On 30 April, the US embassy in Beirut suggested a meeting between Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would give Lebanon “the chance to secure concrete guarantees on full sovereignty, territorial integrity, secure borders, humanitarian and reconstruction support, and the complete restoration of Lebanese state authority over every inch of its territory”.
Sometimes, small moments become turning points in building empires. Agree? This is the story of how a single espresso in Milan changed the way Americans drink coffee forever.The year was 1983, when Howard Schultz, during his visit to Milan, Italy, walked into an espresso bar, an experience that later marked a significant moment in the history of Starbucks and the world coffee market. He realised how coffee can be more than a mere beverage. Instead, it was ingrained in everyday routines.Eventually, several reports referred to this experience as an “epiphany.” According to The Guardian (2003), Schultz himself noted that what he saw in Italy forever altered his understanding of coffee service and customer relationships. His epiphany was not merely a concept. Rather, it was a cultural model based on routine, pace, and sociability.What makes the Italian coffee culture differentThere were notable differences between how Italian espresso bars and typical American coffee shops operated in the early 1980s. For instance, when Starbucks was established, a dozen years ahead of Schultz’s visit to Milan, coffee was primarily seen as a basic beverage in the US.In Italy, however, coffee became part of a routine. In espresso bars, customers usually stood at the counter, finished their drinks rather quickly, and had quick conversations. According to Associated Press (2022), Schultz discovered something special when he visited Italy and walked into one of its espresso bars.He learned that customers did not just purchase coffee but were also interested in the overall experience of visiting the espresso bars. This later turned into the cornerstone of Starbucks’s policy.Turning local observation into business modelAfter his first journey to Italy, Schultz did not immediately change everything about the company. Rather, he understood what a coffee company can be turned into. He came up with the idea that such businesses do not just serve customers a cup of hot liquid. Instead, customers are offered to relax in the cosy atmosphere.For business analysts, this move marked the beginning of a new era in retail, as it increased the value of the company’s product by adding something to it.According to The Guardian, Schultz’s personal reaction to the events in Milan was essential here. He was not reviewing data and statistics. What the businessman observed personally in the real-life setting may have been no less important than his formal research.
How a Simple Coffee Stop in Italy sparked a billion-dollar brand. Image credit – Wikimedia
Howard Schultz’s attempt at creating a world brandStarbucks did not replicate the entire Italian espresso culture. Instead, it incorporated only the best parts of it in order to make them appeal to an even wider audience. Based on a cultural practice in Italy, they introduced the concept of a comfortable space where customers could stay for a long time and eat food prepared especially for Americans.Finally, in 2018, Starbucks decided to open restaurants in Italy, highlighting how a delayed decision-making process indicates an awareness of the power and influence of Italy’s espresso culture in the former CEO of the brand.Later, the brand spread all across the USA and abroad. Eventually, the very concept of a third space became common knowledge. Specialists researching consumer behaviour state that such a concept encourages people to visit coffee places repeatedly.Why Starbucks’ story remains relevant even todayBusinesses today draw major inspiration from Starbucks’ journey, which shows how innovation often begins with observation. In a single business trip, an innovative business model was created.Entrepreneurs are often encouraged by experts in entrepreneurship to explore new areas that differ from those in which they have been active until now. As per various business reviews, leaders who get exposed to different cultural experiences are better able to come up with innovative solutions. Thus, Schultz’s Milan experience illustrates the importance of such experiences.The influence of the visit can be noticed until today because nowadays, Starbucks can be found everywhere around the world. The brand has even changed people’s attitude towards coffee in a positive way.
Lorna Hajdini, a female executive director with JPMorgan, has denied sexual harassment allegations made against her in a lawsuit this week that quickly went viral on social media.
The complaint, filed Monday, April 27, in New York, shared lurid details from an ex-JPMorgan employee, identified only as “John Doe,” claiming Hajdini coerced him into sex, made racist remarks and drugged him.
In the complaint, Doe claims Hajdini was promoted to a senior role on his team at the investment bank in early 2024 and soon made sexual advances towards him.
When Doe rejected her advances, he alleges Hajdini threatened his career.
Doe claimed Hajdini told him on one occasion: “If you don’t f*** my brains out tonight, I’m going to sabotage your promotion.” Similarly shocking quotes have become widely spread on social media as users make light of the accusations. On Thursday, Megyn Kelly read some of the graphic excerpts on her show and suggested Hajdini “needs to” work “on her flirtation routine.”
Doe is seeking damages for lost earnings, emotional distress and reputational harm, as well as punitive damages and changes to the bank’s practices, the complaint said.
However, a court representative told People magazine on Friday that the complaint had been “returned for correction,” and was no longer publicly available and that they could not provide further details.
In a statement to People through a JPMorgan spokesperson, Hajdini’s attorneys said she “categorically denies the allegations.”
“She never engaged in any inappropriate conduct with this individual of any kind and has never even been to the location where the alleged sexual assault supposedly took place,” her lawyers said.
The Independent has contacted the New York County Supreme Court and JPMorgan for further comment. Daniel J. Kaiser, the attorney listed on the New York County Supreme Court docket as representing Doe, did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment.
