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International News

Workers’ rights under threat as online work surges five-fold – U.N

The ILO found significant inequities in the platform economy, with workers in developing countries earning 60% less than those in developed countries, even after controlling for basic characteristics and types of tasks. More than 70% of taxi drivers reported their average daily number of trips and earnings decreased after a platform took over the market.

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Uber’s U.K. Court loss spells a reckoning for Gig work in Europe

“It wasn’t just about Uber, it was about the gig economy,” Rix said. “It’s a bogus, false model of employment, and it’s wrong and people are being exploited.”
The decision nevertheless opens the way for additional claims — and not just from Uber drivers. Those making deliveries for companies like Amazon.com Inc., which uses third-party services that employ freelance workers, as well as other, smaller players, now have a clearer path for challenging the terms of working for their platforms, said Mick Rix, a national officer for the GMB union. The GMB, which has more than 620,000 members, will use the decision to take on other tech platforms, he said.

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Boeing recommends Airlines suspend use of some 777s after United incident

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said its initial examination of the plane indicated most of the damage was confined to the right engine, with only minor damage to the airplane.

It said the inlet and casing separated from the engine and two fan blades were fractured, while the remainder of the fan blades exhibited damage.

Japan’s transport ministry ordered Japan Airlines Co Ltd (JAL) and ANA Holdings Inc to suspend the use of 777s with P&W4000 engines while it considered whether to take additional measures.

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After losing a company to COVID, owners seek the next gig

It’s not known how many small businesses have failed in the pandemic, but different estimates all show devastation. Based on a projection last spring by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the number is likely well into the hundreds of thousands. Data from the work scheduling software company UKG shows that about one in six small businesses have closed their doors since the pandemic began. And the National Restaurant Association, a trade group, said 17% of U.S. restaurants, or more than 110,000, had permanently shut by Dec. 1; it’s likely that many were small or mid-sized businesses.

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WHO agrees compensation fund for serious COVAX vaccine side effects

The programme, which the WHO said was the first and only vaccine injury compensation mechanism operating on an international scale, will offer eligible people “a fast, fair, robust and transparent process”, the WHO said in a statement.

“By providing a no-fault lump-sum compensation in full and final settlement of any claims, the COVAX programme aims to significantly reduce the need for recourse to the law courts, a potentially lengthy and costly process,” the statement said.

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Manmade debris poses threat to space operations:Hiscox

From an insurance perspective, the growth in space debris makes launching new satellites and rockets riskier. It could mean that we require space operators to take additional measures such as having propulsion onboard satellites, so they can change height to avoid collisions and de-orbit when they become obsolete,” said Pascal Lecointe, Space Line underwriter at Hiscox said.

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