Money blog: World's most beautiful airports named (2024)

Shoppers have been left disappointed after discovering empty shelves in Morrisons stores across the country.

A number of customers hit out at the supermarket on social media, saying the lack of products was "absolutely diabolical".

Fruit and veg sections appeared to be particularly sparse, with photos showing dozens of empty crates sitting on shelves.

In a Facebook post, one irritated customer shared videos of a store in north London with bare meat, bread and vegetable sections.

"Morrisonsyou can't genuinely think this is acceptable, it's like the customers have to choose between stock or staff, as you can't have both!! Absolutely diabolical," she said.

On X, a customer said the lack of produce was another reason not to shop at the supermarket.

Last week, the software used by the chain to manage its warehouse was hacked, causing problems with its management systems for fresh food and produce.

A Morrisons spokesperson told Money that products that can be stored at room temperature as well as frozen food had not been affected.

"We are currently operating on our back-up systems and we're working very hard to deliver for our customers across the country," they added.

The ransomware attack also caused disruptions for a handful of companies in the US, including Starbucks.

A spokesperson for the coffee chain said the company's ability to manage barista schedules and track hours had been disrupted.

It added that the outage was not impacting how customers were served and that ensuring workers get paid for all hours worked was a top priority.

A worldwide architecture prize has announced its picks for the most beautiful airport in the world.

Announced each year since 2015, the Prix Versailles is a series of architectural competitions that shine a light on the best projects worldwide.

The competitions rank everything from museums to sports stadiums, but it's the airports we're focusing on.

Coming out on top in this year's list is the Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi.

The airport is designed in an X-shape, and each of the four points is inspired by Abu Dhabi's landscapes.

Also in the list are airports in Singapore, Bangkok, and Kansas City.

Remarkably, Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick etc were not commended.

The six most beautiful airports in the world for 2024, according to Prix Versailles, are:

• Zayed International Airport, Abu Dhabi
• Felipe Angeles International Airport, Zumpango
• Changi Airport Terminal 2, Singapore
• Suvarnabhumi Airport, Midfield Satellite 1, Bangkok
• Logan International Airport, Terminal E, Boston
• Kansas City International Airport, Kansas City

The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will give a statement in the House of Commons later followingthe parent company of car company Vauxhall announcing it will close its 120-year-old Luton plant in April, blaming the electric vehicle mandate.

Mr Reynolds will set out more details of a "fast track" consultation he is launching into the electric vehicle rules that the car industry has been lobbying against, education minister Stephen Morgan has told Sky News.

The rule for 2024 requires manufacturers to ensure that at least 22% of new cars sold are zero emission, rising to 80% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.

Carmakers face a fine of £15,000 for each non zero-emission vehicle sold that exceeds the annual percentage target.

Manufacturers can make up for missing the target in subsequent years, and can also buy credits from competitors such as Tesla.

Speaking on Sky News Breakfast, Mr Morgan said the government is going to "work really closely with the industry" on the green transition to "make sure that this is rolled out effectively".

He said the "ambition of this government" is to totally phase out sales of vehicles powered by fossil fuels by 2035, and in the interim, he said it is really "important that there is the [charging] infrastructure up and down the country" to support it.

A UK ticket-holder has won £177m in the EuroMillions draw, making them the third biggest National Lottery winner ever.

The winning numbers were 07, 11, 25, 31 and 40, with Lucky Stars 09, 12.

No one has come forward to claim it yet, and players have been urged to check their tickets as soon as they can.

Andy Carter, senior winners' adviser at Allwyn, operator of the National Lottery, said: "Wow, it has been a truly incredible night for a single UK ticket-holder who has scooped tonight's jaw-dropping £177m EuroMillions jackpot!

"The win has landed them a spot on the National Lottery's Rich List, as they have become the third biggest National Lottery winner of all time!"

ByJames Sillars, business and economics reporter

The start of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought a measure of relative calm to oil prices.

Brent crude was hovering just above $73 a barrel, having fallen by $2 on speculation a deal was near to ease tensions between Israel and its neighbours on one front.

There was a flat open for the FTSE 100 which started the day at 8,262.

EasyJet was the biggest riser after it posted a 25% rise in annual operating profits to £597m and pointed to a strong outlook for 2025.

Its shares were flying 3% higher in early deals, taking them 9% up over the year to date.

Also enjoying a 3% surge in its stock was Mitchells & Butlers.

The managed pubs and bars chain, which includes the Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One brands in its stable, said sales growth helped it grow annual operating profits to £300m from £98m a year earlier.

