Chinese Premier Li Qiang delivered a message of continuity when he presented his first work report to the country’s legislators on Tuesday‚ with China largely hewing to the same growth economic targets as last year and defying market hopes of stimulus. Opening the annual session of the National People’s Congress in Beijing‚ Li said the government was aiming for around 5 per cent growth‚ roughly as much as it grew in 2023.

Workers contracted with YouTube Music made headlines this weekend for saying they’d been laid off in the middle of an Austin City Council meeting.   A clip of last Thursday’s city council meeting shows Jack Benedict‚ a member of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU-CWA)‚ appealing to the city council to pass a resolution in support of the workers.   As he’s speaking‚ one of his coworkers‚ Katie Marschner‚ walks up and tells him: "Not to interrupt but they just...

President Joe Biden on Tuesday will launch a new task force to take on “unfair and illegal” corporate pricing‚ which Biden sees as a major reason why consumers are not yet feeling the impact of cooling inflation rates and a strong economy. The task force will be jointly led by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice‚ two agencies at the forefront of the Biden administration’s aggressive regulatory agenda over the past three years...

A United Nations report on Monday confirmed evidence of Hamas terrorists committing acts of sexual violence during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and against hostages the terrorist group captured.   "There are reasonable grounds to believe that multiple incidents of sexual violence took place with victims being subjected to rape and/or gang rape and then killed or killed while being raped‚" Pramila Patten‚ U.N. special representative on sexual violence in conflict‚ wrote in...

A UN team says there is "convincing information" that hostages held in Gaza have been subjected to sexual violence including rape and sexualised torture. There were grounds to suspect the abuse was still ongoing‚ the UN said. The UN team also found "reasonable grounds to believe" sexual violence‚ including gang rape‚ took place when Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October. Israel's foreign ministry said it welcomed the "definitive recognition that Hamas committed sexual crimes". The UN...

A report by the United Nations has found "reasonable grounds to believe" that the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel included sexual violence — including rape and gang rape — and that some Israeli hostages experienced such violence while in captivity in Gaza. The long-awaited report is not a full-fledged U.N. investigation‚ according to its author‚ the U.N. special representative for sexual violence in conflict. Israel has blocked such an investigation by the U.N.'s human rights office...

Americans collectively gasp reading that swaddling is frowned upon in Sweden. In the United States one of the first things the hospital does after a baby is born is to swaddle the newborn nice and snug in a receiving blanket‚ completing the look with a tiny hat. New moms practice swaddling on unsuspecting cats or teddy bears in preparation for the baby's arrival.Imagine the surprise of an American mom that gave birth in Sweden being told to never swaddle her baby again. Surely the midwife must've been mistaken‚ assuming something else was going on. Miranda Hudgens recently posted a reenactment of her experience giving birth at a Swedish hospital to social media where it went viral.In the video‚ Hudgens is holding her swaddled baby when the midwife comes in and asks what she's doing‚ while looking disgusted. The mom explains she's swaddling the baby. Shortly after the midwife leaves‚ Hudgens' husband tells her that the midwife said "not to do that to the baby anymore."When the new mom inquires why she isn't allowed to swaddle the baby‚ her husband responds‚ "she said it could kill the baby. Yeah‚ she said we don't do that to babies in this country."This is the complete opposite of what Americans are taught. Swaddling is seen as a means to help the baby feel secure and calm but in Sweden it's viewed as a dangerous practice. In the comments one mom gave insight into the reason swaddling is discouraged in the nordic country."I was reprimanded for it here in Sweden. She said that swaddling = too deep sleep = increased risk for SIDS‚" the commenter reveals.Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is an area that is continually being researched and while there are factors that increase the chances of SIDS‚ there is currently no definitive cause. When it comes to swaddling‚ the increase of SIDS and suffocation increase if the swaddled baby is placed on its stomach to sleep according to Children's Hospital Los Angeles|The Saban Research Institute. In another study published by the National Library of Medicine‚ points out that the previous study that stated swaddling increases the risk of SIDS was not peer reviewed and did not provide information on if the swaddled babies were placed on their stomachs or backs for sleep. @mirandapandz And this is how I found out the Swaddling is super frowned up in Sweden #swedenvsusa #americanlivinginsweden #newmom #deliveryroomstories #swaddlingbaby #swaddling #firsttimemom In the end Hudgens decided not to swaddle‚ "for those wondering I decided not to swaddle after leaving the hospital and doing more research. The midwife could of been nicer though."Every parent has to do what they think is best with the information they have. Child birthing and child rearing practices can vary widely from country to country. While in Sweden they frown upon swaddling‚ co-sleeping with babies until they're school age is commonly practiced. But in America co-sleeping is strongly discouraged while swaddling is commonly practiced. It's also normal for people in Scandinavian countries to leave their babies outside in freezing temperatures‚ whereas in America that would be considered neglect. So while it can be shocking to find out what people do in other countries and cultures‚ it's important to remember not to compare. Everybody's just doing the best that they can with children that are all going to grow into toddlers that eat lint covered snacks they found under the couch. This article originally appeared on 12.12.23

