rt--2019-04-28--4 people killed as giant crane crashes down on under-construction Google campus cars PHOTOS

4 people killed as giant crane crashes down on under-construction Google campus, cars (PHOTOS)

Four people have died and four others have been injured after a crane collapsed onto a street in Seattle, slamming into a Google office building under construction and trapping people inside cars.  The collapse took place on Mercer Street in downtown Seattle on Saturday afternoon. Four people were already dead when rescuers arrived at the scene, Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins told a press conference.  The death toll includes two crane operators and two people who died in separate cars after the crane wreckage crumpled their roofs. Three people were taken to hospital and one was treated at the scene.  Overall, six cars were hit by flying debris, the fire chief said.  A four-month-old girl is among the persons injured in the collision. The little girl, together with her 25-year-old mother, was taken to hospital in a stable condition. A 28-year-old man remains in a serious condition, KOMO News reported.  Photos from the scene show part of the crane collapsed on the side of a sprawling Google office complex under construction. The construction of the four-building complex began in 2017 and was supposed to include towers as high as 15 stories.  The other part of the crane fell onto the street, crashing down onto the cars parked nearby.  "Half of it was flying down sideways on the building. The other half fell down on the street, crossing both lanes of traffic," the Seattle Times reported, citing a witness.  Seattle Times journalist Evan Bush wrote on Twitter that some of the cars were "pancaked" while construction workers scrambled to help the survivors to crawl out of the mangled vehicles.  A powerful gust of wind reportedly triggered the collapse, witnesses told the paper, while police did not elaborate on the cause of the incident. Traffic around the scene was shut down until Sunday, with Seattle Department of Transportation advising drivers to opt for alternative routes.  Seattle has been a magnet for tech companies like Amazon, Google and many others who have built their offices there, turning the city into a giant construction ground. Seattle boasts around 60 construction cranes, more than any other city in the US.  Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!


slate--2019-09-02--Kevin Hart Injured in Car Crash

Kevin Hart Injured in Car Crash

Comedian Kevin Hart was hospitalized on Sunday after a car crash in Calabasas, California, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hart’s driver, Jared Black, 28, lost control of the car around 12:45 a.m. Sunday while making a left turn onto the Mulholland Highway from Cold Canyon Road, smashing through a fence and sending the vehicle rolling down an northern embankment. CBS2 and KCAL9 reporter Greg Mills tweeted out video footage of the skid marks where the car left the road:  Black and a third passenger, Rebecca Broxterman, were trapped under the collapsed roof of the car; Hart was able to get free and went to his nearby house to get help. According to the California Highway Patrol, Hart and Black were taken to separate hospitals; Broxterman was not as seriously injured and sought treatment on her own. Police say Black had not been drinking at the time of the accident. Hart bought the car, a 1970 Plymouth Barracuda, as a 40th birthday present to himself earlier this summer:  According to TMZ, Hart and Black both suffered “major back injuries”; the comedian’s team has not yet commented on the incident. Hart, who was most recently in the news for being briefly offered a chance to host the Oscars, will next appear in Jumanji: The Next Level, which is scheduled for a Dec. 13 release.  Get Slate Culture in Your Inbox The best of movies, TV, books, music, and more, delivered three times a week. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again. Please enable javascript to use form. By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time.

disaster, accident and emergency incident


sottnet--2019-06-28--2 dead 1 injured when plane crashes into North Carolina home

2 dead, 1 injured when plane crashes into North Carolina home

The pilot and one person in the home died at the scene, according to a statement from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. A third person "with serious injuries" was rushed to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville.Those three individuals have not been identified, authorities said.The State Highway Patrol was securing the crash site until the arrival of investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration.The cause of the crash is not yet known.


sputnik--2019-05-28--Two People Die as Bus Carrying Chinese Citizens Crashes in Russia - Reports

"A traffic accident involving a bus carrying Chinese citizens happened in Ussuriysk. Two people were killed, while several more people, no less than three, sustained different injuries," the source said.  The emergency services also reported that the exact number of victims is still being determined. Ambulance crews are working at the site.  The circumstances of the accident are being investigated.


sputnik--2019-11-24--Three People Killed After Train Crashes Into Car in Florida - Reports

According to Palm Beach County Sheriff spokeswoman Teri Barbera, as cited by CNN, the incident happened Saturday afternoon. The car proceeded to cross the tracks, rather than stopping, and the approaching train collided with it.  Investigators believe all three people in the vehicle have been killed, but they have not been able to access the car as it was heavily damaged in the accident.  Service has been disrupted due to a vehicle strike north of West Palm Beach. The Silver Star that left Miami yesterday the 22nd bound for New York is not affected. The Silver Star that left Miami this morning is the one that is currently stopped north of West Palm Beach. — Amtrak Alerts (@AmtrakAlerts) November 23, 2019  According to train service provider Amtrak, no train passengers or crew were injured or killed by the collision. The train faced an almost 4-hour delay and continued on its path afterwards.


tass--2019-07-02--2 dead 5 injured in a massive car crash in Moscow

2 dead, 5 injured in a massive car crash in Moscow

MOSCOW, July 2. /TASS/. Two people died, five were injured in an accident involving five cars at Kutuzovsky Avenue in Moscow, a source in the law enforcement agencies told TASS.  "Two people died at the crash site, five more were injured, and are being examined by ambulance services," the source said.  Earlier, a source in the law enforcement agencies reported that five cars, including a taxi, crashed near Kutuzovsky Avenue building 33 in Moscow, seven people were injured. The injured, including a child, got stuck in the deformed cars. According to the source, the police officers are on the scene, investigating into the causes of the crash.


theepochtimes--2019-08-25--Couple Killed in Car Crash Right After Getting Married Reports Say

Couple Killed in Car Crash Right After Getting Married, Reports Say  A newlywed couple in Texas died in a car crash right after they were married in a wedding ceremony on Aug. 23, multiple sources have reported.  Their vehicle collided with a pickup truck, killing the two, KFDM reported.  Harley Morgan, 19, and Rhiannon Boudreaux, 20, were driving on a highway in Orange, Texas, when their vehicle hit a pickup truck towing a trailer and a tractor, police said.  The accident took place just a few minutes after the two exchanged vows. The sister and mother of the groom witnessed the crash, according to the news outlet.  “They had just gotten married,” Morgan’s mother, Kennia, told the station. “They haven’t even been married for five minutes.”  “Those two babies,” Kennia Morgan said. “The only thing that they wanted was to get married and start their life. The two of them had so many dreams.”  The two died at the scene of the crash. The man driving the truck was unharmed.  Kennia attempted to save the two and tried to pull them out of the vehicle.  “I watched my baby die,” she said. “I’m still wearing my son’s blood because I was trying my best to rip him and her out of the car.”  The two were planning to get married around Christmas, but they apparently did not want to wait to make their wedding official.  “I witnessed my own worst nightmare,” Kennia said. “That’s an image that will haunt me the rest of my life. I won’t forget it. It will never go away. I will see that truck hit my baby and kill my baby every night of my life, the rest of the time that I’m on earth.”  The driver of the truck was not identified, and officials said he was cooperating with the investigation, KOLD reported.  An investigation revealed there were no signs of wrongdoing. Drug and alcohol tests are pending, officials said.  “Please go home and hug your loved ones tonight,” the grieving mother told the Beaumont Enterprise. “Do not go to bed angry.”  Other details regarding this case have not been released at this time.  Violent crime in the United States has fallen sharply over the past 25 years, according to both the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) (pdf).   The rate of violent crimes fell by 49 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the FBI’s UCR, which only reflects crimes reported to the police.  The violent crime rate dropped by 74 percent between 1993 and 2017, according to the BJS’s NCVS, which takes into account both crimes that have been reported to the police and those that have not.  The FBI recently released preliminary data for 2018. According to the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report, January to June 2018, violent crime rates in the United States dropped by 4.3 percent compared to the same six-month period in 2017.  While the overall rate of violent crime has seen a steady downward drop since its peak in the 1990s, there have been several upticks that bucked the trend. Between 2014 and 2016, the murder rate increased by more than 20 percent, to 5.4 per 100,000 residents, from 4.4, according to an Epoch Times analysis of FBI data. The last two-year period that the rate soared so quickly was between 1966 and 1968.waylon jennings are you sure hank done it this way


theepochtimes--2019-08-29--Jet Car Crash That Killed Jessi Combs Under Investigation

