Over 100,000 Royal Mail workers to vote on strike action August 22, 2019 More than 100,000 Royal Mail workers are set to be balloted on taking industrial action over issues including job security and employment conditions. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), which announced the ballot, had accused Royal Mail of not honouring the “spirit and intent” of an agreement earlier this week. In a tweet announcing the ballot, [...]
EU considers giving citizens explicit rights over facial recognition data August 22, 2019 The European Commission is considering introducing strict regulations governing the use of facial recognition technology that would give EU citizens explicit rights over the use of their facial recognition data. The Commission’s plans, which were first reported in the Financial Times, would be part of a wider overhaul into how the EU regulates artificial intelligence [...]
Profit down 26 per cent at gambling group Rank as footfall declines August 22, 2019 Gambling group Rank has reported a drop in pre-tax profits after being hit by slowing sales at its Grosvenor Casinos and a decline in traffic at its Mecca Bingo halls earlier in the year. The figures Rank said that pre-tax profit for the full year was £34.6m, a 26 per cent drop on the £46.7m [...]
Worker from UK’s Hong Kong embassy reportedly detained in China over ‘prostitution’ August 22, 2019 The employee of the British consulate in Hong Kong who is being held in mainline China is being detained over involement in prostitution, China’s state-backed newspaper reported. China’s foreign ministry had confirmed yesterday that Simon Cheng had been detained in the border city of Shenzen, but had not provided any further details. Cheng had failed [...]
Dutch fintech Adyen sees core profit jump 79 per cent August 22, 2019 Adyen, the Dutch fintech company that processes payments for companies including Facebook and Netflix, has reported a jump in first-half core profit, helped by an increased volume of transactions. The figures Adyen said its core earnings (EBITDA) for the first half of the year were up 79 per cent to €125.8m (£115m), up from €70.3m [...]
Burford executive accused of exchanging documents for sex tape in lawsuit August 22, 2019 A senior executive at Burford Capital has been accused of unlawfully trading “sensitive” documentas for a sex tape in a $91m (£75m) lawsuit in the High Court. The lawsuit marks the latest battle for the troubled litigation funder, which was subject to a short attack by US firm Muddy Waters earlier this month. Daniel Hall, [...]
Watchdog urges consumers to make PPI claims as deadline looms August 22, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is urging consumers not to leave making PPI claims to the last minute ahead of next week’s deadline. Figures released by the FCA show a total of £340.4m was paid to consumers who had complained about being mis-sold PPI in June, taking the total paid out since 2011 to £36bn. [...]
London’s demand for emerging tech skills could create a North–South divide August 22, 2019 London has more demand for those with emerging technology skills than ten other UK cities combined, new research has found. The UK currently has 422,000 professionals with skills in emerging technologies including data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and quantum computing. Of those professionals, 37 per cent (155,000) are based in London, according to research by [...]
Norway considers shifting sovereign wealth fund away from Europe August 21, 2019 Norway is considering shifting the balance of investments in its $1trillion (£824bn) sovereign wealth fund away from Europe to focus more on Asia and the Americas. Investor confidence in Europe has been faltering recently as the region’s economy slows, while North American equity markets are growing faster than European ones. “This (regional weighting) is exactly [...]
Ryanair awaits London ruling after Irish court grants injunction to stop strikes August 21, 2019 The Irish High Court has granted Ryanair an injunction to prevent its Irish pilots from going on strike tomorrow, as the budget airline awaits a ruling from the English High Court over the industrial action. An application by the airline for an injunction to block the two day strike will be heard by the High [...]
