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Wednesday newspaper round-up: Food security, Tesla, furlough

(Sharecast News) - Farmers have accused the government of failing to listen to their warnings over the future of domestic food production, after concerns ministers would not increase the number of seasonal worker visas next year. The criticism came at a summit convened by the National Farmers' Union (NFU) and attended by the environment minister, George Eustice, where food producers, processors and retailers urged government to fix supply chains to ensure food security. - Guardian

The biggest taxi firm in Paris said it was suspending the use of Model 3 Teslas in its fleet after a fatal accident in the French capital at the weekend. A driver lost control of his Tesla on Saturday night in the southeastern 13th district of Paris, killing one person and injuring 20, with three people in intensive care. Paris prosecutors on Saturday opened an investigation into the incident. - Guardian

Rishi Sunak must be ready to bring back the furlough scheme to save shops and restaurants, the International Monetary Fund has warned as the spread of the omicron variant threatens further restrictions on the economy. The international financial stability watchdog said the Chancellor should be ready to reintroduce targeted measures to limit the economic damage from any new rules. Whitehall officials are reportedly considering a "plan C" including mandating table service in pubs to ensure social distancing. - Telegraph

The City regulator gave a "free pass" to banking misconduct when it "wrongly" excluded about 10,000 businesses from a redress scheme for the mis-selling of interest rate hedging products, an independent review has found. John Swift QC concluded that the Financial Services Authority failed in its duties when it implemented an eligibility cap for victims of the scandal. - The Times

The energy watchdog is to apply more stringent checks on electricity and gas suppliers as part of a reform package designed to prevent a repeat of the crisis engulfing the industry. Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said providers would be subject to "robust stress testing", with executives also placed under greater scrutiny. He wrote in the Financial Times that the watchdog would use more sophisticated data analysis. - The Times

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Tuesday newspaper round-up: Shop price inflation, Microsoft, Helsing
(Sharecast News) - Shop price inflation has risen to the highest level in two and a half years, according to the British Retail Consortium, which warned that "the dam is starting to break" when it comes to retailers trying to limit price rises for customers. The lobby group said shop price inflation was 2.1% year on year in October, a sharp rise compared with 1.4% in September, and an indication that retailers were beginning to pass on the rising costs of energy and food ingredients since the Middle East conflict broke out. - Guardian
Monday newspaper round-up: Pensioners and the Budget, interest rate expectations, Audi US factory
(Sharecast News) - The chancellor will use his Budget this week to protect pensioners and those saving for their retirement, as he announces plans to shield nearly 1m people from paying income tax. John Healey is expected to confirm on Wednesday that the full state pension will rise by £489 to £13,036 - equivalent to 3.9%. However, the rise will push about 1m people on low incomes who rely on the state pension above the £12, 570 personal allowance threshold, meaning they would be dragged into paying income tax. To retain the principle that the state pension is not taxable, Healey is expected to announce a rise in the tax-free allowance for low-income pensions to £13,036. The move will cost taxpayers £200m a year by 20230 - The Times
Friday newspaper round-up: Elon Musk/Skydance, North Sea wealth fund, retiring entrepreneurs
(Sharecast News) - Elon Musk has reportedly invested approximately $1bn in Skydance, the new media empire led by David Ellison. The deal comes alongside fresh equity infusions from existing investors, including board member Laurene Powell Jobs, Steve Jobs's widow. Semafor first reported the news. The investment follows Paramount's recent $111bn merger with Warner Bros Discovery, a huge acquisition that brought the media companies together under the Skydance name. At the head of the new media empire is David Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle co-founder and Donald Trump ally Larry Ellison. - Guardian
Thursday newspaper round-up: AI companies, Waitrose, gas standing charges
(Sharecast News) - AI companies have told ministers they have 12 months to head off public opposition to datacentres in the UK or risk US-style protests that could threaten their construction. Successive dry summers and rising energy bills are increasing public scrutiny of plans for the huge computer warehouses that are used to train and run AI models, says a submission to the Labour government from a group including the AI infrastructure companies Nvidia, Microsoft and Cisco. - Guardian

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