A JPMorgan spokesperson said in an earlier statement to The Daily Mail, which first reported on the lawsuit, that there had been an internal probe of the matter.
“Following our investigation, we don’t believe there’s any merit to these claims. While numerous employees cooperated with the investigation, the complainant refused to participate and has declined to provide facts that would be central to support his allegations,” the spokesperson said.
Arsenal’s hopes of defending their Women’s Champions League crown came to a crushing end as Jule Brand scores a dramatic 87th-minute winner to give Lyon a 4-3 semi-final win on aggregate.
MATCH REPORT: Lyon 3-1 Arsenal (4-3 agg)
Available to UK users only.
Andy Serkis, the iconic voice of Gollum in “Lord of the Rings,” speaks with “CBS Saturday Morning” about his latest project, an animated version of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm.”
Source link
Berkshire Hathaway shareholders gathered Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska for the first annual meeting without legendary founder Warren Buffett on the stage.
In May 2025, Buffett announced he would step down at the end of the year and that his successor, 63-year-old Greg Abel, would become CEO. The move surprised many investors, as it was widely assumed that Abel would not take over until after Buffett’s death. Abel officially became the CEO in January 2026. Attendance at the meeting is expected to be down somewhat this year.
The conglomerate that Buffett built released its earnings report Saturday as thousands of shareholders streamed into the CHI Health Center on Saturday. The company’s first-quarter profit more than doubled as the value of its investments grew and most of its businesses improved. Berkshire said it earned $10.1 billion, or $7,027 per Class A share. That’s up significantly from last year’s $4.6 billion, or $3,200 per A share.
The paper value of Berkshire’s investments always has a major impact on its bottom line even though it hasn’t sold most of its stocks, but it did record a $5.8 billion gain on the stocks it did sell during the quarter. The value of the portfolio did slip to just over $288 billion.
Berkshire’s massive cash pile continues to grow, and it hit $397.4 billion at the end of the first quarter.
Buffett has long encouraged investors to pay more attention to the company’s operating earnings that exclude investments to get a better idea of how its companies are performing. The operating earnings grew to $11.3 billion, or $7,889.44 per Class A share, from last year’s $9.6 billion, or $6,703.41 per Class A share. The four analysts surveyed by FactSet Research predicted earnings of $7,611.35 per A share.
Berkshire said its profits got a $249 million boost from its foreign currency holdings because of the exchange rate. A year ago, Berkshire recorded a $713 million loss on foreign currencies.
Most of Berkshire’s varied businesses reported better operating earnings this year. The insurance unit that includes Geico and a number of other companies reported an underwriting profit of $1.7 billion, up from $1.34 billion last year. Profits also grew somewhat at BNSF railroad and Berkshire’s utility and manufacturing companies.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The U.S.-based organizers of an international human rights conference said they canceled it days before it was due to open because China pressured the African host country to exclude Taiwanese activists.
Organizers Access Now, a New York-based advocacy group, said late Friday it had canceled the RightsCon summit in Zambia that was due to take place next week after the Zambian government initially said it was postponed.
Access Now said it had been informed by Zambian officials that the government had been pressured by China over the conference “because Taiwanese civil society participants were planning to join us in person.” Access Now said it pushed back on any move to exclude delegates from Taiwan.
“We believe foreign interference is the reason RightsCon 2026 won’t proceed in Zambia,” Access Now said in a statement.
“What the government wanted from us in order to lift the postponement was conveyed to us informally from multiple sources: … we would have to moderate specific topics and exclude communities at risk, including our Taiwanese participants, from in-person and online participation.”
The Zambian government earlier announced it was postponing the conference because it wanted information on the themes and topics of discussion to ensure they aligned with the country’s “national values, policy priorities and broader public interest considerations.”
Zambia has strong political and economic ties with China, largely through Chinese mining interests in the mineral-rich southern African nation.
RightsCon is an annual conference focused on human rights and technology and deals with issues like internet censorship, electronic surveillance and cyberwarfare. More than 2,600 participants were due to attend in Zambia, with another 1,100 attending online, Access Now said. They represented more than 150 countries.
Last year’s summit was held in Taiwan.
Taiwanese Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-jing said in a statement on Facebook on Saturday that the cancellation of the summit showed China’s unease over “the ideas of freedom, democracy and rule of law that Taiwan and RightsCon represent.”
Human Rights Watch said Zambian authorities should explain their actions.
The move by the Zambian government came just a week after Taiwan claimed that Beijing intervened to stop Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te from visiting another southern African country, Eswatini on April 22.
Lai’s visit to Eswatini, the only African nation that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, was called off after the Indian Ocean islands of Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles were pressured by China to withdraw permission for Lai’s plane to fly over their territory, Taiwan said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry praised the actions of the three nations and said their “adherence to the one-China principle is in full compliance with international law.”
China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its breakaway province, to be retaken by force if necessary, and prohibits countries it has diplomatic relations with from maintaining formal ties with Taipei. China has significant influence across Africa.
Taiwanese leader Lai made a surprise announcement on Saturday that he had arrived in Eswatini after the first visit was called off. This time, Lai had not announced publicly that he was traveling.
Taiwan “will never be deterred by external pressures,” Lai wrote on X.
___
AP journalist Johnson Lai in Taipei contributed.
___
AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa
