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HARBIN, China (AP) — Faced with temperatures dipping to -30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit), visitors to China’s wintertime resort city of Harbin often make a beeline for stalls selling padded clothing to augment their wardrobes.

Oddly perhaps for some, frozen ice cream bars are also considered a key part of the visit.

Each winter, the industrial city in China’s northeast turns into a magnet for those from China’s balmier regions wanting to experience the extreme cold and take in the sculptures built from ice blocks carved from the Songhua River, which freezes from late October to late March.

“I searched for tips on the internet and am now wearing knitted wool pants and the thickest sweater possible,” said Jin Yiting, who was visiting with her parents from the financial hub of Shanghai, where a light jacket is usually sufficient winter garb.

Jin Yanlong runs a stall selling winter hats, gloves and boots in the park. He said that most of his customers are tourists from southern China who underestimate the frigid weather in Harbin.

“Some of the tourists wear ‘too thin.’ They come here immediately from the airport. They would find us to buy warm trousers padded with cotton,” Jin said.

Despite the freezing weather, some curious tourists are brave enough to taste the cold itself. Zhuang Chang and his friend enjoyed their Madie’er ice cream bars while strolling on a commercial street whose architecture reflects the Russian influence on the city. The brand was established in 1900s by a Russian company and has steadily grown in popularity among tourists.

“It’s cold, but my heart is warm,” Zhuang said. He also compared the humid cold months of his hometown in Zhejiang province, where “people would be frozen to the core when being hit by wind.”

“But here only my hands and face feel cold,” Zhuang said.

For those seeking a warmer alternative, there are hot drinks and steaming hot pot, a kind of stew mixing meat, vegetables, tofu and other favorites.

Restaurant owner Chi Xuewen claims to own the world’s largest hot pot, where 18 individual pots featuring a variety of flavors circle the giant bowl.

“Eating anything in a hot pot makes people warm,” Chi said.

Li Long’s restaurant uses wood both to cook the food and warm the air in the ice block structure.

“The pot also radiates heat,” Li said. “Once the pot cover is lifted, customers see the hot food. In one word, it just feels hot.”

Prolonged cold has left local residents with few options for fresh vegetables, so frozen food has become an alternative. Frozen tofu left outside overnight becomes porous and is particularly good at soaking up soup and flavor, local resident Liu Xiaohui said.

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Olivia Zhang and Caroline Chen contributed to this report.

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles sports organizations are uniting to launch an “LA Strong” custom logo and apparel line that will raise money for organizations assisting those impacted by this week’s devastating wildfires.

Fanatics announced Friday that T-shirts featuring the new logo will be available to purchase on team and league online stores, as well as the Fanatics website. The collaboration spans eight leagues, the University of Southern California and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic organizing committee.

The sports organizations and Fanatics will donate all proceeds from the initiative to the American Red Cross and Los Angles Fire Department Foundation. LA Strong hoodies will also be available in the coming weeks.

“What’s happening is absolutely gut-wrenching and it’s our duty to use our platform in any way we can,” said Fanatics founder Michael Rubin in a statement. He said he was heartbroken to watch the “horror continue to unfold across Los Angeles and completely upend so many lives.”

“We are proud to have teamed up with the LA sports community to launch a new ‘LA Strong’ merchandise collection,” he said.

Wind-whipped fires tore across Los Angeles, destroying homes, clogging roadways as tens of thousands fled as the fires burned uncontained Wednesday.

The pro teams partnering together on the initiative include the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers, Rams, Chargers, Clippers, Sparks, Angels, Kings, Football Club, Galaxy, Golf Club (TGL), Angel City FC and Anaheim Ducks.

The leagues span from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, Women’s National Basketball Association, National Women’s Soccer League and TMRW Golf League.

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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China and Britain restarted economic and financial talks on Saturday after a six-year hiatus during a visit by Britain’s Treasury chief to Beijing, as the U.K.’s Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Accompanied by a delegation of British business executives and finance officials, Chancellor Rachel Reeves met with Chinese leaders, including Vice Premier He Lifeng and Vice President Han Zheng.

