Bonuses cut

THE tireless work of law enforcement workers across Europe often goes unnoticed, but a new photo contest aims to recognise this. Europol’s Capture22 photo competition winners were announced on Friday, February 3 after months of deliberation by a jury.

Europol asks amateur photographers to contribute photographs that capture and illustrate the ways that police forces keep European Union citizens safe everyday in the contest..

The 2022 contest comprised three different categories: ‘Making Europe safer’; ‘Caring for the community’ and ‘On the road’.

Pedro Manuel Reis Valongo won the ‘Making Europe safer’ category with an image of a Portuguese police officer at a train station, demonstrating the steadfast presence of police in public spaces.

Ricardo Rueda Fernandez won the ‘Caring for the community’ category with a heart ­ warming image of a Spanish police officer helping a Moroccan citizen to the shore. A poignant image, it also highlights the versatility of police work in the EU.

The final category, ‘On the road’ was won by Romanian photographer, Florin Jugravu, depicting a police officer on duty in traffic in Bucharest. The photograph ‘encapsulates the frenetic nature of modern life and the reliability of police’.

The winning entries will now go on exhibition in The Hague. The winning images can also be viewed online: https://www.instagram. com/p/CoM78NVD1Zm/?hl= en.

THE scandal ­ hit Swiss bank, Credit Suisse, announced on Thursday, February 9 that it would cut bonuses for company executives as it records its worst financial year since the economic crisis of 2008.

Clients withdrew their money in droves and company shares plummeted causing the company to record a staggering net loss of nearly €7.4 billion. 2022 marks the second year that the company has reported a loss after losing nearly €1.8 billion in 2021.

The bank has been plagued with scandal since a 2022 court ruling that the Swiss bank helped the Bulgarian mafia to launder money as well as US hedge fund disasters, and implication in a scandal in Mozambique.

The shockingly poor performance led the company to announce that none of its executives, would receive a bonus this year. Senior managers also took significant pay cuts.