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Friday newspaper round-up: Housing targets, WH Smith, Thurrock council

(Sharecast News) - Angela Rayner has been warned that the government could risk missing its housing targets by placing too much emphasis on creating new towns across England. The deputy prime minister announced plans last month for the "largest housebuilding programme since the postwar period", kickstarted by the construction of a generation of new towns. - Guardian A debt-ridden English council has alleged in a high court lawsuit that a Dubai-based businessman misused £150m of its investments for personal gain, including buying a luxury yacht and private jet. Thurrock council in Essex, which formally declared effective bankruptcy in 2022 having run up debts of more than £1bn after a series of disastrous investments, is suing Liam Kavanagh and his firm Rockfire Capital in London's high court. - Guardian

A flagship green fuel factory has been scrapped by the renewable energy giant Ørsted amid a lack of demand from customers. Work has halted on the FlagshipONE project, a proposed e-methanol plant in the Swedish town of Örnsköldsvik, meant to supply container ships as part of the battle to reach net zero. - Telegraph

Ministers must work closely with business to avoid "spooking" employers as they carry the biggest overhaul of workers' rights in decades, a leading recruitment trade body has said. Neil Carberry, chief executive of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), said: "The government is right to make economic growth its focus. Only growth can turn employers' sentiment to hire and invest, into action. - The Times

To many people, it is the place where you buy a book or magazine or to pick up some stationery. However, after 232 years in business, WH Smith has decided to open its first café. The first Smith's Kitchen officially opened on Thursday in Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton. The 26-seat, 495 sq ft café, featuring both takeaway and dine-in options, is set to be rolled out to other hospitals. It comes shortly after WH Smith launched an own-brand food range of 30 products, including sandwiches. - The Times

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Thursday newspaper round-up: CMA, Riverford, Lloyds, Arm Holdings
(Sharecast News) - The appointment of the former boss of Amazon UK to lead the competition watchdog poses a threat to its independence and pledge to hold big tech to account, according to a group including tech companies and the former business secretary Vince Cable. The group - which includes the News Media Association, the Firefox developer Mozilla, the consumer group Which? and the Future of Technology Institute - has written to the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to raise concerns about the appointment of Doug Gurr as the interim chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). - Guardian
Wednesday newspaper round-up: Thames Water, Johnson & Johnson, BoE
(Sharecast News) - Thames Water may need as much as £10bn in debt and equity investment to repair its finances, according to a representative of creditors hoping to lend the struggling utility another £3bn. London's high court heard evidence on Tuesday that suggested the UK's largest water company may need significantly more resources than the roughly £6.3bn it has previously indicated. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Zero-hours contracts, Barclays, Asos
(Sharecast News) - Hundreds of thousands of British workers are on zero-hours contracts despite being with the same employer for years, according to analysis from the TUC. The majority of zero-hours contract workers have been with their employer for more than 12 months, while one in eight have not been granted regular employment rights after more than a decade working in the same place, the organisation said. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Apple, Daily Mail, OpenAI, Homebase
(Sharecast News) - Apple slightly beat analysts' expectations in its first-quarter earnings for fiscal year 2025 on Thursday. The iPhone-maker's revenue rose by 4%, coming in at $124.30bn, barely above estimates of $124.12bn. Earnings per share were $2.40, just ahead of analysts' expectations of $2.35. Shares rose more than 8% in extended trading after CEO Tim Cook indicated in an earnings call on Thursday that Apple is on the trajectory for revenue growth next quarter. - Guardian

Important information: This information is not a personal recommendation for any particular investment. If you are unsure about the suitability of an investment you should speak to one of Fidelity’s advisers or an authorised financial adviser of your choice. When you are thinking about investing in shares, it’s generally a good idea to consider holding them alongside other investments in a diversified portfolio of assets. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future returns.

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