Financial news

• Which cheap kitchen worktops should I buy?

  03-08-2019 08:01 via theguardian.com
  Our old Ikea surfaces look worn out and we want something easy to clean and maintenance-freeEvery week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.The wooden worktops on our ageing Ikea kitchen look awful. I don’t want to buy more and face all the oiling and so on, so what do I put in its place? It needs to be cheap, maintenance-free and easy to clean. What wou
  
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• The Guardian view on Merz and Meloni: an emerging Berlin-Rome axis is threatening the EU’s green deal

  19-02-2026 20:05 via theguardian.com
  The deregulation agenda being pushed by Germany’s chancellor and Italy’s prime minister is economically and ethically flawedWhen the European Union launched its green deal in 2019, putting into law the goal of climate neutrality by the middle of the century, it showed strategic foresight as well as global leadership. Russia’s war in Ukraine has starkly underlined the extent to which the continent’s energy security – and its future prosperity – is dependent on
  
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• Accenture ‘links staff promotions to use of AI tools’

  19-02-2026 18:21 via theguardian.com
  Consulting firm keen to increase uptake of technology and is reportedly monitoring adoption by workforceAccenture has reportedly started tracking staff use of its AI tools and will take this into consideration when deciding on top promotions, as the consulting company tries to increase uptake of the technology by its workforce.The company told senior managers and associate directors that being promoted to leadership roles would require “regular adoption” of artificial intelligence, a
  
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• Global Counsel calls in administrators, blaming Peter Mandelson ‘maelstrom’

  19-02-2026 16:55 via theguardian.com
  Advisory firm has lost string of clients despite efforts to cut ties with co-founder after Epstein revelationsGlobal Counsel, the advisory firm co-founded by Peter Mandelson, is to collapse into administration, blaming the “maelstrom” caused by revelations about the former peer’s relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Companies including Barclays, Tesco and the Premier League have all deserted Global Counsel, despite the company’s efforts to sever ti
  
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• UK manufacturing still beset by low orders and price pressure, says CBI

  19-02-2026 16:07 via theguardian.com
  Industrial trends survey shows firms are expecting to raise prices, with order books well below averageBritish manufacturing orders remain well below average and price pressure continues to persist, according to a closely watched survey.The CBI industrial trends survey found that manufacturers’ orders for the month were below average in February, while most firms expected to raise their prices and for output to decline over the next three months. Continue reading...
  
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• ‘Made in Europe’ EU industrial strategy could hit supply chains, UK minister warns

  19-02-2026 16:01 via theguardian.com
  Nick Thomas-Symonds says move could also create unnecessary UK-EU trade barriers and increase costsBusiness live – latest updatesA British minister has warned that the EU’s “Made in Europe” industrial strategy could hit supply chains, increase costs and create unnecessary trade barriers between the UK and some members of the bloc.Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK minister for EU relations, made the comments as the EU is preparing to publish legislation that would require Europe
  
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• Horse meat set to be banned in Italy amid draft equine bill

  19-02-2026 15:08 via theguardian.com
  Law defines animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets and is backed by opposition partiesItaly could soon ban horse meat as part of a law that would define equine animals including horses, donkeys and mules as pets, making it illegal to kill them.The bill has been drafted by Michela Vittoria Brambilla, a politician with Noi Moderati, a member of Giorgia Meloni’s ruling coalition, and is backed by opposition parties. Continue reading...
  
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• £150 discount for eligible households who make phone call before next Friday

  19-02-2026 14:20 via express.co.uk
  Eligible households don't have long left to claim the winter discount.
  
