Facebook advertising chief issued warning over inflated audience figures April 27, 2021 A top Facebook executive warned colleagues the company must “prepare for the worst” over claims it inflated figures on how many people its adverts could reach, court filings have revealed. Carolyn Everson, vice president of the social media giant’s global business group, wrote in an email in 2017 that the company would be “justifiably” criticised [...]
HSBC profits surge to $5.8bn on Covid-19 recovery hopes April 27, 2021 Banking giant HSBC this morning announced a surging pre-tax profit of $5.78bn (£4.16bn) for the first quarter, up from $3.21bn a year ago and well above an average analyst forecast of $3.35bn. Revenue, however, fell five per cent to $13bn in the three months to 30 March as low interest rates in its main markets [...]
How curing cataracts offers a 1,500% socio-economic return April 27, 2021 According to the World Health Organisation, 95 million people worldwide are affected by blindness or severe visual impairment due to cataracts. Cataracts are disproportionately prevalent in low-and-middle-income countries, where they account for 50% of blindness, compared to just 5% of blindness within developed countries. The socioeconomic effect of cataract surgery is substantial. It allows people [...]
Big Four and challengers ask for leeway on difficult audits to avoid public criticism April 27, 2021 The Big Four and the challenger audit firms have asked the accountancy watchdog for more leniency when it comes to more difficult audit jobs, for fear of public criticism if they make a mistake. Audit firms have asked the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) to pause quality inspections of their work for a year if they [...]
Tiktok to open doors to experts in bid to calm safety fears April 27, 2021 Tiktok will allow experts and policymakers to see how it moderates content on its platform in the tech firm’s latest effort to allay safety concerns. The Chinese-owned viral video app said it will open a European Transparency and Accountability Centre, allowing outsiders to see “first-hand” how it runs moderation and safety practices. The centre will [...]
France threatens to block City of London from EU if UK does not open up its fishing waters April 27, 2021 France has threatened to keep the City of London out of EU markets post-Brexit if the UK does not increase access to its waters for the country’s fishermen. France’s European affairs minister Clement Beaune today hit out at the UK’s post-Brexit fishing arrangements, saying there would be “retaliation measures” taken if the UK does not [...]
Telegraph profit jumps as pandemic boosts subscriber numbers April 27, 2021 The Telegraph has booked a sharp rise in profit for the year as continued growth in subscriber numbers helped to offset a wider downturn in newspaper revenue during the pandemic. Telegraph Media Group (TMG), which publishes the Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph and Telegraph website, posted operating profit of £28.3m in 2020 — up 76 per [...]
Government task force to examine hybrid working post-pandemic April 27, 2021 Ministers have formed a task force to draw up advice on flexible working, as Covid-19 restrictions ease and attention turns to the role of the office post-pandemic. Twenty business groups and trade unions will meet today to begin a review of hybrid working, the Times first reported. The group will be asked to consider how [...]
UK to Greece vaccine passports are ‘forthcoming’, Greek minister says April 27, 2021 Covid-19 passports between the UK and Greece are “forthcoming”, the Greek government has said today, allowing some vaccinated Brits to island hop this summer. Foreign holidays this year are increasingly on the cards as vaccine passports have gained traction. The Greek tourism minister, Harry Theoharis, said Greece is looking to welcome back UK tourists who [...]
Law firm Irwin Mitchell tells staff to work when and where they like April 27, 2021 Staff at Irwin Mitchell will be able to choose where and when they work in the future, after an employee and client survey suggested most wanted a hybrid approach post-pandemic. The law firm, which is rumoured to be gearing up to float on the London Stock Exchange, told its 3,000 employees that, subject to their [...]
