Written By Unknown on Senin, 13 April 2015 | 23.33
A Chinese state-backed hacking group has been stealing information from foreign companies and journalists for more than a decade undetected, it is claimed.
US cybersecurity company FireEye says the group has even managed to carry out sophisticated attacks on networks which are not connected to the internet.
The details were published in a report on Monday and reveals that the group - known as APT30 - has been operating since 2004.
FireEye's chief technology officer Bryce Boland said he believes China is behind APT30, saying it had stolen information "about journalists, dissidents and political developments in relation to China targeting government and military organisations, and targeting economic sectors of interest to China's economy".
The victims of the group's attacks have not been named for security reasons but are based in Asia.
Video:2014: China Source Of Most Attacks
The group infected victims' computers by sending emails to their targets from a supposedly trusted source.
Once opened, the emails installed malware called Mysterious Eagle onto the computers which could be controlled and monitored remotely.
The software is written to be operated by Chinese-language users and managed to infiltrate secure networks which are not connected to the internet by infecting USB drives which are transferred between machines.
Video:May 2014: Chinese Military Accused
Mr Boland told the Financial Times: "That shows the sophistication in targeting the more sensitive government networks, and particularly military and non-internet connected networks.
"The capability to attack air-gapped networks is not unique but it is certainly not common."
With property prices rising and many young people still finding it hard to get a mortgage, more and more would-be homeowners across Britain are turning to one of the oldest methods of building.
Cob building involves using earth, sand, straw and clay as the raw materials for walls. It's estimated that a three-bed cob home would cost in the region of £25,000 to build.
All that's needed is a plot of land and planning permission - and the right knowledge.
Charlotte Eve runs classes on how to build cob homes from her Norfolk base and says that hundreds of people are signing up to learn the skills needed for their own projects.
Natural, cheap materials are used in DIY cob building
"You can't get more sustainable than a cob home," she told Sky News.
"You dig your foundations on site and you use the clay from that foundation trench to make your walls. It's very environmentally friendly and it's also cheap - cheap in terms of construction costs and also in terms of heating the finished home.
Video:Archive: House Building In Crisis
"Your costs for the project are extremely low."
Self building accounts for only 10% of the UK market. That's despite lower costs - £150,000 for the average project, which is £80,000 less than a ready-made home.
Tony Tkaczuk from Lancashire is working on an upgrade of his cob cottage and says he'd recommend a self-build to anyone.
Video:Archive: Osborne On Housing
"It's very fulfilling actually, you have done it yourself and that's a great feeling," Tony told Sky News.
"You can work together as a team, like my wife and I do. And at the end it's wonderful to think to yourselves 'yes, we did that'."
At the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in Watford, experts monitor construction trends across the UK each year. They point out that around 11,000 projects in Britain last year were self-builds.
Video:Experts Debate The Generation Gap
"There's a lot of time, energy and emotion required," said BRE's chief executive, Dr Peter Bonfield. "There are a lot of benefits to self-builds, you can feel really proud of what you have achieved.
"There are also a lot of professional companies out there doing this kind of thing day in and day out. So it's a choice really, a big decision for people."
The Government hopes self-built properties could help combat a housing shortfall of 750,000 homes across the UK by 2025.
A warning has been issued to those booking holidays online, as it is revealed that British holidaymakers were conned out of £2.2m last year.
Criminal groups have targeted online booking firms to steal cash from unsuspecting customers and many only find out they have been conned when they arrive at their hotel and find no record of their booking.
A report from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau found that in one case a holidaymaker lost £62,000 in a fraud relating to a dodgy timeshare scheme.
But losses are not just financial, with a third of victims saying the fraud has a substantial impact on their health as well as their finances and 167 victims said the impact of the crime was so severe they needed medical treatment.
The scams see a spike in the summer months and in December, which mean that many ruined trips will be for those trying to visit loved ones for Christmas.
The report shows that, during a 12-month period, 1,569 cases of holiday booking fraud were reported to the police action fraud team, with most relating to plane tickets, hacking accounts, posting fake adverts online and setting up bogus websites.
Sports and religious trips were an attractive target because of limited availability and higher prices and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and World Cup in Brazil were also targeted, with many people paying for fake tickets or accommodation.
Those aged between 30 and 49 were most often targeted and most victims were defrauded by methods such as bank transfers or cash with no means of getting their money back. Only a small number paid by credit or debit card where some form of redress is available.
Mark Tanzer, ABTA chief executive, said: "Holiday fraud is a particularly distressing form of fraud as the loss to the victim is not just financial but it can also have a high emotional impact.
"Many victims are unable to get away on a long-awaited holiday or visit to loved ones and the financial loss is accompanied by a personal loss.
"We would also encourage anyone who has been the victim of a travel-related fraud to report it so that the police can build up a case, catch the perpetrators and prevent other unsuspecting people from falling victim."
Detective chief superintendent Dave Clark, the City of London Police head of economic crime, said: "Online shoppers must be vigilant and conduct all the necessary checks before booking a break to ensure the conmen are kept at bay."
The Conservatives have said they will take family homes out of inheritance tax by introducing a new allowance which effectively increases the threshold for tax to £1m.
David Cameron said that if his party wins the 7 May election, parents will be offered a new £175,000 allowance to enable them to pass property on to children tax-free after they die.
For properties worth more than £2m, the allowance will be gradually tapered away so that those worth more than £2.35m do not benefit.
Full coverage:General Election 2015
Inheritance tax is currently payable at a rate of 40% on the value of an estate above the £325,000 threshold - or £650,000 if a couple takes advantage of the existing allowance.
Video:Day 14 In 60 Seconds
It is thought around 22,000 families will benefit from the move by 2020 and Mr Cameron said the costs would be paid for by a £1bn raid on pension tax relief for people earning more than £150,000.
Mr Cameron said: "We will take the family home out of inheritance tax.
"That home that you have worked and saved for belongs to you and your family.
"You should be able to pass it on to your children. And with the Conservatives, the taxman will not get his hands on it."
The Conservatives promised a £1m inheritance tax threshold in the 2010 election, but were blocked by Liberal Democrats from implementing it when in coalition.
Video:PM Outlines Tax Position
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told Sky's Murnaghan programme it is the "wrong priority" and "won't affect 90% of estates".
She said: "They are talking about a £140,000 tax cut for properties that are worth around £2m at a time when you've got families still losing their homes because of the bedroom tax, at a time when pensioners and families have had to pay more VAT."
The Institute For Fiscal Studies said the change would "disproportionately" benefit those on higher incomes.
In an observation published on its website after the announcement, the IFS said: "Since the children of those with very large estates are disproportionately towards the top of the income distribution the gains from this (and in fact any) IHT cut will also go disproportionately to those towards the top of the income distribution."
Meanwhile, Labour has revealed its plans to crackdown on tax-dodgers if it wins the election, hoping to cut avoidance and evasion by at least £7.5bn a year by the middle of the next Parliament.
Video:Election: Seven Days, Seven Facts
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls said it would take a Labour government to "call time" on the Tories' "lax approach", adding that Labour would set targets for HMRC to reduce tax avoidance by at least £7.5bn a year.
He said: "We will close the loopholes the Tories won't act on, increase transparency, toughen up penalties and abolish the non-dom rules.
"And our first Budget will make sure that, following an immediate review of HMRC, it has all the powers and resources it needs to come down hard on tax avoidance and evasion."
Conservative Treasury minister David Gauke said: "Ed Miliband and Ed Balls turned a blind eye to aggressive tax avoiding and evading for 13 years when they were in charge - they were the tax avoiders' friends."
The Lib Dems have also set out their tax plans, promising "light at the end of the tunnel" with moves to eliminate Britain's deficit by 2017/18.
