Amazon UK has announced plans to spend £170 million ($207 million) on two pay rises for its frontline operations staff in the next six months. The move has caught the attention of the Bank of England, which is closely monitoring inflation pressures. The internet giant, which employs 75,000 people in the UK, stated that starting from October 15, the minimum starting pay will increase by at least £1 per hour, ranging between £11.80 and £12.50, depending on the location. By April next year, pay rates will further increase to between £12.30 and £13 per hour. These raises will result in a 20% increase in Amazon’s minimum starting pay over two years and a 50% increase since 2018. Additionally, Amazon UK has begun recruiting for over 15,000 seasonal roles across the country for the upcoming festive period. This news follows recent announcements from Morrisons and Aldi, who revealed plans to hire an additional 3,500 and 3,000 staff members, respectively, for the Christmas season.
International Airlines Cancel Flights to Israel as Security Situation Worsens
Major airlines worldwide have canceled flights to Israel or issued warnings of travel disruption due to the deteriorating security situation. Virgin Atlantic and British Airways (BA) have both warned of cancellations and delays to Tel Aviv, with BA altering its schedule accordingly. Moreover, three US carriers, along with Air France, Lufthansa, and Emirates, have suspended services to Israel. The recent escalation in violence by Palestinian militants Hamas, including missile attacks on Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, has resulted in approximately 700 deaths in Israel since Saturday, with an additional 500 casualties in retaliatory air strikes in Gaza. Notably, Virgin Atlantic has already made eight cancellations between Tel Aviv and London Heathrow, spanning from Saturday until Wednesday. The safety and security of customers and staff remain their top priority, and they are constantly reviewing their flying program to Israel. Other airlines, such as Wizz Air and EasyJet, have also canceled flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
Vodafone Collaborates with Intel and Nokia to Strengthen Open RAN Networks
Vodafone has reaffirmed its commitment to Open RAN networks by announcing collaborations with Intel and Nokia. The European operator plans to develop a purpose-built chipset architecture for Open RAN with Intel. Additionally, Vodafone has successfully made its first 4G calls using Open RAN over network sites shared with Orange in Romania. Furthermore, the company is partnering with Nokia to pilot the technology in Italy. Open RAN allows mobile operators to mix and match equipment from different suppliers, enhancing flexibility in network infrastructure. Although the market is currently dominated by proprietary solutions from Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei, Vodafone’s efforts aim to accelerate the adoption of Open RAN. Vodafone had previously agreed to collaborate with Intel in 2022 to explore the possibility of designing its own chip architecture. The joint creation of chipsets will take place at Vodafone’s campus in Malaga, Spain. These chipsets will be made available to smaller third-party vendors, enabling them to test their algorithms without significant financial investments in silicon.
