Thursday newspaper round-up: Energy bills, Qantas, CrowdStrike

Ministers have committed to help households struggling with their gas and electricity bills this winter after energy industry bosses warned that consumer debt had climbed to more than £3bn. With Labour under fire for scrapping universal winter fuel payments to pensioners, ministers met energy industry bosses on Wednesday to discuss ways of supporting struggling households through the coming colder months. – Guardian

Qantas Airways has posted a $2.1bn annual underlying profit – down 16% from last year’s record result – amid a surge in demand for budget Jetstar fares and mounting public anger at its service and ticket policies. Australia’s biggest airline said bookings and travel demand remained stable across its flying brands, although moderating air fares had eroded profits, especially on international flights. – Guardian

A City whistleblower has been awarded more than half a million pounds after he was fired for exposing an alleged Chinese spy. An employment tribunal has awarded Bharat Bhagani, a former compliance officer at Goldenway Global Investments, nearly £565,000 in compensation, according to a ruling published earlier this week. – Telegraph

The Savoy hotel in central London is facing an increasingly competitive luxury hotel market on the back of a host of openings by rivals. According to the hotel’s accounts, filed this week, at least 15 new luxury hotels with a total of 2,677 rooms are opening across the capital over the 2023-2025 period. – The Times

CrowdStrike has cut its annual sales and profit forecast as demand for its cybersecurity products is hit by the global Windows outage caused by a faulty update from the company. The outage last month hit 8.5 million Microsoft Windows devices, interrupting internet services and leaving thousands of people stranded at airports after mass flight cancellations. – The Times