Video:The Faisal Files: Day 13
Nick Clegg said his plan has "a heart as well as a brain", trying to drive home his claim that his party will cut less than the Conservatives and borrow less than Labour.
Spelling out plans for a consolidation totaling £27bn by 2017/18, made up of £12bn in additional tax, £12bn in public spending reductions and £3bn in welfare cuts, Mr Clegg challenged the other parties to spell out in similar detail how they would balance the nation's books.
He said: "We are going to spread the burden of finishing the job of fixing the economy fairly across society.
"Yes that means more cuts, but it also means asking the wealthiest to pay their fare share too."
:: Click here to make your own government with our Shaker Maker
Genworth Financial, a troubled US insurance company, is in talks with one of the financial services industry's most prolific investors about the sale of a business that includes a range of products sold to UK customers.
Sky News understands that JC Flowers, a private equity firm, is one of several bidders in talks with Genworth about acquiring its lifestyle protection unit, which comprises operations in more than 25 countries, including Britain.
The division had been identified as non-core by Genworth's management as long ago as 2012, but it was only put up for sale late last year, when investment bankers at Barclays were hired to oversee an auction.
Bankers estimate that the division could fetch in the region of $500m (£341m).
In addition to JC Flowers, which owns stakes in UK companies including OneSavings Bank and Cabot Financial, a debt collector, Apollo and Warburg Pincus are said to have expressed an interest in the Genworth business.
Genworth Lifestyle Protection writes both direct and reinsurance business including to large global companies that want access to the wholesale market.
Its products include credit-linked protection for customers when they are unable to meet repayments on specific financial commitments in the event of illness, accident, unemployment, disability or death.
The division's auction comes as Genworth explores a wider break-up, including through a sale of its Life and Annuity Insurance Company.
In February, it announced a strategic after recording a $1.6bn (£1.1bn) loss in the second half of last year because it did not have suufficient money set aside to cover payouts on long-term care policies.
Speaking at the time, Tom McInerney, Genworth's president and chief executive, said: "I am disappointed by the continued challenges in our older LTC [long-term care] blocks and how it is overshadowing otherwise strong performance and momentum in other businesses, however we have taken steps on many fronts to deal with these challenges in order to strengthen and rebuild the future."
Google could face formal charges in the EU's antitrust inquiry into the search and email giant.
Investigators have been looking at whether Google has abused its large search market share by pushing its own products.
Rivals such as Microsoft want more competition in areas like online maps, search and shopping.
The case has dragged on for five years, and some legal analysts now expect Europe's antitrust commissioner Margrethe Vestager to file formal charges against Google, the New York Times reported.
This could increase pressure on Google to settle to avoid a formal finding of wrongdoing and a massive fine.
The record penalty imposed on a company for competition offences is £800m - levied on Intel in 2009 for abusing its dominance of the computer chip market.
The maximum fine against Google could be as much as £4.4bn.
Microsoft was hit with fines totaling almost £1.4bn over a decade for antitrust-related issues.
While Google's competitors in Europe would welcome tough action, US president Barack Obama warned Europe in February against making "commercially driven" decisions to penalise Google and Facebook.
Google has offered three previous settlements to resolve the case.
Just over a year ago is offered to give competing products bigger visibility on the site, and make it easier to advertisers to move their campaigns to rivals.
One of the biggest car rental operators in the UK is to snap up Auto Europe, a US rival, in a move that will create a transatlantic industry powerhouse.
Sky News understands that CarTrawler, which is based in Dublin and has been majority-owned by BC Partners for the last year, is in advanced talks about a takeover of Auto Europe, which targets Americans planning holidays overseas.
The deal, which could be announced as soon as this week, will give CarTrawler a substantial presence in the vast US market.
One source described the transaction as "transformational" for CarTrawler, whose operations include the well-known Holiday Autos brand.
Auto Europe is being acquired from Court Square, a New York-based private equity firm, and will represent an important phase of a strategy known in the private equity industry as a 'buy-and build'.
Speaking last year when BC announced its takeover of CarTrawler, Matthew Tooth, a partner at the buyout firm, said it was keen to grow the company "on a global scale".
"CarTrawler offers a truly unique proposition to its online travel partners, enabling them to optimise the revenue potential from car rental through offering end customers access to an unrivalled breadth of rental options across many suppliers," he said.
"For suppliers, CarTrawler facilitates access to many distribution channels that would otherwise not be available."
CarTrawler's portfolio of partners includes some of the world's leading international airlines, hotel groups and online travel retailers, including Aer Lingus, Virgin Australia and Starwood Hotels.
The company's rapid growth was illustrated by its sale for well over £350m in March 2014, just two years after it had changed hands for little more than £75m.
The previous takeover of CarTrawler, by ECI Partners, another investment firm earned multimillion pound windfalls for Greg and Niall Turley, the brothers who founded the business and oversaw its expansion into more than 170 countries.
CarTrawler announced the acquisition of the online assets of Holiday Autos in 2013, buying them from Travelocity Global, which was then the parent company of Lastminute.com, the online leisure bookings company.
In 2013, CarTrawler, which has become a popular platform for companies to rent cars online, had annual bookings of around 5 million vehicles, and sales of more than £425m.
Last year's deal also saw Insight Venture Partners, another private equity group, acquire a minority stake in CarTrawler.
The value of the Auto Europe deal was unclear on Monday.
Ed Miliband has attempted to convince voters he can be trusted with the economy pledging to cut the deficit year on year and saying: "I am ready" to lead the country.
The Labour leader promised to get the Budget back into surplus "as soon as possible" and said that everything listed in the party's manifesto could be paid for.
The manifesto, launched by Mr Miliband on the set of Coronation Street and titled Britain Can Be Better, promised to "secure the family finances of the working people of Britain".
:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015
:: All You Need To Know About Party Manifestos
:: Labour Retreats On Threat To Break Up Banks
Mr Miliband said the manifesto was not a "shopping list of proposals" as he sought to persuade a sceptical public he could be trusted with the nation's finances by introducing a "triple lock" of responsibility.
Word cloud: The larger the word the more times Mr Miliband said it
He said a Labour Government would: cut the deficit every year, that every measure contained in the manifesto was fully funded and Labour would meet fiscal rules with the national debt falling.
Mr Miliband attempted to capitalise on the Conservatives' refusal to spell out how they would find the extra £8bn of funding for the NHS and said David Cameron's party had proposed £20bn of unfunded commitments.
Video:Labour 'Addicted' To Borrowing
He said: "Nothing is more dangerous to our NHS than pretending you'll be able to protect it without being able to say where the money's coming from. You can't fund the NHS with an IOU and the Conservative Party need to learn that."
But Mr Miliband made some eye-catching pledges in the 84-page Labour Party Manifesto 2015 including:
:: Wrap around childcare - primary schools to provide care from 8am-6pm
:: £2.5bn Time to Care fund for NHS off back of mansion tax and tobacco firm levy
:: Increase income tax for those earning more than £150,000
:: No increase in income tax, VAT, National Insurance for those on basic and higher rate income tax
:: Scrap winter fuel allowance for pensioners with an income of more than £42,000 a year
:: Freeze energy prices
:: Tighten tax avoidance rules to yield £7.5bn a year
:: Cut tuition fees to £6,000
:: More powers for the Welsh and Scottish Parliament
:: Extend the vote to 16-year-olds
With 24 days to go until the General Election, Mr Miliband said: "The reason we can make these commitments is because we will make sure those with the broadest shoulders bear the greatest burden.
"So we'll reverse David Cameron's tax cut for millionaires to help pay down the deficit.
"We'll crack down on hedge funds who avoid paying their fair share. We'll stop HMRC operating double standards.
