Starbucks workers plan strikes that could spread to hundreds of US stores by Christmas Eve

Workers at Starbucks stores plan to go on a five-day strike starting Friday to protest lack of progress in contract negotiations with the company. The strikes are scheduled to begin in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle and could spread to hundreds of stores across the country by...

76ers win city council nod to build $1.3B downtown stadium and leave South Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers won city council approval on Thursday for a $1.3 billion downtown arena despite vocal opposition from nearby Chinatown residents and other activists. Council voted 12-5 to approve the project at a packed meeting at City Hall. Owners of the...

For airports, background music no longer is an afterthought

SEATAC, Washington (AP) — Background music is no longer an afterthought at many airports, which are hiring local musicians and carefully curating playlists to help lighten travelers’ moods. London’s Heathrow Airport built a stage to showcase emerging British performers for the...

Energy chief Granholm warns against 'unfettered exports' of liquefied natural gas

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States should proceed cautiously as officials consider new natural gas export terminals, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday, warning the incoming Trump administration that “unfettered exports" of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, could drive up domestic...

Retail sales rose at healthy pace last month in latest sign of US economy's health

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers stepped up their spending at retail stores last month, providing a boost to the economy in the early phases of the winter holiday shopping season. Retail sales rose 0.7% in November, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, a solid increase and higher than...

Retail sales rose at healthy pace last month in latest sign of the US economy's health

Mexico's regulators impose 10-year special restrictions on Walmart's subsidiary

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico's anti-monopoly regulators on Monday imposed special conditions for a period of 10 years on Walmart’s Mexico subsidiary for allegedly pressuring suppliers. The decision follows a related $4.6 million fine handed down by the regulators, known as the...

Book Review: 'The Rivals' is Jane Pek’s fine new mystery novel of online dating, love and death

Claudia Lin, an online dating detective in the age of AI, is hunting once again through a dark cybersphere of tech systems in “The Rivals,” the second novel in a new mystery series by Jane Pek. Pek, who introduced Claudia in her 2022 debut book, “The Verifiers,” has given the...

Milan's Via MonteNapoleone usurps New York's Fifth Avenue as world's most upscale shopping street

MILAN (AP) — Shoppers laden with bags from Fendi, Loewe, Prada and other designer labels clog the narrow sidewalks of Milan’s swankiest shopping street, bringing joy to the purveyors of high-end luxury goods this, and every, holiday season. There’s even more to celebrate this...

Small businesses say cautious shoppers are seeking 'cozy' and 'festive' this holiday season

After the busy Black Friday holiday weekend, Kristen Tarnol, owner of Emerald Forest Gifts in Studio City, California, is already asking her supplier to send more more fuzzy alpaca scarves and warm slippers that were best sellers over the weekend. “Even though it’s Los Angeles...