Santa has a great reputation. Generous, jolly, snazzily dressed. But he’s obviously a terrible employer. The elves are entirely unpaid for their gruelling manual labour. Their fixed smiles and constant singing are evidence of a culture of fear. Does anyone believe he’s keeping the Lapland workplace temperature above the Health and Safety Executive’s 16C minimum?…
A lawyer acting for Nadhim Zahawi during investigations into the former chancellor’s tax affairs has been ordered to pay £310,000 after a campaigner complained of an attempt to silence him over the controversy. Ashley Hurst, from the legal firm Osborne Clarke, was alleged to have improperly tried to restrict Dan Neidle, campaigner and founder of…
Albania has announced a one-year ban on TikTok following the killing of a teenager last month that raised fears over the influence of social media on children. Edi Rama, the prime minister, confirmed the ban, part of a broader plan to make schools safer, after meeting with parents’ groups and teachers from across the country.…
The building of a controversial 25-storey office block nicknamed the Slab on London’s South Bank is to go ahead after the high court upheld a decision by the former communities secretary Michael Gove to approve the development. Mr Justice Mould dismissed a legal challenge by the Save Our South Bank group, which has been fighting…
Bee-killing pesticides are to be banned by the UK government, as ministers set out plans to outlaw the use of neonicotinoids. However, the highly toxic neonicotinoid Cruiser SB could be allowed for use next year, as ministers are considering applications from the National Farmers’ Union and British Sugar. This powerful pesticide poisons bees by destroying…
A sign in a Party City store in Miami, Florida, on Jan. 18, 2023. Joe Raedle | Getty Images Party City on Friday announced it will close all of its stores and has initiated corporate layoffs effective immediately, according to a CNN report. CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees in a meeting viewed by CNN…
The party is over at Party City, once the largest supplier of balloons and other fun-time supplies in the US, as the company announced Friday it was closing down all of its stores, ending nearly 40 years in business. Barry Litwin, the Party City CEO, told employees that the chain was “winding down” operations immediately…
The US Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said on Friday it filed a lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo for failing to protect consumers from alleged “widespread fraud” on the payments platform Zelle. The lawsuit was initiated as the watchdog moves ahead with an aggressive agenda in the final weeks of Joe…
A lone traveler makes his way past a nearly deserted TSA security screening area at Orlando International Airport ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Milton, on October 9, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. Paul Hennessy | Anadolu | Getty Images A government shutdown is looming just as the peak holiday travel season gets underway. Lawmakers have…
The EU should refrain from “punitive” fines on carmakers that fail to meet emissions standards, the German chancellor has said, adding to the heated debate on the future of the key European industry. Olaf Scholz, who is running for re-election in February at a time when Germany’s biggest carmaker, Volkswagen, is planning unprecedented plant closures…