"And we'll do something that no government has done for over 200 years - we'll say enough is enough to the people who live here, work here, send their kids to school here but don't want to pay taxes here and we will abolish the non-dom rule."
:: Faisal Islam's Take On Ed Miliband's Manifesto Launch
:: Live Blog: General Election 2015
Video:Chancellor George Osborne
Polls show that voters trust Labour less with the economy than the Conservatives and Mr Miliband has struggled to play down forgetting to mention the deficit in his conference speech.
Labour says it will have the current Budget in surplus by the end of the next parliament, however, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have said they will do so by 2017/18.
In an answer to recent criticism that Labour is against big business and wealth-creators, Mr Miliband said Labour was "pro business but not pro business as usual".
He said Labour would champion small and medium-sized businesses with a cut in business rates to help them create the jobs, wealth and profits of the future.
Mr Miliband also said he would champion the little man against the giant energy firms and painted himself as the man who would stand up for the little people against the powerful interests.
He said: "With me as Prime Minister, no powerful interest, will outweigh the interests of working people."
The Labour leader said the last four-and-a-half years had tested whether he was ready to become leader.
He said: "I am ready. Ready to put an end to the tired old idea that as long as we look after the rich and powerful we will all be OK. Ready to put into practice the truth that it is only when working people succeed, that Britain succeeds."
Chancellor George Osborne said the manifesto had provided "no new ideas for Britain" and said the Conservative manifesto, which will be launched tomorrow, would provide a better future for the country.
He said Labour's plans would see "higher taxes, more debt and a return to the economic chaos of the past".
Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg caused controversy by comparing Labour's pledge on borrowing to a bottle-a-day alcoholic "saying they have no plans to drink more vodka". He added the manifesto was "not worth the paper it's written on".
David Cameron said: "Ed Miliband still won't apologise for the fact that the last Labour government spent too much, borrowed too much, taxed too much, and crashed our economy in a most appallingly dramatic fashion.
"Frankly if you cannot learn the lessons of the past you cannot possibly provide the leadership for the future."
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said that Labour's plans would leave the deficit at £30bn - it currently stands at £90bn - by 2020.
:: Click Here To Make Your Own Government With Our Shaker Maker
Speaking after Mr Miliband's speech, IFS director Paul Johnson told The Daily Politics Labour's manifesto had provided "no additional clarity" on how quickly it wanted to reduce the deficit.
He said: "The Labour party have repeated what they have said over the last several months, which is that they want to get to get to current budget balanced as soon as they can in the next parliament.
"Now, it really, really matters how soon that is. If they want to get there within three years, which is sort of what they might be thought to have signed up to in the fiscal responsibility charter earlier this year, that's a really significant amount of spending cuts or tax rises over the next three years.
"If they are happy to wait til the end of the parliament, which is also sort of consistent with what they signed up to, then actually we don't need any spending cuts over the next five years."
The Labour Party will introduce new laws allowing football supporters to appoint or remove two club directors and buy shares when the club changes hands if it wins the election.
The pledge, first made last year by shadow sports minister Clive Efford, was included in the Labour manifesto launched by Ed Miliband in Manchester.
If enacted, it would require clubs such as Manchester United, owned and run by the Glazer family, to make room for two supporter appointees on its board, or even face two of its directors - all siblings - being removed. Fans groups would also be given the chance to buy shares should the club be sold.
:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015
:: All You Need To Know About Party Manifestos
Video:Labour Manifesto Speech Highlights
The promise was one of just four measures relating to sport set out in a 188-word, four paragraph section of the 86-page document that sets out the party's pitch for government.
The manifesto also restates Labour's promise to provide two hours of organised sport in school; to review fan ownership in other sports; and to "ensure" the Premier League invests 5% of its broadcast revenue in grassroots funding.
The pledge to make supporter representation a legal requirement builds on previous commitments to address concerns that fans have insufficient say in the running of their clubs.
The party says it will introduce the legislation to ensure that supporters have an "effective means" of influencing the management of their club.
:: Live Blog: The Latest From The Campaign Trail
:: Click Here To Make Your Own Government With Our Shaker Maker
It reads: "Football clubs are an important part of many people's identity and sense of belonging.
"They are more than just businesses. But despite their importance in the lives of their members and supporters, too often there are no effective means for fans to have a say in how their clubs are run.
"Labour will provide the means for supporters to be a genuine part of their clubs. We will introduce legislation to enable accredited supporters trusts to appoint and remove at least two of the directors of a football club and to purchase shares when the club changes hands."
The manifesto contains no detail on the nature of the legislation required, but requiring private companies to directorships to a stakeholder group may be unprecedented in UK business law.
Video:Chancellor George Osborne
It is likely to be resisted by many professional clubs, particularly those in the Premier League, half of which are under overseas ownership.
The practice is common in Europe, where supporters have a controlling stake of "50% plus one" enshrined in law.
Labour has long been an advocate of the supporters trust model, and in government helped fund the establishment of Supporters Direct, which promotes fan ownership. Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary, is a former chairman.
There is little else in the manifesto to hearten advocates of the benefits of sport in building an active, healthy population.
The commitment to two hours of school sport is the only mention of policy beyond football, which will disappoint those who believe the UK is in danger of squandering the London 2012 legacy.
By its own measures Coalition policy is failing, with participation in grassroots sports falling, placing the Olympic promise to "inspire a generation" in danger.
Labour's plans were welcomed by the Football Supporters' Federation.
It said: "The Football Supporters' Federation welcomes any proposals from political parties that aim to strengthen the voice of football fans.
"Whether its ticket prices, ownership, diversity, or safe standing, supporters must be involved in reform of the game. Football fans should have a voice in the boardroom."
Labour has retreated on a threat to carve up Britain's biggest banks less than 15 months after Ed Miliband said lenders would be forced to sell "significant numbers of branches".
Sky News can reveal that Labour has quietly drawn up plans to accept TSB, which has already been operating as an independent entity for more than a year, as one of two new banks that the party has said it wants to challenge the main high street players.
In its General Election manifesto published on Monday, Labour said it would "increase competition on the high street".
"Following the Competition and Market Authorities [sic] inquiry we want a market share test and at least two new challenger banks," it said.
Sources inside Labour and the banking sector said that shadow cabinet ministers had recently indicated that they were prepared to accept TSB and Williams & Glyn - which is in the process of being carved out of Royal Bank of Scotland - as the two designated challengers if they demonstrated the potential to reach a 5% share of key banking markets.
:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015
:: All You Need To Know About Party Manifestos
TSB currently has a market share of just under 4.5% but is gaining new current account customers at a faster rate than many of its competitors, buoyed by the industry's embryonic seven-day switching service.
It is in the process of being acquired by Spain's Banco Sabadell in a £1.7bn deal.
In a speech in January 2014, Mr Miliband pledged to break up the biggest UK banks, saying that the process would begin immediately after a Labour government came to power.
"On day one of the next Labour government, we will ask the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to report within six months on how to create at least two new sizeable and competitive banks to challenge the existing high street banks," he said.
"I want to be clear about the difference this will mean: this is not about whether we should have new banks, the question this government is still asking, but about how.
"It is not about creating new banks that control some tiny proportion of the market, but new banks that have a substantial proportion and can compete properly with existing banks.
"And we are not asking whether existing banks might have to divest themselves of significant number of branches, we are asking how we make that happen."
Mr Miliband's speech underscored his determination to be seen as a champion of market reform in areas where consumers are widely perceived to have suffered from excess concentration.
In energy, that prompted a pledge to freeze retail prices for 20 months, which was repeated in the manifesto.
:: Live Blog - The Latest From The Campaign Trail
:: Click Here To Make Your Own Government With Our Shaker Maker
However, Mr Miliband's critics are likely to accuse him of watering down the pledge to impose "a day of reckoning" on the banking industry.