Co-host Jessi Combs speaks at the 'Overhaulin' discussion panel during the Discovery Networks/Velocity portion of the 2012 Summer Television Critics Association tour at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California on Aug. 2, 2012. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)  An investigation has been launched into the jet car crash that killed Jessi Combs, one of the most famous women racers in the world.  Combs, 39, died in the Alvord Desert in Oregon while trying to break a land speed record. She was once clocked at 483 miles per hour; the record is 512.7 mph.  Combs, who was driving a refashioned jet, indicated in an Instagram post made days before she died that she wanted to do 619 mph.  Lieutenant Brian Needham of the Harney County Sheriff’s Office said that the office is investigating what happened.  Dispatchers received a report on Aug. 27 that a jet car crashed while attempting to break a land speed record in the desert, leading to one death, he said in a statement.  The crash also caused a jet fuel fire. Because of the remote area, no pictures or footage have emerged showing the scene before, during, or after the crash.  Deputies with the office responded to the area, which is located about 90 miles south of Burn.  Combs, from Long Beach, California, was pronounced dead at the scene.  “The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and is currently being investigated,” Needham said.  According to the office, the group was legally racing the jet car after having obtained the appropriate permits from the Bureau of Land Management. The bureau confirmed to The Epoch Times that the group had the proper permits. A spokeswoman said that the agency is not involved in the investigation.  The desert is often used for racing and was the site of Kitty Smith’s race that set the record in 1976. She was driving a three-wheel machine.  Combs had the record for a woman racing a four-wheel vehicle but wanted to top Smith’s record.  According to her racing team, Combs hit 483 mph on Sept. 12, 2018, but was forced to stop.  “Unfortunately a hydraulic bay door lock mechanism broke allowing the door to open. It was instantly torn away from the vehicle with parts entering the left hand engine inlet, causing the test session to come to an end,” the team said.  Combs said at the time that she went “slightly faster” but “unfortunately a piece of debris was sucked into the turbine intake.”  “There is minimal damage, though game over for now. Quite a bummer, but happy with the new achievements ? Looking forward to the next attempt of ludicrous speed,” she added.  Needham, the police official, said that investigators were trying to obtain the laptop computers that were on board the jet car.  “They’re waiting for the team to recover the [engine and systems] information stored on the inboard computers,” he told the New York Post.  Needham said the cause of the fire wasn’t clear yet, whether it was Combs running into something, or the vehicle catching on fire.  The vehicle she was driving, the North American Eagle Supersonic Speed Challenger, was a 56-foot-long reconfigured F-104 jet that had 52,000 horsepower.


theepochtimes--2019-08-31--5 Dead When Cars Burst Into Flames After Florida Crash

5 Dead When Cars Burst Into Flames After Florida Crash  GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Five people are dead after a fiery crash in Florida.  Gainesville Fire Rescue reports it responded to a two-car crash at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. One of the vehicles caught fire and the flames spread to the second vehicle.  Firefighters worked to remove the cars’ occupants while others put out the fire.  Five occupants died at the scene while a sixth was taken to a hospital in critical condition.  The identities of the victims weren’t immediately released. Florida Highway Patrol is investigation the cause of the crash.


theguardianuk--2019-10-08--Eight injured as stolen lorry crashes into cars in Germany

German authorities are investigating a man who drove a stolen lorry into a line of cars in Limburg in the western state of Hesse, injuring eight people.  The 32-year-old had pulled the driver of the vehicle from his cabin at a red light before using the lorry to plough into eight cars waiting at a light near the town’s central railway station at about 5.20pm (1620 BST) on Monday.  The man, a Syrian national named as Omar AI by the national broadcaster ARD, was arrested at the scene.  Germany has been on alert following several jihadi attacks in recent years claimed by Islamic State. The most deadly was committed in 2016 by a 23-year-old Tunisian, who killed 12 people when he stole a truck and ploughed it through a Berlin Christmas market.  A number of German media outlets, citing security sources, reported that authorities believed Monday’s incident to have a terrorist background. However, a spokesperson for the general public prosecutor in Frankfurt said they could not confirm a terrorist motive and were still investigating the case.  According to the news agency dpa, the suspect has lived in Germany since 2015 and was known to the police for a number of minor criminal offences including possession of drugs and theft.  However, he had no known links to Islamist extremist circles.  The Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth urged people not to jump to conclusions. “Although the events recall the horrible attacks in Nice and Berlin, the motive of the detained man remains unclear,” he said.  Marius Hahn, the mayor of Limburg, said he was shocked by the incident. “My thoughts are with the injured victims of the accident and their families,” he said.


theguardianuk--2019-10-31--Three Britons killed in South Africa car crash

Three Britons have been killed and another injured in a car crash in South Africa.  Miranda Harris, 66, and married couple Chris Naylor, 58, and Susanna Naylor, 54, died when their car came off Swarkskop Bridge near Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape Province, on Monday.  Harris’s husband Peter, 67, survived the crash with injuries, alongside the driver of the car. He is in a stable condition in a Port Elizabeth hospital.  It is thought that the car went off the bridge after it collided with another vehicle on the N2 motorway in Bluewater Bay, on South Africa’s southern coast.  The two couples were in the country with Christian charity A Rocha, founded by Miranda and Peter Harris in the early 1980s.  Chris Naylor, executive director of A Rocha International, co-founded A Rocha Lebanon in 1996 with his wife. Both had worked as teachers in the Middle East.  In recent years, Susanna Naylor was head of science at Christ Church Cathedral School, Oxford.  Rev Dave Bookless, director of theology at A Rocha, said: “The deaths of Chris, Miranda and Susanna leave a huge and irreplaceable hole in our lives and our organisation.  “Our prayers are for Peter’s full recovery, along with the driver of the vehicle they were travelling in, and also for the Harris and Naylor families, as well as the hundreds, if not thousands, who consider them as extended family.  “Now is a time for grief, and sharing our treasured memories of some godly people.”  The Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are supporting the families of two British couples following a car accident in Port Elizabeth in which three people died and one was left seriously injured. Our staff are in contact with the South African authorities.”


theindependent--2019-01-05--Florida crash Five children heading to Disney World killed in fiery multiple car pile up

Florida crash: Five children heading to Disney World killed in fiery multiple car pile up

Seven people, including five children, have died in a fiery multi-vehicle collision near Gainesville in Florida.  Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13;  Briena  Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelan, nine, were travelling to Disney World with their church group when they were caught up in a collision involving two 18-wheelers. The tragedy happened on Interstate 75 close to the city of Alachua, some 130 miles north of Orlando.  According to the highway patrol, a truck being driven by 59-year-old Steve Holland from West Palm Beach was travelling north in the far-right lane when it suddenly veered left, colliding with a car driven by Robyn Rattray, 41, from Gainesville.  Both the truck and car spun out of control and through the centre divider, where Holland’s truck ploughed into the southbound church van, driven by Amy Joffiron, 49, causing the vehicle to flip several times and eject some of the nine children on board.  The victims died after diesel was spilt across the road during the collision, triggering a massive blaze. Holland and Douglas Bolkema, 49, from Albuquerque, New Mexico were also killed.  The four surviving children, who were also ages 9 to 14, remain hospitalised.  “It’s a heartbreaking event,” Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan told reporters near the crash scene in Alachua County, Florida.  Eyewitness Vinnie DeVita said he narrowly escaped the crash but saw the saw the tragedy in the rearview mirror.  “If I had stepped on the brake when I heard the noise, undoubtedly, I would have been in that accident,” he told Orlando television station WKMG.  “And then within probably 15 to 20 seconds of it all, it exploded. I mean, just a ball of flames.”  Authorities said at least eight people were taken to hospital with injuries including a pregnant woman and her unborn child who was now in a stable condition.  Although officials did not identify the Pentecostal church involved, Maxine Doughty, a member of the Avoyelles House of Mercy told The Gainesville Sun that her church was devastated.  “It’s unbelievable. Everybody is in shock. We lost five of our children,” she said. “We had our Last Supper Sunday, and the pastor said to live our lives like each day is the last day.”  The crash is the worst accident on that highway since January 2012, when 11 people died in a chain-reaction crash attributed to heavy fog and smoke on the road. That fatal collision prompted officials to install cameras, sensors and large electronic signs.


theindependent--2019-01-14--Iran plane crash At least 15 killed after military cargo flight goes down

Iran plane crash: At least 15 killed after military cargo flight goes down

At least 15 people have been killed after a military cargo plane crashed in Iran.  The army said a flight engineer survived and was taken to hospital, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.  A fire engulfed the Boeing 707 immediately after it skidded off a runway and crashed into a wall separating the airfield from a residential neighbourhood in the town of Safadasht, reports said.  State-run media showed the burnt-out tail of the plane surrounded by charred homes.  The plane was heading for Payam International airport, about 25 miles west of Tehran, when it made an emergency landing at Fath airport nearby.  “A Boeing cargo 707 plane carrying meat from Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan had an emergency landing at Fath airport today ... the flight engineer has been dispatched to the hospital,” the army said.  “It exited the runway during the landing and caught fire after hitting the wall at the end of the runway.”  Authorities have yet to explain the reason for the crew’s decision to land there, though they said the crew had declared an emergency before landing.  Fars said the plane crash-landed after “mistaking the airport with another airfield because of the bad weather”.  Seven bodies from the crash have been recovered, Iranian media reported.  Iran’s air force said that the fate of the crew, including their possible “martyrdom”, is under investigation.  Iranians often use the word “martyrdom” for those who die in war or national service, suggesting the aircraft may have belonged to the air force. The air force does operate Boeing 707s.


theindependent--2019-10-12--Boy, 14, dies after crashing suspected stolen car during police chase

