Bond traders prepare to brave 'painful' yield curve bets as rate hikes slow
By Harry Robertson LONDON Bond traders are eyeing a return to a type of trade that left them
2023-08-09 13:20
Niger military rulers order UN official out within 72 hours
Niger's post-coup military regime has ordered the United Nations coordinator in the country to leave within 72 hours, blaming "obstacles" by the world...
2023-10-12 02:54
Did David Bakhtiari take shot at Aaron Rodgers after Packers criticism?
Aaron Rodgers spent an entire interview blasting the Packers but Green Back OT David Bakhtiari appeared to shade his former QB as a response.While Aaron Rodgers is on to his NFL rebound, the New York Jets, it appears he might still be having a bit of trouble getting over his ex.That ex, of c...
2023-06-01 07:19
BOJ's Nakamura: Need more time before tweaking ultra-easy policy
KOBE, Japan Bank of Japan board member Toyoaki Nakamura said on Thursday the central bank will likely need
2023-11-30 09:56
Kyle Schwarber homers, Bryce Harper ejected but Phillies fall to Pirates 3-2
Kyle Schwarber went deep, Bryce Harper went off on an umpire and was ejected and Trea Turner went from second to home on a stolen base but the Pittsburgh Pirates topped the Philadelphia Phillies 3-2 on Thursday night
2023-09-29 09:19
Messi makes shortlist for UEFA award as best player last season alongside De Bruyne and Haaland
Lionel Messi has made the shortlist for the UEFA award as the best player in Europe last season
2023-08-17 21:29
England vs Scotland LIVE: Women’s Nations League latest score, goals and updates
England Women host Scotland Women on Friday night, under the lights in the north east of England - Sunderland’s Stadium of Light is the location for both teams’ first game since the summer. They had contrasting ones, too; while the Lionesses went to New Zealand and Australia to contest the Women’s World Cup, where they went right the way through to the final before losing to Spain, Scotland were sat at home watching, following on from July friendly wins over Northern Ireland and Finland. The Women’s Nations League offers a fresh start for both, with this the first-ever edition of the competition in the women’s game. Group A1 contains England, Netherlands, Belgium and Scotland. Follow all the latest updates from England vs Scotland below and get the latest odds and football tips here:
2023-09-23 02:46
Broadband customers plagued by issues despite inflation-busting price hikes
More than half of broadband customers have experienced problems with their connection over the past year, despite providers inflicting inflation-busting price hikes, a survey suggests. The latest “broadband satisfaction survey” by Which? found that 53% of the nearly 4,000 broadband customers polled had experienced connection issues in the year to January, most commonly frequent connection dropouts, “very” slow speeds and slow uploads and downloads. The issues were “persistent” across all the providers, with narrow margins between the best and worst offenders for poor customer experiences. It's completely unacceptable that customers who have faced these eye-watering increases are also experiencing so many problems with their connection Which? The watchdog noted that the scale of problems added “insult to injury” as many customers saw their bills jump by more than 14% after many providers chose to impose inflation-based price increases earlier this year. Providers often link their annual price rises to January’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price Index (RPI), which were 10.5% and 13.4% respectively – an amount which would have been unforeseeable for customers signing up to their contract 18 or 24 months previously. The current system forces millions of customers to choose between paying more each month or exorbitant exit fees, which can exceed £200. Industry watchdog Ofcom is currently investigating whether inflation-linked, mid-contract price rises give customers sufficient certainty and clarity when signing up to new contracts. Of the UK’s biggest providers, Sky, Virgin Media, and EE had the lowest proportion of customers who had not experienced any issues, with just 32%, 35% and 37% of their customers not reporting any problems. Of the major providers, BT fared best with 49% of its customers not experiencing a performance issue in the past year. Hyperoptic, Shell Energy Broadband and Utility Warehouse performed better, with half or more of their customers not experiencing any performance issue over the 12 months. However, even with these providers, at least four in 10 customers said they had experienced at least one problem. Frequent connection drop outs were the most common broadband issue, experienced by 19% of those who had suffered a problem. Some 17% suffered slow speeds, while 15% experienced slow uploads and downloads. One in seven (14%) said they had been left without a connection for at least an hour. One in 10 (12%) experienced slow or disrupted streaming when listening to music or watching videos and 8% said they were left without connection for more than a day. Overall, around four in 10 (44%) said they had experienced some kind of customer service issue and 11% said they had either found it difficult to get in touch with their provider or struggled to get their issue resolved. It’s absolutely critical that Ofcom’s review of inflation linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again Rocio Concha, Which? Rocio Concha, Which? director of policy and advocacy, said: “A reliable connection is essential to modern life. Earlier this year, many broadband consumers were hit with mid-contract price hikes of more than 14% – meaning that it’s more important than ever that their provider offers a reliable connection and good customer service. “It’s completely unacceptable that customers who have faced these eye-watering increases are also experiencing so many problems with their connection. Broadband firms need to work harder to resolve these issues and offer a better service. “While some customers are able to switch away to better service and prices, many are trapped in contracts where they either have to accept above inflation price hikes in the spring or pay exorbitant exit fees to leave the contract early. “It’s absolutely critical that Ofcom’s review of inflation linked mid-contract hikes results in changes that ensure customers are never trapped in this situation again.” A Sky spokeswoman said: “We are committed to providing the best service to our customers. “We do not believe this is a representative survey – Ofcom’s quarterly complaints data shows we are consistently one of the least complained about broadband providers and, in Ofcom’s latest report, we received the fewest complaints out of all broadband providers.” A Virgin Media spokesman said: “While these findings are only taken from a small sample of customers, the latest, fuller data from Ofcom shows that our customers benefit from the fastest download speeds, and customer complaints on our broadband services fell by 22% in the first quarter of this year.” EE said: “Ofcom’s latest complaints report shows that we remain one of the least complained about broadband providers, with complaints remaining well below the industry average throughout recent years. “We have proudly led the way with social tariffs since 2008, with around 80% of the total market being supported on BT social tariffs. “Customers who are struggling financially and are eligible for our social tariffs can move penalty-free at any point in their contract, this also includes EE and Plusnet customers. “ Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Will.i.am hails AI technology as ‘new renaissance’ in music Heart transplant woman’s daughter twice saved her life using Alexa Dolly Parton on AI and not wanting to leave her soul ‘here on earth’
2023-07-04 07:16
Sweden win to set up USA showdown at Women's World Cup
Sweden set up a Women's World Cup last-16 showdown with the United States after a Rebecka Blomqvist header and an Elin Rubensson penalty gave them a...
2023-08-02 17:19
Fact-checking Donald Trump's claim that wind turbines kill whales
The former president blamed wind farms for a spike in whale deaths - but his claims don't stand up.
2023-09-27 05:27
Ukraine's counteroffensive is now underway. Here's what's happened so far
Ukraine's counteroffensive against Russian forces has not yet gained the momentum that some overly optimistic observers anticipated. So far it feels like the prelude to a more expansive act.
2023-06-17 12:23
Acuña, Ozuna hit early 2-run homers, Braves beat Nationals 6-4 for 7th straight victory
Ronald Acuña Jr. and Marcell Ozuna each a two-run homer in the second inning off MacKenzie Gore and the Atlanta Braves won their seventh consecutive game, 6-4 over the Washington Nationals
2023-06-11 07:21
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