Since the Labour leader's intervention last year, the CMA has opened a formal inquiry into the personal current account and SME banking markets, with its recommendations for reform expected later this year.
In a paper on banking reform published earlier this year, Labour repeated its pledge to see the creation of "at least two new challenger banks to address the lack of competition in the sector and a market share test to ensure the market stays competitive for the long term".
Although the paper said the CMA would be asked to advise on "how much the market share of the big banks should be reduced", there was no reference to an enforced branch or market share sell-off by the main high street lenders.
A Labour source insisted that its plans to improve competition in banking had been "consistent" throughout the period since Mr Miliband's January 2014 speech.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 06 April 2015 | 23.33
Energy firm E.ON is to hand £7.75m to Citizens Advice for customers who were overcharged after price rises.
The sum is on top of the £400,000 E.ON has already paid back money to others who may have been affected.
Regulator Ofgem said the penalty reflected the company's "repeated failing" on billing rules.
It wrongly imposed exit fees and overcharged customers following price rises in January 2013 and January 2014
Under Ofgem rules firms are not supposed to apply exit fees if a customer signals their intention to move supplier within the standard 30-day notice period of a price increase.
Video:Energy Firms Fail On Cuts Promises
This is the case even if the switch occurs after the rise.
Sarah Harrison, Ofgem's senior partner in charge of enforcement, said: "(Our) rules give customers a chance to avoid exit fees and higher costs when suppliers put up prices.
"These are important customer protections and it is vital that suppliers play by the rules so customers are encouraged to engage in the market."
Video:Consumers 'Duped' Over Energy Deals
In November 2012, E.ON, one of the UK's six biggest energy suppliers, was required to pay £1.7m for similar failings.
Ms Harrison commented: "It's absolutely unacceptable that E.ON failed to provide these vital customer protections yet again and this persistent failure is the reason for the high penalty."
The errors in respect of price rises in January 2013 and 2014 affected direct debit and standard credit customers. The average amount paid back was around £8 and £12 respectively.
Video:Your Energy Cost Explained
The mistakes also resulted in around 11,500 prepayment customers - traditionally the poorest - missing out on an average refund of £3.42.
E.ON is aiming to reimburse them by the end of April.
Last May E.ON was ordered to pay back a record £12m for mis-selling.
A row over company bosses' political affiliations ahead of the General Election deepened on Thursday amid allegations that Labour was trying to undermine the leaders of some of the UK's biggest businesses.
Friends of the Prudential chief executive, Tidjane Thiam, told Sky News that he was "irritated" at suggestions from Labour sources that he was reconsidering his backing for a pro-Conservative letter which appeared in The Daily Telegraph this week.
The letter, which was originally signed by 103 business leaders, expressed support for Tory economic policies and warned that a "change of course" could jeopardise Britain's economic recovery.
Despite indicating that Labour was unconcerned by bosses' backing for the Tories, one Labour aide suggested on Thursday that Mr Thiam had "regretted" his decision to sign the Telegraph letter.
That provoked a robust response from people close to the Prudential chief, who is leaving his role this year to head the Zurich-based banking group Credit Suisse.
Video:Labour 'Wants Business To Succeed'
"He made his views clear and they speak for themselves, so he is unlikely to be happy at anyone else trying to misrepresent his position," a friend of Mr Thiam said.
Labour had earlier seized on a decision by Pascal Soriot, chief executive of the drug-maker AstraZeneca, to withdraw his association with the pro-Tory letter.
Mr Soriot did not say why he had signed the letter, but issued a statement saying: "Neither I nor AstraZeneca endorse any political party and while I support such policies my name should not be used in the context of the letter."
Labour aides also tried to claim that the chief executive of Ladbrokes had also changed his mind about being a signatory but omitted to mention that Richard Glynn, whose name appeared on the list of supporters, stepped down this week.
Video:Business Leaders Back Tories
His successor, Jim Mullen, said he would not sign any similar letters during an election campaign.
A Conservative Party source said that Labour was trying to "intimidate or undermine" business leaders from speaking out on the economy.
Sky News revealed earlier this week that Stefano Pessina, the boss of Walgreens Boots Alliance, had been approached but declined to sign the letter just weeks after being attacked by Ed Miliband for saying that a Labour government could be "disastrous".
In Thursday's seven-way party leaders' debate, David Cameron referred to the support from business leaders as evidence for the need to keep the Tories in government.
Video:David Gauke Discusses Open Letter
The festering row about business support for the main parties was also reignited this week when Chuka Umunna, the Shadow Business Secretary, said that Paul Walsh should not become the next president of the CBI after opting to show support for the Conservatives.
Sky News revealed in February that Mr Walsh, the former chief executive of Diageo, was being lined up to succeed Sir Mike Rake, and his appointment is expected to be confirmed later this month.
A fast-growing peer-to-peer lending platform is to sell a stake in itself to Temasek, the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, as part of a fundraising that will catapult it into the ranks of Britain's most valuable technology start-ups.
Sky News can exclusively reveal that Funding Circle is in advanced talks with Temasek Holdings about plans to raise well over £50m in new capital to accelerate its expansion.
Temasek, which has invested in some of the world's most valuable technology companies, including China's Alibaba, plans to invest roughly £30m as part of the deal, sources said on Thursday.
An arm of Blackrock, the world's biggest money manager, and Baillie Gifford, the Edinburgh-based asset management group, are also expected to participate in the deal, which will value Funding Circle at in excess of $1bn (£675m).
The funding round, which is likely to close within weeks, will cement Funding Circle's status as one of the UK financial technology, or fintech, sector's most exciting prospects.
Funding Circle's existing investors include funds such as Index Ventures, Accel, Union Square Ventures and Ribbit Capital.
They each stand to make substantial gains on the value of their holdings in the company, which was founded less than five years ago.
Funding Circle, which is also backed by the Carphone Warehouse co-founder Sir Charles Dunstone, describes its mission as being to "revolutionize the outdated banking system and secure a better deal for everyone".
Since opening for business, it has lent close to £600m and counts more than 30,000 individuals, the UK Government and local councils among those providing capital through the platform.
Pressure from the Government on banks to refer borrowers to peer-to-peer lenders when their loan applications are rejected by high street stalwarts is fuelling a rapidf growth in demand in the sector.
"Too much business lending is concentrated in the big banks," Vince Cable, the Business Secretary, said last year.
"If we're to have a properly functioning business lending market, they need to be challenged by new banks, peer-to-peer lenders and other alternative providers."
Last year, Funding Circle announced an agreement with Santander UK to refer small business borrowers to the tech company.
Samir Desai, the peer-to-peer lender's chief executive, said:
"This partnership recognises our role as the only marketplace that caters for, and is dedicated to, small businesses. In Santander we have found a fellow challenger brand that shares our commitment to putting small business customers' needs first. They have created a blueprint for other banks to follow."
Since then, other banks have struck similar deals with Funding Circle and its competitors, which offer higher interest rates than high street banks because of their lower fixed-cost bases.
Investors' enthusiasm for the peer-to-peer lending industry has also been fired by the successful initial public offering of Lending Club, the world's biggest peer-to-peer platform.
Funding Circle and Temasek declined to comment on Thursday.
Marks & Spencer has revealed like-for-like sales of food and clothing are up 0.7%, the first rise in sales for 14 quarters.
The retailer issued a trading statement for the 13 weeks to 28 March, which also revealed that total like-for-like UK were up 0.7%, group sales were up 1.9% and international sales were down 3.8%.
The lift in sales, the first rise in more than three years of trading, has been attributed to a customer response to changes in "product quality and styling" and an increase in the sale of more full-price items.