A 14-year-old boy has died after he crashed a suspected stolen car during a police pursuit.  Police attempted to stop the Fiat 500 in Wigan, Greater Manchester, at about 1.25pm on Friday, before it collided with two cars.  The boy was taken to hospital from the scene in Ashton Road, Golborne, and was pronounced dead in the early hours of Saturday.  Two other boys, aged 14 and 15, who were travelling in the Fiat, were also taken to hospital.  The 14-year-old suffered minor injuries and has since been discharged but the 15-year-old remains in hospital, his condition described as critical but stable.  The incident has been routinely referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.  Sergeant Jon McColl, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "First and foremost, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the boy who passed away this morning.  "The serious collision investigation unit is continuing with inquiries so that the full circumstances surrounding the collision can be established.  "Given the brief pursuit that developed prior to the collision, we have referred the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct which is in line with normal policy."


theindependent--2019-12-08--Wednesbury crash: Two killed after cars collide in West Midlands

Two men have been killed and three people seriously injured in a car crash in the West Midlands market town of Wednesbury.  Police launched an investigation after being called to the collision between a Jeep Cherokee and a VW Golf at 10.30pm on Friday.  The two men, aged 21 and 37, were pronounced dead at the scene near the Patent Shaft roundabout on the A41 Black Country New Road.  The three surviving victims were taken to hospital for treatment. The road has since been reopened.  “We’re currently working to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision and whether any other vehicles were involve,” said Sergeant Alan Hands from West Midlands Police.  “I’d ask that anyone who has information or witnessed what happened, in particular any motorists who were in the area and have dash cam footage to come forward and contact the investigation team.”  The victims’ families have been informed of their deaths and are being supported by trained officers.  On Thursday night, an 18-year-old woman died after a car crashed into a tree in Hamble, Hampshire.  Abbie O’Rourke, from Netley Abbey, was a passenger in the silver Toyota Aygo. Two other passengers and the driver were taken to hospital after suffering injuries in the collision in School Lane at 9pm.  Hampshire Police launched an investigation and have appealed for witnesses who saw the car in the Hamble area before the crash.


theindependent--2019-12-22--London bus crash: Woman dead and three injured after car collides with National Express coach

A 26-year-old woman has been killed and three others injured after a head-on crash between a National Express coach and a small car in southwest London.  The vehicles were engulfed in flames after they collided in the early hours of Sunday morning on Queenstown Road, in Battersea.  The rear-seat passenger of the grey Volkswagen Polo car died at the scene and the female driver is in a critical condition, said the Metropolitan Police, which is investigating the incident.  In footage circulating on social media, police and ambulance crews can be seen trying to dampen the flames and rescue people from inside.  Witnesses can be heard saying the vehicles “exploded” after crashing into each other.  Images show the car to have been a Zipcar rental vehicle, which can be hired by the hour.  One passenger on the A3 service from Gatwick to London Victoria was taken to hospital, while all other passengers were safely transferred to a replacement vehicle, a National Express spokesman said.  “Emergency services attended the scene and we will continue to provide every assistance with the ongoing investigation,” they said. “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the occupant of the car, who sadly passed away.”  A London Ambulance Service spokesman said that despite the “best efforts of our medics, one patient sadly died at the scene”.  “We took a second patient to a major trauma centre as a priority. We treated two further patients for minor injuries: we took one of them to hospital and the other was discharged at the scene.”  The Metropolitan Police is appealing for witnesses to aid its investigation. Road closures remain in place at the time of writing.


theirishtimes--2019-04-18--Man killed in car crash in Co Tipperary

Man killed in car crash in Co Tipperary

A man was killed on Wednesday night in Co Tipperary when the car he was driving collided with another vehicle.  The accident happened on the N24 between Clonmel and Carrick-on-Suir at approximately 11am.  He was pronounced dead at the scene. He was brought to South Tipperary General Hospital where a full post mortem is due to take place.  The driver of the other car was taken to hospital with minor injuries.  The road remains closed to facilitate an examination of the area by the Garda forensic collision investigators. Traffic diversions are in place.  It brings to 51 the number of people killed on Irish roads in 2019. By comparison 45 had been killed by the same stage last year.  Anyone with information is asked to contact Clonmel Garda Station on 052 6177640


bbc--2019-07-05--US labour market booms in June

US labour market booms in June

The US labour market boomed in June, creating many more jobs than expected, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  It showed that 224,000 jobs were created in June, many more than the 160,000 that economists had forecast.  The figures, a rebound from poor jobs data in May, eased concerns the economy was heading for a recession.  The professional and business services sector was the biggest contributor to employment, adding 51,000.  Large numbers of jobs were also created in healthcare, transportation and warehousing.  Despite the strong job creation in June, wage growth was relatively modest at 0.2%, keeping the annual rate at 3.1%.  The jobs data is closely watched by economists who analyse how it might affect interest rate decisions at the US Federal Reserve.  Some are betting that the Fed might lower interest rates following its next meeting which starts on 30 July.  Last month the Fed indicated that interest rates might head lower due to subdued inflation and the effects of the trade war between the US and China.  "These are good numbers, but a rate cut in July is still all but inevitable," said Luke Bartholomew, investment strategist at Aberdeen Standard Investments.  "Employment growth remains a bright spot amid a fairly mixed bag of US data and yet markets have come to expect a cut now so will fall out of bed if they don't get one."  Andrew Hunter, senior US economist, at Capital Economics also forecasts a rate cut, although not until September.  "Employment growth is still trending gradually lower but, with the stock market setting new records and trade talks back on (for now at least), the data support our view that Fed officials are more likely to wait until September before loosening policy," he said.  The US has posted some poor manufacturing data recently, prompting concerns that the economy was heading for a downturn.  But Doug Duncan, chief economist at Fannie Mae, said the numbers suggest "that what has been seen in the manufacturing sector doesn't appear to indicate we may be heading into a recession... the warning signs people saw in manufacturing might not be so strong".


aljazeera--2019-11-08--UK labour market: Are cracks starting to appear?

Demands of employers in the United Kingdom for staff grew in October at the slowest rate in almost eight years, a survey showed on Friday, underlining suspicions at the Bank of England (BoE) that the labour market may be losing its strength.  A monthly index of job vacancies from the Recruitment & Employment Confederation and global accountancy KPMG fell to 51.7 from 52.6 in September, its lowest level since January 2012.  BoE rate cuts to be considered if UK political turmoil continues  On Thursday, two of the BoE's nine interest-rate setters unexpectedly voted to cut interest rates, citing signs that the labour market - the bright spot of the UK's economy since the Brexit vote - may now be on the turn.  Friday's REC report - which is monitored by the BoE - showed permanent job placements fell for the eighth month running and at a faster rate than in September. This chimed with official data that showed job creation waning ahead of the aborted October Brexit deadline.  James Stewart, a vice chair at KPMG UK, said uncertainty around Brexit and a national election scheduled for December 12 had dampened companies' hiring plans.  "It's not just businesses that are being cautious, however, and over October, we've seen job seekers become increasingly nervous about making a career change," said Stewart.  The survey showed starting salaries for permanent staff rose at a solid pace in October, albeit more slowly than in September.  In a new set of forecasts for the economy published on Thursday, the BoE said it thought pay growth in the UK - which recently hit a more than 10-year high - was likely to cool off a little in the coming year.


channel4uk--2019-11-14--FactCheck: Conservatives attack Labour immigration policy – before they know what it is

The Conservatives are warning that immigration would soar under Labour.  The party said that net migration (immigration minus emigration) could rise from its current annual rate of about 220,000 to 840,000 people a year.  This is based on the idea that Labour want to extent the same rights to free movement that European Union citizens have to immigrants from the rest of the world.  FactCheck asked the Conservatives to show us how they reached this “840,000 figure”. They have not yet replied.  All the press release says is that the numbers are based on “official figures and the Government’s own methodology”.  So the Conservatives’ calculations are impossible to check, but there is a more urgent problem: extending free movement to the rest of the world is not Labour party policy.  It is true that a group called Labour Campaign for Free Movement managed to get a motion passed at the party’s conference in September calling for a Labour government to “maintain and extend free movement rights”.  Campaigners from the group have told FactCheck that their ultimate aim is to extend the same rights EU migrant works enjoy to people from outside the EU.  But the phrase passed by conference “maintain and extend” is ambiguous. It could be taken to call for extending the rights already granted to EU citizens in Britain, rather than giving the same rights to the rest of the world.  The Labour party has never officially adopted the position that the phrase “extend free movement rights” means opening Britain’s borders to people from outside the EU, and party sources have been quoted today as saying that this interpretation is wrong.  It is fair to say that Labour appears to be split on the issue of free movement, with various senior figures sending out mixed messages today.  Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott tweeted: “The Labour Party is committed to maintaining and extending Freedom of Movement rights. But the Tories will remove those rights from the EU 3 Million. We will maintain them.  “The Tories break up families by barring spouse of British citizens, via an income requirement. Labour will scrap it, and extend Freedom of Movement rights to all those legally entitled to be here, including our own citizens among others.”  That sounds like Ms Abbott is in favour of retaining and extending freedom of movement rights for EU citizens and their families, rather than for people outside the EU.  Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said in an interview with the Guardian that he was against the conference motion becoming Labour policy, adding: “It’s wrong in my view to have any greater free movement of labour unless you get stricter labour market regulation.”  Laura Pidcock, the shadow secretary of state for employment rights, refused to be drawn on the issue in a string of broadcast interviews today.  In any event, Labour haven’t put out their manifesto for the next general election yet, and there is no guarantee that a motion passed by conference will be included in it.  The contents of the manifesto will be signed off in a “clause V” meeting, attended by members of Labour’s shadow cabinet and national executive committee, as well as trade union representatives, due to be held on Saturday.  Until then, we simply don’t know what Labour’s official policy on free movement is.  The Conservative line here is based on the idea that Labour plan to extend freedom of movement rights to non-EU citizens.  Some activists do back this position – and won a conference motion on it. But it is not Labour party policy.  We won’t find out what Labour’s real immigration policy is until the party publishes its manifesto, following a big policy meeting on Saturday.  Until we know what Labour actually plan to do, any figures the Conservatives put out on immigration are pure speculation.


