Microsoft: Teams, Outlook, Microsoft 365 and XBox Live down for thousands of users worldwide January 25, 2023 Microsoft is investigating an outage of Teams, Outlook, Microsoft 365 and XBoxLive after thousands of users worldwide were unable to use the platforms. The service status monitoring website Downdetector reported that thousands of users had reported problems accessing Outlook, Microsoft 365 and XBox Live on Wednesday morning. The site detected 4,132 incidents of people complaining [...]
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin lashes out at ‘vast disparity in VAT treatment’ between pubs and supermarket alcohol sales January 25, 2023 Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has launched a scathing attack on the government, saying the biggest threat to pubs is the “vast disparity in tax treatment” compared to restaurants and supermarkets. The outspoken chain boss said he was “cautiously optimistic” for the financial year ahead, as the firm published its like-for-like sales in the 25 weeks [...]
FCA calls out consumer duty laggards as deadline for new rules approaches January 25, 2023 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said that many financial firms still had a long way to go on implementing its incoming Consumer Duty, as it issued its review of the implementation of the scheme. While regulator found that many firms had “understood and embraced the shift to focus on consumer outcomes”, it noted that [...]
Amazon mutiny: 300 UK staff strike over pay in historic first for the company January 25, 2023 Amazon workers are staging their first ever strike in the UK in a dispute over pay. Members of the GMB at the company’s fulfilment centre in Coventry voted to walk out on Wednesday in protest against a pay rise the union said is worth 50p an hour. Stuart Richards, GMB senior organiser, said: “Today, Amazon workers in Coventry [...]
Mark Carney’s net zero group disputes data showing only 7 per cent of banks’ energy financing goes to renewables January 24, 2023 Only seven per cent of global banks’ energy financing between 2016 and 2022 went towards renewable energy projects, according to new data, although Mark Carney’s net zero financial coalition has disputed the claim. A report by a group of campaign groups, including BankTrack and Rainforest Action Network, indicates “major failings” by financial institutions to help [...]
Royal Mail boss called back to parliament after allegations of giving ‘not wholly correct’ answers January 24, 2023 Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, has been recalled to parliament after facing allegations that he gave innaccurate information to MPs during a Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee last week. The Committee, which took place last Tuesday to discuss Royal Mail’s operations, prompted a “significant amount” of Royal Mail employees across the [...]
“It’s broken for Black women”: Oscar nominations 2023 not diverse enough, say critics January 24, 2023 American film critics have begun calling out the Oscar nominations 2023 for not being diverse enough, saying there are systemic reasons why Black people are not being recognised. Of this year’s Oscar nominations 2023, All Best Actor nominations are White men, while Michelle Yeoh makes up the only non-White nomination for Best Actress. In terms [...]
Aramco-backed halal fintech opens bank branch in London despite high street bank exodus January 24, 2023 Aramco is backing American fintech Wahed as it launches a physical bank in London. However, concerns of a high street bank exodus place question marks over the branch’s future success. Wahed’s first UK-based physical bank, which opens its doors today on Baker Street, has scored £61m ($75m) from the Saudi Arabian oil giant together with [...]
Beauty and the beat: Hipgnosis spends £163m to buy Justin Bieber’s hits January 24, 2023 Hipgnosis Song Management has bought the back catalogue of Canadian superstar artist and songwriter Justin Bieber in a deal reported to be worth $200m (£163m). Bieber’s songs have been streamed over 32 billion times on Spotify, where he has 82 million monthly listeners. Hipgnosis said today it had acquired Justin Bieber’s 100 per cent interest [...]
THG brings in new finance chief ahead of bleak looking year January 24, 2023 E-commerce giant THG has hired Damian Sanders as its new chief financial officer amid a recent slew of negative earning reports and a collapse in share price. Following a global search, the troubled British firm has landed on Sanders as the replacement for John Gallemore, who is moving over to the role of chief operating [...]