Food sales were also helped by record Valentine's Day trading.
The group said its spring and summer collections have been well received, including its much talked about suede skirt.
M&S is pleased with the response to its 70s-style suede skirt
M&S shares opened up 4% after the fourth quarter sales figures beat City expectations. Analysts had expected a 1.2% drop in like-for-like sales.
The company said that online sales returned to growth of 13.8%, with traffic numbers and customer satisfaction ratings continuing to improve since distribution problems hit Christmas trading.
Marc Bolland, chief executive, has faced increasing pressure to turn around the clothing business.
He said: "We have made strong progress over the quarter. In food we delivered another excellent performance, with sales growth ahead of the market.
"We continued to deliver on general merchandise gross margin, and are pleased that we have achieved this whilst also improving general merchandise sales."
By Poppy Trowbridge, Consumer Affairs Correspondent
Major changes to pension rules come into effect today which will allow savers to have more control over their money when they retire.
People aged over 55 are now able to cash in their pensions and spend them as they wish.
The changes were announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Statement and were expanded in last month's Budget.
:: Full Coverage Of General Election 2015
Retirees are no longer required to use their pension pot to buy an annuity when they retire.
Video:What Advice Is Available?
They can now take their pot in one go, or use it like a bank account to withdraw money in slices.
The changes will apply to the 320,000 people who retire each year with a defined contribution (DC) pension.
Around 540,000 people will be able to take control of their savings from today, according to estimates from the Government.
And from next year, as many as six million pensioners who already have an annuity will be allowed to sell them for cash.
Critics of the new system say savers will be tempted to go on a spending spree, leaving the state to pick up the tab later on.
But Pensions Minister Steve Webb told Sky News: "We're not going to have two million people making decisions this week or this month.
Video:How Will People Use Their Money?
"We certainly think there will be many thousands of people who have planned very carefully and put the capacity in place.
"But I think lots of people, although they in theory could use these new freedoms, in fact if you're in your late 50s and still working, you may go on saving into a pension for many years to come."
Government advisor and pension expert Ros Altmann said: "This is a radical departure from the past. I would trust people with their own money.
"Now it's up to the industry to offer better products and more choice."
The freedoms come at a price: those who choose to tap their defined contribution pension pots for cash should be aware of income tax thresholds.
Some 25% of a person's savings can be taken tax free. Any extra that is withdrawn is liable for income tax at 40% if the total exceeds £42,386 when added to annual income.
Video:SNP Leader Launches Pension Plan
The revenues from this could raise an extra £1bn for the Treasury, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The Government's free, impartial, Pension Wise service has been established to offer guidance to everyone eligible for the freedoms.
Pensions minister Steve Webb said: "It is right that people should have the power to make their own decisions about how they spend their own money after decades of careful saving - ending the effective obligation to buy an annuity will give people back control of their financial affairs."
It came as SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon launched her party's plan for pensioners, listing "the kind of policies" they will pursue if they secure a significant number of seats in the General Election.
"We will maintain the 'triple lock' on pensions, we'll set the single-tier pension at £160 a week, we'll resist any further increases in the state retirement age in Scotland until we have tackled and closed the life-expectancy gap (and) we will absolutely oppose any attempt to take away the winter fuel allowance."
The Conservatives have embarked on a fresh attempt to court backing from the business community hours after the publication of a letter warning against "a change in (economic) course" pursued by a Labour administration.
Sky News can reveal that Lord Feldman, who chairs the party's board and was responsible for organising a pro-Tory letter in Wednesday's Daily Telegraph, has urged other business leaders to add their support for a Conservative government.
"I hope you have seen the Daily Telegraph today that has published a letter with over 100 business leaders supporting the Conservative's policy to lower corporation tax to 20% effective today," Lord Feldman wrote in an email to company executives obtained by Sky News.
"I am writing to ask if you would consider adding your name as a signatory to this letter.
"It is clearly important to send a signal that the business community is behind the Conservatives' long-term economic plan, and does not want to see a change of course."
Sky News also understands that the boss of Boots, the high street health and beauty retailer, was asked to sign the original letter but declined, just weeks after being attacked by Ed Miliband for predicting that a Labour election victory could be "disastrous" for the UK economy.
Stefano Pessina, who runs the US-headquartered Walgreens Boots Alliance, opted not to put his name to the letter because as a Monaco resident he is not entitled to vote in UK elections.
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the company, which employs tens of thousands of people in the UK, said: "As Stefano Pessina is not a UK citizen and does not vote in the UK, he would not sign any letter to support a political party in the UK General Election.
"Furthermore, he has not previously signed any letters to back political parties on such occasions.
"As a businessman, international entrepreneur and investor, Stefano naturally takes a keen interest in the overall business environment in the countries in which he leads businesses.
"With this in mind, he has previously expressed views regarding certain business policies and recommendations, especially regarding the UK economy to which he has been very committed and highly supportive for 20 years."
Mr Pessina was stung by the Labour leader's accusation in February that he was "avoiding his taxes", an allegation he strongly denied.
Although Mr Pessina and others approached about the letter declined to sign it, its publication will reinforce the widely held perception that the Conservatives enjoy far stronger support from the business community than Labour.
Under the Tory-led coalition, corporation tax has been reduced to 20% following a string of annual cuts which Labour has pledged to reverse in order to favour tax cuts for smaller companies.
It is unclear whether the Conservatives plan to publish an updated version of the letter once new signatories are added.
George Osborne, the Chancellor, said the letter represented an "unprecedented intervention" in a General Election campaign.
"A hundred business people, employing over half a million people and leading some of Britain's best-known companies, from Primark to the Prudential and from BP to Britvic and Mothercare have spoken out," he told Sky News.
Some observers suggested, however, that after weeks of corralling support, the Tories would have been disappointed to enlist support from the chief executives of only three FTSE-100 companies: Associated British Foods, BP and Prudential.
The festering row about business support for the main parties further deepened on Wednesday when Chuka Umunna, the Shadow Business Secretary, said that Paul Walsh should not become the next president of the CBI after opting to show support for the Conservatives.
Sky News revealed in February that Mr Walsh, the former chief executive of Diageo, was being lined up to succeed Sir Mike Rake, and his appointment is expected to be confirmed later this month.
A CBI spokesman said: "The CBI is a politically neutral organisation and its senior post holders will always act impartially.
"The CBI has made no announcement about its next president."
The upmarket shoe retailer Kurt Geiger is preparing to try on another new owner less than a year after its last buyout.
Sky News understands that the company's management and their backers at Sycamore Partners, an American private equity firm, have hired bankers at Goldman Sachs to explore a sale of part or all of the business.
An outright sale would be the latest in a string of deals involving Kurt Geiger, which prides itself on its celebrity customer base and which operates footwear concessions in department stores including Harrods and Selfridges.
Jon Hamm, the Mad Men actor, and the model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley are among prominent fans of the brand.
The price tag attached to the fashion label, which is moving into the children's footwear market, is unclear although analysts said it could be in the region of £300m, roughly equivalent to last year's estimated sales figure.
The brand was bought by Jones Group, a US fashion company, in 2011 in a deal worth £215m.
Jones' subsequent troubles led it in April last year into the arms of Sycamore, which days later sold a stake to Kurt Geiger chief executive Neil Clifford and other senior managers.
At the time, Mr Clifford said:
"We believe our company has tremendous potential for growth in the UK and internationally, and we will continue to invest in new opportunities alongside our department store and brand partners."
In a recent interview with The Times, Mr Clifford raised the prospect that Kurt Geiger could abandon its US operations, citing the need for substantial infrastructure investment to make a success of the move.
