Reuters was first to report that the Mexican state energy company Pemex has received a settlement worth more than $30 million from Vitol, including a $23 million cash payment, over a graft scandal that halted deals with the Swiss-based trader, documents showed.
News
‘Middle-class fly-tipping’ is arrogant and lazy
It isn’t the solution to overconsumption, it’s a symptom of it
September 23, 2024 4:36 pm(Updated 4:38 pm)
I am famous among my family and friends for scavenging. Basically all the furniture in the billions of flats I lived in during my twenties was hoiked off the street. In my (admittedly middle-class) neighbourhood, I am constantly walking past cardboard boxes full of dusty nicknacks and battered flatpack bookcases, offered for free; days later, often drenched by rain and having been damaged or dirtied, they are still there.
This is what’s become known as “middle-class fly-tipping” – that is, leaving things on the street with a little “PLEASE TAKE ME” note, as opposed to the sort of fly-tipping which ditches a washing machine on waste ground by a railway line. On the whole, it feels like a neighbourly, communal spring-cleaning ritual, a way to keep useful objects from the landfill. But some people who’ve done it have found themselves slapped with £500 fixed-penalty notices.
Now the local government and social care ombudsman has announced there will be new guidance about this sort of thing, intended to stop local authorities from dealing too harshly with people who leave unwanted items outside their homes.
It seems like a step in the right direction. Yet, while putting out useful objects and furniture for passersby to pick up might seem helpful, what’s “useful” is ultimately in the eye of the beholder. And as the queen of middle-class fly-tipping I should know. I am part of the problem. I must do better.
It’s just so very hard to stop. While I have become a little more discerning with age, I still cheerfully adopt shoes, clothes and books, not just from beneath “PLEASE TAKE ME” signs but also the, er, ground.
My best finds include several silver rings, a rabbit fur muff someone had left on snowy Primrose Hill, and an Anglepoise lamp still in its box.
Luckily, considering how small my current flat is, I’m just as fond of getting rid of stuff as I am of obtaining it – but assuming that my trash will be another person’s treasure, let alone to the extent that it excuses blocking paths and littering garden walls, is ultimately as arrogant as it is entitled.
I am entirely invested (nay, embedded) in the ecosystem of strangers passing junk between each other. But we’ve got to stop doing it via the pavement.
While it’s a bore to dispose of things properly – who wants to drive to the tip or organise a waste collection? – that doesn’t mean that your neighbours should have to clamber over your ratty old sofa for weeks just because it’s got a “FREE TO A GOOD HOME” Post-It on it.
There are lots of ways of getting your old stuff to people who actually want it. Sell things on Vinted or Ebay or Depop, put them on Facebook Marketplace or Freecycle! Give them to charities, or easier still, organise a collection by one! Ring your friends who are moving home and see if they need your bed frame, or fancy any of your old books! Just please don’t put them on the road, to get rained on and manky.
No question, we are too quick to trash things that still work, to the extent that the planet is on fire/underwater thanks to the effects of our thoughtless overconsumption. But giving things away like this doesn’t divorce you from that cycle.
I am the biggest fan of buying second-hand, but leaving things on the street is littering, no matter how hard we try to flatter ourselves with lofty notions of a circular economy. We’re so accustomed to getting new stuff that we’ve stopped thinking about how to dispose of the old. “Middle-class fly-tipping” isn’t the solution to our problem; it’s a symptom of it.
It’s time to admit that my personal convenience (or self-indulgent fantasy of providing someone with something they need, just by chance) doesn’t outweigh the fact that most stuff I don’t want won’t be of interest to anyone else either.
I promise I’ll get my act together. Meanwhile, if anyone wants a box of lightly dog-eared books, I’m your woman.
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Harrods is investigating whether any current staff members were involved in the allegations against the store’s former owner, Mohamed Al Fayed.
The late Egyptian tycoon has been accused of rape and sexual assault by multiple women who worked at the iconic London store.
The department store is in direct communication with the Metropolitan Police and has opened an internal review to determine whether the billionaire’s colleagues played any part in the attacks.
Harrods has also said “there is an ongoing internal review” that includes “looking at whether any current staff were involved in any of the allegations either directly or indirectly.”
More than 100 women, including many of the Al Fayed’s former employees, have accused him of raping and sexually assaulting them before he died last year at the age of 94.
Victims have also accused Harrods staff of helping Al Fayed “cherry pick” young women and facilitating his sexual abuse. Their lawyers added there was a “machinery” surrounding the businessman that enabled him avoid facing justice for the attacks.
One victim claimed that a senior Harrods manager who still works at the store failed to investigate a complaint she made accusing Al Fayed of sexually assaulting her in 2008.
