Variety Editor-In-Chief Claudia Eller To Take Two Month Administrative Leave After Social Media Outburst

BREAKING: Claudia Eller, editor-in-chief of our sister publication Variety, will take a two month administrative leave after making an angry social media outburst in a heated moment.

This came after Eller wrote an article lamenting that Variety did not have enough diversity in its staff, and vowed to work to change things. She was challenged on social media and responded to a former employee at a rival trade, who is a minority. Eller called the woman “bitter,” leading to a continued heated exchange. After a meeting between Eller, PMC and Variety staffers who were offended by the back and forth, it was mutually decided it would be best for Eller to take some time away to consider her actions.

While Eller is doing that, Cynthia Littleton will step in as interim editor. Littleton had been co-editor-in-chief along with Eller and Andrew Wallenstein, before stepping away from that role several years ago to focus on business reporting and take the title of Business Editor.

I’ve known, admired and competed against Eller for the better part of 30 years, and I can say with certainty that her response was reflective of her intensity toward a journalist who had been at a competitive publication. This has been an incredibly stressful, painful year for everyone, and it is a shame that she let her emotions get the best of her.

Renault Plans To Cut About 14,600 Jobs Worldwide

Groupe Renault plans to cut about 14,600 jobs across the world and lower its production capacity.

The plan includes almost 4,600 jobs reduction in France, through voluntary retirement and retraining, the company said in a statement. More than 10,000 positions in the rest of the world will be eliminated.

The French carmaker said, “The difficulties encountered by the Group, the major crisis facing the automotive industry and the urgency of the ecological transition are all imperatives that are driving the company to accelerate its transformation.”

The company plans to reduce its global production capacity to 3.3 million vehicles by 2024 from 4 million vehicles in 2019. It will also suspend planned capacity increase projects in Morocco and Romania in addition to suspending study of the adaptation of the Group’s production capacities in Russia, and study of the rationalization of gearbox manufacturing worldwide.

Renault announced the transfer of its stake in Dongfeng Renault Automotive Company in China to Dongfeng Motor Corp. and the cessation of Renault branded passenger car combustion engine activities in the Chinese market.

Meanwhile, the company is currently in talks with the French government for a credit facility between 4 billion euros and 5 billion euros.

By taking various cost cutting measures, Renault intends to save more than 2 billion euros over three years, and expects the costs of implementation to be about 1.2 billion euros.

Coronavirus has struck – and the Amazon can do nothing to protect itself

in the Amazon

Singapore retail sales post record 40.5% fall in April during COVID-19 lockdown

SINGAPORE, June 5 (Reuters) – Singapore’s retail sales fell a record 40.5% in April from a year ago due to lockdown measures implemented in the city-state to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The fall is the biggest since 1986 in the earliest data that is available on the Singapore Department of Statistics website.

The city-state is this week slowly reopening after a nationwide lockdown in early April which saw most workplaces and non-essential shops shut. (Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore; Editing by Tom Hogue)

Live: Parliament debates $33b Fortitude Budget for Covid-19 measures

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat will round up the debate on the supplementary Budget in Parliament today.

RTD to resume bus and rail service to and from downtown Denver

Regular bus and rail service in and out of downtown Denver will resume Friday morning.

“The agency considers it safe to operate its trains and buses in the downtown area,” RTD said in a Thursday news release.

Downtown public transportation was shut down Friday because of concerns involving the ongoing George Floyd police protests in Denver.

The RTD staff will continue to monitor the situation throughout the day Friday and will revise service if necessary, according to the release.

Transit users are advised to check the RTD website, Twitter and rider alerts for developing information and possible changes.

PHOTOS: First memorial service held for George Floyd as rallies continue across the nation

The first memorial service for George Floyd was held Thursday, June 4, 2020, in Minneapolis. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis on May 25 when police were called. He died after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, held his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. George Floyd’s death has sparked protests and demonstrations around the nation that were ongoing more than a week after his killing.

U.S. Labor Productivity Decreases Much Less Than Initially Estimated In Q1

Revised data released by the Labor Department on Thursday showed U.S. labor productivity declined by much less than initially estimated in the first quarter.

The Labor Department said labor productivity fell by 0.9 percent in the first quarter compared to the previously reported 2.5 percent nosedive.

The revision to a much smaller decrease came as a surprise to economists, who had expected the slump in labor productivity to be revised to 2.7 percent.

The unexpected upward revision to productivity, a measure of output per hour, came as the plunge in hours worked was revised to 5.6 percent from 3.8 percent.

The report still showed a steep drop in output, which was revised to 6.5 percent from the previously reported 6.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the report showed the jump in unit labor costs in the first quarter was upwardly revised to 5.1 percent from 4.8 percent. The spike in unit labor costs was expected to be upwardly revised to 5.0 percent.

Hourly compensation soared by 4.2 percent compared to the previously reported 2.2 percent surge, but the upward revision was largely offset by the much smaller than previously reported drop in productivity.

Real hourly compensation, which takes into account changes in consumer prices, jumped by 2.9 percent compared to the previously reported 0.9 percent increase.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, labor productivity increased by 1.2 percent, while unit labor costs surged up by 2.2 percent.