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☆ U.N. rights council votes to probe Iran's ongoing crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSGENEVA/DUBAI, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The U.N. Rights Council voted on Thursday to appoint an independent investigation into Iran's deadly repression of protests, passing the motion to cheers of activists amid an intensifying crackdown in Kurdish areas over recent days. Tehran's representative at the Geneva meeting Khadijeh Karimi earlier accused Western states of using the council to target Iran, a move she called "appalling and disgraceful". CRACKDOWNThe crackdown has been particularly intense in Kurdish areas, located in western Iran, with the U.N. rights monitor this week noting reports of 40 deaths there over the past week. Iranian authorities have arrested a number of soccer players for expressing their support for protests. Asked on Thursday about the unrest at home Iran national team striker Mehdi Taremi said they were in Qatar to play soccer.

☆ U.N. decides to set up investigation into Iran protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

GENEVA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - The United Nations' top human rights body on Thursday decided by a comfortable margin to establish a new investigative mission to probe Iran's suppression of mass protests that have roiled the country since September. The motion passed with 25 in favour, six against and 16 abstentions. Activists cheered after the result was read out by the council president and some diplomats applauded. Tehran's representative at the Geneva meeting Khadijeh Karimi earlier accused Western states of using the rights council to target Iran, a move she called "appalling and disgraceful". Reporting by Emma Farge, editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Tosca Musk, Elon’s sister, has a business venture of her own – and it’s all about romance and female sexuality
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Faith Karimi Cnn Photographs Austin Steele | Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

It’s their first public film premiere since the pandemic started. Musk, 48, is the force behind Passionflix, which adapts romance novels into movies and streams them to a devoted niche audience. “Passionflix focuses on adapting romance novels exactly as the fan and the author envision it,” Musk says in a separate CNN interview. From left to right: Tosca Musk, Kimbal Musk, mother Maye Musk and Elon Musk at Maye's 50th birthday party in 1998. One of the founding members, she says she spent the pandemic years curled up on her couch, watching Passionflix movies.

☆ Their IVF journeys did not end with children. Here's what they want you to know
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

"I stopped to protect my physical, emotional and mental health," says Katy Seppi, 40, of her decision to end her infertility journey. Seppi says she believes Aniston’s openness about her own IVF journey helps validate the experiences of many people who are involuntarily childless. "For someone like myself with ADHD, the decision fatigue was at times overwhelming," Sherrae Lachhu, 45, says about the IVF process. It can help others not feel so alone.”She felt like a failure when her IVF didn’t workApril Barsby, 32, had one cycle of IVF in September of last year. The couple put their IVF journey on pause for now and Barsby says she’s not sure what to do next.

☆ Refugee who inspired Tom Hanks movie after living in a departure terminal for 18 years dies in Paris airport
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mehran Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian-born refugee, died in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport on Saturday. His life story inspired "The Terminal" — a 2004 movie produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks. Nasseri, 76, had a heart attack in Terminal 2F of the airport around midday on Saturday, according to a Paris airport authority official, per Sky News. Mehran Karimi Nasseri stands by his possessions in Charles de Gaulle airport in 2004. Nasseri's astonishing story inspired the 2004 movie "The Terminal," produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Stanley Tucci.

☆ Iranian man who inspired Steven Spielberg film 'The Terminal' dies at Paris airport
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: 1 min

PARIS — An Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport and inspired the Steven Spielberg film “The Terminal” died Saturday in the airport, officials said. Merhan Karimi Nasseri died after a heart attack in the airport’s Terminal 2F around midday, according an official with the Paris airport authority. Police and a medical team treated him but were not able to save him, the official said. He had been living in the airport again in recent weeks, the airport official said. His saga inspired “The Terminal” starring Tom Hanks, and a French film.

