Companies

Image copyright Getty Images McDonald’s is to move its non-US tax base from Luxembourg to the UK, the company has said. The new holding company will pay UK tax on the royalties the firm receives outside the US. McDonald’s said it had chosen the UK due to the “significant number …

Image copyright PA Tougher rules are needed to protect investors in crowdfunding platforms, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has said. It said it was too difficult to assess the risks and returns of investments, and suggested applying “mortgage-lending standards” to loan-based platforms or peer-to-peer lending. It follows industry regulations in …

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Australia’s richest woman Gina Rinehart is worth an estimated $12.4bn Australia has given approval for the sale of the country’s largest private landholding, the Kidman estate. It will go to Australia’s richest woman, Gina Rinehart, and her business partner, Chinese developer Shanghai CRED. The …

Image copyright Hitachi Image caption The train is the first of 110 high-speed Intercity expresses to be fitted out at Newton Aycliffe A new high-speed Intercity train developed at a County Durham factory has rolled off the production line. Hitachi Rail Europe’s Newton Aycliffe plant opened in 2015 after the …

Image copyright AFP Palm oil giant Olam has been accused of using suppliers that may use unsustainable practices in parts of Southeast Asia. The claims against the agricultural commodities trader were made in a report by Mighty, a US-based environmental lobby group. Mighty also accuses Olam and its main stakeholder, …

Image copyright AP Image caption The deal will allow Iran Air to update its ageing fleet State airline Iran Air says it has signed a deal to buy 80 passenger planes from US aircraft maker Boeing. The 10-year deal includes 50 of the 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and 15 of …

Image copyright QANTAS Passengers will be able to fly from London to Australia non-stop when airline Qantas launches its new service from March 2018. Australia’s national carrier says it will connect Perth, in the west of the country, to the UK capital using Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The 9,000 mile (14,498km) …

A telecommunications giant is creating 500 new customer service jobs across England and Wales. BT said the new roles would be based at its contact centres in Swansea, Warrington, Doncaster and Accrington. In January the conglomerate announced 1,000 new posts promising more of its consumer customer calls to be dealt …

Image copyright PA Barclays has agreed to sell its French retail banking division as it continues its efforts to streamline its business. Private equity firm AnaCap partners will take over 74 retail branches, a life insurance business, as well as wealth, investment management and brokerage operations. The deal – for …

Image copyright AFP Italy’s Monte dei Paschi bank has said it will try to raise €5bn (£4bn; $5.3bn) from investors by year end as it races to avoid a state rescue. In a statement, the world’s oldest bank said it would stick to the recovery plan it outlined on 25 …