Reeves emphasized the need for a “stable, pragmatic” U.K.-China relationship as she wrapped up talks in Beijing.

“Our two countries can work together on areas of mutual interest in the interests of our citizens, whilst also being frank and open with each other when we disagree,” she said.

The Sino-British ties have soured following a series of spying allegations from both sides, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and a crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony.

British officials said Reeves will also urge Beijing to stop its material and economic support for the Russian war effort in Ukraine and raise the issue of rights and freedoms in Hong Kong.

The two sides inked agreements on Saturday in areas such as finance “worth 600 million pounds ($732 million) over the next five years for the U.K. economy,” Reeves said without outlining the specifics of the deals.

“Overall, this government’s re-engagement with China already sets us on course to deliver up to 1 billion pounds of value for the UK economy,” she said.

Reeves’s three-day trip has been clouded by upheaval in the bond markets, which has pushed borrowing costs to their highest level since the 2008 financial crisis. The opposition Conservative Party has accused her of having “fled to China,’’ rather than addressing ease market concerns about inflation and economic stagnation.

In an op-ed piece in the Times of London, Reeves insisted that China offers Britain an opportunity to bolster growth. The nation cannot ignore the fact that China is its fourth-largest trading partner, with exports supporting close to half a million jobs in the UK, she said.

“Choosing not to engage with China is therefore no choice at all,’’ she wrote.

Reeves’ visit marked the revival of the China-U.K. Economic and Financial Dialogue — annual bilateral talks that have been suspended since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating relations. London hopes renewed dialogues will help bring down barriers that U.K. businesses face when looking to export or expand to China.

Britain seeks to improve exchanges in areas such as sustainable finance, capital markets connectivity, pensions and regulatory alignment, as well as trade and investment, Reeves added.

“As part of this, it is important to prevent economic links weakening our national security and economic resilience,” she said.

She said she welcomed China’s plans to issue its first overseas sovereign green bond in London this year.

The meeting also focused on finding ways to lift market access barriers for goods and services, “including unlocking a package in agrifood which is set to boost U.K. trade with China,” Reeves added.

Vice Premier He said China and Britain agreed to remove barriers to investment in areas such as clean technology, life sciences, digital technology and financial services.

The delegation included Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and the CEOs of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and the London Stock Exchange Group. Senior executives from some of Britain’s biggest financial services firms, including the group chairs of HSBC and Standard Chartered, were also included.

Reeves’ visit comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy traveled to China in October and Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil in November.

It’s all part of a bid by Starmer, elected as leader in July, to strengthen political and economic ties with China, the U.K.’s fourth-largest single trading partner, according to the Treasury.

Officials said Starmer wanted a “pragmatic” approach to working with Beijing on global stability, climate change and the transition to clean energy. But some in the opposition Conservative Party have criticized his stance and said trade ties should not come at the expense of national security and human rights concerns.

British political leaders and intelligence chiefs have repeatedly warned that China poses security threats. Calls to tackle the challenge grew louder last month when it emerged that an alleged Chinese spy had cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew and carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for China’s ruling Communist Party, according to officials.

“National security is the foundation of what any government acting in the national interest will prioritize,” Reeves said. “But we need to make sure that we have pragmatic and good relations with countries around the world. That is in our national interest.”

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Associated Press writers Sylvia Hui and Danica Kirka in London and video producer Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.

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OTTAWA (Reuters) – The U.N. aviation agency on Friday said that 11,929 individuals had been affected by the unauthorized release of recruitment application data records from April 2016 to July 2024.

The International Civil Aviation Organization this week reported a security incident, saying a threat actor known as Natohub claimed to have released 42,000 records.