People are seriously considering switching careers after finding out how much can be made as a UPS delivery driver. Back in October‚ Skyler Stutzman‚ an Oregon-based UPS delivery driver went viral after sharing his weekly pay stub on TikTok.In the clip‚ Stutzman showed that for 42 hours of work‚ and at a pay rate of $44.26 per hour‚ he earned $2‚004 before taxes‚ and ultimately took home $1‚300 after deductions. This both shocked the nearly 12 million viewers who saw the video…not to mention it stirred their jealousy a bit. Several couldn’t help but compare Stutzman’s salary to their own—especially those in professions requiring degrees and certifications. “Not me realizing that a UPS driver makes more than I do. 20 years in my field with a degree!” one person lamented. Another added‚ “$44? I’m a dang nurse only making $32 🤦♀️” @skylerleestutzman UPS Driver Paystub Breakdown… #upspay #upswages #teamsters #ups ♬ original sound - Skyler Stutzman Many even joked (or perhaps half-joked) about applying to become drivers themselves. But as Stutzman pointed out in multiple follow-up videos‚ earning his rate takes patience.According to one of those clips‚ it took almost six years before he was offered a full time position‚ followed by a four year progression of wage increases until he started earning what he earns today. That’s around a decade‚ which one person pointed out was around the same time it takes to become a doctor.Stutzman added that‚ depending on the location‚ you would be required to work in a UPS warehouse before working as a driver. So while his paycheck might have you considering taking on the job yourself‚ just know that it’s not exactly taking the easy route. And we haven’t even touched on the amount of manual labor that goes into the job…rain or shine. Stutzman also said that he shared his current paycheck in the spirit of transparency‚ which is a value that the teamsters upheld as they fought for increased wages and better working conditions earlier this year. @skylerleestutzman Here are my THEORETICAL thoughts… “Why would you show your paystub like that?” #upsdriver #ups #upswages #teamster #upspay ♬ original sound - Skyler Stutzman After months of tense negotiations‚ as well as a threat to enact what would have been the largest single employer strike in U.S. history‚ disrupting deliveries across the country‚ the postal workers union reached an agreement with UPS.The deal included air conditioning and ventilation improvements to delivery vehicles as well as full-time UPS drivers earning an average of $170‚000 in annual pay‚ plus benefits. By the end of the contract‚ part-time union drivers would also make at least $25.75 per hour while receiving full health care and pension benefits‚” according to UPS CEO Carol Tomé.From Stutzman’s perspective‚ his earnings shouldn’t cause envy among those in other industries‚ but reflect a shared need for increased wages across the board to keep up with inflation. Big takeaways here: earning good money doesn’t always require a degree‚ unions are powerful‚ don’t underestimate the value of skilled labor…and UPS drivers deserve respect.This article originally appeared on 12.12.23