Johnson meets with Lukashenko’s opposition after disputed election August 3, 2021 Prime minister Boris Johnson met with the leader of the Belarusian opposition party today as tension between the country, its people and the rest of Europe swells. Meeting at Downing Street earlier today, Johnson condemned current leader Alexander Lukashenko’s regime and persecution of opposition voices like Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and her husband. Tikhanovskaya ran as the [...]
Amazon meddled with a union election, US labour watchdog says August 3, 2021 E-commerce giant Amazon has meddled with a union election by not ensuring ballot privacy and handing out paraphernalia that discouraged organising, according to the US labour watchdog. The National Labour Relations Board (NLRB) had been investigating a number of alleged illegal actions during Amazon’s union drive. In its latest report, the NLRB issued recommendations that [...]
China’s Wuhan to test all 12m residents after just three Delta cases found August 3, 2021 China’s Wuhan is set to test all 12m residents after just three Delta variant cases were spotted in the city, but fears of it spreading grow. The country’s levels of the Delta variant are still relatively low in comparison to the UK, with total cases standing at just 414 for the entire country. The Delta [...]
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 [...]
Jack Ma’s Ant Group emerges as a steady ship amid China’s tech crackdown August 3, 2021 Fintech giant Ant Group, the brainchild of Chinese billionaire Jack Ma, has emerged a steady ship in its first-quarter amid a rocky political climate in China. Revenue rose to $31.8bn in the three months ending 30 June, a little below analyst forecasts. Following intense scrutiny from local regulators, the Chinese fintech giant has shifted into [...]
Moscow Metro introduces face recognition payment system August 3, 2021 The Tube has Oyster cards and the New York subway its Metrocards, but Moscow’s Metro is going one better – rolling out ticketing based on facial recognition technology. The Face Pay technology use biometric data and bank card details to recognise, and charge, travellers on the Metro. The tech is currently being trialled on the [...]
China sets ‘buy Chinese’ targets for state companies against US trade deal August 3, 2021 The Chinese government has issued new procurement guidelines for state-owned companies and organisations that require up to 100 per cent local content on over 300 items, setting new obstacles for foreign suppliers. Document 551, titled “Auditing guidelines for government procurement of imported products”, was issued in May by the Chinese Ministry of Finance and the [...]
Historic IPO: India’s first woman-led unicorn could stoke a $4bn valuation August 3, 2021 Upcoming unicorn and beauty e-commerce startup Nykaa could be looking at a $4bn valuation once it makes the final touches to its initial public offering. The Mumbai-headquartered startup hitting a billion-dollar valuation would make it India’s first-ever woman-led unicorn. The country’s woman-led unicorn has emerged from former investment banker Falguni Nayar, who has bagged the [...]
Societe Generale returns to profit as retail banking recovers August 3, 2021 French bank Societe Generale swung back to profit in the second quarter of this year driven by a rebound in its retail banking arm. The lender registered net income of €1.4bn in the second quarter of 2021, up sharply from a €1.2bn loss in the same period the year before. Read more: Standard Chartered profits [...]
EY to pay $10m to settle SEC misconduct charges August 3, 2021 Ernst & Young and three audit partners settled charges with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over claims of misconduct in their relationship with the chief accounting officer of a US company, it is widely reported. The big four firm agreed to a $10m (£7.2m) settlement to close the case on charges of audit independence [...]