Grenfell: Firms involved to be barred from public contracts, Starmer vows September 4, 2024 Companies involved in the failings that led to the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy will no longer be awarded government contracts, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The Prime Minister apologised for the disaster – which saw 72 people die in the tower block blaze in June 2017 – in a grave statement to the House of [...]
Amazon announces pay rise for its operational employees September 4, 2024 Online giant Amazon has announced a pay rise for its operational staff. The minimum starting pay for frontline operations employees will increase to between £13.50 and £14.50 an hour, depending on location. For those with 36 months’ service, the increase will be to between £13.75 and £14.75 an hour. Amazon said the increase was worth at least 9.8 [...]
Cutting bank transfer fraud refund limit not enough, industry warns regulator September 4, 2024 The UK’s payments regulator is under pressure to U-turn on a controversial fraud reimbursement scheme after confirming it would look at scaling back the measures.
Volvo insists ‘future is electric’ despite ditching 2030 EV-only target September 4, 2024 Volvo said it would now look for 90 to 100 per cent of its total sales to be either fully electric or plug-in hybrid by the end of the decade.
Investors brace for wave of share buybacks from UK companies September 4, 2024 The UK is on the cusp of a “regime change” in corporate attitudes towards share buybacks, Panmure Liberum analysts have said. Looking through financial statements, Panmure Liberum analysts Joachim Klement and Susana Cruz found that mentions of buybacks have risen 144 per cent over the last year for FTSE 100 companies, with a 79 per [...]
U-turn: British ISA dropped by Labour despite prior pledges September 4, 2024 The roll-out of a British ISA has been scrapped by the new government despite Labour insisting it had “no plans” to ditch the scheme in the run up to the election. The specialist stocks and shares ISA would have allowed savers to invest an extra £5,000 tax-free in UK equities, on top of the £20,000 [...]
Fresh calls to fund TfL as more busted London Underground trains taken out of service September 4, 2024 City groups have launched fresh calls for a long-term Transport for London (TfL) funding deal, after new data revealed a more than doubling in the rate faulty London Underground trains are being taken out of service. Data obtained via a Freedom of Information request shows the out of service rate across the London Underground, which [...]
Why End of the Road is the best indie music festival September 4, 2024 Vibes and music don’t get better than End of the Road, says Lucy Kenningham
Easyjet partners with US firm developing futuristic ‘blended-wing’ plane September 4, 2024 Easyjet has announced a tie-up with a US-based firm to develop revolutionary “blended-wing” technology it claims will cut fuel burn by 50 per cent. The budget airline is the first European airline to partner with Jetzero, which has already attracted support for its project from Alaska Airlines, NASA and the US Air Force, ahead of [...]
Nvidia shares plunge: Are investors on the edge of ‘AI apathy’? September 4, 2024 Analysts are asking if we are at “peak Nvidia” or if the latest selloff is simply a healthy correction in an overheated market. Shares in Nvidia, the poster child for AI, plunged nearly 10 per cent on Tuesday, wiping out $279bn of value—the largest single-day loss ever recorded for a US stock. Since 19 August, [...]
