Barclays probed by privacy watchdog over reports of spying on staff August 9, 2020 Barclays is being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) following accusations that it spied on its staff. The UK’s data and privacy watchdog said a formal probe is ongoing, but could not say when it may conclude. It follows a report by City A.M. earlier this year that Barclays was piloting a system which [...]
Tiktok threatens legal action over Trump executive order August 7, 2020 Tiktok has said it is considering legal action after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning the app in 45 days’ time. The short-form video app said it was “shocked” by the order. It added that it would it would “pursue all remedies available” to “ensure the rule of law is not discarded”. [...]
Evening Standard to cull a third of its workforce August 7, 2020 The Evening Standard is preparing to cut around a third of its staff, as the coronavirus pandemic bites on advertising revenue. Around 70 journalists — which amounts to half the paper’s editorial staff — will be affected in the cuts which encompass a total of 115 roles, the Guardian first reported. Circulation of the free [...]
Foreign Office cat Palmerston heads into retirement August 7, 2020 Palmerston, the cat who has lived at the Foreign Office for four and a half years, is to step down from his mouse-catching duties for diplomats. He will instead retire to the countryside, where he plans to live out the remainder of his years relaxing in the rolling grass. Handing in his resignation to the [...]
British Airways reaches halfway point in 12,000 job cuts August 7, 2020 More than 6,000 British Airways staff have opted to take voluntary redundancy, as the airline makes progress on its mission to cut 12,000 jobs. The airline will send out letters to its remaining staff today to tell them whether they still have a job or not, and if they do, whether they will be required [...]
Facebook staff to work from home until July 2021 August 7, 2020 Facebook has said its employees will be allowed to work from home until July 2021, and will be given $1,000 towards the cost of building a home office. It follows in the footsteps of other big technology firms, after Google said last month it would permit those who do not need to be in the [...]
Trump issues executive order against Tiktok and Wechat over China links August 7, 2020 US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order promising a ban on Chinese-owned apps such as Tiktok and Wechat within 45 days. The two apps must be removed from Apple and Google’s app stores and all business ceased with US companies by the deadline. Tiktok owner Bytedance is currently in negotiations over a sale [...]
Dominic Cummings’ lockdown trip harmed confidence in Covid-19 response August 7, 2020 A breach of lockdown rules by top aide Dominic Cummings directly harmed public confidence in the UK government’s coronavirus response, a study said today. The incident caused a clear decrease of public confidence in the government’s ability to handle the pandemic, which started from the day the story broke and has not recovered since, a [...]
Starling Bank predicts 2020 profitability despite deepened losses August 6, 2020 Starling Bank has said it expects to break even by the end of this year and be profitable in 2021, despite more than doubling its losses in 2019. Chief executive Anne Boden told reporters the digital bank had benefited from participating in government schemes to provide business loans during the pandemic, gaining new loans on [...]
Fortnite creator Epic Games raises $1.78bn August 6, 2020 Epic Games, the firm behind the popular online multiplayer game Fortnite, said today it has raised $1.78bn in its latest funding round, taking its valuation to $17.3bn. The latest funding round includes the $250m investment made by electronics giant Sony last month for a reported 1.4 per cent stake in the company. Other new investors [...]