conservativehome--2019-11-18--Childcare policy should support all parents with children – not just those who work in the labour ma

Childcare policy should support all parents with children – not just those who work in the labour market

It is good that the Conservatives are mulling childcare policy, which is a subset of families policy, on which the Party has had little to say or do since before Theresa May’s leadership. That was back in the days when David Cameron was Prime Minister with a small majority, and wanted to improve life chances for children and parents.  It is not so good to read that they are considering providing more of it “free” – 15 hours of free childcare a week for parents of younger children, as a report would have it. For, after all, nothing that government provides comes “free”: ultimately, taxpayers must pay the bill, unless politicians are prepared to mortgage the future on printing or borrowing.  So when Tories hear the word “manifesto”, “pledge” and “free”, they should reach for the delete button. Especially since it is this kind of careless talk that costs progress, as the recent history of childcare policy in Britain will confirm.  The sum of it is that we have the worst of all worlds. In other words, a system that pleases neither those who want more support for relatively informal care (that’s to say, childcare provided by parents, grandparents, other relatives, friends and members of other family networks); not those who back more provision for comparatively formal care (the “high quality, accessible, affordable childcare” of which we read so often).  The costs of childcare in Britain may or may not be among the very highest in the world (the figures are disputed), but reports that find us among the worst-off countries for family-friendly policies seem to be well founded.  The fundamental reason for these dismal outcomes takes us back to where we started. Politicians – and particularly Conservative ones – have ducked discussing what childcare policy, and the families policy of which it is necessarily a part, is really for, especially when it comes to money. Do we want to encourage parents to work in the labour market? Or support the choices which they choose to make, including caring for those children at home?  Or, as our history and culture might suggest (the RSPCA was established earlier than our main children’s charities), are we disclined to believe that the costs of raising children should be supported at all?  Our own answer is that there is nothing much wrong with the traditional doctrine of what was until fairly recently the Inland Revenue doctrine: namely, that “the taxable capacity of those with children to maintain [is] lower than that of the childless taxpayer”, and that there is therefore a solid case for family allowances of some kind. There are two main practicable ways in which this principle might be recognised.  The first is to build on the present system of child benefit, which has been capped for higher earners. This is because child benefit isn’t really a benefit at all: it’s a transferred tax allowance, paid to “purse rather than wallet”.  The second is to revive the order which child benefit replaced – namely, those child tax allowances; and let what should properly be called the social security system support the family costs of those who don’t pay tax. Most of those on the right would set the latter at a low level, many of those on the left at higher one. But the principle behind such a settlement would be clear.  Since child benefit is paid to all parents with children, regardless of whether or not they work in the labour market, it would make sense for any system of revived tax allowances to be transferable. This would presumably have the side-effect of supporting marriage in the tax system, but that would not be the aim of the policy.  Either way, such a system would be clear, simple – and, admittedly, expensive, because it would aim to support all parents rather than some. But by putting money into the hands of parents, in effect, it would help to drive the demand for childcare of all kinds, formal and informal: that money could be used to pay other family members and friends; those formal high-quality settings, such as day nurseries; those less formal ones, such as childminders, and so on.  Or it could simply be spent by the parents themselves. We apologise if such a system is too straightforward for politicians to get their heads round. But this choice-based ideal is where any Conservative policy worth the name should be seeking to travel to.  The alternative, short of abandoning support for children in the tax and benefit system altogether, is to carry on down the present road of supporting some parents rather than all – with all the distortions that this implies, as chronicled elsewhere by our columnist Ryan Bourne and others.  Obviously, there is more to families policy than childcare – or at least the demand-side business of what to do with the tax and benefit system. There is parental leave. There is regulation, and the degree to which it distorts the childcare market. There is flexible working – and more. But since Team Johnson is looking at the demand side, it is worth the rest of us taking a squint too.


bbcuk--2019-11-16--General election 2019: Labour figures hold crunch manifesto meeting

Senior Labour Party figures are meeting to finalise the party's manifesto for next month's general election.  The party has already announced a number of policies, including a part-nationalisation of BT and extra spending on infrastructure.  But it still has to decide whether to include some policies from its party conference, including on free movement.  The party is also likely to discuss a policy to help women affected by a change in the state retirement age.  The BBC's Iain Watson said the party would consider pledging additional support for women affected when the government in 2011 sped up plans to raise the age at which women could claim the state pension from 60 to 66. • McCluskey on Labour, Brexit and the election • So where do main parties stand on immigration?  Arriving at the meeting, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the manifesto would be "a document that will be transformative to the lives of people all over this country".  Party figures will debate whether to include a commitment to "maintain and extend" free movement rights for migrants, as demanded by delegates at September's party conference.  The party's 2017 manifesto stated that free movement - giving EU citizens the right to work and seek employment in the UK and UK citizens the same right in other EU countries - would end with Brexit.  A small number of protestors gathered outside the meeting, chanting in support of free movement.  The Liberal Democrats earlier called on Labour to make a "cast-iron commitment" to preserve free movement rights in its manifesto. • POLICY GUIDE: Who should I vote for? • POLLS: How are the parties doing? • A TO Z: Our tool to explain election words • REGISTER: What you need to do to vote  The party's home affairs spokeswoman Christine Jardine said failing to do so would be a "betrayal of future generations".  The Lib Dems are pledging a "fair, effective" immigration system if it is elected - with plans to resettle 10,000 unaccompanied refugee children a year.  However, some within Labour are concerned that a more open policy on immigration could alienate voters in Leave-voting areas.  Len McCluskey - the leader of the Unite, the biggest Labour-supporting union - has called for new employment policies to address concerns about freedom of movement.  On Thursday, he denied a newspaper report that he had told Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to take a tough line on free movement of workers.  But he said Labour would "protect all workers" through labour market regulations.  "It won't stop the free movement of labour. It will effectively make certain that greedy bosses, agency companies, are not abusing working people," he said.  Nearly four million women born in the 1950s were affected when the increase in the state retirement age was speeded up earlier this decade.  Many said they weren't given enough time to plan for their retirement.  Campaign groups have been arguing for "bridging pensions" to cover the years from 60 to the new state pension age of 66.  In Labour's last manifesto, the party made a commitment to help the most vulnerable.  But I'm told there will be discussions today on moving towards more substantial help for the women who have been affected.  On Friday, Mr Corbyn confirmed an existing pledge to abolish university tuition fees will be included in the party's manifesto for the 12 December poll.  He also said bringing Royal Mail, rail and water utilities under public ownership "are clearly going to be in our manifesto next week".  Other parties have also begun announcing policies ahead of the official launch of their manifestos later in the campaign.  On Saturday, both the Lib Dems and the Conservatives made rival pledges on tree planting.  The Conservatives also announced £500m of funding over the next five years to help support developing countries in protecting oceans.  The Conservatives and Labour are set to field candidates in every constituency in Britain, except Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle's seat in Chorley in Lancashire.  The Brexit Party has put forward 275 candidates, having stood aside in all the seats won by the Tories in 2017.  Figures from PA suggest the party has also opted not to contest handfuls of other seats being defended by other parties, particularly in Scotland.  The so-called "Clause Five" party meeting offers an opportunity for senior figures to sign off on the party's manifesto.  It is attended by Labour's ruling National Executive Committee, including the shadow cabinet and trade union representatives.  Party staffers present a draft document, whose different policy areas are discussed in turn.  A vote is taken at the end of the meeting on the whole document, rather than voting section-by-section.  There are usually some small amendments. Party positions are unlikely to change - but will perhaps be clarified.


aljazeera--2019-02-07--Qatar remains committed to labour reforms after Amnesty report

