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☆ Starbucks workers at 100 stores are planning three-day strike starting on Friday amid union push
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Starbucks workers around the U.S. are planning a three-day strike starting Friday as part of their effort to unionize the coffee chain’s stores. More than 1,000 baristas at 100 stores are planning to walk out, according to Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing the effort. On Nov. 17, workers at 110 Starbucks stores held a one-day walkout. Tambellini said workers are protesting understaffed stores, poor management and what she calls Starbucks’ “scorched earth method of union busting,” including closing stores that have unionized. Workers United noted that Starbucks recently closed the first store to unionize in Seattle, the company’s hometown.

☆ Sam Bankman-Fried's relatives called the Bahamas prison he's being held at to ask if he can get vegan meals, per Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

His relatives called the prison to see if he could receive vegan food, a source told Bloomberg. Bankman-Fried's lawyer previously cited his vegan diet as a reason he should be released on bail. One source told the outlet relatives of Bankman-Fried called the prison on Tuesday to ask if he could receive vegan meals. Lawyers for Bankman-Fried tried to use his vegan diet as a reason he should be released while awaiting extradition, CoinDesk reported Tuesday. They asked the court to consider releasing him on a $250,000 bail so he could maintain his vegan diet and stick to his medications, including Adderall and Zyrtec.

☆ British nurses launch historic strike, as pay and staffing crises threaten the NHS
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The reality is, every day, nurses across the UK are walking into understaffed hospitals,” Mackay said. “I feel really sorry for the young girls who are now trying to get into the profession, they have to pay for their training. Nurses’ pay dropped 1.2% every year between 2010 and 2017 once inflation was taken into account, according to the Health Foundation, a UK charity that campaigns for better health and health care. Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesEarlier this year, the RCN rejected an offer by the government to increase nurses’ pay by a minimum of £1,400 ($1,707) a year, which amounted to an average rise of 4.3%, well below the rate of inflation. Members of Britain’s armed forces were being trained to drive ambulances and firefight in the event of strike action, ministers said earlier this month.

But for a place that until earlier this month assiduously tracked every case, there is now no clear data on the extent of the virus’ spread. Customers queue at a pharmacy in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, December 13. Authorities on Wednesday morning reported 2,249 symptomatic Covid cases nationally for the previous day, 20% of which were detected in the capital. A closed Covid testing booth in Beijing, China, on Tuesday, December 13. Chinese state media has since warned people the preserved fruit is not a Covid remedy nor a substitute for medicine.

☆ Cutting Costs, Not Jobs, Is Focus for Many CFOs Facing Slowdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Kristin Broughton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

At the same time, many employers are looking for workers, with job openings well above the number of job seekers. That leaves some finance chiefs scouting for savings that don’t involve job cuts, or that supplement layoffs, advisers and analysts said. Other ways to cut costs include exiting leases, reducing the number of suppliers, automating tasks, trimming software spending and finding less expensive components, advisers said. Many companies over the past year have raised prices to keep up with escalating input costs, in addition to trimming expenses. Still, the company’s restaurant-level profit margin during the quarter ended Oct. 2 fell to 16.2% from 20.1% a year earlier.

The answer is simple, according to more than a dozen Washington insiders, FTX employees, and crypto industry observers who spoke with Insider. I don't think anyone believed that he was going to fund candidates who were, quote unquote, committed to ending pandemics who were also hostile to the crypto industry." Alex Wong/Getty ImagesRebuffed by the SEC, Bankman-Fried turned his attention to Congress. "It's not that he was welcoming regulation," says the senior figure in the crypto industry who attended meetings with Bankman-Fried. But while Bankman-Fried was busy wooing Washington, FTX was about to become Exhibit A in the case for more effective oversight of the crypto industry.