☆ UK pubs call for beer duty freeze ahead of tough Christmas
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 12 (Reuters) - Britain's pubs want the government's help in keeping prices of a pint affordable this Christmas, as surging inflation is driving up costs for businesses and hampering consumers' purchasing power. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), in a letter dated Nov. 11 to finance minister Jeremy Hunt, called on the government to bring back a freeze on beer duty in its budget announcement due on Nov. 17. "We need the beer duty freeze reinstated to alleviate at least some of the cost pressure on our pubs and brewers and to avoid undermining the crucial Alcohol Duty reform measures," Chief Executive of BBPA Emma McClarkin said in a statement on Saturday. The industry body warned that failing to introduce the beer duty freeze would take the tax to its highest ever for the sector, adding that a freeze would channel about 360 million pounds ($423.5 million) back into the industry. ($1 = 0.8500 pounds)Reporting by Amna Karimi and Muhammed Husain in Bengaluru; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Women stopped from entering amusement parks in Afghan capital
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KABUL, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Afghan women were stopped from entering amusement parks in Kabul on Wednesday after the Taliban's morality ministry said there would be restrictions on women being able to access public parks. Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesperson for the hardline Islamist Taliban administration, did not respond to a request for comment. At a Kabul amusement park containing rides such as bumper cars and a Ferris wheel, Reuters witnesses observed several women being turned away by park officials, with Taliban agents present observing the situation. Two park operators, who asked to remain anonymous to speak on a sensitive matter, said they had been told by Taliban officials not to allow women to enter their parks. The Taliban say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.

SummarySummary Companies Sees FY profit between 860 mln euros-900 mln eurosSees consumer demand suppression in Q4, 2023Shares rise 4%Nov 8 (Reuters) - Coca-Cola HBC AG (CCH.L) raised its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday, as the soft drinks bottler benefited from resilient demand and said price rises and promotions would protect profits. Inflation at multi-year highs has pinched household budgets and forced consumers to cut their spending, but Coca-Cola is among the packaged food makers enjoying steady demand. Chief Executive Zoran Bogdanovic said trading in the fourth quarter and 2023 "might get harder because of consumer demand suppression," but added the company planned to overcome it with pricing and promotional plans. Chief Executive Zoran Bogdanovic told Reuters its factories in Russia had reduced operations and it had cut jobs in double digits. HBC raised its expectations for comparable operating profit to between 860 million euros and 900 million euros ($860.43 million and $900.45 million) for 2022, compared with an earlier forecast of between 740 million euros and 820 million euros.

Ramon Abbas, known to his millions of Instagram followers as Ray Hushpuppi, pleaded guilty in April last year to conspiracy to engage in money laundering. On social media, where Abbas had posted videos of himself tossing wads of cash like confetti, he referred to himself as a real estate developer. His social media account was a treasure trove of information for investigatorsFederal investigators have described Abbas as a prolific money launderer who leveraged his social media platform to gain notoriety and brag about his wealth. In a 2020 affidavit, federal officials detailed how his social media accounts provided details needed to confirm his identity. Even Abbas’ Instagram birthday party photos helped the investigation.

☆ Former CEO says plan to rescue British furniture retailer Made.com fails
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Made.com's (MADE.L) co-founder and former chief executive Ning Li said his proposal to save the British online furniture retailer has been rejected, making the way for its collapse. The news comes almost a week after the company said it would appoint administrators after running out of cash, becoming one of the most high profile British retailers to fail this year partly as a result of a squeeze on household budgets. "Apparently, it would be preferable to break the company up and sell it in pieces to generate a little more cash," Ning added. In Oct., the struggling company suspended taking customer orders after talks to find a buyer failed. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GSK's blood cancer drug fails main goal of trial, shares fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Pushkala Aripaka | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Data calls into question existing drug approval -analystsGSK in talks with health authorities, other trials continuingShares fall 3%Nov 7 (Reuters) - GSK's (GSK.L) blood cancer drug Blenrep failed the main goal of a late-stage study designed to show it was better than an existing treatment on the market, the company said on Monday. In April, the company agreed to buy U.S. drug developer Sierra Oncology, gaining access to its main experimental drug for a rare blood cancer and complementing GSK's Blenrep. In the trial, Blenrep was compared with a combination of pomalidomide and low doses of the steroid dexamethasone. Pomalidomide was developed by Celgene, now part of Bristol-Myers Squibb , and was approved in 2013 as a treatment for multiple myeloma. The drug belongs to a promising category of treatments called antibody drug conjugates, which are engineered antibodies that bind to tumour cells and then release cell-killing chemicals.

