Image copyright Getty Images “Unfair obstacles” may be stopping women from starting and growing their own companies, the government has said. It said women were half as likely as men to start their own business, and only a fifth of smaller firms were led by females. It said this was creating a “significant pool” of …

Uber Eats drivers staged a protest over pay at the company’s London offices. They were protesting changes to the payment structure in the city, claiming rates for every delivery had been reduced without agreement. Uber Eats say the changes were made “in response to feedback from courier” and “will help increase earnings during busy mealtimes.” …

For centuries, people packed their food in ice to keep it fresh, which was too bad for people who lived in the tropics. Then, an American scientist discovered that compressed chemicals could do the same trick as ice without melting away. And in the 20th Century the fridge became a must-have consumer good, and a …

A car company has shared the journey of an alloy wheel from Belgium to the UK to show how seamless the process is within the EU. Honda is concerned their ‘Just in Time’ manufacturing process – where parts are delivered only when they are needed – will be at risk post-Brexit. The Senior Vice-President of …

Image copyright Getty Images The troubled US bank Wells Fargo is planning a steep reduction of staff that could affect more than 26,000 people. The firm said it expects headcount to decline by 5% to 10% over the next three years, through a combination of cuts and regular attrition. The move is part of an …

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Traidcraft was one of the first firms to sell fair trade goods such as coffee A firm which calls itself a “pioneer” of fair trade is consulting on closing its trading business. Gateshead-based Traidcraft started in 1979 and sells goods sourced in developing countries. Chief executive Robin Roth said …

Image copyright Getty Images One of the largest life insurance providers in North America will no longer offer policies that do not include digital fitness tracking. John Hancock will now sell only “interactive” policies that collect health data through wearable devices such as a smartwatch. Policyholders can earn discounts and rewards such as gift cards …

Image copyright Evans Cycles Image caption Evans Cycles has 60 stores across the UK Evans Cycles has put itself up for sale as it seeks fresh funding amid tough High Street trading conditions. The BBC understands PwC is in talks with a number of potential buyers for the bike store chain, which has more than …

Image copyright Getty Images Barclays says it has resolved a glitch that left frustrated customers locked out of their online accounts for hours on Thursday. The problem began during the morning and hit the Barclays website and telephone banking. Fed-up customers took to social media to vent their frustration as the outage continued through the …

Image copyright Tilray Image caption Tilray’s share price has been climbing in the US Canadian cannabis companies have hit new highs on Wall Street as US investors seek to catch the buzz from their northern neighbours. With recreational use of marijuana due to be legalised in Canada on 17 October, producers Tilray and Canopy have …