Image source, Getty Images

IPSE, the Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed, says that the Deliveroo case shows that the British government should write into statute a positive definition of self-employment to provide clarity on who does and does not work for themselves.

“It is unacceptable that policymakers are relying on costly, time-consuming court cases as the first port of call in determining employment status," it said.

“That’s why we want to see the government write into statute a positive definition of self-employment. We believe this definition should consider four key tenets: having autonomy in their work, having control over their working arrangements, taking on business risk and the level of independence from clients.

“Disappointingly, the government doesn’t appear to support this idea, but this case – just days after Pimlico Plumbers were defeated in the Supreme Court – demonstrates just how beneficial a positive definition would be.”

Deliveroo drivers, who have been fighting to be considered as workers, rather than self-employed contractors in the UK, have been given a lifeline.

Being classed as workers would mean that Deliveroo drivers would then be entitled to minimum wage, sick pay, holiday pay and compensation for accidents while on the job.

Deliveroo riders in North London lost their claim in a Tribunal to be treated as workers who could bargain together on pay, but now they've won the chance to get a judicial review of the decision in the autumn.

Uber drivers and Amazon delivery drivers also have ongoing battles in the courts to get similar rights.

Image source, Glencore

Commodities giant Glencore has settled a mining row in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler by agreeing to pay royalties in a currency other than US dollars.

US sanctions on Gertler, Glencore's former Israeli partner in Congo, had triggered litigation and a legal tangle that investors said might affect supplies of cobalt, needed for electric vehicle batteries, from the world's biggest producer of the metal.

Glencore earlier this week reached a settlement in another dispute involving its Kamoto copper and cobalt mine in Congo, although it remains at odds with the Congolese government over a mining code that increases taxes and royalties on minerals.

Gertler's Ventora Development Sasu had been seeking $695m in unpaid and future royalties from Glencore's subsidiary Mutanda Mining and $2.28bn from Glencore subsidiary Kamoto Copper.

Glencore said it believed payment of the royalties in a currency other than US dollars to Africa Horizons Investments Limited and Ventora without the involvement of US entities would address applicable sanctions obligations.

It added it had discussed the matter "with the appropriate US and Swiss government agencies".

Image source, Getty Images

Luxury hotels around the world have a new 21st century problem to deal with - social media influencers that spend their lives going on holiday and taking photos of themselves.

Some hotels are now refusing to work with Instagram travel influencers, after realising that giving them all-expense-paid holidays in exchange for social media posts doesn't always provide a good return, according to The Atlantic, external.

However, other luxury resorts recognise that there is value in working with influencers, but only if they are carefully vetted, and have actual wide-reaching engagement, as opposed to an audience made from paid bots.

This new trend has also given rise to a new type of entrepreneur - influencers who get a free stay in exchange for holding boot camps to teach hotel staff how to better market their brands and appeal to potential customers on social media.

Image source, Getty Images

H&M reported flat sales growth for a second straight quarter on Friday as the world's second-largest fashion retailer grapples with slowing traffic at its core brand stores.

The Swedish retailer's shares fell 3.5% in morning trading.

Over the past couple of years H&M has seen sales stall, pre-tax profits shrink and its shares slide, mainly due to slowing traffic at its budget H&M stores, which account for the bulk of group business.

H&M said sales excluding VAT rose 1% to 52bn crowns ($5.94bn) in the second quarter, lagging the 3% rise to 53bn crowns that analysts' forecast.

Its top rival Inditex, owner of Zara, on Wednesday reported sales growth of 7% for its February-April quarter and 9% growth in the following six weeks.

Image source, The Times

The Times newspaper has a potentially explosive story about fixed-odds betting terminals - the gaming machines described as the "crack cocaine" of the industry.

It says plans to cut the maximum stake from £100 to £2 might not be introduced until April 2020.

As you may remember from the debates over the past few months, FOBT machines are a controversial topic.

Supporters of the machines - mostly the High Street bookies - say cutting stakes will mean thousands of job losses. Critics say the machines cause social and financial harm for gamblers.

There's no word yet from the government. The Times' story is here, external, although it's behind a paywall.

If you head to Sainsbury's to buy your millennial relative or friend a birthday card, you might encounter this one.

On first glance, it just looks sweet, but on closer look - the maths don't add up.

Might not be the best example to set for the younger generation....

Image source, Getty Images

The Bank of Japan said on Friday it would keep its key lending rate on hold, sticking with a short term interest rate of minus 0.1%.

Most analysts did not expect the BOJ to move, but the decision comes at a time when other big central banks - notably the US Federal Reserve - are beginning to slowly change their post-crisis era monetary policies.

The ECB is set to end its asset-purchase programme this year and the Fed has started to raise rates.

The BOJ said its economy was expanding moderately, supported in part by private consumption. However it said inflation was moving at about 0.5% to 1% in the country, below its long-held target of 2%.

Image source, Cewntrica

British Gas-owner Centrica and Tokyo Gas have signed a long-term agreement to purchase 2.6 million tonnes of liquified natural gas (LNG) per year from Mozambique.