The company, which said trading had remained strong over the first seven weeks of its new financial year, swung to a bottom-line profit following previous losses.

It did, however, caution on the outlook.

M&B warned it was facing cost headwinds of £100m during 2025 following looming budget increases to the national living wage and employer national insurance contributions.

London's Smithfield meat market is set to close after more than 800 years, with trading expected to cease for good after 2028.

The City of London Corporation, which runs the site, said on Tuesday its council voted to stop operating Smithfield and Billingsgate fish market.

The original plan had been to relocate the markets to a £1bn development in Dagenham, but a sharp rise in construction costs and wider inflation forced a rethink.

Read the full story here...

By James Sillars, business and economics reporter

Supermarket loyalty schemes offer genuine savings for shoppers, according to the competition regulator following an investigation into claims of price manipulation.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said its review of 50,000 loyalty priced products showed that 92% offered genuine savings against the usual price.

That was despite 55% of shoppers thinking "usual" prices were raised to make loyalty deals more appealing, it said.

The watchdog's report found "very little evidence" of supermarkets inflating their "usual" prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.

Read more here...

Scotland is our focus for Cheap Eats this week - with two top chefs picking their budget eats at home and where they live. First up,StephenMcLaughlin, head chef at two-starred RestaurantAndrew Fairlie inGleneagles.

Hi Stephen, what are your go-to cheap eatsfor two, for less than £40, in Scotland?

Isle of Harris Brewery- I visited the brewery in Leverburgh earlier this year and I can't wait to go back. The food is phenomenal. I believe that the best dishes are simple things, brilliantly done, and this is exactly what you get.

The food on offer includes the best local produce and Scottish pub classics. When I was there, I had the best langoustine tail scampi that I've ever eaten. The portions are generous, and it offers great value. All main courses come in under £20.

They also brew a core range of 10 Scottish beers, limited edition seasonal specials and bespoke label beers.

Eusebi Deli, Glasgow - I go to Eusebi for coffee and cake and a big hug from Giovanna - and I have been known to just go in for the hug alone!

This is an amazing wee place. You can eat in the restaurant or the bar, but for me, coffee, cake and a cuddle from G is a lovely thing to do.

Giovanna is passionate about real, Italian food, and you can tell. She's travelled extensively and along with her southern Italian heritage, she brings influences from every market she's visited and every dish she's sampled to the food in Eusebi.

Crabshakk Botanics, Glasgow -I love to go here, sit at the bar and eat from their specials board. My favourite option is to get a couple of glasses of wine and make my way through the board from top to bottom. My oldest friend and I go there every January and do just that.

It's fantastic for staples such as fish and chips, but my favourites are the clams cooked in olive oil and garlic, the white bait and aioli, or the moules mariniere.

What's your go-to cheap meal at home?

Slow cooked beef cheeks – a delicious autumn/winter meal, that's cheap and easy to make.

You can serve it with mashed potatoes and vegetables, though I'd say it's best served with celeriac mash. You can also make it in advance.

My top tip is to add a couple of strips of orange peel, a clove and a star anise – I guarantee the sauce will taste like the best winter warmer you've ever tasted. It's perfect to put on in the morning before you head out for a crisp walk.

To make it, dust the beef cheeks with flour and sear in a hot pan, then add to the slow cooker with onion, carrot and some garlic. Pour in a pint and a half of water mixed with a beef stock cube, and for that special touch, add the strips of orange peel, a whole star anise and one clove. Cook it for six hours and serve with your mash. Heaven!

How did you get into cheffing?

I fell into being a chef by accident. I took a skill seeker survey at school and the result said I should be either a welder or a chef.

When I went to a college taster day, the first demonstration by a welder convinced me; but the afternoon session was with a chef who made a delicious buttery choux pastry. I immediately wanted to know how she did it – it was the flavour of that pastry that took me to college.

From there, I got a placement at One Devonshire Gardens [in Glasgow] – I knew it was the best because the big celebrities of the time would stay there (namely, Pavarotti and the Spice Girls!).

Without knowing much else about it, I sent a letter to the head chef who invited me in for an interview. I was absolutely terrified of him and totally unprepared... that was my first meeting with the wonderful Andrew Fairlie – and the rest is history!

We've spoken to lots of top chefs - check out their Cheap Eats from around the country...

A UK pension scheme has been called "deeply irresponsible" after investing in Bitcoin.

The unnamed defined-benefit scheme became the first in the UK to make the plunge, using 3% of its assets to buy into the cryptocurrency last month.

