Reuters UK/EU - Squid Business

Banker fired over sexual harassment sues Barclays for $700,000

By Kirstin Ridley LONDON (Reuters) – A former Barclays director, fired for sexual harassment and other misconduct, is suing the British bank for more than 584,600 pounds ($719,412), arguing that female colleagues fabricated allegations and that his dismissal was unfair. Robert Record, once a senior wealth manager overseeing assets worth 580 million pounds, was dismissed …

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Thousands of UK civil servants to strike from April 11

(Reuters) – More than 3,000 British civil servants across four government departments will strike from April 11 in a dispute over pay, pensions and job security, the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union said on Friday. “They demand the government holds meaningful talks with us and puts some money on the table to give them …

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Falling inflation expectations drove vote for 25 bp rate rise: BoE’s Mann

LONDON (Reuters) – Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee member Catherine Mann on Friday said she voted for a 25-basis-point rate rise this week rather than a bigger increase because she saw signs that inflation expectations were falling. Mann said the BoE had raised interest rates more slowly than she would have liked in 2022, …

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German transport minister ‘optimistic’ EU e-fuels stand-off will be resolved

By Riham Alkousaa and Markus Wacket BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany’s transport minister on Friday said he was optimistic a dispute between Berlin and Brussels over the future of combustion engine cars running on e-fuels was close to resolution, though some questions still needed clarifying. Berlin has been in talks with the European Commission over the past …

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Landlords raise rent on more than half of properties in England: ONS

By Suban Abdulla LONDON (Reuters) – Private-sector landlords in England increased rents on more than half of homes in the year to February, up from just over a third a year earlier, further tightening the squeeze on households amid a cost of living surge, new analysis found on Friday. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) …

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Wetherspoon back in profit as Britons’ lap up Welsh vodka, cocktails and ale

By Radhika Anilkumar (Reuters) -Britons’ taste for cocktails, Welsh vodka and real ale helped pubs group J D Wetherspoon return to profit in the first half of its financial year, boosting its shares. Wetherspoon was “cautiously optimistic” on its outlook for the year ahead despite high inflation, which has pushed up labour, food and energy …

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Italy’s battle against EU car emission rules ‘not lost’ – PM

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Italy still believes it can change draft European Union rules on car emissions to its advantage, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday. The EU’s executive has proposed banning the sale of new combustion engine cars from 2035, but Italy and Germany are among a minority blocking the reform. Italy argues that …

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French DIY retailer Leroy Merlin to transfer ownership of Russian business to management

PARIS (Reuters) -French DIY retailer Leroy Merlin, which employs 45,000 people in Russia, intends to hand over ownership of operations in the country to local management, its parent company ADEO said on Friday. Leroy Merlin is owned by the Mulliez family, which is also behind French sporting goods chain Decathlon and food retailer Auchan, both …

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Spain’s drought devastates olive oil output, drives world prices up

MADRID (Reuters) – Drought in Spain, the world’s largest olive oil producer, is likely to halve the country’s output this year compared with the previous year, official estimates from the European Commission show, pushing prices up. Spain usually supplies about 40% of the world’s output. However, heatwaves when the olive trees were flowering last spring …

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Disappointment for King Charles as first overseas visit as monarch is postponed

By Michael Holden LONDON (Reuters) – King Charles’ first state visit to France as British monarch, postponed on Friday because of widespread social unrest, was supposed to be an occasion celebrating a new chapter of harmony in relations between London and Paris. Instead, a visit that would have featured a banquet at the old royal …

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