☆ Family Dollar is a mess. It hopes lowering prices will help
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN Business —Family Dollar has lost ground in the dollar store race for years. “Family Dollar, from a pricing perspective, is in the best position in more than a decade.”The strategy appears to be working so far: Last quarter, foot traffic to Family Dollar stores increased for the first time in three years. Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar in 2014 for almost $9 billion, but these problems started before the acquisition, according to analysts. Some Wall Street investors have pressed Dollar Tree to sell Family Dollar. And new “H2” Family Dollar stores showcasing special Dollar Tree $1.25 merchandise sections and more freezers and refrigerators than traditional Family Dollar stores.

☆ Hackers dump more customer data from Australian insurer Medibank
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"The raw data we have analysed today so far is incomplete and hard to understand," chief executive David Koczkar said. On Thursday, media reported that a blog, believed by cyber experts to be used by the hackers, carried a new post: "Happy Cyber Security Day!!! Medibank did not immediately respond to a Reuters question asking whether it believed all stolen data had now been released. Australian Federal Police last month said Russia-based hackers were behind the Medibank cyberattack, which compromised the details of almost 10 million current and former customers. In its latest update, Medibank said there were currently no signs that banking data had been stolen.

☆ Over 4,000 Zimbabwean doctors and nurses left the country in 2021
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HARARE, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean health workers have left the country in droves over the past year, a senior official at the Health Services Board (HSB) revealed on Sunday. More than 4,000 health workers have left since 2021, HSB chairperson Dr Paulinus Sikosana told Reuters. This includes more than 1,700 registered nurses who resigned last year and more than 900 who left this year. Health workers went on strike in June demanding to be paid in U.S. dollars as inflation further weakened the local currency. Doctors and nurses in Zimbabwe have found work mainly in Britain, leaving the country's health sector in dire straits and local hospitals understaffed.

☆ Indeed and Glassdoor Report: Labor Shortages Will Be Around for Years
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Juliana Kaplan | Madison Hoff | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A new Indeed and Glassdoor report looks at long-term trends for the labor market. A new Indeed and Glassdoor report looked at long-term labor market trends. One key trend: Labor supply will remain tight, especially as the number of people who are considered working age continues to dwindle. Obviously, that takes a little while to spill over into the labor force, as the country still deals with its own labor squeeze. And, in Germany, the labor market situation is still a problem, but hasn't been as challenging over the last few years.

☆ A Twitter executive warned employees to use Slack 'wisely' as Elon Musk keeps looking for internal critics to fire
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Kali Hays | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Twitter CEO Elon Musk is continuing his search to fire employees who may have criticized him. An executive sent a message last night telling workers Slack messages are "company property." As CEO Elon Musk imposes a new "extremely hardcore" culture at Twitter and continues firing perceived critics, employees are being warned off using internal company tools like Slack as forums for free communication. Musk recently combed Slack and employee Twitter profiles to find those critical of him or his decisions, and he subsequently fired them, as Insider reported. Are you a Twitter employee or someone else with insight to share?

☆ Telehealth is soaring. Here's how telecommunications companies are racing to help patients through 5G technology.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nicholas Fearn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

During the difficult months of lockdown, many healthcare professionals conducted nonemergency appointments remotely to protect their patients and prevent COVID from spreading even further. Sanjiv Gossain, the group vice president and head of EMEA at Verizon Business, said that 5G technology will help the healthcare industry solve some of its biggest challenges. 5G use is increasing in health servicesMore companies are joining the effort to make healthcare more accessible through 5G technology. Joe Drygas, the vice president of healthcare solutions at AT&T, said that 5G will allow even more people to access healthcare globally. While cost and infrastructural challenges remain, 5G technology has already begun to transform healthtech and patient care.