“After completing careful review of the data, ICAO can now confirm that 11,929 individuals are affected. ICAO is now reaching out to these individuals,” it said in a statement.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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By Tom Polansek

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Workers in U.S. chicken and pork plants face higher risks than other manufacturing workers for musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome, according to two studies the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued on Friday.

The findings highlight health concerns for employees who often perform repetitive tasks and use dangerous equipment, including sharp knives, to process meat for consumers. Those roles are disproportionately filled by immigrants and undocumented workers.

More than half of all U.S. meatpacking workers are immigrants, compared with about 17% of the entire workforce, according to the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think tank.

A USDA-funded study of 1,047 poultry workers at 11 plants operating at faster processing speeds found that 81% of employees were at increased risk of musculoskeletal disorders. Researchers compared their risk for carpal tunnel syndrome to another study of 4,321 manufacturing workers.

Poultry workers who handled more chicken per minute faced higher risks than those who worked at a slower rate, though there was not an association with faster processing line speeds, the study found.

Meat companies are improving processes and equipment to reduce injuries, said the Meat Institute, an industry group that represents producers such as Tyson Foods and JBS USA.

“It is possible to maintain worker safety standards while operating at increased line speeds,” the institute said.

In pork plants, 46% of 574 evaluated workers were at high risk for musculoskeletal disorders, and the effect of increased line speeds varied between establishments, according to another USDA-funded study.

Several workers expressed concerns about reporting pain to their supervisor due to the risk of retaliation or out of frustration that their problems would not be helped, the study said.

“Everyone works in pain and is afraid to speak out,” one pork worker said, according to the study.

Dangers go beyond the musculoskeletal injuries detailed in USDA’s reports, said Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, which represents more than 15,000 poultry workers.

“Poultry workers toil in cramped, cold conditions, slicing up birds thousands of times per hour as chickens rush down the line,” he said.

(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by David Gregorio)

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Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc. joins a growing list of companies that are pulling back on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Like others before it, the social media giant cited a U.S. Supreme Court decision in July 2023 that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.

Conservative activists have gone after companies — both in the courts and on social media — seeking to set a similar precedent in the working world. They’ve been targeting workplace initiatives such as diversity programs and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups, and have widened their objections to include programs focused on gender identity and sexual orientation.

DEI policies typically are intended as a counterweight to discriminatory practices. Critics argue that education, government and business programs which single out participants based on factors such as race, gender and sexual orientation are unfair and the same opportunities should be afforded to everyone.

Joel Kaplan, Meta’s freshly appointed global policy chief, told Fox News Digital on Friday that the move will ensure that the company is “building teams with the most talented people” instead of making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics.

“This is ultimately about doing what’s best for our company and ensuring that we are serving everyone and building teams with the most talented people,” Kaplan told Fox News Digital. “This means evaluating people as individuals, and sourcing people from a range of candidate pools, but never making hiring decisions based on protected characteristics like race or gender.”

Here’s a look at some of the other companies that have retreated from DEI:

Four years after launching a push for more diversity in its ranks, McDonald’s said earlier this month that it is ending some of its diversity practices, citing a U.S. Supreme Court decision that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions.

McDonald’s said on Jan. 6 that it will retire specific goals for achieving diversity at senior leadership levels. It also intends to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and to increase the number of minority group members represented within their own leadership ranks.

McDonald’s said it will also pause “external surveys.” The burger giant didn’t elaborate, but several other companies, including Lowe’s and Ford Motor Co., suspended their participation in an annual survey by the Human Rights Campaign that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.

The world’s largest retailer confirmed in November that it would not be renewing a five-year commitment for an equity racial center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd, and that it would stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index measuring workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.

Walmart also said it will better monitor its third-party marketplace to make sure items sold there do not include products aimed at LGBTQ+ minors, including chest binders intended for transgender youth.

Additionally, the company will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts and it won’t be gathering demographic data when determining financing eligibility for those grants.

CEO Jim Farley sent a memo to the automaker’s employees in August outlining changes to the company’s DEI policies, including a decision to stop taking part in HRC’s Corporate Equality Index.

