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Important information: The value of investments can go down as well as up so you may get back less than you invest. Investors should note that the views expressed may no longer be current and may have already been acted upon. This is a third-party news feed and may not reflect Fidelity’s views.

Friday newspaper round-up: Power cuts, US debt ceiling, Weir Group

(Sharecast News) - The risk of power cuts to factories and homes this winter has increased, the National Grid warned, as the business secretary prepared for a crunch meeting with industry bosses concerned the energy crisis may force them to scale back production. The price of gas and electricity has soared in recent weeks, leading to the collapse of multiple energy suppliers and prompting warnings of higher costs for consumers, factory shutdowns and increased pollution as plants switch to dirtier but cheaper fuels. - Guardian The US Senate has approved a deal to extend the government's borrowing authority into December. The compromise between Republican and Democratic leaders would temporarily avert an unprecedented federal default that experts say would have devastated the economy. With a 50-48 vote, senators agreed to increase the borrowing limit by $480bn, sufficient to prevent the US government from defaulting by keeping debt payments up until 3 December. - Guardian

Ireland has been forced to abandon its low tax business model in the face of pressure from Joe Biden, putting the country's status as a haven for global companies at risk. The sacrosanct 12.5pc tax rate has been the cornerstone of the Irish economy for almost two decades, and helped attract some of the world's biggest corporations, such as Facebook and Google, to set up their European headquarters in the country. - Telegraph

Checkout.com, one of Europe's most valuable private companies, had a 73 per cent rise in UK and European sales last year as it benefited from the boom in online shopping. The payment processor, which was valued at $15 billion in a January funding round, recorded revenues of $252.7 million last year in its UK business, up from $146.4 million in 2019. - The Times

The mining equipment supplier Weir Group expects its profit to be trimmed by up to £40 million as the result of a cyberattack, it said in an update. The FTSE250 company said that many of its systems had to be shut down, disrupting orders into next year. - The Times

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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Regional income divide, John Lewis, mortgages
(Sharecast News) - Britain's deep regional income divide has barely changed in 30 years despite the promises of successive governments to narrow the gap, according to a report showing the challenge for Andy Burnham. As the prime minister-in-waiting prepares for government, the Resolution Foundation said almost no progress had been made since 1997 to tackle stark divisions in household income, before housing costs are taken into account, between the richest and poorest parts of the country. - Guardian
Tuesday newspaper round-up: Gambling customers, student loan repayments, Russian bankruptcies
(Sharecast News) - The Scottish government is about to consider a sweeping moratorium on building new datacentres, putting a key plank of the UK's AI strategy at risk. Last Sunday the Scottish National party (SNP)'s national council passed a motion to freeze all new datacentres in Scotland. That motion has been sent to the Scottish government to consider. It could apply to all datacentre projects that have not yet received planning permission - although its exact implementation is up to the Scottish government to decide. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Affordable housing, mobile coverage, unemployment
(Sharecast News) - Half of all affordable housing supply in rural England could be under threat under plans being considered by ministers to relax regulations for private housing developers, according to analysis. The government has proposed ending affordable housing quotas - known as section 106 agreements - for new developments of between 10 and 49 houses in an effort to jumpstart sluggish housebuilding rates. Ministers are due to make a final decision within weeks on whether developers should be allowed to make cash payments to local authorities instead. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Ineos, EG Group, Hill Group
(Sharecast News) - The boss of Currys has said supplies of air conditioning and fans are "tight" ahead of another UK heatwave, expected next week, after a boom in sales sent retailers scrambling to source new stock. Alex Baldock, chief executive of the electrical goods retailer, said cooling kit had been "flying off the shelves" during June's record heat in England. Sales of fans were up nearly 3,000% over the most recent heatwave weekend compared with a week earlier, while air conditioning sales increased 330%. - Guardian

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