A council has provoked the wrath of residents and linguists alike after announcing it would ban apostrophes on street signs to avoid problems with computer systems. North Yorkshire council is ditching the punctuation point after careful consideration, saying it can affect geographical databases. The council said all new street signs would be produced without one,…
The editorial on the Labour party’s proposals for our railway (25 April) and Tom Haines-Doran’s article on further measures (Starmer’s rail plans must only be the start. It’s full renationalisation that Britain needs, 26 April) need to address a central feature of the privatised and fragmented regime. In order to facilitate competition, an elaborate legal…
Prospects for Thames Water nationalisation increase after funding collapse The chances of Thames Water being nationalised have risen after shareholders refused to inject £500m in emergency funding. The shareholders rejected conditions by the water regulator, Ofwat, that would have damaged their financial returns. Thames Water’s boss, Chris Weston, today said that if no funding could…
Banks are under pressure to stump up millions of pounds in interim funding for the organisation that polices open banking, with regulators saying the new money is needed to prevent financial crime and protect consumers if things “go wrong”. Large banks including NatWest, HSBC, Lloyds and Santander UK were among more than 40 City firms…
Tesla has settled with a former employee in a long-running discrimination case that drew attention to the electric vehicle maker’s treatment of people of color. Owen Diaz, who was awarded nearly $3.2m by a federal jury last April, reached a “final, binding settlement agreement that fully resolves all claims”, according to a document filed Friday…
Chinese leaders who have been predicting an end to the country’s deflation would have been heartened by official statistics this week showing consumer prices had increased for the first time in six months. The news came as the ruling Communist party used its annual gathering in Beijing to declare the economy would clock up growth…
A group of angry French farmers stormed into a Paris agriculture fair on Saturday before a planned visit by Emmanuel Macron, amid anger over costs and regulations. Facing dozens of police officers inside the fair, the farmers shouted and booed, calling for the French president’s resignation and using expletives aimed at him. There were some…
The Abu Dhabi-backed company that is trying to take over the Telegraph newspapers has announced a £1.15bn deal to buy the production company behind Fleabag and the Traitors. Under the deal, RedBird IMI, which is headed by the former CNN president Jeff Zucker, will take over London-based All3Media with the agreement of its owners Warner…
Two years ago, the House of Lords looked into whether the Bank of England should issue digital pounds to be held in electronic wallets. Peers were unconvinced, asking if this wasn’t “a solution in search of a problem”. Last December, MPs on the Treasury select committee said the same thing. The government’s response, however, was…
The co-founder and boss of Superdry is hoping to buy back the struggling fashion brand as it considers store closures after a slump in sales. Julian Dunkerton, who owns a 20% stake, is in talks with potential partners to fund a cash offer for the company, which is valued at about £40m on the stock…