Qatar remains 'committed' to labour reforms after Amnesty report

Doha, Qatar - The government of Qatar has vowed to treat labour reforms as "a journey and not an end in itself" in response to an Amnesty International report that warned the country it was "running out of time" to stamp out labour abuse.  "From the outset, we have said that we understood labour reform would be a journey and not an end in itself," said a statement released by the Qatari government on Wednesday.  Amnesty, in its report published earlier this week, said migrant workers continued to be "vulnerable to serious abuses including forced labour and restrictions on freedom of movement".  "Time is running out if the Qatari authorities want to deliver a legacy we can all cheer, namely a labour system that ends the abuse and misery inflicted upon so many migrant workers every day," said Amnesty's Stephen Cockburn.  Qatar and its labour laws have been under the spotlight ever since it was named the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. And while Amnesty acknowledged Qatar had undertaken a reform process, it added that work still needed to be done.  Qatar, a gas-rich peninsula in the Gulf, has said that it was committed to labour reforms, adding that "lasting changes" take time.  "Far from seeing time as running out, the Government of the State of Qatar understands further change is needed and we remain committed to developing these changes as quickly as possible, while ensuring they are effective and appropriate for our labour market conditions," the statement further said.  "Practical, efficient and lasting change takes time and that is what we have committed to."  The statement also added that the government "penalised or banned" almost 12,000 companies in the country for violating its labour laws.  Last year, Qatar amended its residency law to allow most migrant workers to leave the country without an exit visa, a move that was termed a "huge step" by the International Organization for Labour (ILO).  According to the head of the ILO Project Office in Qatar, Houtan Homayounpour, great progress has been made with regards to labour reforms in the country but the work is far from finished.  "There are remaining milestones to be achieved, such as the removal of the exit visa for domestic workers, a non-discriminatory permanent minimum wage, the removal of the NOC requirement, to name a few," Homayounpour told Al Jazeera.  "These are in line with the agreed priorities with the government as a work plan for 2019."  Although the Amnesty report focuses on conditions of the nearly two million migrant workers in Qatar, not just the 30,000 on direct World Cup projects, Amnesty said FIFA had an "ongoing responsibility" to prevent abuse.  In response, football's governing body welcomed Qatari labour reforms in recent months and its continued work with "stakeholders".  In late 2017, a number of contractors working for Qatar 2022 launched an initiative to partially reimburse workers, assigned to some World Cup projects, recruitment fee they had been unlawfully charged in the country of origin.  Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary-general of the World Cup 2022 organising committee, said it was the organisation's belief that "this World Cup can be a catalyst for change, both in Qatar and in other parts of the world".  "Unethical recruitment is a global issue and an area many countries struggle to manage. All too often, the very people who have left their home to provide for their families are the ones exploited," said al-Thawadi.


aljazeera--2019-01-20--Hungarians continue protest over harsh labour law

There has been another day of nationwide protests in Hungary.  Opposition parties and civil society groups are challenging the government's recent labour law, which allows companies to demand up to 400 hours of overtime from workers.  It has sparked weeks of demonstrations against nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.


aljazeera--2019-01-24--US labour unions protest government shutdown

Unions representing federal workers have demonstrated at Congress over the impact of the longest government shutdown in US history.  It was their first major action on Capitol Hill since the partial shutdown began.  Al Jazeera's Shihab Rattansi looks at the role of organised labour in the ongoing crisis.


aljazeera--2019-05-01--Fighting for our rights Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul

'Fighting for our rights': Thousands rally on Labour Day in Seoul

Thousands of South Korean workers have marked Labor Day with a rally in central Seoul, urging the government to adopt major international regulations on promoting labour rights.  Organisers told Al Jazeera that around 27,000 people turned up at Seoul Plaza while another 57,000 demonstrated in 13 cities across the country on Wednesday.  Commemorating International Workers' Day simultaneously, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KTCU), an umbrella labour union and organisers of the rally, said it was urgent for the country to ratify key conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO).  Wearing headbands and raising their fists, the protesters in Seoul rallied in streets near City Hall, marching under banners denouncing deteriorating working conditions and demanding equal treatment and pay for non-regular workers.  "The history of unconstitutional labour law, which is unfair to the workers, should stop as soon as possible. We will fight until we achieve the absolute basic labour rights," KTCU chairman Kim Myung Hwan told Al Jazeera.  The KTCU also called for the job security of irregular workers, a 10,000 won ($8.57) minimum hourly wage, reform of family-owned conglomerates and the expansion of the social safety net.  South Korea became a member of the ILO in 1991. It has since ratified more than two dozen ILO conventions, including four of the eight core ones: two on discrimination and two others on child labour.  Liberal President Moon Jae-in, who won office in May 2017, pushed a labour-friendly agenda that promised to expand workers’ rights, reduce the country’s notoriously long working hours and address the problems of inequality by elevating minimum wages.  "I've worked as a cleaner in a subway station for five years. President Moon promised to make all irregular workers become regular but he hasn't done that yet," said Jun Sang Mun, 55.  "So I've come out today to remind him of that promise."  President Moon's labour-friendly agenda also included reining in the excesses of chaebols, or huge family-owned conglomerates that dominate South Korea’s economy and are often accused of corruption and monopolistic behaviour.  However, many feel that not enough has been done, and the protesters called for the government to take firmer steps towards chaebol reform.  Jung Yeon Kuk, 61, came from Gyung Gi Do to Seoul for the rally. As a carpenter who is not a regular worker, he complained he would not get holiday pay or a paid weekend because of the current labour law.  "I've worked as a construction carpenter for more than 20 years," he said.  "Other regular construction managers don’t work on Sundays but get paid. I don't. And that's not fair. There are more than 20,000 irregular construction workers in Gyung Gi Do where I am from who are treated unfairly like me."  In a statement released on Wednesday, the president said he wanted "to create a country where labour is proudly held up".  "I want to build a nation where people can realise their dreams through labour, where people can contribute to global development through labour and where people can be respected through labour," said President Moon.  South Korean labour circles have long demanded that the government ratify the remaining ILO core conventions, which include those on the abolition of forced labour, the right to organise and collective bargaining.  Critics say a decaying job market and bad economy, which unexpectedly shrank 0.3 percent during the last quarter due to sluggish investment, has softened the government’s approach on labour rights and corporate reform.  "I've worked on the production line for 10 years," said 50-year-old Ko Mun Kyung.  "Luckily, I'm a regular worker but I'm here for the other workers who deserve the same payment and same treatment that I get. That is the meaning of labour day all over the world. I want to share the spirit of the day with all of my co-workers.  "It is shameful that South Korea is still far from ratifying the ILO core convention. What a shame. I wish the current government do more to make an agreement between the employers."  South Korean workers are known for their vibrant protest culture, which contributed to the popular uprising that drove the country’s transition from an anti-communist military dictatorship to a Western-style democracy in the late 1980s.  "What makes all these people come here while sacrificing their holiday?" asked 49-year-old Cho Me Yeon.  "That is what the government and policymakers should think about today while watching us shouting and marching for labour rights in the country."


aljazeera--2019-05-01--May 1 Labour Day What is International Workers Day

May 1 Labour Day: What is International Workers' Day?