Preparations for another sale could take several months, with Kurt Geiger expected to appeal to private equity firms for investing in the luxury goods and retail industries, as well as international fashion houses.
A stock market listing is another possible alternative.
In addition to its hundreds of concession operations, Kurt Geiger sells its own brands such as Carvela in more than 70 stores around the world.
Kurt Geiger's first shop opened on London's Bond Street in 1963, but it took until 2007 before its first significant overseas expansion into Europe and the Middle East.
Four years after that, the business was sold to Jones Group by Graphite Capital, a private equity firm which had bought it from Barclays' buyout arm in 2008.
Prior to Barclays, Kurt Geiger had been owned by Mohamedd Fayed, the then owner of Harrods.
Sycamore Partners and Goldman Sachs both declined to comment.
The Conservatives have been accused by Labour of favouring the rich after the Chancellor refused to rule out cutting the top rate of income tax in a Sky News interview.
George Osborne told the Murnaghan programme his party had "no plans" to further reduce the top rate of tax and insisted it was not a priority.
Prime Minister David Cameron also said: "It's not our policy, it's not our plan."
But Labour claim the Chancellor has been "flushed out", pointing out Mr Osborne used the same words about VAT before the last election, which he then raised from 17.5% to 20%.
:: Full coverage of General Election 2015
Video:Election Day Seven: Milking It
The opposition has promised to bring back the 50p rate for those earning upwards of £150,000, claiming the cut to 45p had benefited the wealthiest by at least £85,000.
Pressed on whether top earners could be in line for another tax cut, Mr Osborne said: "You can judge us by what we say we want to do.
"And what we want to do is increase the tax-free personal allowance to £12,500 so people full-time on the minimum wage don't have to pay income tax and millions are better off.
"And when it comes to higher rate taxpayers our priority is increasing the threshold at which you pay that higher rate, the 40p rate, to £50,000.
"Those are our big tax commitments for the coming parliament."
Tackled repeatedly over whether the top rate could be cut further, Mr Osborne said: "If that was our priority or our plan we would have made it part of our plan and made it one of our priorities."
Video:Faisal Files: Decisive Devon
But Labour's Chris Leslie told Murnaghan this was the same argument previously used by Mr Osborne on VAT, which he had then increased.
The party's priority, he claimed, "is always about helping the very richest in society".
Mr Leslie said later: "The Conservative Party's secret plan has now been exposed.
"Asked four times, George Osborne repeatedly refused to rule out another top-rate tax cut for millionaires.
"The Tories have raised taxes for millions but cut them for millionaires.
"And it's now clear that if they win the election they'll do the same again."
Video:Osborne Won't Rule Out Top Tax Cut
But Treasury minister David Gauke hit back, claiming Labour have a "secret plan" of their own for £3,028 of tax rises for every working family.
He said: The British people have a right to know what these tax hikes are.
"Already Ed Balls has been forced to admit that Labour will drag a million more hardworking taxpayers into the 40p income tax rate.
"The reality is Labour also need a National Insurance rise to make their sums add up.
"Conservatives will freeze VAT, Income Tax and National Insurance.
"So the choice at this election is clear. Lower taxes under David Cameron. Or higher taxes under Ed Miliband and the SNP."
Video:Cameron: No Change To Top Tax Rate
The clash over tax is just the latest between the two main parties as the election campaign gets into full swing.
In recent weeks, Mr Cameron ruled out an increase in VAT while Labour committed not to increase National Insurance.
Mr Osborne also warned "an unholy alliance" between Labour and the SNP after the election would threaten the future of the UK and its economy.
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has offered to help Ed Miliband "lock David Cameron out of Downing Street" amid claims she had told the French ambassador she would prefer a Tory win.
One of a new wave of banks set up to challenge the hegemony of the UK's established high street lenders will announce this week that it has poached a senior executive from the Bank of England.
Sky News has learnt that Bank and Clients (B and C) has lured Nicole Coll, the chief financial accountant at the Bank of England since June 2013, to become its first chief of finance and operations.
The appointment, which will be announced on Tuesday, underlines the extent to which start-up banks are turning to regulators and central banks to fill their executive ranks as they seek senior staff with significant experience.
Prior to joining the Bank of England, Ms Coll held senior roles at Societe Generale, the French banking group, and Marex Spectron, a broker-dealer.
B and C was set up recently by Ocean Capital, an investment firm, which paid £13m to acquire a banking licence held by Somerset-based Church House Trust.
Offering a range of mortgage and savings products, it had been relegated to a peripheral role at Virgin Money, which took ownership of it in 2009.
Ocean Capital provided loans to private and public companies across Europe and North America, and is led by two brothers, Edouard and Julien Bridel.
Under the B and C name, the bank now intends to strengthen its focus on business lending.
B and C's launch coincides with the stock market listings of two rival challenger banks, with shares in Aldermore and Shawbrook both performing strongly since making their stock market debuts in recent weeks.
A string of other start-up banks have begun to emerge in the years since the financial crash, including Metro Bank and OakNorth, which this week announced that Lord Turner, the former chairman of the Financial Services Authority, would join its board.
Meanwhile, Lord McFall, the previous chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, has joined Atom Bank, a digital-only venture, as a director.
Further measures to promote competition in banking were announced last month in George Osborne's final Budget before the General Election, with a particular focus on a new Midata tool to enable consumers to compare current accounts.
The Competition and Markets Authority is due to conclude an inquiry into the personal current accounts and SME banking markets later this year.
The perception that challenger banks will be assisted by Government policy whatever the outcome of May's election was one factor in the timing of the decisions by Aldermore and Shawbrook to proceed with their listings in the early part of this year.
A spokesman for B and C declined to comment on Ms Coll's appointment.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 Maret 2015 | 23.33
The UK's biggest banks will have to show how they would cope with a 1930s-style global economic slump under a new doomsday scenario.
The second annual stress test of the financial system set by the Bank of England (BoE) aims to act as a health check on Britain's seven biggest lenders.
This year's test will focus on international risks rather than the most recent assessment in December, which had a more domestic focus.
It includes a dramatic slump in Chinese growth and a eurozone recession.
The test will assess the impact on the banks' balance sheets and resilience in the face of severe economic stress.
The lenders to come under the spotlight are Standard Chartered, HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, Nationwide, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Santander UK.
The Co-operative Bank, which failed last year's test and has been taking remedial steps by speeding up the sale of its loan book, will not be included.
The BoE said the Co-operative is now smaller and its status was unlikely to have a "material impact on the resilience of the financial system".
BoE Governor Mark Carney said: "Last year's tests demonstrated how much stronger the core of the UK financial system has become since the financial crisis.
"The results showed that the post-crisis reforms have put the UK banking system on a stronger footing and made it better able to support the real economy even in the face of a major domestic shock.
"This year's test will have a different focus and is equally important.
"By assessing the resilience of the UK banking system against a major external shock, we will improve further our ability to identify vulnerabilities and we will ensure that banks have plans in place to address a wider range of possible stresses."
Those lenders found not to have a big enough capital to loan margin will be required to bolster their financial position.
Results of the stress test will be published in December.
The Bank stressed the scenario it set out was not a forecast of expected conditions in the UK or other markets.
While only the Co-op failed last year's test, concerns were also raised about state-backed Lloyds and RBS.
However, improvements and changes to their plans during 2014 meant they passed the check-up.
The price of both first and second class stamps has increased.
The cost for first and second class stamps has risen by 1p to 63p and 54p respectively.
Sending a large letter has increased by 2p to 95p for first class and by 1p to 74p for second class.
Despite the increase, Royal Mail has insisted the prices still represent among the best value in Europe.
The firm has pointed out the European average for first class letters is 72p and 62p second class.