Ford, he wrote, had been looking at its policies for a year. The company doesn’t use hiring quotas or tie compensation to specific diversity goals but remained committed to “fostering a safe and inclusive workplace,” Farley said.

“We will continue to put our effort and resources into taking care of our customers, our team, and our communities versus publicly commenting on the many polarizing issues of the day,” the memo said.

In August, Lowe’s executive leadership said the company began “reviewing” its programs following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling and decided to combine its employee resource groups into one umbrella organization. Previously, the company had “individual groups representing diverse sections of our associate population.”

The retailer also will no longer participate in the HRC index, and will stop sponsoring and participating in events, such as festivals and parades, that are outside of its business areas.

The farm equipment maker said in July that it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events, and that it would audit all training materials “to ensure the absence of socially-motivated messages” in compliance with federal and local laws.

Moline, Illinois-based John Deere added “the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy.” But it noted that it would still continue to “track and advance” the diversity of the company.

The retailer in June said it was ending an array of corporate diversity and climate efforts, a move that came after weeks of online conservative backlash against the rural retailer.

Tractor Supply said it would be eliminating all of its DEI roles while retiring current DEI goals. The company added that it would “stop sponsoring non-business activities” such as Pride festivals or voting campaigns — and no longer submit data for the HRC index.

The Brentwood, Tennessee-based company, which sells products ranging from farming equipment to pet supplies, also said that it would withdraw from its carbon emission goals to instead “focus on our land and water conservation efforts.”

The National Black Farmers Association called on Tractor Supply’s president and CEO to step down shortly after the company’s announcement.

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MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — Joining companies such as John Deere and Walmart, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion program that includes hiring, training and picking vendors, a company spokesperson confirmed on Friday.

The move, which was first reported by Axios, comes on the heels of the social media giant’s decision to end its third-party fact-checking program and scale back policies on hate speech and abuse.

Citing an internal memo sent to employees, Axios said the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said the U.S. Supreme Court “has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. … The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”

In practice, this means Meta will no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and the company said it will instead “focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.”

The company will also end its “diverse slate approach” to hiring, which meant that a diverse pool of candidates was considered for every open position.

Other companies that have ended DEI programs recently include McDonald’s, automaker Ford, Walmart and farm equipment maker John Deere.

Amazon also said it is halting some of its DEI programs, although it did not specify which ones. In a Dec. 16 memo to employees that Amazon shared on Friday, Candi Castleberry, a senior human resources executive, said the company has been “winding down outdated programs and materials, and we’re aiming to complete that by the end of 2024.”

“We also know there will always be individuals or teams who continue to do well-intentioned things that don’t align with our company-wide approach, and we might not always see those right away. But we’ll keep at it,” she wrote.

Rather than “have individual groups build programs,” she added, Amazon is “focusing on programs with proven outcomes – and we also aim to foster a more truly inclusive culture.”

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Treasury chief is travelling to China this weekend to discuss economic and financial cooperation between the countries, as the U.K.’s Labour government seeks to reset strained ties with Beijing.

The Treasury said Friday that Rachel Reeves will travel to Beijing and Shanghai and will meet with her Chinese government counterpart, Vice Premier He Lifeng.

Reeves’ trip is expected to revive the China-U.K. Economic and Financial Dialogue — annual bilateral talks that have been suspended since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and deteriorating relations in recent years.

A series of spying allegations from both sides, China’s support for Russia in the Ukraine war and a crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong, a former British colony, have soured ties.

Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority’s chief executive, Nikhil Rathi, are also in the delegation, according to the Treasury. Representatives from some of Britain’s biggest financial services firms will join the trip.

Officials did not provide details, but media reports have said senior executives from HSBC Holdings and Standard Chartered were included.

Reeves’ visit comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to China in October and Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Brazil in November.