☆ Australia's Medibank says hacker leaked customer data on dark web
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 8 (Reuters) - Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), Australia's biggest health insurer, said on Wednesday some customer personal data believed to have been stolen from its systems has been released by the hacker on a dark web forum. The leaked data includes names, addresses and phone numbers of its customers, and in the case of some international students, passport numbers. Some health claims data was also released. Local media has reported the leaked data was posted on a blog linked to ransomware crime group REvil, which has links to Russia. read more read moreReporting by Harshita Swaminathan and Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh KuberOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Oregon voters will determine Tuesday whether to pass stricter gun laws — the only ballot measure nationwide that addresses gun violence. Supporters, including shooting survivors in the state and across the country, say Oregon Measure 114 is necessary to reduce gun injuries and deaths. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit group that advocates gun control, said 55% of mass shootings since 2009 have involved firearms with high-capacity magazines. During a recent virtual news conference, a handful of people who have experienced mass shootings in Oregon voiced their support for the ballot proposition. Deschutes County Sheriff Shane Nelson, who is also president of the nonprofit Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association, said it would cost local agencies over $49 million annually.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks this year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. The data exposed included home addresses, drivers' licences and passport numbers. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TELSTRAAustralia's largest telecoms operator Telstra (TLS.AX) suffered what it called a small data breach, which exposed data of about 30,000 current and former employees dating back to 2017. Compiled by Jaskiran Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Australia Inc roiled by raft of cyberattacks since late 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. AUSTRALIAN CLINICAL LABSAustralian Clinical Labs Ltd (ACL.AX), one of the country's largest pathology providers, said unit Medlab suffered a breach that exposed data of about 223,000 patients. TPG TELECOMAustralia's No.2 internet service provider TPG Telecom (TPG.AX) said it had been notified of unauthorised access to a hosted exchange service that hosts email accounts of up to 15,000 business customers. CBACommonwealth Bank of Australia CBA.AX said its Indonesian unit, PT Bank Commonwealth (PTBC), had been hit by a cyber incident involving unauthorised access of a web-based software application used for project management. IPHAustralian intellectual property services provider IPH Ltd (IPH.AX) said it had detected unauthorised access to a portion of its IT environment, compromising information including administrative documents and some client documents.

☆ Australia's top health insurer reels after data breach
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Medibank Private Ltd (MPL.AX), Australia's biggest health insurer, reported a massive data breach in October that compromised personal and medical information of its current and former customers, and slashed its stock value by almost a fifth. read moreOct. 17: Normal business operations resume. read moreOct. 19: Medibank says an unnamed hacker group contacted it to negotiate about customer data it claimed to have retrieved from the company's IT systems. read moreOct. 21: Medibank suspends trading amid the likelihood that the hack may impact more customers. read moreNov. 7: Medibank says no ransom will be paid to the criminal responsible for the data theft and that data of around 9.7 million current and former customers was compromised.

☆ U.S. urges airlines equip Florida-bound planes to fly over water
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Thursday said airlines should ease congestion at Florida airports by equipping their planes so they can fly over water along routes that have been under-utilized. Over-water routes require airlines to carry enough life rafts to accommodate all occupants of the airplane in the event of a loss of one raft of the largest rated capacity. Florida is a major part of U.S. air traffic and for some airlines, like JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O) and Southwest Airlines (LUV.N), 40% or more of daily flights typically touch a Florida airport. Airlines and Buttigieg clashed for months over summer woes that led to tens of thousands of flight disruptions and prompted the department to pressure airlines to do more to boost service to passengers. A4A said the FAA has recently increased ATC staffing in the area covering Florida by 10%.

☆ Australia sees spike in cyber attacks from criminals and states
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Cyber attacks against Australia from criminals and state-sponsored groups jumped last financial year, with a government report released on Friday equating the assault to one attack every seven minutes. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) received 76,000 cybercrime reports last financial year, up 13% from the previous period, according to its latest annual cyber threat report. The ACSC, part of the intelligence-collecting Signals Directorate, reported 95 cyber incidents impacting critical infrastructure last fiscal year. Business losses attributable to cyber crime rose on average 14% over the period, with the average crime costing a small business A$39,000 ($24,540). The jump in attacks and damages is making insurers wary and premiums in Australia jumped 56% year-on-year in the second quarter, according to Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc (MMC.N).

