How a factory works

Campaigners have welcomed a potential ban on US imports of booming fashion empire Boohoo and its suppliers after allegations over the use of slave labour. US Customs and Border Protection is studying two petitions from a British lawyer - one for a block on Boohoo clothes and another on garments from most of its manufacturers in Leicester. The agency has said there is enough evidence already to launch an investigation. Duncan Jepson who runs the charity Liberty Shared in Washington DC claims Boohoo is not doing enough to stop forced labour in the Leicester factories that make many of its clothes. Mr Jepson said: "The evidence of Boohoo and forced labour is quite compelling. I think it will be a wake-up call for British institutions about how they're handling modern slavery enforced labour, particularly in a community like Leicester East." Advertisement He added: "What we'd all like, those of us interested in improving labour conditions, is for … [Read more...] about Campaigners welcome potential Boohoo US import ban after slave labour allegations

If you buy a conventional car these days, you may rest assured that nothing basic will change in your automobile for, let's say, the next seven years until you will, statistically, buy a new one. In the not too distant future, however, you may have to be prepared for your good old vehicle to get an overhaul "every three months," says Claus Gruber, an expert for automotive software at the Strategy& consultancy. "You'll likely get permanent software updates on your car's functional and safety features, similar to those you get on your smartphone or laptop computer already today," he told DW. Gruber is an engineer and co-author of a Strategy& study of the fundamental challenges faced by global automakers as the industry moves into a future dominated by IT-based technology solutions . Under its most likely scenario, the consultancy expects carmakers' software development costs to double over the next 10 years, with the outlay for autonomous driving solutions estimated to be … [Read more...] about The future of the automobile lies in bytes not horsepower

It was 3am when Amanda Barrie was woken by her landline ringing. She knew a call at that time is hardly ever good news. Half awake she answered, relieved but bemused to hear the excitable voice on the other end. “We have worked together before,” exclaimed a delighted Johnny Briggs. “I’ve just seen us!” This was the late Eighties, and just a few years into what would be Mike and Alma Baldwin’s 20-year love story, the pair were already one of the nation’s favourite Coronation Street couples. Off-screen, Johnny relied just as much on charisma and cheeky-chappy charm to get him out of scrapes as his alter ego. Scrapes such as ringing his co-star in the middle of the night to report they had unknowingly been in the same film – Doctors in Distress – in 1963. It makes Amanda laugh even now. “I said to him, ‘What are you talking about? It’s three o’clock in the morning!’. But he’d just seen the film on TV, and decided to phone me right then to tell me,” recalls Amanda. “But … [Read more...] about Amanda Barrie pays tribute to ‘naughty’ on-screen Corrie husband Johnny Briggs

APPLE is reportedly working on a giant, foldable iPhone that will replace the iPad Mini in the California firm's gadget line-up. The high-tech mobile will boast a massive screen measuring 7.5 inches, dwarfing the next biggest iPhone ever made, according to Chinese media. It follows multiple reports that Apple is working on a foldable handset to take on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X . The device is rumoured to bend via a complex hinge that allows it to close like a clamshell. It's expected to cost upwards of £2,000. According to Chinese news site MyDrivers , Apple will use the phone's launch to axe one of its most popular tablets. The 7.9-inch iPad Mini will get the chop in favour of the foldable iPhone, which like the tablet will offer stylus support. It would be a sensible move for Apple, which has been guilty of cannibalising its own sales by offering similar products in the past. Last year's iPhone 12 Mini, for instance, has not … [Read more...] about iPad Mini will be replaced by GIANT ‘biggest ever’ 7.5-inch iPhone, shock Apple ‘leak’ claims

If you buy a conventional car these days, you may rest assured that nothing basic will change in your automobile for, let's say, the next seven years, until you, statistically, buy a new one. In the not too distant future, however, you may have to be prepared for your good old vehicle to get an overhaul "every three months," says Claus Gruber, an expert for automotive software at the Strategy& consultancy. "You'll likely get permanent software updates on your car's functional and safety features, similar to those you get on your smartphone or laptop computer already today," he told DW. Gruber is an engineer and co-author of a study by Strategy&, the strategy consulting business unit of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), of the fundamental challenges faced by global automakers as the industry moves into a future dominated by IT-based technology solutions. Under its most likely scenario, the consultancy expects carmakers' software development costs to double over the next … [Read more...] about The future of the automobile lies in bytes, not horsepower