Euro Zone Economy Shrinks, Darkening Outlook

Utility customers sometimes foot the bill for lobbying, advertising, and luxurious living, according to a new report. Power companies across the country have been quietly trying to charge their customers for millions of dollars worth of luxury expenses—including biweekly massages, access to exclusive country clubs, and private jet travel—according to a new report from the Energy and Policy Institute (EPI), a utility watchdog.

Giving workers the chance to explore different roles and challenges can drive engagement and build stronger teams. Employee satisfaction is plummeting, and businesses are struggling to keep their talent engaged and fulfilled. Research by Gallup shows that 51% of employees are actively looking for other work. While the top reason for this trend is predictable—employees are looking for higher pay and better benefits—there’s another reason worth exploring: lack of career development and opportunities.

Reality TV might become the next show business labor battle. When members of a reality TV show’s cast sign a contract to participate in a show, they typically do so more for the exposure than the pay—and in many cases they do not earn a dime.

AVIGNON, France — Gisèle Pelicot said after 51 men were all found guilty Thursday in the drugging-and-rape trial that turned her into a feminist hero that the ordeal had been “very difficult” and expressed support for other victims of sexual violence. “We share the same fight,” she said in her first words after the court in the southern French city of Avignon handed down prison sentences ranging from three to 20 years in the shocking case that stunned France and spurred a national reckoning about the blight of rape culture. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Pelicot—whose courage and stoicism have turned her into an internationally recognized figure and an icon for many women—said she was thinking of her grandchildren after enduring more than three months of court hearings that dealt with the nearly decade of rapes and other abuse inflicted on her by her now ex-husband and his accomplices. “It’s also for them that I led this fight,” she said of her grandchildren. The court sentenced her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious. The sentence was the maximum possible under French law.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A series of intense Israeli airstrikes shook Yemen’s rebel-held capital and a port city early Thursday and killed at least nine people, officials said, shortly after a Houthi missile targeted central Israel. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Thursday’s strikes risk further escalating conflict with the Iranian-backed Houthis, whose attacks on the Red Sea corridor have drastically impacted global shipping.