The LNG will come from Mozambique Area 1, an offshore gas production project, where production is expected to take place from the first half of the 2020s until the early 2040s.

London's FTSE 100 has started drifting lower, and is now down 0.2% at 7,749 points.

Financial firms are among the biggest fallers, with Barclays down 1.7%, Old Mutual 1.6% lower, Admiral down 1.5% and Legal and General 1.4% lower.

Rolls-Royce is the stand-out riser, but has come off earlier highs of almost 14% up. The shares are now 11% ahead after the engineering giant upgraded its growth outlook.

And Tesco has gained 2% following a strong set of first quarter results.

The BBC's Emma Simpson has been on a conference call listening to Tesco boss Dave Lewis talk about the supermarket's latest trading figures - and the High Street crisis.

Image source, Getty Images

EDF Energy has agreed to pay £350,000 into Ofgem's consumer redress fund after failing to meet its smart meter installation target in 2017.

EDF completed its annual installation target for 2017 a month late in January 2018.

British energy suppliers need to put smart meters into all homes and small businesses by the end of 2020.

Each supplier is allowed to set their own installation targets, which Ofgem monitors.

Image source, PA

Shares in Rolls-Royce are soaring after the aircraft engine company issued further guidance on its prospects.

About 45 minutes into trading, the stock was up more than 13%, with the shares enjoying their best day for two years.

Ahead of a meeting with investors and financial analysts, Rolls-Royce issued an upbeat statement on future cash flow and costs, external. The company announced 4,600 job cuts on Thursday.

The shares were by far the best performer on the FTSE 100. Tesco rose 2% on the back of its latest positive trading update.

The blue chip index is flat at 7,764.7 points.

Image source, Getty Images

Shares in the Chinese telecoms giant ZTE have fallen 11% in Hong Kong, continuing a slide that has wiped more than $4bn off its market value in the past three days.

Shares have slumped since Wednesday, when trading in the firm resumed after a two month suspension.

The smartphone maker had faced a ban on doing business with US suppliers after it was found to have traded illegally with Iran.

This month President Trump agreed to lift the ban, but ZTE has been badly damaged by the affair. It must also pay the US a $1bn penalty and as replace its management board.

ZTE has a dual listing in Shenzhen where listed shares are down 10% - the maximum they are allowed to fall on the mainland.

Image source, AFP

Profits at supermarket Iceland dipped last year after the firm invested in price cuts and was hit by supply chain issues over the critical Christmas trading period.

The group saw adjusted earnings slip 1.8% to £157m in the year to 31 March, while sales rose 8% to £3bn. Iceland said that price cuts, extra marketing investment and supply chain problems were contributory factors.

Like-for-like sales were up 2.3% over the year and Iceland expanded its Food Warehouse chain to 59 stores through 23 new openings.

First launched in 2014, the Food Warehouse stores - largely based in retail parks - are around three times the size of traditional Iceland outlets. The group is also refurbishing stores, which it said is yielding higher sales.

Image source, PA

China has promised it will respond quickly to protect itself if the US hurts its interests.

The warning - by a foreign ministry spokesman - comes as President Trump prepares to unveil a second list of Chinese imports that will be targeted with around $50bn of tariffs.

Beijing said its preference was for cooperation and mutual benefit on trade and expressed the hope the US would make "the same wise choice".

President Trump first announced the tariffs in March and has vacillated several times about whether to impose them.

Image source, Rolls-Royce

Problems with Rolls-Royce's Trent engine could mean another £100m of additional costs linked to the discovery of technical issues.

The company, which yesterday announced 4,600 job cuts as part of a restructuring, has been grappling with problems on some engines for months.

On Friday, Rolls said that it could see costs associated with the issues, external rise from £340m to £440m.

Image source, Getty Images

Didi, China's ride hailing app alternative to Uber, is set to launch in Melbourne, Australia on 25 June.

Didi is the world's largest ride-hailing app and is best known for driving Uber off the streets in China.

The firm, which recently launched in Mexico, has just completed a month-long trial in close-by Geelong, Victoria.

The Australian ride-hailing industry is currently dominated by Uber, but recent entrants to the marketplace include India's Ola and Europe's Taxify.

Image source, Getty Images

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 ended Friday's session up 0.5% to 22,851.75 points and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index closed up 1.3% to 6,094.

Elsewhere though markets were in negative territory.

South Korea's Kospi was down 0.8% in late afternoon trade, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng was down 0.12%.

On the Chinese mainland in late trade, the Shanghai Composite was down 0.7%.

A power struggle at Stobart Group continues this morning, with the company firing off a long letter to shareholders explaining recent developments.

Those developments include the sacking of Andrew Tinkler from the board of the company that owns Southend and Carlisle airports (Stobart Group is nothing to do with the truck business, by the way).

The letter from senior independent director Andrew Wood says Mr Tinkler risked destabilising the company , and the board had "no alternative other than to dismiss him".

His letter concludes, external: "The management team can only operate effectively within a stable framework of strong corporate governance focused on protecting the interests of all shareholders."