However, the situation remains highly volatile, with the risk of miscalculation or accidental clashes posing a real threat to regional stability. The presence of a large number of Chinese warships near Taiwan's waters has raised fears of a possible blockade or military intervention, leading to growing anxiety among Taiwanese citizens.
Workers at Starbucks stores began a five-day strike Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes by baristas and other workers were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across the country by Christmas Eve. Starbucks Workers United, the union organizing Starbucks' baristas, said at least 10 locations were closed down as of midday Friday. The walkouts came a day after the Teamsters union announced strikes at seven Amazon delivery hubs . Starbucks said early Friday there was “no significant impact” to its store operations. “We are aware of disruption at a small handful of stores, but the overwhelming majority of our U.S. stores remain open and serving customers as normal,” the Seattle-based coffee giant said in a statement. Workers at 535 company-owned U.S. stores have voted to unionize, but Starbucks has nearly 10,000 company-owned U.S. stores Starbucks Workers United, which began the unionization effort in 2021, said Starbucks has failed to honor a commitment made in February to reach a labor agreement this year. The union also wants the company to resolve outstanding legal issues, including hundreds of unfair labor practice charges that workers have filed with the National Labor Relations Board . The union noted that Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol , who started in September, could make more than $100 million in his first year on the job. But it said the company recently proposed an economic package with no new wage increases for unionized baristas now and a 1.5% increase in future years. “Union baristas know their value, and they’re not going to accept a proposal that doesn’t treat them as true partners," Starbucks Workers United President Lynne Fox said. Starbucks said Workers United prematurely ended a bargaining session this week. “We are ready to continue negotiations to reach agreements. We need the union to return to the table,” the company said in a statement. Starbucks said it proposed an annual pay increase of at least 1.5% that could be higher in some years. If the company said if it offered a lower increase to non-union stores in any given year, it still would give union workers a 1.5% increase. Starbucks said the union wants to increase the minimum wage for hourly workers by 64% immediately and 77% over the life of a three-year contract. Starbucks said it already pays an average of $18 per hour. With benefits — including health care, free college tuition and paid family leave — Starbucks' pay package is worth an average of $30 per hour for baristas who work at least 20 hours per week. The strikes won't be the first for Starbucks during the busy holiday season. In November 2023, thousands of workers at more than 200 stores walked out on Red Cup Day , when the company usually gives away thousands of reusable cups. Hundreds of workers also went on strike in June 2023 to protest after the union said Starbucks banned Pride displays at some stores. The union and the company struck a different tone early this year, when they returned to the bargaining table and pledged to reach an agreement. Starbucks said it has held nine bargaining sessions with the union since April, and has reached more than 30 agreements with the union. But Starbucks has struggled with falling sales and lower customer traffic in the U.S. and abroad this year, and the CEO who promised to work for a labor agreement, Laxman Narasimhan , was forced out this summer. Niccol quashed a unionization campaign at Chipotle when he was the CEO there, but he pledged to work constructively with the union in a September letter. Now, Starbucks and the union appear to be at an impasse. “In a year when Starbucks invested so many millions in top executive talent, it has failed to present the baristas who make its company run with a viable economic proposal,” Fatemeh Alhadjaboodi, a Starbucks barista from Texas and bargaining delegate, said in a statement.
While many NATO allies have made progress in increasing their defense budgets in recent years, the issue of burden-sharing and fairness remains a contentious issue within the alliance. President Trump’s insistence on a more equitable distribution of defense spending has put pressure on other member countries to ramp up their contributions, leading to some countries announcing plans to boost their defense budgets and capabilities.By Sheila Dang and Krystal Hu (Reuters) - U.S. billionaire businessman Frank McCourt is crafting a fundamental overhaul of TikTok's business model as part of a plan to bid for the Chinese-owned short-form video app, he told Reuters. McCourt, who formerly owned the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, said he has received verbal funding commitments totaling $20 billion from a consortium of investors to rescue the app from legal purgatory as it awaits a Supreme Court decision to determine if it will be forced to sell its U.S. operations. His vision for TikTok includes revamping the company's advertising model so that users will have control over the ads and type of content they want to see. Over time, TikTok could earn revenue through ecommerce and licensing data for artificial intelligence training models - with users' consent - which will diminish the business' reliance on ads. "When you give permission for your data to be used and you receive compensation, it's flipping this 180 degrees and giving the user the power," McCourt said this week. The plan faces several hurdles, including TikTok's repeated assertions that it cannot be divested from its owner, Chinese tech firm ByteDance. McCourt said the bid for TikTok would exclude the algorithm that determines the content that users see, in order to reduce complications for ByteDance. The Chinese government in 2020 added content recommendation algorithms to its export-control list, requiring a divestiture or sale of TikTok's algorithm to go through its administrative licensing procedures. TikTok's appeal to the Supreme Court is a last-ditch effort to overturn a law signed by U.S. President Joe Biden that seeks to force a sale over national security concerns, or else the app will be banned on Jan. 19. McCourt said he believes the Supreme Court will uphold the law, after which ByteDance could be open to negotiations. Until then, he is focused on smoothing the path to an acquisition. McCourt said he and his team have had "preliminary conversations" with members of President-elect Donald Trump's incoming administration. Trump tried to ban TikTok in 2020 but has since reversed his view, saying on Dec. 16 that he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok." A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment. The team is also speaking with potential CEO candidates for the new TikTok, McCourt said. One source familiar with the matter said the team approached V. Pappas, TikTok's former chief operating officer. Pappas did not respond to a request for comment. McCourt declined to name who he is speaking with for the CEO role. The plan for TikTok will also include migrating its technology onto an open-source protocol developed by Project Liberty, an organization founded by McCourt. The protocol would allow users to control their data and easily move it elsewhere on the internet. The plan is influencing the search for a CEO. "This is both a big project to scale the technology that we've built, but it is also a vision for a better internet. We're talking to people who share that vision and have the capacity and skills to do both," McCourt said. (Reporting by Sheila Dang in Austin and Krystal Hu in Toronto, additional reporting by Katie Paul in New York; editing by Kenneth Li and Richard Chang)Title: Breaking Free from Snow Boots Stereotypes: A New Era of Design, Production, and Sales for Sangpo VillageFurthermore, the recent strength in the Chinese yuan and improvements in market liquidity have provided additional support to the A-share market, creating a favorable environment for investors to increase their exposure to domestic equities.
With a stellar cast of actors bringing the characters to life, "Botticelli, Florence, and the Medici Family" promises to deliver a riveting and immersive cinematic experience that will transport viewers to a bygone era of beauty, ambition, and intrigue. Whether you are a fan of art history, a lover of Italian culture, or simply someone who enjoys a good story, this film is sure to captivate and inspire.In a solemn and moving ceremony, over a thousand new soldiers were officially promoted and took their oath of allegiance recently, marking a significant rite of passage in their military journey. The event, witnessed by their proud parents and family members, symbolized the beginning of a new chapter as they embraced new responsibilities and challenges on the battlefield.On December 14th, a new trailer for the animated movie "The Lord of the Rings: The Battle of Rohan" was released, generating excitement among fans eagerly anticipating its mainland China premiere. The film, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved fantasy epic, is set to captivate audiences with its stunning visuals, compelling storytelling, and timeless themes of courage, friendship, and the battle between good and evil.
Opta's latest team strength rankings have been released, revealing that Liverpool has claimed the top spot, with Inter Milan closely following in second place. Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Paris Saint-Germain, on the other hand, have secured the third to fifth positions respectively.