Alibaba fires manager accused of sexual assault August 9, 2021 Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group said today it had fired a manager over suspected sexual assault. The firm has also promised policies to prevent sexual harassment in the office but was criticised by state media for no action until the accuser went public. Over the weekend, a female staff posted an 11-page account on Alibaba’s [...]
Stillwater – Amanda Knox-inspired drama is slow but solid August 5, 2021 Whoever said “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” clearly didn’t work on publicity for Stillwater, as this week’s drama comes to the screen with a lot of baggage. The film is very loosely inspired by the trial of Amanda Knox, who posted tweets denouncing the film. As if that wasn’t enough, star Matt Damon [...]
Firefighter wins claim against Fire Brigades Union after suspension for pro-Brexit speech August 5, 2021 A firefighter who sued the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) for unfair dismissal over a pro-Brexit speech has announced he has won his claim. Former FBU executive council member Paul Embery was suspended from his post for giving a speech at a Leave Means Leave rally in March 2019 in London. Embery, now a columnist at [...]
WPP raises forecast, following further revenue growth August 5, 2021 WPP today reported continuing strong results for the first half of the year, in a sign of optimism for the global marketing industry. The London-listed ad giant reported revenue growth of 9.8 per cent and new net business worth almost $3bn in the first six months of the year as more customers return to investing [...]
Investors pile £12bn into UK-listed companies, hoisting the market above pre-pandemic levels August 5, 2021 UK listed companies have raised more than £12bn in fresh capital from investors in the first half of this year, building the market back above pre-pandemic levels. The pandemic caused a resurgence in UK capital markets activity last year, with funds raised by listed companies peaking at its highest level in over a decade. Investors [...]
Lyft announce first profit figure three months ahead of target August 4, 2021 Californian Uber-challenger Lyft saw shares rise six per cent on Tuesday after announcing the first time quarterly profit in the firm’s nine-year history. Three months ahead of target, the company said EBITDA profit hit $23.8m (£17.2m) in the most recent quarter as rider numbers rebound after the pandemic. Lyft has branched out in tandem with [...]
The Office: Time for Government to offer certainty and direction August 4, 2021 Life has changed immeasurably over the past eighteen months, and the world of work is no different. Many office workers have now been working from home for over a year and habits have changed. Is hybrid working the future? There are certainly plenty of advocates suggesting that sofas, laptops and 8:59 alarm clocks are the [...]
Over 100 Amazon Prime Air staff let go as drone deliveries fail to get off the ground August 3, 2021 More than 100 Amazon Prime Air employees have lost their jobs as the project has cut back parts of its UK operations, according to reports. Amazon Prime Air, which launched in 2016, is e-commerce giant Amazon’s delivery division for drones. However, a number of employees on the UK team told Wired that the drone project [...]
Markets in retreat after last week’s outbreak August 3, 2021 Crypto at a Glance The slow start to the week continues, with the Bitcoin price still in retreat after failing to push past $42,000. The world’s largest cryptocurrency continues to trade in the corridor between $30,000 and $42,000 where it’s been stuck since late May, currently changing hands for around $38,500. it remains at the [...]
Rishi Sunak renews call for City workers to get back to the office August 2, 2021 Rishi Sunak has renewed calls for young City workers to get back to the office now the government’s work from home order has been dropped. The chancellor recalled how his career as a young investment banker was helped by making relationships in the office with older colleagues. Speaking about a recent visit to Scotland where [...]