29 Jan 2024 | 07:23
Monday newspaper round-up: Train strikes, fuel poverty, Evergrande
(Sharecast News) - Train drivers will keep striking to "raise the profile" of their dispute after half a decade without a pay rise, the Aslef union has warned, before another week of rolling strikes across England. Aslef's general secretary, Mick Whelan, has said he believes that the government will make renewed efforts to see train companies use controversial new anti-strike laws, despite the union forcing a climbdown this time round. - Guardian
Millions of households will still be living in fuel poverty by the end of the decade, and could be forced to pay almost £500 a year extra on their bills because of the government's slow progress on meeting its home energy efficiency targets, according to a study. A fuel poverty charity has found that 3m households in England are expected to remain in fuel poverty by 2030 because the government is expected to miss a legally binding target on upgrading the energy efficiency of homes "by a staggering margin". - Guardian
A Hong Kong court on Monday issued the liquidation of battered Chinese property giant Evergrande after lawyers failed to convince a judge it had a working restructuring plan. Once China's biggest developer, Evergrande has reported more than $300 billion in liabilities and its troubles have become a symbol of a years-long property crisis that has dealt a massive blow to the country's economy. A creditor in 2022 filed a winding-up petition in Hong Kong against China Evergrande Group - which would begin the process of liquidation - but the case has dragged on while parties tried to broker a deal. - Telegraph
The share of listed UK companies warning investors that profits will miss expectations has surpassed a peak reached during the 2008 financial crisis, research shows. Some 18.2 per cent of listed companies issued a profit warning last year, above the 17.7 per cent peak of 2008, as higher interest rates and fragile demand weighed on corporate balance sheets, according to EY-Parthenon, the consultancy service. - The Times
The businessman seeking to turn around Britishvolt, the collapsed battery start-up, has been arrested and charged in the United States over allegations of assault and harassment. David Collard, 39, founder of Recharge Industries and a former partner at PwC, is facing the charges after an alleged incident on Madison Avenue in New York at about 1.30am on November 15. - The Times