Business and Economics

Amazon drivers are being forced to deliver up to 200 parcels a day and urinate in plastic bottles so as not to leave their vans, a shocking new investigation has revealed. With deliveries ramping up ahead of Christmas a saddening report finds many drivers routinely exceed the legal maximum shift of 11 hours and finish their days dead on their feet. They also have so little time for food or toilet stops they snatch hurried meals on the run and urinate into...

German pilots are set to stage the first major strike in the low-cost carrier's history. Union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) made the call following similar threats from unions in Italy and Portugal who urged their members to walk out over pay and working conditions. The airline’s Dublin based pilots also threaten to take industrial action. The move comes after disruption in the summer caused by a shortage of pilots, many of whom had moved to rival firms. Europe’s largest short-haul airline now faces...

The Northern Powerhouse seems to have failed to close the gap between the wealth of the north and the south. George Osborne’s vision of revitalising the great northern cities appears to have been hot air. EY have indicated that the gap between the two areas will continue to grow until 2020 as the economy fails to rebalance. London and the south-east will bring in 2.2 per cent and 2 per cent growth respectively, while the rest of the UK will...

The rate of inflation rose to 3.1 per cent in November as the squeeze on households continues. With average weekly wages growing at just 2.2 per cent Brits are starting to feel the pinch in the run up to Christmas. Inflation rose at the highest rate in nearly six years last month, according to ONS figures, with airfares and computer games contributing to the increase. Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, will now have to write a letter...

Capital and revenue are the lifeblood of any modern small business, to ensure day to day continuity and in supporting growth and expansion plans. It’s for this reason that financial statement audits are crucial. Operating a small business in London is a continually challenging task with great responsibility, so there is a pressing need for effective management of resources and oversight. Financial audits not only act as a vital asset for highlighting problems and evaluating performance, but also for ensuring...

We have all seen the films, Blade Runner, The Matrix, The Terminator, and more recently Westworld.  Does employment in the future look bleak for humans? More and more factory jobs are already being replaced with robotic workers, and a day doesn’t go by when robots aren’t in the headlines. A.I. is coming and that will be a true game changer. With driverless vehicles on the horizon and robots taking over continually advanced roles, millions of traditional jobs will be threatened....

The EU have created a blacklist of tax havens, which contain 17 names. Crucially for the UK, the main list excludes a number of British Overseas Territories such as the Cayman Island and Bermuda that were on a previous EU blacklist from June 2015. There is also a “grey” list of a further 47 countries who do not meet the EU tax standards but have pledged to change their rules to improve their tax arrangements. Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the...

Train companies have announced largest ticket increase for five years, signalling a depressing start to the new year for struggling commuters. Fares for all journeys in 2018 show an average rise slightly below the 3.6% set by the government in August for regulated fares, which include season tickets. Rail operators said it showed the industry was attempting to keep down the cost of travel. It is unlikely that many passengers, dealing with the creaking rail service, will agree with their...

Here is an obscene fact for you: Bitcoin uses more electricity than 159 of the planet's countries. The cryptocurrency worth under $1 in 2011 hit a new record this week, making headlines as it soared above $11,000 on Wednesday morning, after which its value has been going up and down like a rollercoaster.   But the other record that Bitcoin is breaking is as the world's most obscenely energy-guzzling currency. Bitcoin is the world's first payment network that's completely decentralized,...