Each year on May 1, people across the globe take to the streets to commemorate International Workers' Day, or May Day.  In dozens of countries, May Day is an official holiday, and for labour rights campaigners it is particularly important.  The day commemorates past labour struggles against a host of workers' rights violations, including lengthy workdays and weeks, poor conditions and child labour.  In the late-19th century, socialists, communists and trade unionists chose May 1 to become International Workers' Day.  The date was symbolic, commemorating the Haymarket affair, which took place in Chicago, in the United States, in 1886.  For years, the US working class - often forced to work up to 16 hours a day in unsafe conditions - had been fighting for an eight-hour workday.  Then, in October 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labour Unions of the United States and Canada decided that May 1, 1886, would mark the first day that an eight-hour workday would go into effect.  When that day arrived, between 300,000 and 500,000 US workers went on strike in cities and towns across the country, according to various historians' estimates.  Chicago, which was the nucleus of the struggle, saw an estimated 40,000 people protest and strike.  Until May 3, the strike was well-coordinated and largely nonviolent.       But as the end of the workday approached, striking workers in Chicago attempted to confront strikebreakers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company. Large police contingents were protecting the strikebreakers, and officers opened fire on the striking workers, killing at least two.  As the police attempted to disperse the protesters on May 4 in Chicago's Haymarket Square, a bomb was thrown at them, killing seven officers and at least four civilians.  Police subsequently rounded up and arrested eight anarchists, all of whom were convicted of conspiracy. A court sentenced seven to death and one to 15 years imprisonment. Four were hanged, one committed suicide rather than face the gallows and two had their sentences commuted to life in prison.  Those who died are regarded by many on the left, including both socialists and anarchists, as the "Haymarket Martyrs".  In 1889, the Second International, the international organisation for workers and socialists, declared that May 1 would from then on be International Workers' Day. The Haymarket affair galvanised the broader labour movement.  In the US, however, the eight-hour workday wasn't recognised until it was turned into law in 1916, after years of strikes, protests and actions in favour of it.  After the eight-hour day was initiated in the US in 1916, it was endorsed by the Communist International, an international coalition of socialist and communist parties, and by communist and socialist parties in various countries.  In that same year, as World War I continued, partial strikes and clashes with police in the US and several European countries were fuelled by massive anti-war sentiment as much as they were driven by the struggle for labour rights.  In 1917, as the US declared its involvement in the war, socialists and other leftists demonstrated against the bloodshed.  Marxist leaders across the globe - among them Rosa Luxemburg and Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, who is most widely known as Lenin - considered the war to be an example of capitalist, imperialist countries pitting members of an international working class against one another. They argued that workers should unite and wage a revolutionary war against the ruling classes in their own countries.  Four days after the revolution that toppled Tsarist rule in Russia, the eight-hour workday was introduced by official decree.  International Workers' Day is marked with celebrations, protests, strikes and commemorations around the world.  While the size and intensity of commemorations have ebbed and flowed over the years, several International Workers' Day commemorations stand out.  In the US in 1971, as the war in Vietnam continued under the presidency of Richard Nixon, protests in Washington, spanned several days and included civil disobedience against the war.  Nixon sent in an estimated 10,000 troops and mass arrests were made, prompting accusations of civil rights violations. Police and security forces arrested more than 12,000 people, although most were eventually released without charges.  More recently, in 2006, a series of US-wide immigration reform marches continued on May 1, when organisers called for a strike they named a "day without immigrants". Protests had already drawn the participation of between 350,000 and 500,000 people in cities across the US.  In 2016, large May Day protests and marches were held in countries across the world. In the Turkish city of Istanbul, protesters clashed with police while trying to reach the city's iconic Taksim Square. At least one protester was killed and dozens arrested.  READ MORE: May Day - US workers' struggle, then and now  In Moscow, tens of thousands of Russians marched in a pro-Kremlin rally to commemorate the holiday, while left-wing groups held separate events in several Russian cities.  In Taipei, Taiwan's capital, labour unions took to the streets with a march to call on the government to reduce working hours and increase wages.  Thousands of people in the German cities of Berlin and Hamburg participated in public demonstrations. Protests against the far-right Alternative for Germany (also known as AfD) party were held in several German cities.  Following France's nationwide "yellow vest" protests that began in November last year, about 7,400 policemen are expected to be deployed in Paris.  Observers say most of those joining the ranks of the "yellow vest" movement are workers on lower middle incomes who say they barely scrape by and get scant public services in exchange for some of the highest tax bills in Europe.  Although planned protests to commemorate May Day take place every year in France, clashes between protesters and riot police may take place as they have become regular occurrences following the latest wave of demonstrations.  Interior Minister Christophe Castaner has warned that up to 2,000 "radical activists" may try to "sow violence and disorder" and may join up with "radicalised" protesters from the "yellow vest" movement.  Castaner said there was also a risk that "radical elements" could try to infiltrate trade union marches in other cities, even though the unions themselves were committed to avoiding any violence.  In neighbouring Germany, the German Trade Union Confederation has called for traditonal May Day demonstrations in favour of a European-wide minimum wage.  Police have said a total of 5,500 officers will be deployed in Berlin including 2,000 in Friedrichshain, and have called on demonstrators to remain peaceful.  Thousands of trade union members will also march through Asia, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Cambodia and Myanmar.  In Sri Lanka, major political parties called off traditional May Day rallies due to security concerns following the Easter bombings that killed 253 people and were claimed by members linked to ISIL.


aljazeera--2019-12-17--US tech giants sued over DRC cobalt mine child labour deaths

Five of the world's largest tech companies have been accused in a landmark lawsuit of being complicit in the deaths of children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) who were forced to mine cobalt, a metal used to make telephones and computers.  The legal complaint on behalf of 14 families from the DRC was filed on Sunday by International Rights Advocates, a United States-based human rights non-profit, against Tesla Inc, Apple Inc, Alphabet Inc, Dell Technologies Inc. and Microsoft Corp. • DR Congo: Several hacked to death in suspected rebel attacks • Is DR Congo on the brink?  The complaint said families claim that the companies were part of a system of forced labour that led to the serious injuries or deaths of the children.  This marked the first time that tech-industry companies have jointly faced legal action over the source of their cobalt.  Images in the court documents, filed in US District Court in Washington, DC, showed children with disfigured or missing limbs.  Six of the 14 children in the case were killed in tunnel collapses, and the others suffered life-altering injuries, including paralysis, the complaint said.  "These companies - the richest companies in the world, these fancy gadget-making companies - have allowed children to be maimed and killed to get their cheap cobalt," Terrence Collingsworth, a lawyer representing the families, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.  Cobalt is essential in making rechargeable lithium batteries used in millions of products sold by the tech industry.  More than half of the world's cobalt is produced in the DRC.  Global demand for the metal is expected to increase at seven percent to 13 percent annually over the next decade, according to a 2018 study by the European Commission.  The lawsuit said the children, some as young as six years old, were forced by their families' extreme poverty to leave school and work in cobalt mines owned by the British and Swiss mining company Glencore, which has previously been accused of using child labour.  Some children were paid as little as $1.50 per day for working six days a week, the complaint said.  In response to a request for comment, Dell said in an email that it has "never knowingly sourced operations" using child labour and has launched an investigation into the allegations.  A spokesperson for Glencore said: "Glencore notes the allegations contained in a U.S. lawsuit filed on 15th December 2019.  "Glencore's production of cobalt in the DRC is a by-product of our industrial copper production. Glencore’s operations in the DRC do not purchase or process any artisanally mined ore.  "Glencore does not tolerate any form of child, forced, or compulsory labour."  Tesla, Apple, Google, Microsoft did not immediately respond for comment.  The legal complaint argued that the companies all have the ability to overhaul their cobalt supply chains to ensure safer conditions.  "I've never encountered or documented a more severe asymmetry in the allocation of income between the top of the supply chain and the bottom," said Siddharth Kara, a researcher on modern slavery who is an expert witness in the case.  "It's that disconnect that makes this perhaps the worst injustice of slavery and child exploitation that I've seen in my two decades research," Kara said.  More than 40 million people have been estimated to be captive in modern slavery, which includes forced labour and forced marriage, according to Walk Free and the International Labour Organization.


bbc--2019-05-15--Choco Leibniz biscuit heiress sparks row over Nazi-era labour

A German biscuit heiress has sparked outrage by saying the company "did nothing wrong" in its use of forced labour during Nazi rule.  Verena Bahlsen, 25, was responding to an earlier controversy when she made the comment about forced workers.  Bahlsen, which makes Choco Leibniz, employed about 200 forced labourers between 1943 and 1945 - most of whom were women from Nazi-occupied Ukraine.  Critics have accused Ms Bahlsen of being "oblivious to history".  The company itself has since distanced itself from her comments.  The controversy started last week, when Ms Bahlsen told delegates at a marketing conference: "I'm a capitalist. I own a quarter of Bahlsen, that's great. I want to buy a sailing yacht and stuff like that."  Although German newspaper Handelsblatt reported that the audience clapped and laughed along with her, some social media users accused the heiress of being insensitive to the company's past exploitation of forced labourers by making light-hearted remarks about her wealth.  Asked about the criticism in an interview with Bild newspaper, Ms Bahlsen replied: "That was before my time, and we paid the forced labourers exactly as much as German workers and we treated them well."  She added that the company had nothing to feel guilty about.  These comments only deepened the controversy.  The Nazi Forced Labour Documentation Centre in Berlin tweeted that there was "a great knowledge gap for family members of the Bahlsen family".  "The issue of Nazi forced labour is often still a blind spot in the collective memory," they added.  Guy Stern, a 97-year-old scientist whose family were killed in the Holocaust, also criticised Ms Bahlsen - telling reporters that she was talking about forced labourers "from the high viewpoint of an heiress".  The Social Democratic Party's general secretary Lars Klingbeil said: "Someone who inherits such great wealth, also inherits responsibility and should not be so arrogant."  And historian and writer Felix Bohr argued in Der Spiegel magazine that although Ms Bahlsen couldn't change her company's past, "she must face up to its historical responsibility".  He also criticised her "obliviousness to history".  But Handelsblatt journalist Christoph Kapalschinski, who originally reported from the marketing conference, defended Ms Bahlsen and said her comments about being a capitalist had been "taken out of context".  He adds that "anyone who knows Verena Bahlsen" would know that she likely downplayed the treatment of the company's forced labourers "because she does not know any better - not because she's a history revisionist".  In a statement, Bahlsen said: "The company is aware of the great suffering and injustice that forced labourers as well as many other people had experienced, and recognises its historical and moral responsibility."


bbc--2019-09-11--California church leaders used homeless as forced labour

California church leaders 'used homeless as forced labour'

