Image copyright Getty Images Image caption PwC was fined £6.5m for its audit of collapsed retailer BHS When bosses at the top four audit firms were asked by Parliament last week whether they were happy with the quality of the audits they were performing, only one could bring himself to say yes. And his firm, …
Image copyright Reuters The United States announced sanctions this week that are intended to produce the most damage possible to the government of President Nicolás Maduro: the oil sector and its state company, PDVSA. Up until now White House executive orders were only targeting government officials and certain sectors of the economy. Now new sanctions …
Finland has just completed a major basic income experiment where 2,000 unemployed people were given €560 (£490) a month for two years, instead of their unemployment benefit. The basic income was paid with no strings attached. Recipients weren’t required to seek or accept jobs but still received the payment if they found a job. The …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Administrators posted letters in shop windows notifying customers of the closures Staff made redundant by Patisserie Valerie have told the BBC they have not been paid for their final month’s work. Up to 900 staff members lost their jobs in January when administrators KPMG closed 70 of the cafe …
Image copyright Getty Images As more and more people took up a vegan lifestyle last month, for the challenge dubbed “Veganuary”, we ask: can you save money by going vegan? Right now, interest in veganism is on the up, with the number of people in the UK following a plant-based diet having risen 340% in …
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Sunderland plant opened in 1986 Nissan has confirmed that the new X-Trail originally planned for its Sunderland plant will instead be made in Japan. In a letter to workers, it says continued Brexit uncertainty is not helping firms to “plan for the future”. In 2016 the carmaker said …
Image copyright Getty Images The race to buy collapsed music chain HMV has a new front-runner after a surprise intervention from a Canadian entrepreneur, media reports say. The latest rescue bid is said to come from businessman Doug Putman, owner of Canada’s Sunrise Records stores. The move pits him against Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, …
A fully functional, 3D-printed electric motorbike has been unveiled by large-scale 3D industrial printer manufacturer BigRep. Billed as a world first by the company, the bike, called Nera, took three days to print and cost about £2,000 ($2,600) to make. With the exception of the electrical components, the bike is made from 3D-printed parts, including …
Image copyright Wendell Hussey/Facebook Image caption The image has been shared widely with people questioning the woman’s visual impairment – but many people have defended her use of a phone A photo of a woman using a cane while looking at a mobile phone has been widely shared online with many social media users suggesting …
Pay for workers in their 30s is still 7% below the level at which it peaked before the 2008 banking crisis, research has suggested. The Resolution Foundation think tank said people who were in their 20s at the height of the recession a decade ago were worst hit by the pay squeeze. It suggested the …