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Thursday, December 1, 2016

British Gas freezes standard energy tariffs for millions over winter

British Gas is freezing its standard energy tariffs for the winter in a move affecting more than six million customers.

The UK's biggest energy supplier will keep the charges for gas and electricity on hold until at least March.
It comes after rival SSE said last month that it was freezing prices until at least April.
Britain's Big Six energy suppliers have been under pressure to treat loyal customers on standard tariffs fairly.
A recent report accused them of overcharging households and making six times as much profit as they admitted to - claims rejected by the industry.
It prompted a meeting between Energy Secretary Greg Clark and representatives from the energy firms.
Chancellor Philip Hammond said in his Autumn Statement that the Government would "look carefully" at energy markets to make sure they are fair.
British Gas chief executive Mark Hodges said its price freeze would "help bring some peace of mind to more than six million of our customers".
The supplier has also launched a deal allowing households to fix energy prices for three winters until March 2019.
Wholesale energy prices have been rising, leading to the collapse of smaller provider GB Energy earlier this week.
It had recently hiked tariffs by as much as a third, while other small suppliers have also had to increase prices.
British Gas serves about 11 million homes in Britain, with many of them on the standard variable tariffs affected by the latest announcement but others on fixed-price deals.
Shares in owner Centrica fell 1%.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Taylor Swift is getting her own TV channel

The world's highest-earning female singer, Taylor Swift, is to get her own TV channel.
Fans - or Swifties - will be able to plug in to DirecTV to view Taylor Swift Now to see never-before-seen footage from concerts, special events and behind the scenes footage.  
Telecommunications firm AT&T says the catalogue of the award-winning 26-year-old singer will be regularly updated and will include "select songs" of forthcoming gigs.
The channel is part of AT&T's new streaming service - following its purchase of DirecTV. 
Although the streaming service begins on Wednesday, it is not yet clear when Swift's own channel will be available for subscription.
The company is also producing a video-on-demand channel for actress Reese Witherspoon.
Hello Sunshine! is working on bringing female-driven stories to fans of the Oscar-winning star.
It is the latest business deal for the 40-year-old actress who owns the Draper James clothing line, two retail shops, a production company and is currently writing her autobiography.

Mitt Romney praises Donald Trump after posh dinner

Former Donald Trump critic Mitt Romney has said the President-elect is the "man who can lead us" after the pair met for an "enlightening" dinner at an upmarket restaurant.
Mr Trump is considering him for the post of Secretary of State, America's top diplomat.
Mr Romney fiercely criticised Mr Trump during this year's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, calling him a "phony", a "conman" and a "fraud".
In turn, Mr Trump labelled him a "loser" and a "choke artist" and said Mr Romney would have dropped to his knees to get his support during his failed 2012 presidential bid.
But the animosity between the pair appears to have vanished as the two enjoyed an intimate dinner date.
After feasting on a meal at the three-Michelin star Jean Georges restaurant in New York City that included garlic soup with frogs legs, scallops and steak, Mr Romney was full of praise for Mr Trump.
"I had a wonderful evening with President-elect Trump," Mr Romney told reporters.
"We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world and these discussions I've had with him have been enlightening, and interesting, and engaging. I've enjoyed them very, very much."
Mr Romney heaped more praise on his would-be boss by praising his "message of inclusion and bringing people together" since his shock election.
He said Mr Trump's cabinet appointments and his wish for increased unity had changed his opinion.
"All of those things combined give me increasing hope that President-elect Trump is the very man who can lead us," said Mr Romney.
Also at the meal - at a Trump hotel in Manhattan - was Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, his incoming Chief of Staff.
Mr Priebus has reportedly been pushing for Mr Romney behind the scenes.
However, former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway could be on a collision course with Mr Trump after saying in TV interviews on Sunday that supporters would feel "betrayed" if Mr Romney got the job.
Rudy Giuliani, a faithful supporter of the President-elect, was previously seen as the frontrunner, but Mr Trump is also considering other candidates.
He will meet retired general John Kelly on Friday - and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker is also on the shortlist.
Mr Corker also met Mr Trump on Tuesday and said afterwards: "The world needs to know that the secretary of state is someone who speaks fully for the president and again, that's a decision he's going to have to make."
Mr Trump's choices so far have included the controversial Stephen Bannon as chief strategist, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as ambassador to the UN, and Besty DeVos as secretary of education.

