Ben & Jerry’s co-founder quits, says independence ‘gone’
The co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s has resigned from the ice cream brand after saying his company known for its social activism has lost “the independence to pursue our values” under the ownership of British giant Unilever.Jerry Greenfield’s announcement follows the company’s failure in 2022 to block Unilever from selling its ice cream in West Bank settlements, which Ben & Jerry’s said would run counter to its values.Greenfield said he could “no longer, in good conscience, and after 47 years, remain an employee” of the Vermont-based company, according to a statement published on X by co-founder Ben Cohen late on Tuesday.The brand was founded by the two school friends in 1978 and acquired by Unilever in 2000. It is now owned by the Magnum Ice Cream Company, a Unilever subsidiary. Greenfield said his firm “has been silenced, sidelined for fear of upsetting those in power” at a time when the current US administration is “attacking civil rights, voting rights, the rights of immigrants, women and the LGBTQ community.””It’s profoundly disappointing to come to the conclusion that that independence, the very basis of our sale to Unilever, is gone,” he added.A Magnum spokesperson said the company remains committed to Ben & Jerry’s mission and legacy.”We disagree with (Greenfield’s) perspective and have sought to engage both co-founders in a constructive conversation on how to strengthen Ben & Jerry’s powerful values-based position in the world,” the spokesperson said.In May, the 74-year-old Cohen was removed from a US Senate hearing after shouting “Congress pays for bombs to kill children in Gaza” and startling Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.A longtime critic of Israeli policy, Cohen last year joined prominent Jewish figures in an open letter opposing the pro‑Israel lobby AIPAC.Unilever is in the process of spinning off Magnum, which is expected to begin standalone operations by mid-November.
Hong Kong leader plans to fast-track border mega-project
Hong Kong’s leader outlined plans Wednesday to diversify the city’s economy and accelerate growth, including fast-tracking an ambitious border development project and establishing the artificial intelligence sector as a “core industry”.In his annual policy speech, Chief Executive John Lee reaffirmed a growth forecast of two to three percent for the year.His announcements come as the global financial hub — which beat estimates to grow by 3.1 percent in the second quarter — navigates volatile trade tensions between Washington and Beijing and a dampened economic climate in mainland China.Hong Kong was “moving through an irreversible economic transition, but it is an essential process for a stronger and more robust economy in the future”, Lee said in a nearly three-hour address, stating his “ultimate objective” was to improve citizens’ livelihoods.Central to his plan is accelerating the development of the Northern Metropolis, a mega-project aimed at urbanising land near the border with tech hub Shenzhen in mainland China.Lee said he would personally lead a new task force and introduce dedicated legislation to “fast-track” the initiative.To reduce costs and construction time, Lee pledged to adopt building technologies from China and overseas. The Northern Metropolis, first proposed in 2021, is envisioned to eventually cover a third of Hong Kong’s total land area. Activists and locals have raised concerns over its potential environmental impact as well as the strain it will put on the city’s public finances.- AI as ‘core industry’ -Hong Kong’s capital market has rebounded strongly this year, with dozens of companies from China piling into the city to raise overseas capital due to policy support from the Chinese government and optimised listing rules by Hong Kong regulators.On Wednesday, Lee said the city’s authorities would set up a task group to attract more Chinese enterprises to use the city for expanding their overseas businesses.Lee also vowed to promote artificial intelligence as a “core industry”, and to use the technology to improve governance efficiency.His administration has earmarked HK$1 billion to establish an AI research hub, he said, and will tender a 10-hectare site for a data centre cluster. Other measures announced Wednesday included plans to increase quotas for non-local students at the city’s public universities, and the establishment of gold storage facilities to solidify the city’s role as a “regional gold reserve hub”.
Nepal mourns its dead after anti-corruption protests
Nepal flew flags at half-mast during a national day of mourning Wednesday for the 73 people killed during youth-led anti-corruption protests that toppled the government.An interim government, which took over after two days of protests last week, declared the day of mourning “in honour of those who lost their lives during the protests”, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.Protests began on September 8, sparked by a short-lived ban on social media, but fuelled by anger at corruption and long-standing economic woes.At least 19 people were killed in a crackdown on the first day.Anger over the deaths escalated, triggering an outpouring of rage nationwide, with government offices, a Hilton Hotel and other buildings set on fire.”The changes we are witnessing today would not be possible without the courage and sacrifice of those who gave their lives during the protests,” Hami Nepal, a key organisation in the protests, posted on social media.Prime Minister Sushila Karki, a 73-year-old former chief justice, has been tasked with restoring order and addressing protester demands for a corruption-free future ahead of elections in six months.Karki has declared the victims martyrs, promising state honours at their cremations.Candlelit vigils will be held.Shopkeeper Pooja Shrestha, 22, said that the day of mourning would bring people together.”Everyone is sad about what happened, the loss of lives — all young people like us,” she said.”Things have improved now, and we hope the new government will bring the changes we need.”A fifth of people in Nepal aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, with GDP per capita just $1,447.- ‘Intense’ -Streets have been back to bustling business since the protests, but were quieter on Wednesday because it was declared a public holiday.But Lokesh Tamang, 17, sitting in a gift shop in Kathmandu, kept the store open hoping for business after it was closed for days during the unrest.He recalled the “intense” violence and mourned the “sad” deaths of the protesters.”We hope that it doesn’t get as bad as it did last week ever again,” he said.Police spokesman Binod Kharel said Wednesday that the death toll from the protests had risen to 73, including police officers and prisoners as they staged a mass breakout.More than a third of the 13,500 prisoners who escaped from two dozen jails during the protests have been recaptured or surrendered themselves, he added.”So far about 5,000 prisoners who had absconded have returned to the prisons, many voluntarily,” Kharel said.
