UK the fly in recruiter Page's ointment as nervous Brits stay put

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Company is flying everywhere else as global economy throws off good, well paying jobs
Recruiter PageGroup probably wishes it could turn the page on Brexit (it wouldn’t be alone).
The worst decision in British political history has a habit of spoiling the party when it reports results.
The company recruits professionals, white collar types who earn decent money. We’re talking between £50,000 and £150,000 annually.
Read more Airbus warns hard Brexit will cause business to 'grind to a halt’ Under boss Steve Ingham, it has become a global business, and its performance ranges from good to very good everywhere it operates as a booming global economy throws off lots of good, high paying jobs.
When adjusting for currency movements, profits over the first three months of the year were up 20 per cent in the Americas, 18 per cent in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, 13.8 per cent in the Asia Pacific region.
You can probably guess what’s coming: the glaring exception was the UK..

British Gas price hike a 'slap in the face' to customers, says MP

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Ministers say 'unjustified' decision is 'disappointing' but Labour says government should have done more to prevent it
MPs have criticised British Gas’s decision to raise bills for millions of customers just months before the introduction of a cap on energy prices.
The energy giant said prices will rise by an average of 5.5 per cent, meaning the cost of the standard tariff will increase to £1,161. An estimated 4.1 million customers will see their bills increase by an average of £60 per year.
The price hike was criticised by MPs across the political spectrum. The Government said it was “disappointed” with the “unjustified” decision, while Labour accused ministers of failing to introduce their energy price cap quickly enough.
Centrica, which owns British Gas, blamed the increase on rising wholesale energy prices and said government policies were also responsible.
Read more British Gas announces 5.5% price hike, affecting 4.1m UK households Claire Perry, the mi..

IMF's Christine Lagarde warns trade protectionism will only hurt the world's poorest

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Christine Lagarde fears growing tension between the US and China will result in WTO rules being 'torn apart'
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde has warned countries that they must avoid trade protectionism to ensure global prosperity.
Speaking in Hong Kong on Wednesday, Ms Lagarde said she fears growing tension between the US and China over tariffs will lead to World Trade Organisition (WTO) rules being “torn apart”, which she called an “inexcusable, collective policy failure”.
“History shows that import restrictions hurt everyone, especially poorer consumers,” said Ms Lagarde.
Read more Airbus warns hard Brexit will cause business to 'grind to a halt’ “Not only do they lead to more expensive products and more limited choices, but they also prevent trade from playing its essential role in boosting productivity and spreading new technologies.”
Alluding to Donald Trump and Xi Jinping’s war of words on tariffs, the IMF chief called for an end to protectionist t..

Legal marijuana could soon be a bigger market than fizzy drinks

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Expanding access to cannabis is also expected to hit alcohol sales
Cannabis could soon become a bigger industry than fizzy drinks and it has already started putting pressure on alcohol sales.
If marijuana is made legal nationwide in the US by 2030, the legal weed industry could generate $75bn (£53bn) in sales by that year, according to a new note from the investment bank Cowen.
Cowen’s cannabis sector analyst, Vivien Azer, revised her previous estimate up by $25bn (£17.6bn). Legal marijuana sales are already around $50bn, Ms Azer said in the note.
Read more Legalising cannabis could help solve US opioid crisis, studies suggest Rise in cannabis strength may not affect schizophrenia, study suggests Israel moves towards decriminalising marijuana use UK world’s largest producer of legal Cannabis, finds UN body Government refuses medical cannabis to six-year-old epileptic boy Fizzy drink consumption, on the other hand, is declining. Per capita consumption fell to a 31-year low in th..

Shop Direct puts 2,000 UK jobs at risk with closure of three warehouses

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Online retailer which owns Very and Littlewoods will open new automated site in East Midlands in 2021
Littlewoods owner Shop Direct is closing three of its warehouses in Greater Manchester, putting close to 2,000 jobs at risk.
The online retailer, which also owns Very.co.uk, said it will close sites in Shaw, Little Hulton and Raven from mid-2020 onwards and open up an automated warehouse in the East Midlands where around 500 new jobs will be created.
Shop Direct predicts it will also employ an additional 200 and 300 agency workers at the site during peak times.
Read more Bargain Booze owner set to go into administration risking 2,500 jobs The closures put 1,177 Shop Direct employees and 815 agency workers in doubt, with the company confirming that redundancies are likely. Industry experts said it was unlikely that many existing staff would be given new jobs.
Shop Direct will begin work on the new site in May, with the opening set to take place in 2021. The company, which is ow..

Mark Zuckerberg’s Own Data Disclosed After Senate Hearing: His Notes

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Mark Zuckerberg’s Own Data Disclosed After Senate Hearing: His Notes Photo Andrew Harnik photographed Mark Zuckerberg’s notes on Tuesday, when the Facebook chief testified on Capitol Hill. Credit Andrew Harnik/Associated Press A photographer captured two pages of Mark Zuckerberg’s notes for his appearance at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. Once highlighted on Twitter, the image was retweeted thousands of times.
To many commenters, the paradox was clear. On a day Mr. Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, faced lawmakers’ questions about whether his company adequately protected users’ data, he experienced a disclosure of his own.
The talking points gave a detailed view of Facebook’s extensive preparations for the appearance before Congress of its billionaire founder. While some of the notes matched what he said on Tuesday, others reminded him what not to say or anticipated questions that were not raised. Mr. Zuckerberg will appear Wednesday for another day of testimony.
One section o..