Mitt Romney praises Donald Trump after posh dinner

Former Donald Trump critic Mitt Romney has said the President-elect is the "man who can lead us" after the pair met for an "enlightening" dinner at an upmarket restaurant.
Mr Trump is considering him for the post of Secretary of State, America's top diplomat.
Mr Romney fiercely criticised Mr Trump during this year's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, calling him a "phony", a "conman" and a "fraud".
In turn, Mr Trump labelled him a "loser" and a "choke artist" and said Mr Romney would have dropped to his knees to get his support during his failed 2012 presidential bid.
But the animosity between the pair appears to have vanished as the two enjoyed an intimate dinner date.
After feasting on a meal at the three-Michelin star Jean Georges restaurant in New York City that included garlic soup with frogs legs, scallops and steak, Mr Romney was full of praise for Mr Trump.
"I had a wonderful evening with President-elect Trump," Mr Romney told reporters.
"We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world and these discussions I've had with him have been enlightening, and interesting, and engaging. I've enjoyed them very, very much."
Mr Romney heaped more praise on his would-be boss by praising his "message of inclusion and bringing people together" since his shock election.
He said Mr Trump's cabinet appointments and his wish for increased unity had changed his opinion.
"All of those things combined give me increasing hope that President-elect Trump is the very man who can lead us," said Mr Romney.
Also at the meal - at a Trump hotel in Manhattan - was Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, his incoming Chief of Staff.
Mr Priebus has reportedly been pushing for Mr Romney behind the scenes.
However, former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway could be on a collision course with Mr Trump after saying in TV interviews on Sunday that supporters would feel "betrayed" if Mr Romney got the job.
Rudy Giuliani, a faithful supporter of the President-elect, was previously seen as the frontrunner, but Mr Trump is also considering other candidates.
He will meet retired general John Kelly on Friday - and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Bob Corker is also on the shortlist.
Mr Corker also met Mr Trump on Tuesday and said afterwards: "The world needs to know that the secretary of state is someone who speaks fully for the president and again, that's a decision he's going to have to make."
Mr Trump's choices so far have included the controversial Stephen Bannon as chief strategist, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as ambassador to the UN, and Besty DeVos as secretary of education.

Temperatures drop to minus 9.4C on coldest night so far this winter

The coldest night of the year in England and Wales sent temperatures plunging to as low as minus 9.4C (15F), the Met Office has said.
The village of Sennybridge in Powys recorded the coldest reading with the lowest November figure since 2010.
In Benson, Oxfordshire, a temperature of minus 8.5 (16F) was recorded.
Forecasters are expecting the cold snap to ease from Wednesday evening onwards as cloud moves across the country - but colder temperatures are likely to be back by the weekend with many areas seeing a fair amount of frost.
The Shetland Islands can expect long but light showers with gales forecast for the far north.
Sky News forecaster Isobel Lang said fog is likely to become more widespread on Wednesday night with tricky driving conditions expected during Thursday morning's rush hour across Ireland, Wales and the Midlands.
Cloud will lift the mercury slightly as it pushes down towards central and northern regions over the next few days.
The Met Office said conditions were slightly colder than the average daytime temperatures for this time of the year.
London and Cardiff are expected to peak at 4C (39F), while Glasgow will reach 9C (48F) and Edinburgh 8C (46F) on Wednesday.
The cold snap comes as the Local Government Association's (LGA) winter readiness survey showed that councils are well prepared for icy conditions with a substantial stock of grit.
About half have reached the limit of storage capacity and gritters will be out treating thousands of miles of road when overnight temperatures plunge below zero.
LGA transport spokesman Martin Tett said: "We are well prepared for the cold, with 1.2 million tonnes of salt stockpiled and a fleet of state-of-the-art gritters ready to be deployed."
Public Health England has warned people to remember that "cold does kill" even in places that are not experiencing the coldest temperatures.
The meteorological winter begins on Thursday and lasts until 28 February. 

