Politics

In a significant shift from global trends, Greece has introduced a six-day workweek for some companies, aiming to improve productivity and employment. The new rule, effective July 1, is part of a broader labor law reform passed last year. The policy allows employees of private companies that offer 24-hour services to extend their work week from the traditional 40 hours to 48 hours. However, sectors such as hospitality and tourism are excluded from this change. The pro-business administration of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis defends the measure as "worker-friendly" and "growth-oriented." The government argues it will help workers receive adequate overtime…

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 18, 2024. At Salesforce's annual meeting, shareholders rejected the proposed compensation plan for top executives, including CEO Marc Benioff. The decision followed concerns from advisory groups about stock awards granted to Benioff. Of the votes cast, 339.3 million were in favor, while 404.8 million were against, according to regulatory documents filed Monday. Despite the board's recommendation to approve the compensation plan, shareholder advisory firms Glass Lewis and Institutional Shareholder Services advised against adopting it. For fiscal 2024, Benioff’s total compensation increased to $39.6 million…

At the climax of Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music," the orchestra reaches what Sondheim called its Max Steiner moment, evoking the great scores of "Casablanca" or "Gone with the Wind." During a pivotal scene, Désirée and Fredrik, former lovers on the verge of losing their happiness, meet and kiss as the orchestra swells to a stirring reprise of "Send in the Clowns." Jonathan Tunick’s new orchestration premiered Thursday at David Geffen Hall with the 53-piece St. Luke’s Orchestra. Strings and winds soared, supported by rich, staggered chords and flourishing counterpoint, creating a moment fit for both film and opera.…

On Monday, Israel released Mohammad Abu Salmiya, the head of Gaza’s largest hospital, after holding him for more than seven months without charge. The move sparked immediate protests in Israel, highlighting the polarized views on the ongoing conflict. Abu Salmiya, director of Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, was arrested in late November during an attempt to evacuate patients while the hospital was under siege by the Israeli army. The military said he was being questioned about Hamas activities at the hospital. His release has amplified differing perspectives on the war. Human rights groups have criticized his continued detention without charge…

For the Golden State Warriors, this marks the end of an era. Klay Thompson is set to sign a three-year, $50 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks, ending his 13-year tenure with the Warriors, 12 of which he spent alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green. Together, they built a dynasty, reaching six NBA Finals and winning four championships in eight years. They formed one of the league’s longest-tenured trios, anchoring one of the greatest teams ever, which set an NBA record with 73 wins in the 2015-16 season. In a league known for constant change, the Warriors’ Big Three were…

Shanghai, China – January 1: The sun rises over the Oriental Pearl Tower on New Year's Day, January 1, 2023, in Shanghai, China. (Photo by VCG/VCG via Getty Images) Asia-Pacific markets got off to a mixed start to the second half of the year as investors weighed June economic data from China and business confidence data from Japan. China's official PMI data, released over the weekend, showed the manufacturing PMI at 49.5, unchanged from May, marking the second month of contraction. However, a private survey, the S&P Caixin PMI, showed a marked improvement, rising to 51.8 in June from 51.7…

The Tesla Cybertruck was unveiled at Tesla's design studio in Hawthorne, California on November 21, 2019. Tesla recently issued two additional recalls for its Cybertruck pickup trucks in the United States, as the automaker continues to face problems with its new electric vehicle, about six months after it began deliveries. The third and fourth Cybertruck recalls involve physical repairs that typically require booking a service appointment at a Tesla center. One recall concerns problems with the liner, which can loosen and come off the trunk, while the other focuses on faulty motor controllers in the front windshield wipers. According to…

When French filmmaker Catherine Breillat was 40, her husband left her for a much younger woman. Soon after, she began dating a man 12 years her junior. “Men often dismiss their older wives, claiming that they can no longer be loved,” Breillat said in a recent interview, through an interpreter. "But it's not true. I want to tell other women that there is no reason to despair." In his new film Last summerwhich hits theaters on Friday, explores this concept through a provocative plot. Since the 1970s, the acclaimed director, now 75, has focused on the troubled sexual awakenings of…

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam will return a painting by Henri Matisse, which has been in its collection since 1941, to the heirs of its original owner, a German-Jewish textile manufacturer and art patron who sold it to finance his family's escape from the Netherlands occupied by the Nazis. The museum announced on Tuesday that it was returning the artwork, titled “Odalisque,” ​​following “binding advice” from the Dutch Restitution Commission, a government body that handles cases of Nazi-looted art. The heirs described the decision as symbolic justice. "Matisse made the same journey from Berlin to Amsterdam as our grandparents," they…