Reuters exclusively reported that Volkswagen has walked away from talks with Renault to jointly develop an affordable electric version of the Twingo car, in a setback for the EU carmakers’ efforts to fend off Chinese rivals.
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Harrods investigating current staff involvement in Fayed allegations
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.”
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Raised $27 million
In an impressive fundraising effort, Harris raised $27 million at a recent event in New York, signaling her strong financial backing as the campaign progresses. She is expected to deliver a speech on the economy this week, further outlining her vision for America.
In contrast, Trump is reluctant to participate in further debates, particularly one proposed by CNN. He claims that the timing is not favorable, as early voting has already begun in many states.
“The issue with another debate is that it’s too late. She had her chance to debate on Fox, but now she wants a CNN debate because she is losing,” Trump remarked, reflecting his strategy to focus on rallies rather than televised confrontations.
As early voting continues across the country, with only three states — Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire — prohibiting in-person early voting, the dynamics of the race could shift dramatically in the coming weeks.
Trump has also indicated that if he loses this election, he may not run again, adding to the stakes of the current political climate.
Automotive
17 May 2024, 10:01 am 1 minute
Market Impact
A potential partnership between Volkswagen and Renault would have brought together household names of Europe’s top two economies and formed a counterweight against Asian rivals muscling into the local market.
Article Tags
Topics of Interest: Automotive
Type: Reuters Best
Sectors: Transport & Logistics
Regions: Europe
Win Types: Exclusivity
Story Types: Exclusive / Scoop
Media Types: Text
Customer Impact: Important Regional Story
An eight-year-old girl and a woman have been found dead at a property in Salford.
Officers were called following reports of a concern for welfare at the property in South Radford Street, Salford, shortly after 10.30am on Monday, Greater Manchester Police said.
Both the child and the woman, 40, were found dead at the scene after assistance from North West Ambulance Service and Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service.
The force said it was not actively looking for anyone else in the investigation and that there was no wider threat in the community.
All known next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Detective Superintendent Simon Moyles said: “A woman and young girl were both tragically found dead and we are working hard as a team to establish what happened here this morning.
“We have placed a number of highly visible officers to patrol in and around the area should any residents wish to come and talk to us or pass on any information they may have about this tragic incident.”
Anyone with information on the incident has been asked to call 101 quoting log 998 of 23/09/2024.
Vishal JaiswalVishal Jaiswal has been flying drones since he was young.
Now 27, that childhood hobby has become his profession. A recent project involved mapping part of the Sundarbans, a vast area of mangrove forests where the waters of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers spill into the Bay of Bengal.
Covering more than 4,000 sq miles (10,360 sq km) of coastal India and Bangladesh, it is the world’s biggest area of mangroves.
“It’s a very dense area with mix of everything, including forests with wild animals,” says Mr Jaiswal.
Along with two other team members he mapped 150 sq km in three days.
“A trained and skilled person is needed to fly a drone in thick mangroves area,” he says.
“It was a difficult task. We mapped the area from deep inside the forest, travelling there on boats and roads.”
It was one of many projects aimed at protecting the mangrove forest from the effects of climate change and human activities.
Globally, more than half of all mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse by 2050, according to a recent report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Mangroves are threatened by deforestation, development, pollution, and dam construction, but the risk to these ecosystems is increasing due to sea-level rise and the increased frequency of severe storms associated with climate change,” the report said.
In India the picture is mixed.
The mangroves of South India, Sri Lanka and Maldives are “critically endangered,” according to the IUCN report.
Getty ImagesOther Indian mangroves are not on that “red list”.
The Sundarbans are one of those mangroves not considered endangered by the (IUCN).
However, Dr Sahadev Sharma, a consultant scientist to the USDA Forestry Service, says there are signs of both manmade and natural stress, which he identified during his field survey beginning of this year.
“We are seeing a loss in dense mangrove cover in Sundarbans. Additionally, patches on the western coast are extremely fragmented and eroded due to shrimp farming and development,” he says.
But it’s hard for scientists to know exactly what’s happening to the Sundarbans. There’s a lack of field research, partly because it’s a difficult place to work.