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• Use this exact measurement rule when repotting your house plants

  19-02-2026 14:01 via express.co.uk
  An expert also had some tips about watering and cleaning your plants
  
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• How the anxiety over AI could fuel a new workers’ movement

  19-02-2026 14:00 via theguardian.com
  New technology has workers spooked, but experts say it’s creating an opening for a resurgence in worker powerIn 2026, it’s a scary time to work for a living.Gone are the days of quiet quitting, the Great Resignation, and the highly visible union-organizing battles that began the decade and signaled that perhaps worker power was on the rise again in the US. Instead, much of that momentum is being crowded out of our minds by anxieties: a worsening affordability crisis, geopolitical ins
  
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• ‘We’re not hippies’: why these Iowa farmers swapped pigs for mushrooms

  19-02-2026 13:45 via theguardian.com
  Faaborgs rail against oppressive industrial agricultural system with unexpected evolution into indie artisan food firmAs a sixth-generation Iowa farmer, Tanner Faaborg is all too aware that agricultural traditions are hard to shake. So when he set in motion plans to change his family’s farm from a livestock operation housing more than 8,000 pigs each year to one that grows lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms, he knew some of his peers might laugh at him. He just did not necessarily expe
  
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• Airbus suggests split solution for Europe’s faltering fighter jet programme

  19-02-2026 13:37 via theguardian.com
  Aerospace firm proposes two separate warplanes amid dispute over who leads €100bn projectAirbus has suggested splitting Europe’s faltering future fighter jet programme into two separate warplanes, amid a dispute between manufacturers over who leads the €100bn (£87bn) project.The company’s defence arm – which represents Germany and Spain – and the French partner, Dassault Aviation, are locked in a battle over the jet part of the Future Combat Air System (FC
  
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• State pensioners urged to boost income with £86 a week DWP claim

  19-02-2026 13:33 via express.co.uk
  A single claim can unlock a swathe of financial support for households.
  
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• Local reporter ‘shocked’ over picture of his face on punchbag at UK town hall

  19-02-2026 13:19 via theguardian.com
  Joe McCann of the Melksham News was tipped off by a contact about the image and raised issue at council meetingA local newspaper journalist has said he was “shocked” after a picture of his face was printed out and attached to a punchbag at a town hall.Joe McCann, who has worked for the Melksham News for 10 years, was tipped off by a contact that a print-out of his face had been attached to a freestanding punchbag inside the building. Continue reading...
  
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• State pension alert as looming DWP rules change risks 'widening gap'

  19-02-2026 13:16 via express.co.uk
  Payment rates for the state pension increase in April
  
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• ‘We’re no longer attracting top talent’: the brain drain killing American science

  19-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  As Trump slashes science funding, young researchers flee abroad. Without solid innovation, the US could cease to have the largest biomedical ecosystem in the worldIn April 2025, less than three months after Donald Trump returned to the White House, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) put out its latest public health alert on so-called “superbugs”, strains of bacteria resistant to antibiotics.These drug-resistant germs, the CDC warned, are responsible for more
  
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• ‘DEI is dead, equality isn’t’: experts chart path forward amid Trump’s culture war

  19-02-2026 13:00 via theguardian.com
  Two law professors outline strategies for equality’s survival in a Trumpian post-DEI era in new book How Equality WinsThe Trump administration’s “war on woke” seems to have claimed its biggest victim in DEI. Not so long ago, diversity, equity and inclusion was the favorite term of Fortune 500 CEOs and the political elite. More recently, it has been blamed for everything from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the deadly Los Angeles wildfires to
  
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• HMRC issues new tax warning to Brits earning £50,000 or more

  19-02-2026 12:51 via express.co.uk
  In a post on X HMRC reminded some taxpayers that the way they file their tax returns will change considerably this year.
  
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• Leicester and Premier League appeal over club’s six-point deduction

  19-02-2026 12:35 via theguardian.com
  Club unhappy sanction applied in ChampionshipPremier League seeking additional punishmentLeicester City’s legal battle with the Premier League continues to rumble on as both parties formally lodged appeals related to this month’s decision by an independent commission to deduct the club six points.It is understood the league believes Leicester should be punished additionally for the late submission of their annual accounts for 2023-24, to avoid setting a precedent, and said an appeal
  
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• Co-op rolls out major change at checkouts in 150 stores

  19-02-2026 12:20 via express.co.uk
  The changes will be rolled out within the next three months.
  
