HSBC’s “International Manager” programme, a legacy scheme set up to develop the next generation of the bank’s executives, has been closed to new recruits in a cost-cutting effort.

Starbucks workers and union supporters in 10 countries, including the UK, Germany, and Australia, staged coordinated protests yesterday in solidarity with 3,000 striking US baristas. The US workers, represented by Starbucks Workers United, are calling for better pay, staffing, and resolution of hundreds of labour disputes. While Starbucks says the strike has had minimal business…

Justice Secretary David Lammy has committed to addressing spurious lawsuits aimed at silencing whistleblowers and journalists, otherwise known as Slapps – strategic lawsuits against public participation. At the launch of the government’s anti-corruption strategy, Lammy outlined plans to enact provisions from the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 to combat these lawsuits. He said:…

Schools across the UK have introduced temporary closures and other measures to contain a highly infectious mutated influenza A (H3N2) strain, known as “subclade K.” Several schools, including St Martin’s in Caerphilly and Congleton High in Cheshire, shut for deep cleaning, while others reduced activities such as singing assemblies to limit transmission. The outbreak has…

HSBC has told staff not to wear Christmas jumpers due to a need to maintain a sense of professionalism and sensitivity to customers who may be dealing with difficult circumstances. A HSBC spokesman said: “We are encouraging colleagues to celebrate Christmas in branches in lots of different ways, including decorating branches, team celebrations and festive…

A new edition of the Future of Life Institute’s AI safety index says the safety practices of artificial intelligence companies including Anthropic, OpenAI, xAI and Meta are “far short of emerging global standards.” Max Tegmark, MIT professor and Future of Life president, observed: “Despite recent uproar over AI-powered hacking and AI driving people to psychosis…