
Ukraine complains to WTO about Hungary, Poland and Slovakia banning its food products
Ukraine is filing a complaint at the World Trade Organization against Hungary, Poland and Slovakia after they banned grain and other food products coming from the war-torn country
2023-09-20 00:55

US SEC charges investment firm linked to Russian billionaire
WASHINGTON The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Tuesday charged Concord Management and its owner with failing
2023-09-20 00:46

Amazon plans to hire 250,000 US workers for holiday season
By Arriana McLymore NEW YORK, NY Amazon said it plans to add 250,000 U.S. workers for the holiday
2023-09-20 00:29

Ray Epps, center of a Jan. 6 conspiracy theory, is charged with a misdemeanor over the Capitol riot
An Arizona man who became the center of a conspiracy theory about Jan. 6, 2021, has been charged with a misdemeanor offense in connection with the U.S. Capitol riot
2023-09-19 23:59

US has no evidence Huawei can produce advanced smartphones in large volumes -- official
By David Shepardson WASHINGTON U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Tuesday the United States has no evidence that
2023-09-19 23:50

Thieves stole nearly $200 million from Europe's largest copper producer
Fraudsters have robbed Europe's largest copper producer of €185 million ($198 million) worth of the metal, possibly with the help of insiders, the company said Tuesday.
2023-09-19 23:45

FTX sues Sam Bankman-Fried's parents over millions in 'misappropriated' funds
Bankrupt crypto exchange FTX is suing founder Sam Bankman-Fried's parents, accusing them of siphoning millions of dollars in company funds to enrich themselves and their "pet causes."
2023-09-19 23:19

US Fed starts interest rate meeting as traders predict a pause
The Federal Reserve began two days of interest rate deliberations Tuesday amid widespread expectation that it will pause rate hikes as it attempts to fight inflation...
2023-09-19 22:59

H&M starts charging shoppers £1.99 for online returns
High street fashion retailer H&M has joined other companies in charging shoppers who return items purchased online. Customers must now pay £1.99 to return parcels either in store or online, with the cost of the return being deducted from their refund. Rival high street stores including Zara, Boohoo, Uniqlo and Next already charge for online returns, with retail experts predicting that even more are likely to follow suit. During the pandemic, when online shopping inevitably soared in popularity, customers became increasingly more reliant on returning items when they did not fit. However, this also led to a rise in people buying items in bulk and returning almost all those items, some of them worn. While most online and high street retailers do not formally announce the move to charge for returns, many have introduced the change under the radar, with H&M implementing the return fee this summer. Business analysts have told the BBC that other retailers are likely to do the same. "It’s interesting that companies seem to be doing it by stealth, but it’s a sensible thing to be doing," retail expert Jonathan De Mello told the outlet. "It makes economic sense, as it discourages shoppers from bulk buying online products and then returning the majority of them. That’s been a real problem for companies." While H&M shoppers might be disappointed in the extra returns fee, added De Mello, most might understand why a company would need to make this decision, especially when it comes to the environment. Many shoppers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of deliveries and returns, from courier vans to wasted packaging. Retail expert and analyst Natalie Berg wrote on Twitter/X that retailers have “created a monster” with free returns. “​​H&M charging for returns. Retailers have created a monster with free returns. It makes financial and environmental sense to put an end to this ‘buy to try’ mentality.” But Berg pointed out that customers who have signed up to H&M membership would be exempt from the extra fee for returning items. “This is actually a really delicate way to tier your customers,” Berg said of the membership scheme. “Slowly climb down from costly promises by limiting those benefits to loyalty members. Retailers have become too generous over the past decade. Save that generosity for your most valuable customers.” Read More Inside London’s first Vogue World: Thong leotards and Anna Wintour’s VIP assembly line Voguewashing London Fashion Week won’t pay the wages of Britain’s young fashion designers Bridesmaid who “didn’t love” her dress spends 35 years wearing it around the world Meghan Markle praised for mixing high-fashion with affordable pieces Vogue World wowed but won’t pay the wages of young fashion designers Ukrainian designers prove beauty can come from darkness at London Fashion Week
2023-09-19 22:46

US lawmaker to urge chip industry group to reduce China investments -source
By Stephen Nellis The chair of the U.S. House of Representatives' committee on China on Tuesday planned to
2023-09-19 22:25

Twitter down: X stops working hours after Elon Musk announces he wants people to pay to use it
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, has stopped working. The site broke hours after Elon Musk said that he is planning to force everyone to pay for access to the site. Some parts of X continued to load, for some people. But users had problems with much of the site, including loading tweets and their timelines. Tracking website Down Detector showed a huge influx of reports of problems on Tuesday afternoon, across the world. That site depends on reports from X, and so may experience problems itself. Mr Musk told Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the subscription fee was necessary to avoid “vast armies of bots” that he claimed have taken over the service. “We’re actually going to come up with a lower tier pricing... we just want it to be a small amount of money,” he said. “This is a longer discussion, but, in my view, this is actually the only defence against vast armies of bots.” Ever since completing his takeover of the platform formerly known as Twitter last year, the Tesla and SpaceX boss has spoken extensively about wanting to boost X’s income through new revenue streams, including subscription models. When launching Twitter Blue - now known as X Premium - a number of features which had previously been free to all users were placed behind the subscription paywall in an effort to spark more sign-ups for the paid version of the site. The need for new, different forms of income has become vital for Mr Musk after X advertising revenue plummeted in the wake of his takeover amid concern over his support for absolute free speech and more relaxed content moderation as a result. A number of advertisers went on to reduce or completely stop their advertising on the site. Mr Musk has previously said several campaign groups have falsely accused him and X of being antisemitic, costing the site millions in lost revenue because of advertising boycotts as a result. In his conversation with Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli leader said he knows Mr Musk is “committed” to stopping antisemitism after the billionaire reiterated he is against hate speech. Additional reporting by agencies Read More How does Russell Brand make money online? Elon Musk wants all Twitter users to pay a monthly fee Elon Musk’s X finally agrees to try and settle Twitter’s mass layoffs lawsuit Twitter rival Bluesky hits new milestone Famed tech journalist deletes X account with epic rant at Elon Musk Why is Elon Musk obsessed with the letter X?
2023-09-19 22:21

Brazil's economic activity at start of third quarter beats expectations
BRASILIA The Brazilian economy kicked off the third quarter with a stronger-than-expected pace, bolstering recent upward revisions in
2023-09-19 21:53