Press Round-Up Short (Premium)
Friday newspaper round-up: Whirlpool, Toyota, Micro Focus, Aramco
A fire has torn through lorry trailers at a domestic appliance factory in Peterborough, sending large clouds of thick black smoke over the city. About 50 firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control at the Whirlpool UK headquarters in Shrewsbury Avenue, with up to 40 trailers affected. Witnesses used social media to report hearing explosions as billowing clouds of dark smoke were visible for miles. There were no reported casualties, and residents were warned to keep their doors and windows closed.
Thursday newspaper round-up: UK car industry, fracking, Brexit
The British car industry has witnessed its worst period of decline since 2001, as rising global trade tensions and Brexit uncertainty combine to provide a dire operating environment for manufacturers. UK car production was down more than 10% year on year in July and has now fallen for 14 consecutive months, according to the latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The decline is now longer than the 13-month downturn between October 2008 and October 2009 at the height of the global financial crisis.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Brexit, BP, Harry Ramsden's, Deloitte
Boris Johnson is heading into the crunch period for Brexit negotiations with the UK economy potentially on the brink of recession and as global economic growth falters, according to a Guardian analysis of economic news over the past month. The prime minister faces the challenge of breaking the deadlock with Brussels to avoid a no-deal Brexit on Halloween, just as the outlook for the economy deteriorates at home and abroad. – Guardian.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: HS2, Johnson & Johnson, Daily Mail
George Osborne’s northern powerhouse thinktank is undertaking its own pro-HS2 review amid concern that the £55. 6bn project may be doomed under Boris Johnson’s premiership. The Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP) said its study would make sure the region is properly heard ahead of the government’s own “go or no go” review into the high-speed rail line. – Guardian.
Sunday newspaper round-up: IWG, Brexit, US-China relations, Asda, Neil Woodford
IWG, the shared offices group formerly known as Regus, is exploring a listing for its American business as founder Mark Dixon looks to cash in on the co-working boom fuelled by WeWork.
Friday newspaper round-up: Royal Mail, Hong Kong businesses, HP, Aramco
More than 100,000 Royal Mail workers are expected to vote on whether to strike over grievances about job security, an alleged culture of bullying, and the terms and conditions of their employment. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) will begin balloting its members from 24 September unless an agreement can be reached before then, with the result expected in early October. – Guardian.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Macron, Tesco, Greene King, Ferguson
Emmanuel Macron will hold a friendly but “frank” working lunch with Boris Johnson on Thursday after dismissing his request to renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement and scrap the Irish backstop as “not an option”. The French president told reporters on Wednesday night that there was a “British democratic crisis” over Brexit and he was seeking “clarification” from Johnson on his proposals as the 31 October exit date approaches. – Guardian.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Walmart, Wrightbus, British Steel
Walmart has sued Tesla, saying solar panels supplied by the electric carmaker were responsible for fires at about seven of its stores. The fires destroyed significant amounts of store merchandise and required substantial repairs, totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket losses, according to a lawsuit filed in a New York court on Tuesday. – Guardian.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Nationalism, UK consumers, Uber, Juul
The rise of nationalism and governments that interfere in markets pose a threat to the global economic system, the boss of BHP, the world’s biggest mining company, has warned. Despite announcing a 124% rise in profits to $US8. 31bn (£6. 84bn), helped by booming iron ore sales to China, Andrew Mackenzie said on Tuesday that there were “a number of things abroad” that were causing concern for the Anglo-Australian behemoth. – Guardian.
Monday newspaper round-up: House sales, dividends, Mifid II, National Grid
British house hunters have launched a surprise August buying spree before the scheduled Brexit date, with new data showing sales reached their highest point since 2015 during the usually sleepy summer period. The number of agreed sales rose by 6. 1% year on year in the month to 10 August, according to property website Rightmove, which claims to track nine in 10 UK house purchases. – Guardian.
Friday newspaper round-up: Fracking, General Electric, Farfetch
Environmental groups have voiced fears that the government is preparing to row back on fracking regulations after officials said they were considering reviewing earthquake safeguard rules. The limits affecting shale gas fracking are strongly contested by the industry because they bring an immediate halt to fracking if even a minor tremor of 0. 5 on the Richter scale is recorded. – Guardian .
