Here is the list of news you need to catch up for today:
- John Lewis to Cut 1500 Jobs as UK Back in Quarantine and Pandemic Hits the Sales
- Joe Biden has won 264 of the 270 electoral colleges as the US vote counting continues
- Announcements About Brexit Negotiations After 2 weeks of Intensive Talks
John Lewis to Cut 1500 Jobs as UK Back in Quarantine and Pandemic Hits the Sales
John Lewis, one of the UK’s leading retail chains, announced that 1,500 people will be laid off. The company announced plans as part of efforts to make £300m in annual cost savings and return to profitability of its 5 years plan by 2025.
The 91-year-old company, which sells many products from home textiles to clothing and electronic devices, announced that the layoffs are planned to be made mostly from the head office.
The company said the latest cuts would save £50m a year and would involve the loss of jobs in its strategy, commercial development and operations teams.
Including all of its subsidiaries, John Lewis employs approximately 80,000 people.
Its finance director, Patrick Lewis, the great grandson of John Lewis’s founder and the only family member still working for the business, has also decided to leave at the end of this year ending a 26-year career.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last weekend that the country would go into 4-week quarantine due to the increase in Covid-19 cases.
Joe Biden has Won 264 of the 270 electoral colleges as the US Vote Counting Continues
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has neared the magic number of 270 electoral votes needed to win to declare victory, strengthening his lead with wins in Michigan and Wisconsin on Wednesday. Donald Trump, for the time being, has 214 electoral college votes after gaining one vote in Maine.
If Biden wins the votes in Nevada, he would eventually have the necessary 270.
Meanwhile, Trump claimed on Twitter that his opponents are trying to steal the election. However, since there is no proof of his claim, Twitter restricted access to the post, saying parts or all of the message are disputed.
“We are up BIG, but they are trying to steal the election. We will never let them do it. Votes cannot be cast after the Polls are closed!” Trump wrote on his Twitter account.
It has to be noted that, it is still possible for Trump to win. President Trump is expected to win three electoral college votes, taking him to 217. In order to guarantee the other 53 votes he needs for the victory, he would need to win all four left states and their 57 votes, making: Nevada (6 votes), North Carolina (15 votes), Georgia (16 votes) and Pennsylvaia (20 votes).
“I will govern as an American president,” Biden said. ”There will be no red states and blue states when we win. Just the United States of America.”
Announcements About Brexit Negotiations After 2 weeks of Intensive Talks
The UK and EU announced that differences in opinions still remain in Brexit negotiations even after two weeks of intense talks.
U.K. chief negotiator David Frost said on his Twitter account that: “Wide gaps remained on some core issues” , but he insisted there had been “progress made.”
His EU counterpart Michel Barnier sounded more pessimistic about negotiations with no mention of progress. “Despite EU efforts to find solutions, very serious divergences remain in level playing field, governance & fisheries,” he said. “These are essential conditions for any economic partnership.” Barnier added that the EU was “prepared for all scenarios.”
One diplomat from Brussel mentioned that: “The U.K. does not seem to be engaging sufficiently on key issues like level playing field, governance, and fisheries.” Meanwhile, another EU diplomat mentioned that a lot of work still remains to be done while the clock is ticking.
David McAllister, the chair of the European Parliament’s U.K. Coordination Group, told that his optimism was dropping. “Yesterday I would have said I am cautiously optimistic. However, today we heard from Michel Barnier that there was no movement from the United Kingdom, and of course we are now under great time pressure,” he said.
McAllister announced that on Thursday and Friday of this week, the deputy officials will continue the technical talks, while Barnier and Frost will meet again on Sunday.
Nevertheless, Bernd Lange, the chairman of the European Parliament trade committee, raised his concerns and fear that that time might run out to evaluate a deal. “I am on the verge of losing my patience and rejecting the project because it really can no longer comply with democratic principles,” the chairman said.
