risk ⁠of power outages ⁠is expected to ​escalate across a broad swath of the United States on Wednesday as intense heat will test the capacity of electricity supplies ⁠serving millions of homes and businesses from the midwest through the mid-Atlantic.The US Department of Energy warned of the potential for heightened blackout risks in ⁠the PJM In
  
  Read more

• Trump’s ridiculous bullying of Canada is backfiring | Robert Reich

  02-09-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The US president’s need to assert dominance is igniting patriotism abroad and a backlash at homeWhat do bullies do when someone stands up to their bullying and punches them in the face? They look for someone weaker to bully who won’t punch back.Presumably that’s why Donald Trump has now taken on Canada, after Iran punched back so hard in the cage match the US president began more than six months ago as to leave him humiliated and baffled. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Freelancers are getting buried with ‘soulless’ AI slop cleanup: ‘It’s a shame we need to do it’

  02-09-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  As more companies turn to AI, they’re hiring freelancers to clean up its mistakes rather than create original workLisa, a freelance graphic designer based in Spain, noticed a shift in her work after the release of ChatGPT in 2022. She went from receiving slow one-off jobs creating logos and packaging to an onslaught of requests asking her to fix versions that were generated by artificial intelligence – from sharpening fuzzy images for printing to turning flawed designs into usable fi
  
  Read more

• This data has helped fight workplace discrimination for 60 years. The Trump administration plans to delete it

  02-09-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Enforcing civil rights without these reports will be difficult for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, pushing US agency closer to Trump’s agenda, experts warnThe US civil rights agency mandated to protect equal rights for workers is set to stop collecting data on the demographic makeup of companies – which for the past six decades has been used to enforce anti-discrimination laws.The move marks a fundamental shift for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). With
  
  Read more

• Thames Water, I refuse to pay the sewage charge in my bill while you pollute Britain’s rivers and coastlines | Jenny Jones

  02-09-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  I will calmly read all the threatening letters and await the court case against me. But I will take a stand even if our government won’tI can’t even remember when I decided to stop paying the sewage element of my Thames Water bill. It might have been after reading this headline from the Guardian in July 2025: “Serious pollution incidents by English water companies rose 60% last year,” with the subheading: “Environment Agency records 75 serious incidents among total
  
  Read more

• Barclays faces complaint over backing for power plant near world’s largest mangrove forest

  02-09-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  Bangladeshi complainants allege Rampal power station’s pollution and climate risks threaten the Sunderbans, a world heritage siteBarclays Bank is facing a formal complaint over its financial links to a coal-fired power station near the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and home to millions of people in Bangladesh and India.Three complainants from the region have submitted a case to the UK government’s Office for Responsible Business Conduct, alleging that the Brit
  
  Read more

• Range Rover launches its first electric vehicle, with starting price of £154,070

  02-09-2026 11:08 via theguardian.com
  Fully electric SUV unveiled after year-long delay and will be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s plant in SolihullRange Rover has launched its first electric vehicle – a year later than planned – offering a greener option for fans of gargantuan British-made SUVs who are also conscious about the climate crisis.Due to be built in Solihull, the home of the marque since 1970, the vehicle comes with an eye-watering price tag, starting at £154,070. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Ryanair warns air fares in Europe will jump next year if oil price stays high

  02-09-2026 10:58 via theguardian.com
  Budget carrier says airlines could go bust as it cuts passenger targets to reduce exposure to ‘unhedged winter oil’Business live – latest updatesRyanair has warned that air fares in Europe will jump next year if the oil price remains high and that some airlines could go bust.The Irish budget carrier has cut its passenger target for the year to 31 March, down from 216 million customers to 214 million, to help reduce its exposure to “unhedged winter oil” during the un
  
  Read more

• Global bond sell-off intensifies as US-Iran tensions stoke inflation fears

  02-09-2026 10:54 via theguardian.com
  UK borrowing costs driven up, adding to challenges facing John Healey as he prepares for first budgetBusiness live – latest updatesThe global government bond sell-off resumed on Wednesday, driving up the UK’s borrowing costs and exacerbating the challenges facing John Healey as he prepares his first budget.The yield – effectively the interest rate – on 10-year UK government bonds, or gilts, jumped to just below 5.3% in early trading: its highest level since mid-2008. Cont
  
  Read more

• Britain is OK with public ownership, but only by foreign powers. Why?