Sources within Harrods have said the business has accepted vicarious liability for the conduct of Mr Al Fayed for the purpose of settling claims of alleged victims brought to its attention since 2023, reaching settlements with the vast majority.
Harrods added on Monday that its “settlement process was designed in consultation with independent external counsel and experts in personal injury litigation.
“All claims settled to date and moving forwards will be based on the guidance of these external individuals to ensure swift and impartial outcomes for the victims.”
The Knightsbridge store described Al Fayed as an “individual who was intent on abusing his power” after the allegations were revealed in a BBC documentary last week.
Bruce Drummond, a barrister representing a group of victims, accused the department store of knowing “for years about the systematic abuse that took place” there and called on its long-serving managing director, Michael Ward, to clarify “what he knew and when”.
Mr Ward, 68, who was paid £2.1m last year, was appointed by Al Fayed in 2005, before Qatar purchased Harrods through its Qatar Investment Authority in 2010 for £1.5 billion.
Harrods said that Ward would not be involved in its settlement scheme for Al Fayed’s victims after it agreed to compensate them.
Mr Drummond said: “Michael Ward should be clear on what he knew when and should have nothing to do with liaising with victims today.
“It’s a complete conflict of interest for Harrods to say they have an internal process in place to deal with this scandal. They have known for years about the systematic abuse that took place and only chose to half-heartedly act when they knew the accusations were going to be made public.
“Harrods cannot be marking their own homework. They are trying to whitewash this whole process. If they are serious about righting the wrongs of the past they should provide the survivors with independent counsel.”
Harrods said: “As part of our due diligence there is an ongoing internal review, supported by external counsel, including looking at whether any current staff were involved in any of the allegations either directly or indirectly.
“In addition, the Harrods board has established a non-executive committee of the board to further consider the issues arising from the allegations. Harrods is also in direct communication with the Metropolitan Police to ensure we are offering our assistance with any of their relevant inquiries.”
DealsEnergy
02 October 2023, 12:41 pm 1 minute
Market Impact
In return, Pemex has lifted its three-year ban on business with the world’s largest independent commodities trader, according to the settlement, the terms of which have not previously been reported.
Article Tags
Topics of Interest: DealsEnergy
Type: Reuters Best
Sectors: Business & FinanceCommodities & Energy
Regions: AmericasNorth America
Win Types: Speed
Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop
Media Types: Text
Customer Impact: Important Regional Story
Loose Women star and singer Jane McDonald appeared on The One Show on Monday to discuss her new book but conversation later turned to her big "cruising" anniversary
Business & Finance
14 August 2024, 8:15 pm 1 minute
Reuters was first to report that billionaire investor William Ackman built new stakes in sportswear company Nike during the second quarter. A regulatory filing reviewed by Reuters showed that Ackman’s hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management owned roughly 3 million shares of Nike, amounting to a roughly 0.19% ownership. Nike’s stock, which has tumbled 26% since January, rose 4% in after-market trading.
Market Impact
Nike’s stock, which has tumbled 26% since January, rose 4% in after-market trading.
Article Tags
Topics of Interest: Business & Finance
Type: Reuters Best
Sectors: Business & Finance
Regions: Americas
Win Types: Speed
Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop
Media Types: Text
Customer Impact: Important Regional Story
Business leaders often avoid talking about inequity and inequality of any kind; after all, it is their job to keep the company out of trouble, so why address an issue you’re not prepared to solve? Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff didn’t follow that playbook when he spoke with Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi at Dreamforce last week, as he spoke very directly on Salesforce’s efforts toward pay parity. “We’re committed to equality in our company; it’s a core value. Men and women will get paid equally for the same work,” he stated. Without hesitation, he even added a frank takeaway: “It wasn’t very hard to do.”
For full episodes of Opening Bid, watch on our website or listen on your favorite podcast platform.
CommoditiesEnergy
07 June 2024, 7:28 pm 1 minute
Reuters was first to report that Norwegian pipeline operator Gassco suffered an outage of gas exports to Britain that pushed Europe’s benchmark gas price to its highest level this year. Reuters revealed that the outage was caused by problems onboard an offshore platform, and later also broke the news when the flow of gas resumed after five days.
Market Impact
Norway in 2022 overtook Russia as Europe’s biggest gas supplier after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, meeting roughly a quarter of the continent’s demand and making any outages at Norwegian fields a possible trigger for higher prices.
Article Tags
Topics of Interest: CommoditiesEnergy
Type: Reuters Best
Sectors: Commodities & Energy
Regions: Europe
Countries: Norway
Win Types: Speed
Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop
Media Types: Text
Customer Impact: Significant National Story
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