Tesco asks fired staff to return pay; is this UK bank boss ‘greedy’? and more top news

The news professionals are talking about now, curated by LinkedIn’s editors. Join the conversation on today's stories in the comments.

Hundreds of Tesco staff recently made redundant have been asked to return money after an administrative error resulted in them being either underpaid or overpaid. Tesco boss Dave Lewis has apologised for the “very regrettable” error thought to have impacted between 200 and 300 staff, with some overpaid by as much as ￡2,000. Earlier this year, the UK’s biggest supermarket outlined changes to its workforce, putting 9,000 jobs at risk. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Lloyds boss António Horta-Osório is a "winner" and deserves his ￡6.3m package, MPs have heard. Head of pay at Lloyds Banking Group, Stauart Sinclair told a committee tasked with examining “greedy” executive pay that staff at the bank did not resent Horta-Osorio's arrangements because he brought the lender “back from the brink”. Last year, the Portugese banker was handed fixed pay of ￡2.9m in addition to share awards and long-term incentives. The average Lloyds worker was paid ￡37,000. ? Here’s what people are saying.

British Gas owner Centrica will axe 700 staff as part of a cost-cutting drive that will see 4,000 employees laid off, as it faces "growing challenges." The FTSE 100 company has been reducing its workforce since last February as it chases savings of ￡1.25bn per year by 2020. British Gas lost 742,000 customers last year amid ongoing profit woes as the group manages the impact of the government energy price cap. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Consumers are thirsty for alcohol-free beer as sales boom in the UK and across Europe, coinciding with an increase in alcohol-free craft breweries and even a bar in Dublin. UK sales of low and alcohol-free beers jumped 28% in the 12 months to February 2019, compared with the previous year. In Germany, as many as one in 15 sold estimated to be alcohol-free, and Spain is now the world's largest consumer of alcohol-free beer, accounting for 14% of all beer sales. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Start-ups founded by women are much less likely to receive financing than those led by men, according to an OECD report. The Levelling the Playing Field report shows the chances of funding for all-male start-ups is up to 10% higher than those with at least one female founder, with this gender gap the most visible in Europe. It also shows start-ups founded or co-founded by women receive a third less cash, on average $9m per round versus $13m per round for male-led companies. ? Here’s what people are saying.

Idea of the Day: People with tech skills do not necessarily have to make a career out of it in order to help others, says Bill Gates, Co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Sometimes all it takes to make a difference is the willingness to learn about a problem and use your talents to help solve it.”

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

—  Natalie MacDonald