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• Major fashion chain update as it plunges into administration - gift cards NOT honoured

  19-02-2026 12:17 via express.co.uk
  Thursday, February 5, marked the third time in six years that the brand had entered administration, having struggled with rising costs and changing consumer habits.
  
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• Sky hits TV and broadband customers with £36 price rise - full statement

  19-02-2026 12:04 via express.co.uk
  Sky customers face more expensive bills following a looming price hike.
  
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• ‘We are the forgotten little town’: will disenchantment in Denton leave it ripe for Reform?

  19-02-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  With Gorton split between Labour and Greens, division creates opportunity for Farage’s party in other side of constituency facing byelectionIf you’re unsure whether you’ve crossed the border from Manchester into Tameside, the Reform posters will probably give it away. In windows, on walls, and staked on garden posts, Denton is awash with turquoise blue as the 26 February byelection looms.Near the town centre, Ian Singleton and his wife, Irene, have one of Reform’s turquoi
  
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• Trump’s bid to name Penn Station after himself looks like a presidential shakedown | Mohamad Bazzi

  19-02-2026 12:00 via theguardian.com
  The US president’s relentless self-aggrandizement spree continues amid hypocrisy and shifting explanationsAs a real estate developer, Donald Trump built his empire on ostentatious displays of wealth, substantial tax breaks – and lots of free publicity. As president, he has deployed the power of the state to expand his personal brand, adding his name to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the US Institute of Peace, a class of new navy warships, and even investment accounts for
  
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• Huge UK energy company on brink of administration after £60m loan - taxpayers at risk

  19-02-2026 11:33 via express.co.uk
  It was awarded a taxpayer-backed loan less than four months ago.
  
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• Reporter confronts Melksham councillors over punchbag bearing his face found in town hall – video

  19-02-2026 11:25 via theguardian.com
  The journalist Joe McCann brought a photograph of the punchbag bearing his image to a council meeting in the Wiltshire town of Melksham, demanding an explanation. One councillor apologised 'unreservedly' for what he described as a 'bad joke'An earlier headline incorrectly stated that the councillors were members of Wiltshire Council. The video was recorded at Melksham Town Council. Continue reading...
  
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• MPs in call to halt Drax’s £2m-a-day subsidy over sustainability doubts

  19-02-2026 11:10 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Cross-party group ‘deeply concerned’ power plant may have misled ministers and regulators over source of wood pelletsEd Miliband is under pressure from MPs to suspend subsidies worth £2m a day paid to the owner of the Drax power plant in North Yorkshire after court documents cast doubt on the company’s sustainability claims.A cross-party group of 14 MPs and peers have called on the energy minister to halt the subsidies for Britain’s biggest power plant wh
  
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• ‘They pushed so many lies about recycling’: the fight to stop big oil pumping billions more into plastics

  19-02-2026 11:00 via theguardian.com
  Plastic production has doubled over the last 20 years – and will likely double again. For author Beth Gardiner, metal water bottles and canvas tote bags are not the solution. So what is?Like many of us who are mindful of our plastic consumption, Beth Gardiner would take her own bags to the supermarket and be annoyed whenever she forgot to do so. Out without her refillable bottle, she would avoid buying bottled water. “Here I am, in my own little life, worrying about that and trying t
  
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• Keir Starmer is finished – but Labour may still win next election for one stunning reason

  19-02-2026 11:00 via express.co.uk
  The PM has survived yet another rebellion. But he surely can't last much longer.
  
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• Ebay buys Depop for $1.2bn in effort to lure younger shoppers

  19-02-2026 10:35 via theguardian.com
  Deal agreed to acquire British secondhand fashion resale app from Etsy as eBay attempts to fend off AmazonGen Z in the US: how are you feeling about your finances?The online retailer eBay has agreed to buy the British secondhand fashion resale app Depop from Etsy for about $1.2bn (£890m) in cash, as eBay targets younger fashion-loving consumers.The deal comes at a time when secondhand marketplaces continue to soar in popularity, especially among gen Z shoppers – born between 1997 and
  
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