☆ UK new car sales up by nearly a quarter in October - SMMT
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] New cars are pictured at a car dealership, as Britain's car industry body releases monthly new car sales figures, in Cheshire, Britain October 5, 2020 REUTERS/Jason CairnduffNov 4 (Reuters) - British new car registrations rose for the third consecutive month in October, up by around a quarter, according to preliminary industry data released on Friday. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it expects a market recovery in 2023. The SMMT will provide the final figures for the month at 0900 GMT. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ 'This is not our national team' - why some Iranians want their own country banned from World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Peter Hall | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Last week, in conjunction with a Spanish law firm, they sent a letter to world soccer's governing body FIFA demanding their own country be withdrawn from next month's World Cup. "Iran is different to any other country," former wrestling world junior champion and national team coach Sardar Pashaei told Reuters. They should be banned until we have a democratic country like any other country in the world." "One of the important reasons for banning this football team by FIFA is everybody across the world will ask, 'What happened to Iran?'" "Russia attacked Ukraine, killed people, so it was the right decision they got banned - the same should happen to Iran.

☆ UK's Made.com terminates talks with interested parties for potential sale
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Oct 25 (Reuters) - British online furniture retailer Made.com Group (MADE.L) said on Tuesday talks with a number of interested parties for a potential sale of the company have been terminated after they were unable to meet the timetable. The company added it is no longer in receipt of funding proposals or any possible offers for a potential sale. "The company may determine that it is appropriate to request a suspension of listing of the company's ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange's Main Market for listed securities," Made.com said in a statement. Reporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra EluriOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Robert Walters posts higher profit on strong hiring trends
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 11 (Reuters) - British recruitment firm Robert Walters (RWA.L) on Tuesday reported a 22% jump in its third-quarter gross profit, as hiring stayed robust amid intense competition to fill up vacancies. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe company's gross profit rose to 112 million pounds ($123.5 million) for the quarter ended Sept. 30, compared with 91.8 million pounds a year earlier. Its quarterly gross profit for UK, however, fell 6%, owing to more challenging market conditions across technology recruitment and resource solutions. Peers PageGroup (PAGE.L) and Hays (HAYS.L), which have also seen a combination of talent shortages and wage hike leading to sharp increase in their net fees, are expected to report their quarterly results this week. Robert Walters, which forecast its annual profit to be in line with current market expectations, also named Leslie Van de Walle as non-executive chair.

☆ British pub group Mitchells & Butlers warns on costs, shares drop
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SummarySummary Companies Q4 LfL sales up 1.5% vs 2019Flags higher energy and utility costsShares down ~7%Sept 29 (Reuters) - Mitchells & Butlers (MAB.L) warned of tighter margins in its new financial year as costs rise, driving shares in the British pub operator to two-year lows. Energy and utility costs have risen to roughly 150 million pounds ($161.6 million) in the year ending September 2022, from 80 million pounds in the 2019 period, and could rise further next year, it said in a statement on Thursday. Shares in the company, which have nearly halved in value this year, fell nearly 7% to their lowest since Oct. 2020. read moreBritain has tried to ease the pressure of soaring energy costs, saying it would cap wholesale electricity and gas costs for businesses at less than half the market rate from the coming month until the end of March. Like-for-like sales were up 1.5% for the fourth quarter ended Sept. 24, against 2019 levels, amid rail strikes and extreme heat.