The meetings form part of a bid by Starmer, who was elected as leader in July, to strengthen political and economic ties with China, the U.K.’s fifth-largest trading partner.

Officials said Starmer wanted a “pragmatic” approach to working with Beijing on global stability, climate change and the transition to clean energy.

But some in the opposition Conservative Party have criticized his stance and said trade ties should not come at the expense of national security and human rights concerns.

British political leaders and intelligence chiefs have warned repeatedly of the security threats that China poses. Calls to tackle the challenge grew louder last month when it emerged that an alleged Chinese spy had cultivated close ties with Prince Andrew and carried out “covert and deceptive activity” for China’s ruling Communist Party, according to officials.

Nevertheless, Lammy told reporters in London on Thursday that “there are many areas of trade that don’t impact on national security.”

He said Reeves “will repeat many of the messages that I took to China.”

“What we’ve said is in this complex relationship with a global superpower, we are guided by three Cs”: challenge, compete and cooperate, for example in areas including health and climate challenges, Lammy added.

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AP writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

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By Wen-Yee Lee

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan only expects a small impact from any tariffs imposed by the incoming government of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on semiconductor exports given their technological superiority, Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei said on Friday.

Home to the world’s largest contract chipmaker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the island is a key link in the global technology supply chain for companies such as Apple and Nvidia.

But Taiwanese policymakers have warned new U.S. tariffs against all countries from the Trump administration could curb economic growth this year for the export-dependent economy.

Trump has pledged a blanket tariff of 10% on global imports into the United States and a far higher 60% tariff on Chinese goods. In late November, he specifically pledged a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico when he takes office on Jan. 20.

Asked at a news conference about the impact on Taiwan’s export orders of Trump’s tariffs, Kuo said it would not much affect the chip sector.

“For our semiconductors and advanced processes, there is an advantage of technological leadership and that cannot be replaced, and so the impact will be small,” he added.

Taiwan will also help companies relocate supply chains to the United States as needed, away from where there might be high import tariffs, Kuo said.

“Now we see that we should be able to develop the aerospace supply chain industry in the United States, and do some joining up with the U.S. aerospace companies, so that some of Taiwan’s aerospace research and development centres can be moved to there.”

Taiwan will also set up an office in Japan in the first half of this year to help Taiwanese businesses invest there, and cooperate with the country on AI and drones, he added.

(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Saad Sayeed)

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(Reuters) – U.S. investors pulled out of equity funds and moved to the safety of money market funds in the week to Jan. 8 driven by uncertainties about the Fed’s interest rate trajectory and looming tariff policies by the incoming Trump administration.

Investors divested a net $5.05 billion worth of U.S. equity funds during the week and acquired a robust $56.19 billion worth of money market funds in their largest weekly net purchase since Dec. 4, 2024, according to LSEG Lipper data.

The U.S. Federal Reserve’s Dec. 17-18 meeting minutes, released Wednesday, revealed officials’ growing concerns about persistent price pressures and the potential impact of policies by the incoming Trump administration.

Investors withdrew a net $4.88 billion from U.S. large-cap funds, compared with $5.43 billion worth of net purchases the previous week. Mid-cap and multi-cap funds also had outflows totaling $1.2 billion and $751 million, respectively, but small-cap funds gained $272 million worth of inflows.

Sectoral funds were mixed, with industrials facing a notable $467 million worth of outflows, while communication services and tech had net $348 million and $338 million, respectively, in inflows.

Bond funds, meanwhile, eked out a net $9.14 billion worth of weekly inflow following three consecutive weeks of net sales.

General domestic taxable fixed income funds were popular as investors poured $3.52 billion, the highest in nearly a year, into these funds.

Short-to-intermediate investment-grade funds, loan participation funds, and short-to-intermediate government and treasury funds, also saw a significant $2.62 billion, $2.17 billion and $2.02 billion worth of net additions, respectively.

(Reporting by Gaurav Dogra and Patturaja Murugaboopathy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)

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