Author: LoveWorld UK

MUSIC STREAMING SERVICE SOUNDCLOUD TUNES UP FOR SALE – Interviews start for investment banks about a prospective auction of the company The owners of SoundCloud, one of the world’s largest music streaming services, are preparing for a sale that could fetch in excess of $1bn. Raine Group and Temasek Holdings, the Singaporean state investment fund, have begun interviewing investment banks about a prospective auction of the company. Founded in 2007, SoundCloud provides artists with the tools to build their careers by providing them with an online home to publish their work. In total, more than 40 million artists have released…

MINISTERS TO MEET TO DISCUSS POST OFFICE HORIZON SCANDAL – Petition to remove CBE from ex-Post Office boss reaches one million signatures Ministers are meeting today to discuss the Horizon scandal, as the petition to remove the CBE from ex-Post Office boss Paula Vennells reached one million signatures. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk and postal minister Kevin Hollinrake will discuss the scandal in the wake of renewed scrutiny following a TV drama which tells how former sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses were held liable by the Post Office for financial discrepancies thrown up by its computerised accounting system. Meanwhile, the demands to remove…

GERMAN FARMERS BLOCK ROADS, – Highway ramps to protest subsidy cuts German farmers started a week of nationwide protests early on Monday (January 8) in response to plans to phase out agricultural subsidies as the coalition government scrambles to fix its finances. Images showed convoys of tractors and trucks, some adorned with protest banners, on German roads in sub-zero pre-dawn temperatures. Police reports said that roads and highway ramps were blocked in multiple locations, causing traffic jams during the morning rush hour. Farmers have vowed to blockade major traffic and logistics routes through next week Monday as they warn that…

Liverpool struck twice late on to beat Arsenal at Emirates Stadium and reach the FA Cup fourth round. Arsenal paid the price for missing a host of opportunities and were punished as Liverpool grew increasingly dangerous, the deadlock broken when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick glanced in off Jakub Kiwior’s head with seven minutes left. Liverpool’s triumph was completed in the closing seconds as a lethal break ended with Luis Diaz firing an emphatic finish high past Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Mikel Arteta’s side dominated the first half, with Martin Odegaard hitting the bar while Reiss Nelson and Kai Havertz also had…

Strikes are likely to close the London underground for most of next week unless last-ditch talks can avert the stoppages. Members of the RMT union working in different parts of the tube have started rolling strikes over seven days from Friday, with the biggest impact expected between Monday and Thursday, in a dispute over pay. Transport for London has told commuters of severe disruption next week, with virtually no tube services expected from Sunday night until Friday morning. The first action is due to start with RMT engineers striking on Friday evening, having some impact on later District line services. Staff in some network…

MAN UNITED KEEPER ONANA AVAILABLE FOR WIGAN CUP GAME – Manchester United face Wigan in the FA Cup Manchester United will have goalkeeper Andre Onana available for their FA Cup third-round match against Wigan Athletic, manager Erik ten Hag said, following talks to delay his departure to the Africa Cup of Nations. United play third-tier Wigan on Monday and Cameroon have a friendly scheduled for Tuesday against Zambia before they kick off the tournament against Guinea on Jan. 15. “We’re talking with the Cameroon federation, it was an issue during the talks with Andre when he came in here” Ten…

CARREFOUR WILL NOT SELL PEPSICO GOODS – Carrefour is one of the most active retailers to challenge big consumer products & food companies  Carrefour is telling customers it will no longer sell PepsiCo products like Pepsi, Lay’s crisps and 7up because they had become too costly, in the latest tug-of-war over prices between retailers and global food giants. From Thursday (January 4), shelves with PepsiCo products at Carrefour stores in France will be accompanied by a note saying, “We are no longer selling this brand due to unacceptable price increases,” a spokesperson for the French retailer said. The U.S. company…

AVERAGE MORTGAGE RATE LOWEST FOR NEARLY SEVEN MONTHS – Average rate had fallen from 5.92% to 5.87% in a day The average rate on a two-year fixed mortgage has fallen to its lowest level for nearly seven months as lenders compete for custom. Financial information service Moneyfacts said the average rate had fallen from 5.92% to 5.87% in a day. Major lenders, such as Halifax and HSBC, have begun the year with rate cuts to keep hold of customers, as their own funding costs have dropped. More reductions are expected, but many homeowners still face rising bills. Mortgage rates will…

JUNIOR DOCTORS IN ENGLAND ARE ON THE THIRD DAY OF THEIR SIX-DAY WALK OUT –  Junior doctors in England were subjected to a 26.1% real terms pay cut  Junior doctors in England are on the third day of their six-day walk out, which will formally end at 7am on Tuesday. Health service executives have said the strike could mean “one of the most difficult starts to the year the NHS has ever faced”. But the British Medical Association (BMA) has said it was forced to take action and reject the government’s December pay offer as it fails to compensate for…

Net borrowing by British consumers was the highest in nearly seven years in November and lenders approved the most mortgages since June, according to Bank of England data that adds to signs that households are mostly coping with high interest rates. Consumer borrowing grew by a net 2.0 billion pounds ($2.5 billion), the most since March 2017 and more than any forecast in a Reuters poll of economists, after an increase of 1.4 billion pounds in October. Official data published last month showed much stronger-than-expected sales by retailers in November, boosted by Black Friday seasonal discounts. The BoE data showed…