The leaders of a California based-church have been accused of imprisoning homeless people, forcing them to beg all day and taking the money.  Dozens of victims had their papers taken, their welfare benefits stolen and were punished if they spoke of "things of the world", officials say.  Imperial Valley Ministries (IVM) operates about 30 affiliate church groups in the US and Mexico.  A dozen of the group's leaders were arrested on Tuesday.  The former pastor of Imperial Valley Ministries, Victor Gonzalez, was detained in San Diego.  Eleven others were held in El Centro, California, and Brownsville, Texas.  The defendants are facing charges of conspiracy, forced labour, document servitude and benefits fraud.  The church, which represents its pastors as "missionaries to drug addicts", lured victims by promising them food and shelter and opportunities to get back on their feet at "no cost", federal officials say.  "The indictment alleges an appalling abuse of power by church officials who preyed on vulnerable homeless people with promises of a warm bed and meals," the lead prosecutor, US Attorney Robert Brewer, said at a news conference after the arrests.  "These victims were held captive, stripped of their humble financial means, their identification, their freedom and their dignity."  A statement from the prosecutor added that "windows were nailed shut at some group home locations, leading a desperate 17-year-old victim to break a window, escape, and run to a neighbouring property to call police".  Victims were allegedly locked in group homes, and forced to beg for nine hours a day, six days a week.  According to prosecutors, victims were told "the only thing to be read is the holy bible" and "if any of the rules are broken there will be discipline".  Punishments included the withholding of food, and if they asked to leave they were told their children would be taken away, it is alleged.  Church leaders refused to allow a diabetic victim with low blood sugar to obtain medicine, said officials. She was able to escape.  They were also banned from using the telephone, and told to avoid their family because "only God" loved them now, said officials.  If they did manage to leave, church leaders continued to withhold their money, along with important documents such as immigration paperwork and food benefit cards.  All of the victims have been identified and are now free, officials say.  Support services have been made available to them.  The case highlights the chronic problem of homelessness in California.  President Donald Trump has reportedly ordered White House officials to launch an initiative to address the issue, though California leaders are sceptical.  White House officials earlier this week toured districts of Los Angeles and blamed "liberal policies" for the city's high numbers of destitute people.


bbcuk--2019-02-22--Flexible working Labour pledges new employee rights

Flexible working: Labour pledges new employee rights

Labour would give workers the right to choose their working hours from their first day in a new job, the party's equalities spokeswoman is to say.  Employers would be required to allow their employees to work flexibly from day one, Dawn Butler will tell the party's Women's Conference later.  This would open up more roles to women who care for loved ones, helping to close the gender pay gap, she will say.  Workers can currently request flexible working after 26 weeks in post.  This can include features such as job-sharing, working from home, part-time, annualised or compressed hours or flexi-time.  However, employers can reject requests provided they do so in "in a reasonable manner".  Labour says that - if elected - it would create a "presumption in favour of flexible working", requiring employers to design the potential for people to work flexibly when creating roles.  "This change to the law is essential to closing the gender pay gap and dismantling the structural barriers that hold women back from promotion and progression," Ms Butler will say.  Highlighting government statistics on "sandwich carers" - those who care both for children and elderly or disabled relatives - Labour says women account for 68% of those providing 20 or more hours of free adult care per week.  "Women do the vast majority of unpaid care, but this must not be a barrier to women in work," Ms Butler will tell the conference in Telford.  "Under Labour's plans, no woman will be shut out of the workplace because they're a mum or they care for a parent or a disabled loved one, or both."  The plans would place an onus on employers who wanted to reject applications to prove roles were unsuitable, in line with conditions set out in new statutory guidance.  Under current laws, employers can reject applications for various reasons such as that they will lead to damaging extra costs, could affect quality and performance, or work cannot be reorganised among staff.  The government took steps to promote flexible working when launching its drive to force large employers to publish their gender pay gaps.  In October 2017, Prime Minister Theresa May called on employers to advertise all jobs as flexible from day one, unless there were "solid reasons" against doing so.  A Flexible Working Task Force, chaired by the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development and including policymakers, employer groups and unions, began work in March last year.


bbcuk--2019-06-17--MPs maternity rights Labours Stella Creasy speaks out

MPs' maternity rights: Labour's Stella Creasy speaks out

Women are forced to choose between "being an MP and being a mum" because of Parliament's rules, a pregnant Labour MP has said.  Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said that Ipsa - the body which regulates MPs' pay - told her it does not recognise when members go on maternity leave.  Consequently, no paid cover is available for work done outside the House of Commons.  Writing in the Guardian, Ms Creasy also revealed she has had two miscarriages.  She continued working "aching and bleeding" during her first miscarriage and led a public meeting the day after her second.  "Now I'm pregnant once more and terrified - not just that it will go wrong again, but because I know that my resolve to keep my private and professional lives separate has become impossible," she said, explaining her reason for speaking out.  Ms Creasy said the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) turned down her approach for paid cover during maternity leave.  "Humiliatingly, it is making me beg for extra staff funding - or give up any chance of spending time with my child to make sure my constituents don't miss out," she wrote.  In January, MPs backed a year-long trial to allow MPs who were about to give birth or had recently become a parent to nominate another MP to vote on their behalf in the Commons.  The debate over Parliament's rules was reignited when Labour's Tulip Siddiq delayed a Caesarean section to attend a vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal.  Later that month, the Hampstead and Kilburn MP became the first to vote in the Commons by proxy.  However, in her Guardian article, Ms Creasy said the lack of maternity cover meant her colleague "had to return to casework three days after a C-section".  "For all the talk of being family friendly, Westminster is still struggling to offer deeds instead of words," she wrote.  "And if we can't get this right for MPs, how can we get this right for parents elsewhere?"  In 2017, former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman called for MPs to be given six months' maternity leave.


bbcuk--2019-09-21--Labour conference Menopausal women should get flexible work hours

Labour conference: Menopausal women 'should get flexible work hours'

Large employers would be forced to provide flexible hours to women experiencing the menopause under Labour plans to end stigma in the workplace.  Shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler announced the "bold" policy as the party's conference starts in Brighton.  Other proposals to be discussed include expanding GP training, transport and Labour's stance on Brexit.  But the opening of the conference was overshadowed by a row over a bid to get rid of Tom Watson's deputy leader role.  Under Ms Butler's plans, companies with more than 250 employees would also be required to train managers on the effects of the menopause so they can accommodate the needs of employees.  She said: "Together we must end the stigma and ensure that no woman is put at a disadvantage, from menstruation to menopause."  Three in five menopausal women between the ages of 45 and 55 say it has a negative impact on them at work, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.  Mandy Broadbent, from Bolton, Lancashire, an ambassador to the Eve Appeal charity, said employers should be doing all they could to help women at this stage in their life.  The 56-year-old added: "It can be such a drastic change to a woman's life, no one is prepared for it and you can end up really losing your self confidence.  "The more flexible employers can be, the more it will help women reach their potential."  Labour's plans would also require large employers to ensure absence procedures are flexible and treat menopause like a long-term fluctuating health condition.  Recommended adjustments include adequate ventilation to help alleviate hot flushes, ensuring access to cold water and flexible working hours if sleep is disturbed.  Other Labour policies on women in the workplace to be announced include forcing large companies to publish action plans to close the gender pay gap, and to tackle harassment at work through the Equality Act.


bbcuk--2019-11-19--General election 2019: Workers under Labour 'will take back control'

