The British telecoms company BT is to reduce its workforce by 55,000 by the end of the decade, as the company's fibre roll-out programme reaches its conclusion and some other tasks will be performed by artificial intelligence.
The job cuts include 30,000 contractors specifically employed in the building of the fibre-optic network.
"It's a rolling programme, but it's a five to seven-year landing zone," said BT's chief executive, Philip Jansen.
He said that BT "will be a leaner business with a brighter future" after the completion of the fibre roll-out programme and the adoption of AI technologies, within a simplified corporate structure.
The job losses, which represent about 40 per cent of BT's current workforce, come just days after a similar move by rival Vodafone, which announced plans to cut 11,000 jobs over three years.
Ringing up earnings
BT's latest numbers, meanwhile, show a 5 per cent increase in adjusted core earnings to £7.9 billion ($10 billion).
But an increase in capital expenditure meant that BT's free cash flow fell by 5 per cent to £1.3 billion, which was at the lower end of analysts' expectations.
As such, BT shares fell more than 9 per cent in morning trade in London on Thursday.
Nonetheless, the company networks operation, Openreach, reaffirmed its target to install ultra-fast broadband connections in 25 million properties by the end of 2026.
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Dunki
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RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