[1/2] A woman uses her mobile phone as she walks past in front of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia, February 8, 2018. This week 37 countries, including Australia, will meet at the White House with the goal of tackling ransomware and other cyber crime. Australian cybersecurity insurance premiums rose by an average of 56% year-on-year in the second quarter, said insurer Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc (MMC.N). The average Australian cybersecurity base salary is A$105,000, according to jobs website Glassdoor. Neil Curtis, an Australian cybersecurity executive of U.S. technology contractor DXC Technology Co (DXC.N), who runs a programme retraining military veterans in cybersecurity, said he had requests for about 300 trained personnel in the next six months.

☆ Ransomware hackers hit Australian defence communications platform
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Hackers have targeted a communications platform used by Australian military personnel and defence staff with a ransomware attack, authorities said on Monday, as the country battles a recent spike in cyberattacks across businesses. "I want to stress that this isn't an attack or a breach on defence (technology) systems and entities," Thistlethwaite told ABC Radio. "At this stage, there is no evidence that the data set has been breached, that's the data that this company holds on behalf of defence". Thistlethwaite said the government will view the incident "very seriously" and all defence personnel have been notified, with suggestions to consider changing their passwords. A Defence department spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement the department was examining the contents of the impacted data set and what personal information it contained.

☆ Overwhelming workloads, back-to-office complaints, and frustrations over pay: Why Merrill Lynch's support staff is leaving
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Rebecca Ungarino | Hayley Cuccinello | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Less visible, though just as much the lifeblood of the firm, are Merrill's client associates. But we're not treated that way, and we're not stupid," an associate who recently left the firm said. "Our client associates are essential to the fabric of the firm, how we serve clients and grow," a company representative said. Yagyaev said client associates were "grossly underpaid" across the industry and their base should really be in the area of $80,000 to $90,000. An advisor who recently left Merrill and worked with CAs said some were leaving for raises of about $30,000 to work at other banks.

☆ Surge of viruses leaves children’s hospitals scrambling to free up beds and find room for patients
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Aria Bendix | Aria Bendix Is The Breaking Health Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Every inpatient bed at Comer Children’s Hospital in Chicago has been full for more than six weeks. Many of the patients at Comer Children’s have RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, which can cause lung infections. Some hospitals are sending ICU patients directly home once their cases are no longer acute, rather than to another floor. Dr. Kevin Messacar, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Hospital Colorado, said his hospital is accepting patients from five nearby states. But suctioning can be tricky for parents, according to Dr. Elizabeth Schlaudecker, an infectious disease specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

☆ Former employees at merchandise startup Spring complained about working with creators who spread misinformation and conspiracy theories, but said the company turned a blind eye: 'These people make the
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

A second former Spring staffer echoed the first's concerns, telling Insider they were uncomfortable with the company letting Godlewski earn revenue using Spring's services. Five former staffers at Spring told Insider it was an open secret that the platform worked with problematic creators, oftentimes because these creators made the company a lot of money. All of the former employees Insider talked to spoke on condition of anonymity to protect career prospects. Five former employees told Insider that We Are Change, and other storefronts like it, were some of the platform's bestsellers. Most staffers knew about it, the first former employee told Insider, and kept it hidden from leadership.

☆ So many mobilized Russian reservists had buy their own military gear that thermal underwear now costs up to $340 and a hiking backpack costs as much as $600
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Russian reservists forced to buy their own gear are finding sky-high prices in stores, reports say. Some items like body armor vests cost up to 10 times than normal, one Russian news site wrote. Putin last month announced a mobilization of 300,000 Russian reservists to fight in Ukraine. Russian reservists have to buy their own suppliesThe buying frenzy started after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in September that 300,000 reservists would be drafted to fight in the Ukraine war. The MOD added that the quality of the average Russian reservist's equipment now is far worse than what was provided to earlier Russian deployments.

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