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Friday newspaper round-up: UK economy, Royal Mail, Twitter

(Sharecast News) - Britain's economy is expected to take until 2024 to recover to pre-Covid levels amid a slowdown for hiring and business investment, as households and businesses struggle with soaring costs. Business leaders have said that there has been a significant decline of key economic indicators in recent weeks, with confidence among company bosses over the growth outlook collapsing to the lowest level since the depths of the Covid crisis. - Guardian The dairy co-operative Arla Foods has announced it will pay its farmers more money for the milk they produce if they meet new environmental sustainability targets. Arla is introducing the "sustainability incentive" with the aim of promoting and funding the reduction of emissions on the farms of its 8,900 members, based in the UK and six other European countries including Denmark, Sweden and Germany. - Guardian

Royal Mail rushed forward the monthly payment into its pension scheme to help prevent a cash crunch, The Telegraph can reveal, after the mini-Budget sent crucial money markets into a tailspin. The company responded to a request from the trustees of the Royal Mail Pension Plan to provide emergency liquidity, amid fears across the City that a run on pension funds driven by products known as Liability-Driven Investments (LDIs) would leave major funds insolvent. The Royal Mail scheme has 124,000 members and liabilities of £11bn. - Telegraph

Households will be offered £20 a month to cut their energy usage during peak hours in a trial scheme from one of the country's biggest suppliers to help avert rolling blackouts this winter. Ovo Energy, which has 4.5m customers, will offer families money if they are able to cut their energy usage by a third between 4-7pm when demand on the grid is highest, amid concern of electricity shortages. - Telegraph

The head of the International Monetary Fund has warned that it will downgrade its growth outlook for the world economy as a third of countries are due to fall imminently into recession. Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director, said the global recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic had suffered a "massive setback" that would wipe $4 trillion off global output until 2026. - The Times

A Delaware judge has given Elon Musk until the end of the month to complete his Twitter takeover, delaying a highly anticipated trial over his bid to terminate the $44 billion deal. The world's richest man must now buy the social media group by 5pm on October 28 if he is to avoid court. - The Times

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Tuesday newspaper round-up: European manufacturers, Rosneft, Darktrace, Mars
(Sharecast News) - Young people in Britain are bearing the brunt of a "low-gear economy" as employers hold back from hiring amid the fallout from the war in the Middle East, a deputy governor of the Bank of England has warned. Clare Lombardelli, the Bank's deputy governor for monetary policy, said the unfolding conflict, which has triggered a surge in energy prices and clouded the outlook for the economy, was contributing to an increase in youth unemployment. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Youth jobs crisis, 79th Group, Hargreaves Lansdown owners
(Sharecast News) - Fixing Britain's youth jobs crisis will require ministers to drastically increase investment in employment support while avoiding arbitrary cuts to benefits, the head of the trade union movement has said. Before an important official report expected next week, the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, said the government had a "once in a generation chance" to secure young people's futures. - Guardian
Friday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, National Lottery owner, FCA
(Sharecast News) - An energy minister has told the bosses of Great Britain's biggest energy suppliers to do more to help households get on top of their unpaid energy bills this winter, before the government spends almost £2.5bn to help write off the country's record high debts. Energy bosses were summoned to a roundtable meeting on Thursday to discuss the government's plan to pay down the energy debts of about 2.4m of the hardest-hit households. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: North Sea drilling, Poundland, ESG funds
(Sharecast News) - The UK is "dangerously" dependent on China for critical raw materials needed for the military, renewable energy infrastructure and AI, a parliamentary investigation has found. MPs on the business select committee called for an urgent centralised policy and the creation of a "critical minerals finance facility" to help fund rare earth and other critical mineral mines, and deploy grants, equity and debt to accelerate a diversification programme. - Guardian

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