Announcing the price increase last month, Royal Mail said in a statement: "We have thought carefully about the impact on our customers and our own business before deciding to increase our stamped letter prices.
"We recognise how difficult it has been for householders and businesses in the recent tough economic conditions."
The privatised mail service is in a battle with commercial delivery firms and increased use of electronic communications.
Royal Mail has questioned the sustainability of the company's Universal Service Obligation (USO) under which it must deliver letters to each UK address.
It has accused rivals of "cherry-picking" - concentrating their operations in urban areas - to save on cost though the industry regulator has said it sees no reason to re-examine the obligation.
Investors in a controversial London-listed oil company are demanding that it begins hunting a successor to its chairman in return for backing a £30m fundraising.
Sky News has learnt that several major City institutions have told Gulf Keystone Petroleum that they want to see a replacement identified for Simon Murray, who took over as chairman less than two years ago.
The ultimatum comes amid discussions between Gulf Keystone, which operates in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and prospective buyers of its assets or the whole company.
Payments to oil exporters have faced protracted delays as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been distracted by ongoing unrest in Iraq and the need to devote resources to countering incursions by Islamic State insurgents.
Although Gulf Keystone and other foreign oil companies have begun to receive some multimillion dollar payments, the company's indebtedness has left it facing a financial crunch.
Last month, Gulf Keystone confirmed a Sky News report that it was in talks with prospective buyers, while it has also been pursuing a share placing to raise roughly £30m as an alternative option to secure its future.
Leading City institutions which have fought a long-running battle with the company over pay and governance are now calling on Mr Murray to depart.
A former French Legionnaire and ex-chairman of Glencore, the giant commodities trader, Mr Murray was drafted in as Gulf Keystone's chairman in July 2013 after a protracted fight led by Capital Group and M&G Investments.
The company's former chief executive, Todd Kozel, finally stepped down from the role last year following hints of a further revolt, but the change has failed to appease investors.
A number of independent board members elected as part of a peace deal in 2013 have since been forced out.
Shares in Gulf Keystone have slumped by more than 63% during the last year, valuing it at just £330m, while it continues to carry debts of nearly £400m.
It is unclear whether Gulf Keystone will agree to expedite a succession plan for Mr Murray or whether potential successors have been identified.
The fundraising may yet be a necessity, since a sale of Gulf Keystone is by no means certain.
Exxon Mobil is said to be among the prospective buyers.
In a statement earlier this month, Gulf Keystone said: "Stakeholders are advised that these discussions (with potential buyers) are preliminary and, as such, there can be no certainty that any offers will be received and any transaction concluded, or any certainty as to the terms on which any offer might be made.
"Concurrently, and in view of strategic discussions and its current liquidity position, and with the intention of meeting its existing debt payment obligations, the Company is undertaking a review of its financing options and in that context will engage in discussions with its key stakeholders."
London-listed companies have been hit hard by the fall in the price of crude oil, with Afren among those facing urgent restructurings as they buckle under the financial strain.
Another Kurdistan-focused group, Genel Energy, which is run by Tony Hayward, the former BP chief executive, has also been impacted by the payments delay involving the KRG, although it has a much stronger balance sheet.
The investment banks Deutsche Bank and Perella Weinberg Partners are advising the company on its options.
A Gulf Keystone spokesman declined to comment on Sunday.
New safety rules have been introduced in the UK after 150 people on board the Germanwings Airbus A320 were killed when it crashed in the French Alps.
The UK's aviation regulator, the UK Civil Aviation Authority, has contacted all British airlines to get them to review all relevant procedures.
Here is a breakdown of how the safety rules affect different airlines:
:: Thomas Cook, Thomson and easyJet - from Friday, all three are changing their safety procedures to ensure that two crew members are in the cockpit at all times.
:: Virgin Atlantic and Monarch - both airlines say that while a two crew policy has always been common practice, they are in the process of making this formal policy.
Video:How Airlines Deal With Pilot Stress
If a pilot or co-pilot needs to leave the cockpit for any reason then a cabin crew member will stand in.
:: Jet2 and Flybe - both carriers already implement a two people in the cockpit at all times policy, as does Ryanair.
:: British Airways - the airline has refused to comment on the policy of its cockpit manning levels. The airline has insisted it does not discuss security issues.
Google has lost a Court of Appeal battle to stop British consumers from suing it in the UK.
A group called Safari Users Against Google's Secret Tracking accuse Google of bypassing security settings on Apple's browser to track their online browsing and to target them with personalised advertisements.
On Friday three appeal judges dismissed Google's appeal over a High Court ruling against it, and ruled claims for damages can be brought over allegations of misuse of private information.
The ruling is a victory for the group of Safari users who have complained about the "clandestine" tracking of their internet use between summer 2011 and early 2012.
The group says Google collected private information without their knowledge using cookies - the text saved on computers and other devices to identify a user to Google.
Video:2014: Assange Criticises Google
Dan Tench, a partner at law firm Olswang, which represents the group, said the case decides "whether British consumers actually have any right to hold Google to account in this country".
The appeal judges unanimously ruled that misuse of private information was a civil wrong, enabling legal action to go ahead.
The judgement said: "On the face of it, these claims raise serious issues which merit a trial.
"They concern what is alleged to have been the secret and blanket tracking and collation of information, often of an extremely private nature... about and associated with the claimants' internet use, and the subsequent use of that information for about nine months.
"The case relates to the anxiety and distress this intrusion upon autonomy has caused."
A technology chief executive has lost her claim of sex discrimination in a $16m lawsuit against a Silicon Valley venture capital firm.
Gender was not a substantial reason that Ellen Pao lost her job at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, found the six men and six women of the San Francisco jury.
Jurors also rejected a claim that Kleiner retaliated against Ms Pao by firing her after she sued in 2012.
The result came after more than two days of deliberation and over four weeks of testimony in the closely watched case against a firm that was an early backer of the likes of Google and Amazon.
Ms Pao alleged harassment by male colleague Ajit Nazre (C)
The 45-year-old plaintiff, now interim chief executive of social news website Reddit, testified she and other women were passed over for advancement and endured harassment in a male-dominated culture at Kleiner.
Ms Pao, who has a law degree and MBA from Harvard, said male senior partners took the credit for her work on successful investments.
But Kleiner said she was fired from her $560,000-a-year job in October 2012 because she lacked leadership and interpersonal skills.
She alleged the discrimination began after she complained about harassment from married male colleague Ajit Nazre, with whom she says she was pressured into having an affair in 2006.
Kleiner boss John Doerr said Ms Pao had a 'female chip on her shoulder'
Ms Pao, who joined Kleiner in 2005, testified during five days on the witness stand that she and other women were barred from work trips on private jets and ski resorts.
One juror asked her if it was "professional to enter into an affair with a married partner?"
Ms Pao also said she was not invited to an important Kleiner dinner with former US Vice President Al Gore.
She is married to Alphonse "Buddy" Fletcher, a Wall Street financier who is embroiled in his own discrimination lawsuit.
Mr Fletcher, who is African American, sued Manhattan's exclusive Dakota building in 2011, alleging its management was racist in questioning his ability to pay for a fourth unit in the complex.
But the Upper West Side landmark, outside of which former Beatle John Lennon was shot dead in 1980, says it refused to sell him another apartment purely over concerns about his finances.
An investigation has been launched by the data watchdog into claims that details of milllions of people's pensions are being sold to cold-calling firms and fraudsters.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has described the revelations as "very worrying" and said it would be speaking to regulators and police.
The allegations have reinforced concerns about an upsurge in fraud as changes are introduced giving people access to their entire pension pots.
From 6 April, people can cash in their pension savings when they retire, rather than purchase an annuity.