Erasmus keeps faith with Springbok squad after record All Blacks winWed, 17 Sep 2025 09:55:55 GMT
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said on Wednesday he was keeping faith with the squad of players who inflicted a record defeat on New Zealand ahead of the Springboks’ Rugby Championship double-header with Argentina.South Africa romped to a stunning 43-10 thrashing of the All Blacks in Wellington on Saturday, running in five unanswered tries in …
Transports, éducation, fonction publique: à quoi s’attendre pour la grève du 18 septembre
Transports, éducation, fonction publique… Tour d’horizon des mobilisations attendues à la veille de la journée de grève du 18 septembre.TransportsLa circulation des trains sera perturbée dans toute la France, selon la SNCF.Sur les lignes Intercités, un train sur deux est prévu et un sur trois pour les TER.Pour les TGV, “quelques perturbations sont à prévoir (…) mais l’ensemble des clients devrait pouvoir voyager”.En Île-de-France, sur le réseau SNCF, le trafic sera “fortement perturbé” pour les RER D, RER E, ligne H, ligne N, ligne R et ligne U, et “perturbé” sur les RER A, B, et C, et les lignes K, L et V.A Paris, aucun métro, à l’exception des lignes automatiques (1, 4 et 14), ne circulera en dehors des heures de pointe.Certaines lignes franciliennes de bus pourraient être fermées.Par ailleurs, le service sera proche de la normale dans les aéroports français, puisque le principal syndicat de contrôleurs aériens, le SNCTA, a reporté sa grève.SantéL’ensemble des personnels hospitaliers sont appelés à la grève par l’intersyndicale. Du côté des médecins, la principale fédération syndicale, la coalition “Action praticiens hôpital” (APH) appelle à “soutenir” le mouvement. Dans les établissements de santé, l’administration a toutefois le pouvoir de réquisitionner une partie des personnels pour maintenir la “continuité des soins”.Les pharmaciens, mobilisés contre une baisse du plafond des remises commerciales sur les médicaments génériques, sont appelés à une “fermeture massive” des officines et à manifester, selon les deux principaux syndicats du secteur, l’USPO et la FSPF.La première organisation syndicale des kinésithérapeutes, la FFMKR, appelle à fermer les cabinets.Consommation et distributionLes salariés du secteur sont invités à faire grève par une intersyndicale. Celle-ci dénonce “les attaques répétées” contre les “droits” et le “pouvoir d’achat” des salariés. Les commerçants sont “très inquiets” face aux “mouvements de blocage”, s’est alarmé la semaine dernière le président du Conseil du commerce de France (CDCF), Guy Gras. Ce dernier s’attend à des “impacts plus graves” que pour le mouvement du 10 septembre, où certains magasins ont dû fermer par mesure de sécurité.Dans les rayons, l’impact devrait être limité, grâce à “un peu plus de stocks en magasins”, a rassuré le patron du Groupement Mousquetaires/Intermarché, Thierry Cotillard.ÉducationLa FSU-Snuipp, premier syndicat du primaire, prévoit qu’un tiers des enseignants du premier degré (écoles maternelles et élémentaires) seront grévistes. A Paris, ce syndicat estime même à plus de 45% le taux de grévistes, avec au moins 90 écoles fermées.Dans les collèges et lycées, les syndicats appellent aussi à se mobiliser. La nomination de Sébastien Lecornu n’a “pas fait redescendre la colère”, estime Sophie Vénétitay, secrétaire générale du Snes-FSU, principal syndicat du secondaire.Fonction publique Les huit syndicats représentatifs des 5,8 millions d’agents de la fonction publique appellent unanimement à la grève contre les mesures d’économies. La dernière mobilisation significative remonte au 5 décembre 2024, quand près de 20% des agents de la fonction publique de l’Etat, éducation nationale en tête, avaient défilé notamment contre l’allongement du délai de carence.Dans le viseur des organisations cette fois: la suppression de 3.000 emplois publics et le gel des rémunérations annoncé par le précédent gouvernement.ÉnergieLa CGT a lancé un appel à la grève depuis le 2 septembre pour les salaires et l’abaissement de la TVA appliquée à l’énergie, un mouvement qui se traduit selon elle par des piquets de grève dans les stockages de gaz, les terminaux méthaniers et devant les centrales nucléaires et hydrauliques.Le 18, la CFE-Energie, premier syndicat d’EDF et deuxième des industries électriques et gazières, a appelé à débrayer pendant une heure ou à venir dans les cortèges syndicaux.Dans la chimie, la CFDT, premier syndicat, s’attend à une mobilisation “très soutenue”, a indiqué Bruno Bouchard, délégué fédéral FCE-CFDT en charge de la branche.”On a référencé plus de 150 appels à la grève” dans des entreprises comme TotalEnergies, Sanofi, Arkema, Air Liquide, et Kem One, a indiqué Jean-Louis Peyren, secrétaire fédéral de la CGT Chimie pour l’industrie pharmaceutique.Avant la manifestation parisienne, son syndicat a appelé à un rassemblement le matin devant le site Sanofi de Maisons-Alfort (Val-de-Marne), que le groupe a décidé de céder au sous-traitant allemand Adragos.AgricultureLa Confédération paysanne, 3e syndicat agricole, appelle les agriculteurs “à se mobiliser partout en France” jeudi “pour plus de justice sociale, fiscale et environnementale”. Au vu du déploiement policier annoncé, il “alerte sur le respect du droit de manifester”.Le premier syndicat du secteur, la FNSEA, appelle pour sa part à une mobilisation le 26 septembre.