Pension specialist Cartwright acted as an adviser to the scheme and said the allocation was a "strategic move that, not only offers diversification but also taps into an asset class with a unique asymmetric risk-return profile".

It claimed its approach meant the scheme could benefit from a significant potential bonus, while limiting the possible negative outcomes.

But some experts seem less enthusiastic about the decision, warning it bordered on "gambling with retirees' futures".

"This is a very strange decision. Pension funds should surely be investing for the long term rather than speculating over the short-term," Colin Low, managing director at Kingsfleet, told Newspage.

"It is ironic that a pension fund, having one of the longest investment time horizons, should speculate its beneficiaries' assets on something that has no intrinsic value."

Daniel Wiltshire, actuary at Wiltshire Wealth, added: "This is deeply irresponsible. Pension trustees have an obligation to ensure scheme assets are managed prudently.

"This precludes taking punts on a basketcase asset class like crypto. For the sake of the members, I hope the regulator is paying attention."

Why are people so concerned about the move?

Bitcoin is the largest and oldest cryptocurrency, although other assets like ethereum, tether and dogecoin have also gained popularity over the years.

Some investors see cryptocurrency as a "digital alternative" to traditional money - but it is very volatile, with its price reliant on larger market conditions.

Pension scheme trustees tend to be against taking big risks with retirees' funds.

Advice from the Financial Conduct Authority states "you should never invest money into crypto that you can't afford to lose" and warns people to be prepared to lose all their money.

And, while a 3% allocation doesn't sound like a lot, it's enough to make an impact on the pension fund's performance.

This means that if Bitcoin continues to skyrocket, it could boost the scheme in a big way, but equally if it sinks, it could have a significant negative impact.

As a defined pension scheme, it does mean the risk is being taken by the employer should there not be enough assets to meet future pension payments, rather than being borne by members.

Head of investment analysis at AJ Bell, Laith Khalaf, says plenty of people have bought crypto personally, but it's harder to make the case for investing in it to diversify a pension portfolio.

"While the price of Bitcoin is currently riding high, in the past we've seen strong performance quickly giving way to dramatic price falls. That in itself is a big hindrance to Bitcoin being adopted by consumers and businesses as a means of exchange," he says.

"If you think Bitcoin is the future of currency despite its volatility, ask yourself if you'd be willing to be paid by your employer or billed by your mortgage provider in the cryptocurrency.

"It's possible Bitcoin will thrive and prove its doubters wrong, but it's also possible it will ultimately become worthless."

Just last week, it hit a record high above $£99,000 - but less than two years before that it dropped below $17,000 following the collapse of crypto exchange FTX.

Some experts believe the potential pay-off means an investment in Bitcoin is a risk worth taking.

Chris Barry, a director of Thomas Legal, says that anything less than a 5% allocation is "sensible", and UK pension funds need to catch up to their US equivalents who have been investing in crypto for years.

"Bitcoin is the top performing asset class over the past 10 years on average, even beating the NASDAQ. The direction of travel following Trump winning the US election is very bullish indeed," he adds.

David Belle, founder and trader at Fink Money, has a similar view, saying a pension scheme portfolio is about numbers trying to deliver a return.

"A portfolio is just numbers made up of different betas, assets which either outperform or underperform a benchmark. Crypto is a fine asset class if it fits risk appetite."

A dispute with a top insurance company has left a woman coping with "hell" as she tries to balance care for her severely brain damaged mum with the terms of her coverage.

Cat Rubens's mum, Jane, is in a coma after she was struck by a vehicle while visiting relatives in the US on 1 November and has had multiple brain surgeries this month.

She has emergency medical care up to £15m with AXA Partners, Cat says, but they were told this will end if she doesn't fly her mum back this week.

The problem? Cat says several neurology experts have advised against any long-haul flights at this "acute stage" of her injury, at least for the next three to six months.

The insurers, Cat said, wouldn't budge, but after revealing her ordeal in a widely shared post on social media, the company has rowed back on its demand.

Cat says they no longer require her to fly this week - though she is still in the dark over any long-term plan.

Her story caught the attention of consumer expert Martin Lewis, who described it as a "horrible situation".

"It is possible to try to raise emergency situation with ombudsman but that's unlikely to resolve much at the speed needed," he wrote on X.

However, the "publicity" could pressure the insurer to review its decision, he said, which appears to be the case as AXA has since apologised for the "distress".

Read more about what this entails and how the firm has responded in the link below…