Details of people's salaries, the value of their investments and the size of their pensions are being sold for as little as 5p without their consent, according to the Daily Mail.
Video:March 2014: Pensions Overhaul
The paper said its undercover reporters were sold information about the pensions of 15,000 people without any checks being made on who they were and what they would do with the data.
The ICO has already warned the pension reforms being brought in could lead to more people being scammed.
Steve Eckersley, the head of enforcement at the ICO, said: "It suggests a frequent disregard of laws that are in place specifically to protect consumers. We will be launching an investigation immediately.
"We're aware of allegations raised against several companies involved in the cold-calling sector, and will be making inquiries to establish whether there have been any breaches of the Data Protection Act or Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations."
The ICO has the power to slap companies with fines of up to £500,000 for the most serious breaches of the Data Protection Act and can pursue criminal prosecutions around unlawfully obtaining or accessing personal data.
Mr Eckersley added: "The information we've been shown supports the work we've been doing to target the shady industry that operates behind the nuisance of cold calls and spam texts.
"We're already aware of the potential for a huge spike in the number of scam texts and calls linked to pensions when the law changes in April, and have already taken action against a company that was sending out misleading messages.
"What we've seen here confirms those fears. Personal data is such a valuable asset, particularly financial information.
"The worst case scenario here is this information getting into the wrong hands and being used to target individuals at a critical point in their financial lives."
A planned £200m deal by the owner of B&Q to buy the French DIY chain Mr Bricolage has collapsed.
The market responded positively to the development with shares in Kingfisher rising by 2% or 8.6p to 366.4p.
The home improvement giant confirmed it had abandoned the planned takeover of its smaller French rival after a major shareholder in Mr Bricolage signalled its opposition to the move.
ANPF, an organisation controlled by Mr Bricolage franchisees that holds almost 42% of the retailer's shares, had raised concerns over store closures resulting from the deal.
Kingfisher had set a deadline of 31 March for regulatory approval of the takeover, although an extension could have been agreed with all-party approval.
However, this had been rejected by ANPF.
Kingfisher said in a statement: "Therefore, notwithstanding Kingfisher's efforts to pursue the completion of the transaction, and in light of the positions expressed to date by the ANPF and Mr Bricolage, the anti-trust clearance will not be obtained by 31 March, 2015 and therefore the July 2014 agreement will lapse on that date.
"Consequently the transaction will not proceed. Kingfisher is considering all of its options."
It is understood this could include legal action.
Mr Bricolage declined to comment.
Kingfisher had been looking to strengthen its position in France, where it already owns Castorama and Brico Depot.
The collapse of the deal comes as Kingfisher is due to report its full year results with the firm expected to post a 9% drop in pre-tax profit.
Staff at Windsor Castle are threatening industrial action in a dispute over 'scandalous' pay.
Around 120 members of the Public and Commercial Services union who work for the royal attraction's visitor services, including guides and kitchen staff, are to be balloted over protest action.
The Queen spends most of her private weekends at Windsor Castle. File pic
If they back it, non-strike action would start at the end of April.
Windsor Castle, which is open to the public, is the Queen's official residence where she spends most of her private weekends.
PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "These workers are loyal to their employer and absolutely committed to ensuring visitors are given the royal treatment.
"It is scandalous that staff are so appallingly paid and expected to do work for free that brings in money for the Royal Family."
Wardens are employed by the Royal Collection Trust.
A trust spokesperson said: "Warden staff are offered voluntary opportunities to receive training and develop skills to lead guided tours for visitors as part of their working day and to administer first aid, as well as to use their language skills.
"These are not compulsory aspects of their role, and it is the choice of the individual whether they wish to take part.
"Wardens at Windsor Castle are paid above market median based upon the Regional Living Wage and receive a range of benefits, including a 15% non-contributory pension and a free lunch.
"Royal Collection Trust continues to award wardens an annual performance-related pay increase of up to 2.5%, in addition to the cost of living increase (in line with treasury guidelines), as well as one-off payments to those who have reached the top of their pay scale.
"We don't anticipate any interruption to the running of tours for visitors to the Castle."
Ed Miliband's business manifesto launch has been overshadowed by a row over Labour's use of business leaders' quotes in an advert for the party's stance on the EU.
The Labour leader faced a backlash over the advertisement in the Financial Times, published on the morning Mr Miliband warned voters that leaving the European Union was a "clear and present danger" to British business.
In a full-page advert under the Labour message: "The biggest risk to British business is the threat of an EU exit. Labour will put the national interest first. We will deliver reform not exit" were a number of quotes from the business leaders about Europe.
Labour's full-page advert in the Financial Times
Company spokesmen were swift to issue statements making clear that they were not linked to Labour.
A spokesman said: "Siemens has profound concerns about a possible UK exit from the EU. We are also on record of expressing our concern about the uncertainty that a referendum would create - particularly as it is not clear what options would be presented.
Video:Siemens Boss: 'We Are Apolitical'
"We are however very clear that a referendum might be called, and if it is, we will support efforts to get a better deal and stay in the EU. We do not, however, endorse any political party."
A statement from Kellogg's said the quote used by Labour in the advert was made over a year ago by its UK managing director.
It added: "What he was expressing was a concern about the insecurity which comes from the uncertainty about Britain's position in the EU – nothing more. Kellogg's is strictly non-partisan and does not endorse any political party."
However, SCM Direct founding partner Gina Miller said she was happy for her comments to be used and added: "I'm clearly aware of it because they told me it was happening last week."
Video:Labour's Business Advert Row
:: For full coverage of General Election 2015 click here.
Mr Miliband said all the comments on the advert were made in public and the party was entitled to use them.
He said: "We've simply quoted public statements by these businesses about the place of Britain in the European Union.
"And I think lots of businesses all around this country are not necessarily going to be supporting Labour or the Conservatives but they do have a very strong view about our place in the EU."
Video:Hobbit Star Backs Labour
With 38 days to go until the General Election, Mr Miliband was in the City of London setting out his pitch to business leaders with the launch of the first of the party's "mini manifestos".
He said: "There could be nothing worse for our country or for our great exporting businesses than playing political games with our membership of the EU. David Cameron used to understand that. But in the past five years our place in the European Union has become less and less secure.
"He used to say he would campaign to keep Britain in Europe. But now he won't rule out campaigning to leave."
David Cameron has promised a referendum by 2017 if he wins the election - something that Mr Miliband described as "a recipe for two years of uncertainty".
Video:Clegg: Don't Lurch Left Or Right
Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg joined in with the criticism of Mr Cameron's stance by saying he would never "play footsie" with Britain's membership of the EU.
Labour's 22-page A Better Plan For Business is an attempt to fight back against concerns that Mr Miliband would put the economic recovery at risk.
Business insiders have told Sky News they are faced with a difficult choice between a Conservative Party who would put Britain's EU membership at risk and a Labour Party perceived as anti-business.
Mr Miliband was sharply criticised by the Boots boss Stefano Pessina earlier this year, who warned a Labour government would be a "catastrophe" for Britain.
Video:Cameron Heads For The Palace
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph on Monday, Dr Assem Allam - who has donated £400,000 to the Labour Party - described the Conservatives as "the best party in Europe" to manage the economy.
He criticised Mr Miliband for wanting to "penalise" wealth creators with a mansion tax and a rise in the top rate of tax.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, UKIP's Nigel Farage said Mr Cameron had been "forced into" promising a 2017 referendum on Britain's membership of the UK and that his party's job was to "hold his feet to the fire to make sure that the referendum is not a stitch-up".
He added: "I don't want this to be kicked into the long grass until the end of 2017. I think it should be before the end of this year."
Video:Battle For Number 10 Special
It comes as Mr Cameron has visited the Queen to ask for Parliament to be dissolved.