  02-09-2026 09:00 via theguardian.com
  Arthur Downing, author of Power and the People: A History of British Energy, says all-encompassing rapid transition will need a mutualised systemHave you ever wondered why it is that most houses in the UK are reliant on gas boilers? Not what’s stopping more people from replacing them with heat pumps, but instead why and how the gas boiler became so ubiquitous in the first place?Arthur Downing, the author of the new book Power and the People: A History of British Energy, can tell you exactl
  
  Read more

• My autistic son lives in fear of bailiffs from Ovo breaking into his flat

  02-09-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  He doesn’t have an account with them, but is being bombarded with demands for money and threats of debt collectorsMy autistic son has been bombarded for years by letters to his home from OVO Energy addressed to “The Occupier”, with demands for money and threats of debt collectors. He is supplied by Scottish Gas.He was required to let an OVO agent into his flat to “prove” he didn’t have an OVO meter. Neither this, nor countless phone calls, has stopped the dema
  
  Read more

• Almost half of world’s farmers poisoned by pesticides every year, experts find

  02-09-2026 08:00 via theguardian.com
  Study reveals that pesticide poisoning kills 11,000 people each year, with India accounting for nearly 60% of fatalitiesAlmost half of the world’s farmers are poisoned by pesticides every single year, a study has found.Using publicly available data from 2006-2023, the study, which was commissioned by Pesticide Action Network, found there to be an estimated 402-433m cases of unintentional acute pesticide poisoning of farmers and farm workers every year. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Japan halves speed limit to 30km/h on all narrow city streets

  02-09-2026 07:15 via theguardian.com
  Speed limit dropped from 60km/h for around 70% of general roads in the hope of making narrow streets of crowded cities saferDrivers on residential roads in Japan have been forced to take their foot off the accelerator, after the speed limit was slashed from 60km/h (37mph) to 30km/h in an attempt to reduce deaths and injuries among pedestrians on narrow urban streets.The new limit, which went into effect on Tuesday, applies to residential roads with no centre line or maximum speed signs, media re
  
  Read more

• Andy Burnham has already made a mistake that will cost him his premiership: he lost his nerve over political donations | George Monbiot

  02-09-2026 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Being subservient to the interests of the wealthy now means that his hands are tied, and he will be unable to tackle Britain’s most pressing issuesDamn the electorate. They’re so impatient. No sooner do they get a new leader than they want another one. Those ingrates are already starting to grumble about Andy Burnham. Maybe the country is becoming ungovernable. Perhaps it’s social media. Or a consumerist culture, always picking the next shiny thing. Perhaps we’re addicted
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on the global bond shock: Andy Burnham should take note | Editorial

  01-09-2026 20:15 via theguardian.com
  Japan’s collision with Donald Trump reveals the dilemma facing Britain: economic independence is becoming more necessary – and more tricky to achieve“In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity” is an aphorism attributed to Albert Einstein. It seems to be taken to heart by this White House. A global bond sell-off sparked by an inflationary shock emanating from the Gulf sees Donald Trump seeking to restrict plans by Japan – a longtime ally – to reduce d
  
  Read more

• Who is John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO?

  01-09-2026 19:33 via theguardian.com
  Hardware engineering executive succeeding Tim Cook is a longtime Apple insider, indicating company will continue strategy that has led to record profitsTim Cook stepped down as CEO of Apple on 31 August. John Ternus, a longtime company veteran, succeeded him the next day as the company’s new chief executive. Cook has transitioned to the role of executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.Ternus, a hardware engineering executive, is a tenured Apple insider, and his ascension indi
  
  Read more

• Private equity keeps picking off London-listed firms – and Westminster barely notices | Nils Pratley

  01-09-2026 18:56 via theguardian.com
  Bodycote is the latest FTSE 250 industrial company set to fall to an overseas bidder, despite the government’s talk of ‘reindustrialising’The UK is in the business of “reindustrialising”, says the prime minister. If we are, an increasing portion of the activity will be under foreign ownership. Tuesday brought yet another overseas private equity swoop on a FTSE 250 industrial firm.This time it’s the Macclesfield-based Bodycote, which describes itself as “
  
  Read more

• Andy Burnham pays tribute after Keir Starmer says he is stepping down as MP – video

  01-09-2026 17:48 via theguardian.com
  In his first address to the House of Commons as prime minister, Andy Burnham paid tribute to his predecessor, Keir Starmer, who announced he was standing down as MP for Holborn and St Pancras. The Labour leader praised the former PM for his achievements, saying Starmer took the party 'from one of its worst defeats to its best victories'Keir Starmer to stand down as MP to focus on world affairs Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Firefighters rescue 27 people from broken down rollercoaster in Suffolk - video

  01-09-2026 14:33 via theguardian.com
  Twenty-seven people were rescued from a rollercoaster at Pleasurewood Hills theme park in Lowestoft, Suffolk. People on the ride had reportedly been stuck for up to three hours. The theme park has apologised and said the safety of its guests was its highest priority. Visitors affected will receive a 'complimentary revisit' Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Martin Lewis says 1 million pensioners eligible for ‘non means tested’ DWP £3,988 payment

  01-09-2026 13:21 via express.co.uk
  Hundreds of thousands missing out on benefit from DWP
  
  Read more

Follow @financialnwsUK on Twitter!