Thursday newspaper round-up: British Steel, Monzo, digital tax
The Turkish pension fund poised to buy British Steel was accused of corruption by a parliamentary commission, and jointly owns a car plant where striking workers were allegedly mistreated. A subsidiary of Oyak, a £15bn pension scheme chaired by an army general, is on the verge of being named the government’s preferred bidder to take over British Steel, including the Scunthorpe steelworks where more than 4,000 people work. – Guardian.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Rail fares, CBS/Viacom, Brexit, Burford Capital
Campaigners and unions have warned that ever higher train fares risk driving passengers off the railway, as a fresh increase of about 2. 9% is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday and after a decade when fares have risen at double the rate of wages. The fare rise, to take effect in January but dictated by the July inflation figure that will be published by the Office for National Statistics on Wednesday, will add more than £100 to many annual season tickets. – Guardian.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Business rates, National Grid, Brexit
More than 50 major UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer, Harrods and Iceland, have demanded tax cuts from the government to safeguard the future of the high street amid intense pressure from online rivals. In a letter to the chancellor, Sajid Javid, the bosses of some of the nation’s biggest retail chains called for an urgent reform of the business rates system, which taxes companies based on the buildings they occupy. – Guardian.
Monday newspaper round-up: Brexit stockpiling, betting companies, Burford Capital
Britons have spent £4bn stockpiling goods in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit, new research suggests. One in five people are already hoarding food, drinks and medicine, spending an extra £380 each, according to a survey by the finance provider Premium Credit. The survey found that about 800,000 people have spent more than £1,000 building up stockpiles before the 31 October Brexit deadline. – Guardian.
Friday newspaper round-up: Amazon Alexa, Uber, Kraft Heinz, Rees-Mogg
Hundreds of schoolchildren have been drafted in to make Amazon’s Alexa devices in China as part of a controversial and often illegal attempt to meet production targets, documents seen by the Guardian reveal. Interviews with workers and leaked documents from Amazon’s supplierFoxconn show that many of the children have been required to work nights and overtime to produce the smart-speaker devices, in breach of Chinese labour laws. – Guardian.
Thursday newspaper round-up: Diageo, Ryanair, Debenhams
Rebel MPs are working on a plan to thwart Boris Johnson pursuing a no-deal Brexit on 31 October that involves forcing parliament to sit through the autumn recess, amid growing outrage about the power and influence of his controversial aide, Dominic Cummings. The cross-party group of MPs is looking at legislative options with mounting urgency because of the hardline tactics of Cummings, who one Conservative insider described as running a “reign of terror” in No 10 aimed at achieving Brexit on 31 October at any cost.
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Amazon, UK broadcasters, Bitcoin
Amazon won praise when it raised its minimum wage to $15 an hour in October 2018. Since then, the company has responded to criticism over its working conditions by claiming it is an industry leader in compensation, but a Guardian investigation has revealed many workers take issue with this messaging, as serious workplace issues remain that they say are still not being addressed. They include claims workers are being punished for injuries; the elimination of bonuses and stock options, which has lessened the impact of the wage rise; poor working conditions; higher productivity demands and the hiring of temporary workers who do not have the same benefits as Amazon staff.
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Retailers, Jack Wills, Cuadrilla Resources
British retailers have recorded the worst month for sales in July since records began, as consumers tighten their belts with Brexit approaching. According to British Retail Consortium sales data compiled by the accountancy firm KPMG, total sales increased by 0. 3% in July, compared with a rise of 1. 6% in July last year. – Guardian.
Monday newspaper round-up: Pension industry, Goals Soccer, sterling deposits, Cobham
Low-income households in Britain are more vulnerable to recession than they were before the financial crisis, the Resolution Foundation has warned, amid the mounting risks of a Brexit downturn. According to the thinktank, a decade of weak wage growth has left the poorest UK households and middle-income families less prepared for another downturn. It also warned the gradual dismantling of the benefits system under the policy of austerity imposed over the past decade by Conservative-led governments has left people without the same degree of support.