☆ UK's Saga shares drop 20% after profit warning
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterSept 27 (Reuters) - British holidays group Saga Plc (SAGA.L) cut its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday, after reporting a loss for the first half of the year as its insurance unit struggles with inflationary woes, sending its shares 20% lower. Saga said its underwriting business has experienced high levels of claims inflation, currently around 13%, increasing the cost of insurance claims and hitting profitability. "Trading conditions in the UK insurance market continue to be challenging," Chief Executive Officer Euan Sutherland said in a statement. Saga posted a first-half pretax loss of 257.5 million pounds, as compared to a profit of 0.7 million pounds a year earlier. ($1 = 0.9275 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Amna Karimi in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ GSK picks Burberry's Brown as CFO
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGSK (GlaxoSmithKline) logo is seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/SummarySummary Companies Brown to join GSK in April, start as CFO in MayCFO Iain Mackay to retireSept 26 (Reuters) - GSK (GSK.L) named luxury fashion brand Burberry's (BRBY.L) Julie Brown as its new chief financial officer on Monday to succeed Iain Mackay, at a time when the British drugmaker is sharpening focus on its core business. The change comes after GSK spun off its large consumer business, Haleon (HLN.L), to focus on prescription drugs and vaccines. Burberry had said on Friday that Brown would step down as its CFO and chief operating officer in April to take up a role outside the luxury industry. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Amna Karimi and Pushkala Aripaka in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Mackay, 60, will be retiring next year after serving as GSK's finance chief for nearly four years, following an eight-year stint as group finance director at the bank HSBC. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterBrown, also 60, will join GSK in April and take up the job in May. She also served in several finance roles at AstraZeneca (AZN.L), which last year also appointed a female CFO, Aradhana Sarin. With Emma Walmsley as GSK's chief executive officer, Brown's appointment also creates a rare, all-female top management at a blue-chip (.FTSE) British company and a global pharma major. Brown will receive an annual base salary of more than 900,000 pounds at GSK, the company said.

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterGSK (GlaxoSmithKline) logo is seen in this illustration, August 10, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/SummarySummary Companies Brown to join GSK in AprilIain Mackay to retire in MaySept 26 (Reuters) - Britain's GSK (GSK.L) has appointed its first female chief financial officer, Julie Brown, to succeed Iain Mackay, as the drugmaker focuses on its core pharmaceuticals business. With Emma Walmsley as GSK's chief executive, Brown's appointment also creates a rare, all-female top management at a blue-chip (.FTSE) British company and a global pharma major. Mackay, 60, will retire next year after almost four years as GSK's finance chief, before which he completed an eight-year stint as group finance director at HSBC. She also served in several finance roles at AstraZeneca (AZN.L), which last year appointed a female CFO, Aradhana Sarin.

☆ Deutsche Bank in $26.3 million shareholder settlement over Epstein, Russian oligarch ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe logo of Deutsche Bank is pictured on a company's office in London, Britain July 8, 2019. Sewing has since taking over in 2018 tried to show investors that Deutsche Bank has addressed its internal controls shortfalls. New York's Department of Financial Services fined Deutsche Bank $150 million in July 2020 over its relationships with Epstein and Danske Estonia. Friday's settlement covers Deutsche Bank investors in the United States from March 14, 2017 to Sept. 18, 2020. The case is Karimi v Deutsche Bank AG et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No.

☆ Deutsche Bank in $26.3 mln shareholder settlement over Epstein, Russian oligarch ties
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Jonathan Stempel | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Made.com web site is seen on a smartphone in front of a displayed logo in this illustration taken June 16, 2021. Made.com employs around 700 people, indicating more than 200 jobs could be cut. In the past year supply chain disruptions, made worse by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, have also pushed up costs for companies, including Made.com. Made.com appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as its financial adviser to the strategic review and formal sale process. British retailer DFS Furniture (DFSD.L)last week also warned of a challenging outlook for the furniture sector, saying volumes have fallen as demand wanes.

☆ The rise of the 'bait-and-switch' job interview
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-14 | by ( Rob Price | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

According to recruiters, employers, and job applicants interviewed by Insider, an increasing number of candidates are employing stand-ins to do their job interviews for them. At its simplest, it entails a job candidate hiring a person to pretend to be them, sit through the job interviews, and land them the position. The coworker had landed a job interview with Amazon and wanted to know whether the engineer would do the telephone interview on his behalf. Finally, for unscrupulous job candidates who are prepared to pay top dollar, there are "professional" proxies who will serve as stand-ins on job interviews — for a steep fee. Or paid someone to do a job interview for you?

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