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said workers and consumers would "take back control" under a new business model if Labour wins the election.  In a speech in Westminster, he said company boards would include workers and elected members, giving them greater influence over pay structure.  And public sector chief executives would not be allowed to earn more than 20 times someone on the living wage.  That would mean a maximum salary of about £350,000.  The plans were part of an overall vision to create a business model that was not based on the "unfettered pursuit of profit maximisation".  But, responding to Mr McDonnell's speech, the British Chambers of Commerce said it would be "misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits-all approach". • Live: Latest from the election campaign trail  The shadow chancellor said the relentless pursuit of shareholder value and "corporate greed" had been to the detriment of the workers who create that wealth.  "Labour's reforms to how our large businesses and public utilities are governed, owned and regulated and how both workers and consumers are represented will genuinely enable them to take back control," he said. • Workers would become shareholders in their companies • Large companies that don't take adequate steps to tackle climate change would be delisted from the FTSE 100 • There would be no windfall tax on oil companies. This is essentially a one-off tax imposed on a company or industry by a government, usually imposed when an industry is perceived to have made excessive or undeserved profits • Plans to introduce an Excessive Pay Levy on companies over disparities in pay between senior executives and other employees • A requirement for companies to set out their policy for tackling the gender and ethnicity pay gap • An overhaul of the UK's system of regulation, including establishing its only regulatory bodies  Mr McDonnell said Labour would "rewrite the rules" of the business model and "treat people fairly and with respect". In the past, he said, workers had "often been treated as virtual chattels".  He also outlined plans to overhaul the business audit sector to make it more independent because, he said, it was too dominated by the "big four" audit companies.  "Under Labour, the big four will not be allowed to operate like a cartel," he said.  "At the heart, we believe that every business should be a partnership - between employees, customers, managers and shareholders - for the long-term success of the enterprise.  "Many European countries have more robust systems to secure long-term decision-making than the UK.  He adds that, if Labour gains power, it will rewrite the Companies Act "so that directors have a duty to promote the long-term interests of employees, customers, the environment and the wider public".  Earlier, Mr McDonnell confirmed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that Labour was retaining its policy to scrap student tuition fees as a start to overhauling the system of financing tertiary education, including student loans.  The government "must realise that the system is falling apart", he said, adding: "Large amounts of that debt is not being paid off and the government is having to write it off."  He added that there "is an approach that has to be taken that looks at existing debt".  When pressed on whether Labour will cancel student debt, Mr McDonnell added: "What I'm saying is, it has to be addressed in some form by whoever is in government, because the system - exactly as we predicted - is not working."  Responding, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: "We can't trust Jeremy Corbyn with our economy and his plan for two more referendums (on Brexit and Scottish independence) would cause havoc next year.  "Only the Conservatives will get Brexit done and keep our economy strong."  The British Chambers of Commerce said in a statement: "It's one thing to support employee ownership, stronger corporate governance and a transition to a greener economy, which have had positive impacts on many firms. But it would be misguided to impose a rigid, one-size-fits all approach.  "Getting our economy moving requires serious investment in skills, infrastructure and a reduction in business costs. But extensive government interference in ownership and governance could deter investors and damage confidence."  It said the next government must work more closely with businesses, with success depending on "partnership, not diktat".  Labour's plans to "rewrite the rules" for corporate Britain and refocus big employers on climate change and gender parity on their boards certainly reflect its belief in a more muscular state.  But the plans are also quite a departure for British corporations used to dealing with social issues voluntarily, and on the basis of consensus.  Threatening to delist companies from the stock exchange on the basis of an insufficient plan to address climate change is a stark new direction.  But Labour has also rowed back on one of the most radical policies announced by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell last year.  The Inclusive Ownership Fund still involves taking 1% year of the share value of listed UK companies and putting that into a pot to distribute to workers, up to 10% after a decade.  But a number of refinements have now been made to the plan.  Firstly, the shares and the profits distributed to UK workers would now only be based on UK profits alone, not on worldwide profits. Secondly, the amount of money distributed to the Exchequer over and above what goes to workers will be limited to 25%.  That partially deals with some of the most acute concerns expressed by the private sector about the "£300bn expropriation" of shares.  Dan Neidle, the City lawyer who calculated that figure, now says that limiting it to UK profits, roughly halves that number.  In addition, the share of the funds that could go to the Exchequer is now limited to 25%, rather than 90% calculated for the original policy.  All the Exchequer funding would go to apprenticeships in skills to help alleviate climate change.  The net result is that Labour now calculate the policy as raising £2bn a year for workers and £700m a year for apprenticeships by 2024.  While these are significant sums, in context they are equivalent to raising corporation tax by 0.5%.  The CBI said Labour's shift showed it had "started to listen" but the effect "remained severe" for those companies affected.  Labour itself denied it had reined in the policy but acknowledged it had "listened to concerns".


abcnews--2019-01-15--On Day 25 of government shutdown 800000 federal employees are without pay

On Day 25 of government shutdown, 800,000 federal employees are without pay

It's Day 25 of the longest-ever government shutdown – with no end in sight to the political standoff.  Some 800,000 federal workers are ensnared in the shutdown showdown and many missed their first paycheck on Friday. On Monday, another one-third missed a paycheck, the American Federation of Workers estimated, and on Tuesday, the last batch of federal workers missed theirs – including, for the first time in history, members of the Coast Guard.  Here's a look at how different parts of the country are being affected.  Tuesday marked the first time members of the armed forces missed paychecks because of a government shutdown.  Commandant of the Coast Guard Adm. Karl Schultz issued a stark warning over Twitter: "Today you will not be receiving your regularly scheduled paycheck. To the best of my knowledge, this marks the first time in our Nation’s history that servicemembers in a U.S. Armed Force have not been paid during a lapse in appropriations," he said.  In a message to the men and women of the Coast Guard, Schultz also announced some good news: USAA,a financial services company for members of the military and their family, will donate $15 million that will be distributed to the military and civilian workforce in need of assistance.  The money will be distributed by the Coast Guard Mutual Assistance and the American Red Cross.  "Stay the course, stand the watch, and serve with pride. You are not, and will not, be forgotten," Schultz wrote.  A federal judge on Tuesday denied requests from unions representing air traffic controllers and other employees required to work through the government shutdown that they either be paid or have the option to skip work while missing paychecks.  U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled to keep the status quo, saying that an order allowing employees considered essential to skip work would be "chaotic" in a best-case scenario and "catastrophic" at worst.  Lawyers representing the National Air Traffic Controllers Association had sued the Trump administration to get their controllers, thousands of whom continue to work and just missed a paycheck, be paid while working during the shutdown in order for them to remain "laser-focused" on their job guiding more than 40,000 flights through the nation's airspace every day.  Lawyers for the labor unions, including National Treasury Employees Union, argued withholding pay while forcing labor is unconstitutional and violated U.S. labor laws.  Leon said only Congress can appropriate the funds to pay federal workers and would not force the Treasury Department to allocate funds to the furloughed employees.  With President Donald Trump and Democratic congressional leaders stalled over talks on a border wall, the president invited rank-and-file members of Congress to meet with him Tuesday over lunch at the White House.  But no rank-and-file House Democrats took the president up on the offer. Trump's move was seen on Capitol Hill as an effort to split House Democrats and pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to make concessions in her standoff with the president over funding his proposed border wall. Democratic leaders warned members Trump could use them as props.  White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said House Republicans invited would be there.  “Unfortunately, no Democrats will attend. The President looks forward to having a working lunch with House Republicans to solve the border crisis and reopen the government. It’s time for the Democrats to come to the table and make a deal,” Sanders said in a statement.  Read more from ABC News' Jordyn Phelps and Benjamin Siegel.  In an effort to keep U.S. airspace safe, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is making a dramatic move and calling an additional 1,700 FAA aviation safety inspectors back to work this week.  According to an FAA spokesperson, there were 500 safety inspectors working without pay as of last Friday. With the recall, the number of inspectors will be up to 2,200 by Friday Jan. 18.  FAA aviation safety inspectors investigate and enforce safety regulations and standards, which includes inspecting aircraft and related equipment for airworthiness. After proactively conducting a risk assessment, the FAA determined that it was appropriate to recall inspectors and engineers after three weeks of the shutdown, a spokesperson told ABC News.  Including the recalled engineers, the number FAA safety employees working without pay by this Friday will total 3,113.  The Food and Drug Administration confirmed this week that hundreds of food inspectors will go back to work after the agency missed some routine inspections of high-risk facilities during the shutdown.  FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted that about 400 staff were coming back to work, mostly inspectors and support staff that will resume inspecting high-risk food production facilities and facilities that manufacture drugs and medical devices.  Days ago, Gottlieb called the shutdown "one of the most significant operational challenges in FDA’s recent history.”  Food banks around the country near military bases or in cities with a lot of federal government employees have been stepping up to help the furloughed or unpaid workers during the government shutdown.  Over the weekend in Washington, a local food bank said 2,200 furloughed federal employees received produce and other items at pop-up locations. In Dallas, a local church is handing out gift cards to furloughed employees.  In cities like Tampa, Chicago, Rochester, Minnesota and Ogden, Utah, food banks are setting up pantries or expanding hours so federal employees can pick up groceries or even pet food.  Dozens of immigration courts remain shuttered across the country this week and tens of thousands of hearings were canceled because of the ongoing government shutdown, a situation that is likely to add hundreds of cases to an already crushing backlog, according to analysts.  It's an ironic twist in Trump's desire to secure the U.S.-Mexico border by building a $5 billion wall and send people through established ports of entry.  The number of asylum and other immigration-related cases facing U.S. judges has skyrocketed in the past two decades, creating a backlog of more than 800,000 active cases before the shutdown began, according to data compiled by Syracuse University, based on Justice Department records.  Syracuse University estimated on Monday that nearly 43,000 immigration court hearings on a variety of matters, including evidence examination and basic scheduling, have been canceled. As many as 100,000 people could be impacted if the shutdown continues through the end of the month.  Aaron Reichlin Melnick, a policy analyst with the American Immigration Council, said that he estimates for every day the shutdown continues, another 500 immigration court cases that would have been completed are compounding the backlog.  Transportation Security Administration officials are closing more security lanes amid increased callouts from officers not being paid during the government shutdown.  The absence rate at TSA on Monday was 7.6 percent, up from 3.2 percent on the same day last year, according to TSA spokesperson Michael Bilello. Major airports in cities such as Atlanta and Houston "are exercising their contingency plans to uphold aviation security standards." That means condensing TSA officers into fewer checkpoints and screening lanes to uphold security standards at the cost of longer lines.  Queues at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport security extended more than an hour long on Monday morning, causing travelers to miss flights, according to ABC-affiliate WSB.  Airport screeners, air traffic controllers and many FAA inspectors and engineers did not get paid this week despite going to work.  ABC News' Jordyn Phelps, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Stephanie Ebbs, Quinn Owen, Jeffrey Cook and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.