“It requires coordination with officers and ground staff, procuring field supplies in remote areas, and planning extensive logistics for field operations.
“The risk of saltwater crocodiles and Bengal tigers, tides and treacherous terrain make the field work even more difficult,” he says.
So, scientists are turning to tech, like Mr Jaiswal’s drones, to monitor the mangroves.
One key bit of information needed is the height of the mangroves in relation to the sea level.
The rivers flooding into the Sundarbans dump sediment, raising the ground level.
But if the sea level rises faster than that soil building process, then the mangroves will be threatened.
This process is monitored by installing rSETs (rod surface elevation tables) across mangrove forests.
Sahadev SharmaThe first part of the process is to drive steel rods into the mud, to provide a base for the measuring equipment.
Then Lidar scanners are attached to the top of the rods. These use lasers to scan the ground up to 2m away from the central rod, taking hundreds of thousands of extremely accurate measurements.
It’s a big improvement on the previous system, which involved attaching cumbersome fibreglass arms to the rods, which were extended to take height measurements.
That method would take hours to produce just 36 measurements and relied on the user placing the arms in the exact same positions as previous surveys.
“Because we are using a laser, there is minimal human error and the precision of this method is much greater than the traditional pin methods,” says Mr Sharma.
But it has one drawback – it’s more expensive than the old way.
Nevertheless, the project is making progress with the help of local partners.
Measuring sites are in place in the Andaman Islands, Sundarbans and Coringa and there are plans to install more in Bhitarkanika National Park, Orissa.
The research is still in its early days, they have a few data sets, but are waiting for the water level to recede before they can start measuring in the Sundarbans.
Getty ImagesMany who live in the coastal regions that support mangrove forests rely on them for survival.
In Andhra Pradesh, which has a long coastline in eastern India, fisherman Laxman Anna blamed the destruction of mangroves for poor catches.
“A few years back it had become a frustrating job. Going into the creek to catch fish and coming back empty handed.”
“Imagine a day when I made just 60 cents for my entire day in the creek, as there were no fishes. Barely enough to sustain my family of five.”
He blamed shrimp farms for upsetting the ecosystem.
But Mr Anna says communities in his area have realised the importance of preserving the mangroves.
“We are planting saplings, nurturing them back to life with help of an NGO and the forest department.”
And that effort is paying off.
“Things are changing I have a smile on my face when I go to fishing now. I am able to get a good catch and make around seven to eight dollars a day, which is a good catch for my survival.”
More Technology of Business
Singer and TV presenter Jane McDonald appeared on The One Show on Monday night and was left in hysterics after a slip-up from presenter Alex Jones.
As an American-German family living on both sides of the Atlantic, I must sadly agree with Janan Ganesh’s assessment in his characteristically insightful article “Why Europe will not catch up with the US” (Opinion, September 19). He captures the core issues with precision. However, I find myself even more pessimistic about Germany’s ability to preserve the European “dolce vita” beyond Generation X.
The challenges facing Germany are multi-faceted. Entrepreneurs here continue to struggle with a lack of support and access to funding, which stifles innovation and economic growth. Despite the growing need for modernised industries and fresh ideas, the “old boys’ club” mentality persists, keeping power concentrated in the hands of the traditional elite. This resistance to change is not just limiting entrepreneurship but also the ability of Germany to adapt in a rapidly evolving global economy. Moreover, the country’s education system is underfunded, leaving younger generations with fewer opportunities to compete in a highly skilled, global workforce.
At the same time, the burden on the social welfare system is at an all-time high, with a worrying trend that many welfare recipients and their offspring may remain dependent on state support. This situation risks creating a growing divide between those who contribute to the system and those who rely on it, further hampering economic progress.
My 20-year-old, who sees these issues first-hand, recently commented that if things continue this way, she may reluctantly move back to the US — a decision she views as a last resort.
It’s a sentiment I hear echoed more often by young people in Germany, and it’s deeply concerning for the country’s future.
Alka Schumacher
Cologne, Germany
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