The A-level results are in, what is 'breadcrumbing' and how can you avoid it? and more top news

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More than 300,000 anxious 18-year-olds (and their parents) await their A-level results. Leaked grade boundaries for the Edexcel exam showed that students who got almost half of the answers wrong in their Maths A-level will receive an A, with just 14% correct answers required to pass. As of July, a record 275,520 young people applied to university through Ucas for undergraduate courses starting in 2019. But not everyone passes their exams with flying colours. Simon Cowell, Richard Branson and JK Rowling have gone on to have successful careers after failing their exams. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Rail campaigners and unions have slammed plans to raise rail fares by 2.8% in January. Calculated using July’s retail price index versus the more commonly used measure of inflation, the increase means many commuters face paying an extra ￡100 to get to work from the start of 2020. TUC analysis of ONS figures show rail fares have risen twice as fast as wages in the past 10 years. Rail campaigners have urged government to adopt a “fairer, clearer fares formula”. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Office-space giant WeWork filed for an initial public offering Wednesday via its parent, The We Company. While it plans to raise $1bn (￡829m) through its IPO, the final offering may be more than three times that, according to Axios. The New York-based company delivered $1.54bn (￡1.3bn) in revenue in the first half of 2019 yet posted a “staggering” net loss of $689.7m (￡571m). The nine-year-old company runs offices in 111 cities worldwide with 527,000 members paying fees for access to a shared workspace in 29 countries. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Ryanair pilots in Ireland are set to strike on August 22 and 23 after mediated talks failed to reach an agreement on pay. Cabin crew in Spain have also announced they will strike for 10 days in September, while UK-based pilots say they will strike for two days later this month and for three more days in September. In Portugal, cabin crew will strike from August 21 for five days. Last year, more than 250 flights were cancelled due to Ryanair strikes, affecting 35,000 passengers. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Move over, ghosting — “breadcrumbing” is the latest dating term to make its way into the work vernacular, says the BBC. If you’re being "breadcrumbed" at the office — meaning strung along — then it’s likely you’re not receiving regular feedback, your ideas aren’t getting much encouragement, or you’re routinely being promised promotions that fail to materialize. To overcome the empty promises, ask your manager for honest feedback, and establish a clear timeline on promotions. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: It’s important for businesses to keep their primary purpose top of mind, notes Charles Schwab CEO Walt Bettinger. That purpose isn’t the bottom line or beating the competition. It’s doing what’s best for your clients.

“Disciplined analysis is still important, and we still do a lot of that, but the most important question is: what would our clients want?”

What's your take on today’s stories? Share your thoughts in the comments.

—  Natalie MacDonald