Donald Trump to leave business empire to avoid conflict of interest

Donald Trump will withdraw from running his businesses to avoid any perception of conflict of interest when he becomes president.
The President-elect tweeted that while it was not a legal necessity, it was a "visually important" move.
He said he would be leaving his "great business in total to fully focus on running the country" and that "legal documents are being crafted which take me out of business operations".
"The Presidency is a far more important task!" he added.
Mr Trump said he would give more details at a "major news conference" on 15 December.
Critics had argued the billionaire could expose himself to potential conflicts of interest in his new job, such as when pursuing policies that affect corporations.
His business empire includes hotels, property and golf courses.
Mr Trump also announced more nominations for his cabinet on Wednesday.
Steven Mnuchin, a former executive at investment bank Goldman Sachs, has been put forward for secretary of the Treasury.
Billionaire Wilbur Ross, another former banker, is in line to be commerce secretary.
It follows the nomination yesterday of Georgia representative Tom Price as health secretary - a key post considering Mr Trump's pledge to radically reshape President Barack Obama's signature Obamacare policy.
The key post as America's top diplomat is still up for grabs however, with Mr Trump still holding meetings to sound out candidates.
Mitt Romney is among those vying for the secretary of state post and last night met the President-elect for an intimate dinner.
The Republican, who called Mr Trump a "conman" and a "fraud" during the presidential campaign, emerged with a very different perspective after the pair feasted on a meal that included garlic soup with frogs legs.
"I had a wonderful evening with President-elect Trump," Mr Romney told reporters.
"We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world and these discussions I've had with him have been enlightening, and interesting, and engaging. I've enjoyed them very, very much."
He heaped more praise on his would-be boss's "message of inclusion" and said he had "increasing hope that President-elect Trump is the very man who can lead us".
Mr Trump had previously labelled Mr Romney a "loser" and "choke artist" after he failed in his own bid for the presidency in 2012.
However, former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway could be on a collision course with Mr Trump after saying in TV interviews that supporters would feel "betrayed" if Mr Romney got the job.
Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, a loyal Trump supporter, is another of several candidates also in contention for the role. 
Other key appointments and nominations include: controversial Stephen Bannon as chief strategist, Alabama senator Jeff Sessions as attorney general, South Carolina governor Nikki Haley as ambassador to the UN, and Betsy DeVos as secretary of education.

Banks struggle as BoE warns on 'elevated' risk to financial system

Three of Britain's biggest lenders have struggled in a key test of how they would cope in a future financial crisis, as the Bank of England warned of "elevated" risks after the Brexit vote.
State-backed Royal Bank of Scotland must bolster its balance sheet by £2bn after failing the test.
Two other lenders - Barclays and Standard Chartered - also fell short on some measures but will not have to submit revised capital raising plans.
Regular stress tests were put in place by the Bank of England after taxpayers were forced to bail out banks such as RBS in the financial crisis. RBS remains 73% owned by taxpayers.
The latest test - the third since the crisis - was the most severe yet, combining shocks to the global and domestic economies in a five-year doomsday scenario worse than that seen in 2008.
It modelled how the banking system would cope in a situation in which UK GDP shrinks by 4.3% amid a worldwide recession, unemployment adds 4.5 percentage points, and house prices plunge by 31%.
Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the test had reinforced the resilience of the UK financial system which "may prove valuable given the elevated likelihood that some UK-specific risks to financial stability could materialise".
He added: "It will take time to clarify the UK's new relationships with the EU and the rest of the world.
"And the orderliness of the UK economy's adjustment to these changes will influence the risks to financial stability."
Results of the stress test were published alongside the Bank's latest Financial Stability Report, which said Britain's financial system faced a "challenging" outlook due to risks posed by leaving the European Union and the recent US election.
HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide and Santander UK did not reveal any shortcomings in the stress test.
Mr Carney said actions by banks to build up the capital they hold since the financial crisis had bolstered the resilience of the banking system.
He said it was now "well-placed to provide credit to households and businesses during periods of severe stress".
But the Bank found that RBS "remains susceptible to financial and economic stress" when taking into account misconduct costs it still faces following its behaviour during the financial crisis.
RBS finance director Ewen Stevenson said: "We have taken further important steps in 2016 to enhance our capital strength, but we recognise that we have more to do to restore the bank's stress resilience, including resolving outstanding legacy issues."
The bank plans to boost its balance sheet by taking actions including further asset sales and cost-cutting, but it is not tapping markets for extra finance. Shares fell 4%.
It comes weeks after the body that manages the Government's stakes in bailed-out banks disclosed the potential impact of US fines estimated at up to $12bn (£10bn) over RBS's role in the sale of mortgage-backed financial products in the run-up to the 2008 crisis.
Laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown stockbrokers, said: "RBS is still the weak link in the UK banking chain, almost a decade after the financial crisis came close to wiping the bank out.
"However RBS is in no immediate danger, barring a repeat of something akin to the financial crisis.
"The good news from the stress test is the regulator believes that as a whole the UK banking system is in a good position to weather a particularly nasty economic storm."