LAWSUITS

Uber faces lawsuit by 550 women over sexual assault claims

Technology company Uber is being sued in the US by 550 women who were allegedly assaulted by drivers on the ride-hailing platform. The filing includes allegations women passengers "were kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked by Uber drivers". A spokesperson from Uber said, “we take every single report seriously,” adding that the company has added new safety features.  The complaint said that at least another 150 potential cases are being “actively investigated”. The lawsuit alleges that as early as 2014 Uber became aware that its drivers were sexually assaulting female passengers, and  claims that Uber prioritised “growth over customer safety”. The filing comes following a series of leaked files uncovered Uber’s ‘blitzscaling’ business activities of regulation breaking, lobbying and employee abuse. (BBC News)

CLIMATE CHANGE

Nearly $2trn of damage inflicted on globe by US emissions

The US has inflicted more than $1.9 trillion in damage to other countries from the effects of its greenhouse gas emissions, according to new analysis. The study found that as the largest historical emitter, the huge volume of planet-heating gases pumped out by the US has caused so much harm to other, mostly poor, countries through heatwaves, crop failures and other consequences that the US is responsible for $1.91 trillion in lost global income since 1990. This puts the US ahead of China, currently the world’s leading emitter, Russia, India and Brazil as the next largest contributors to global economic damage through their emissions. Combined, these five leading culprits have caused a total of $6 trillion in losses worldwide, or about 11% of annual global GDP, since 1990 by fuelling climate breakdown. (The Guardian)

EMPLOYEES

EV firm Arrival restructures workforce, cutting up to 30%

British electric vehicle (EV) company Arrival SA has announced plans to reorganise its business, which could result in up to a 30% reduction in its workforce. Arrival said the move will enable it to start production of its ‘Arrival Van’ in the third quarter as planned. The restructuring, which the company said is in response to a challenging economic environment, aims at a 30% cut in spending to help meet its business targets until late 2023 using the $500 million cash on hand. The news follows bigger players Rivian Automotive that recently announced it will brief employees on potential layoffs, and Tesla that said it would cut 229 jobs. Arrival posted a net loss of $10.4 million in the first quarter. (Reuters)

DIGITAL ETHICS

Online Safety Bill paused until new UK prime minister chosen

Plans for new internet safety laws have been put on hold until a new UK prime minister is in place in the autumn. The ‘Online Safety Bill’ had been in its final stages and was due to be discussed in Parliament shortly but will now be paused until the autumn. Campaigners seeking changes to the existing regulations expressed concern at the delay. A spokesperson from children’s charity the NSPCC said the bill was a “crucial piece of legislation”. The legislation largely puts the onus on the tech giants, like Meta – previously Facebook – and Google, to figure out how to prevent the spread of illegal content, protect children from harmful content and adults from legal but harmful content. It also empowers Ofcom as a regulator to police whether they do a good enough job. (BBC News)

AROUND THE WORLD 

Indonesia stops migrant workers to Malaysia over “trafficking”

Indonesia’s government said it has temporarily stopped sending its citizens to work in Malaysia, including thousands recruited for the plantation sector, citing a breach in a worker recruitment deal. The freeze is the latest blow for Malaysia, the world’s second-largest palm oil producer and a key link in the global supply chain, which is facing a shortage of some 1.2 million workers. Indonesia’s Ambassador to Malaysia said the freeze was imposed after Malaysia’s immigration authorities continued using an online recruitment system for domestic workers that had been linked to allegations of trafficking and forced labour. The system’s continued operation violated the terms of an agreement signed in April 2022, aimed at improving the protection of domestic workers employed in Malaysian households. (Reuters)

CURRENT OPENINGS

Would you love to work in sustainability, supporting big brands in their responsible business journeys? Click here to see info on our current openings. We can't wait to hear from you