CHA exam - Certified Hotel Administrator (AHLEI CHA) 2023 Updated: 2024 | ||||||||
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Exam Code: CHA Certified Hotel Administrator (AHLEI CHA) 2023 exam January 2024 by Killexams.com team | ||||||||
CHA Certified Hotel Administrator (AHLEI CHA) 2023 General managers and hospitality executives provide leadership to every level of a hospitality operation. They establish the vision and lead their staff in executing it. Their dedication to the hospitality industry is evident in the way they seek out continuing education, manage their employees, and ensure the financial success of the property. The Certified Hotel Administrator is a prestigious certification that recognizes these leadership and managerial skills. The CHA has been reformatted to be more convenient for you as a busy hospitality executive. Program features include: Review material on the go. You can download program content to your computer, mobile device or tablet for offline reading. A new section on revenue management Content organized by topic in a modular format that makes it easy to review material in any order A practice quiz with each module that can be taken as many times as needed A new certification exam format where you can take questions at the end of each module rather than having to take one comprehensive final exam. You can earn the CHA designation if you have been employed for two years (and are currently employed) in one of these qualifying positions: General manager, owner/operator in a lodging hospitality company, or corporate executive* at a lodging hospitality company responsible for the operation of two or more properties Assistant general manager or director of operations/rooms division (after successfully completing the CRDE certification) Candidate Time in Position: 2 years. The time in position requirement can be reduced by one year by meeting the following conditions: One current AHLEI department head certification (limit 1) A degree from an accredited academic institution (limit 1) * A corporate executive is defined as an individual, employed by a firm responsible for the operation of two or more properties, who serves as a regional or corporate director of operations, or has ultimate corporate responsibility for rooms, marketing, finance, food and beverage, revenue management, human resources or engineering. How to Apply Access the online application Have the following documents available to upload: Current Resume Job Description Employment Verification Form (signed by your immediate supervisor) Copy of diploma or transcripts Once AHLEI has reviewed your application, you will receive an email accepting you into the program. That email will contain a link where you can order the CHA review online and pay the program fee. Resource Materials The Certified Hotel Administrator review program is a self-paced online program that helps you prepare for the CHA certification exam. You can access it online or download the content into a mobile device, tablet or computer. The program is segmented by modules with topics including: Financial Management Food and Beverage Management Human Resources Leadership Marketing and Sales Revenue Management Rooms Management You can focus on one area at a time in any order. Each module includes a practice quiz that you can take as many times as you wish before attempting to take any final sections of the certification exam. Review Session You can participate in an informally led review workshop and then take the CHA exam. Review classes and exam sessions are open to any CHA candidate unless otherwise stated. Typically a review session begins at 8 a.m. and ends at noon. After a break for lunch, you can take a proctored exam. All review classes and exam sessions are subject to change without notice. Some review sessions may require a nominal registration fee payable to the sponsoring organization. Exam The final CHA certification exam is broken down by sections at the end of each module. Each section of the final exam has 35 questions that you are allowed 35 minutes to complete. To pass, you must achieve 70 percent or higher on each segment. You have two attempts to pass each section of the final certification exam. If you do not achieve a passing score, you can purchase two additional retakes for $100 per section. | ||||||||
Certified Hotel Administrator (AHLEI CHA) 2023 Hospitality Administrator exam | ||||||||
Other Hospitality examsCHA Certified Hotel Administrator (AHLEI CHA) 2023CHHE Certified Hospitality Housekeeping Executive | ||||||||
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Hospitality CHA Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) https://killexams.com/pass4sure/exam-detail/CHA B. it is the term used to refer to the fresh linen used in the rooms C. it refers to the carts used for room service D. it is the French term for the center pieces on the dinner tables Answer: A Reference: http://www.inspior.com/Glossary.pdf Question: 34 When rows of chairs or tables are arranged slanted in a V -shape facing the head table, stage or speaker, it is called a _________ setup A. Stage B. Board of directors C. Board meeting D. Herringbone Answer: D Reference: http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/event_glossary.jhtml Question: 35 A hotel plan that includes the costs of the room and all meals in the daily rate is called: A. inclusive plan B. full plan C. grand plan D. American plan Answer: D For More exams visit https://killexams.com/vendors-exam-list Kill your exam at First Attempt....Guaranteed! | ||||||||
Earlier this year I wrote an article for The Limping Chicken about my experiences of job hunting as a deaf person. After a fairly long period of time out of the workplace to raise children, I had begun the process of looking for more substantial work. I had been taken on in various casual roles, such as exam invigilating, hospitality and cleaning, as well as some rewarding voluntary work, but my efforts to secure a longer term post with more regular hours and pay, was proving to be extremely challenging. I submitted applications and was fortunate to get several interviews, but was always turned down or ‘pipped to the post’ as they say. My days were spent browsing the Indeed jobs website, attending job search courses run by the local authority, looking on LinkedIn and contacting old colleagues in case they knew of anything coming up. Having always felt it was important to be upfront and honest, I made mention of my deafness at the first possible opportunity on application forms and in my covering letters. Things had moved on since I last worked full time, I told myself, and surely employers would be much more willing to look twice at a disabled candidate. The Equality Act had come into force and now there was the ‘Disability Confident Employer’ scheme, with (yet another) logo appended to the foot of job adverts. This always puzzled me: did it mean prospective employers felt confident enough to interview and even employ a disabled person? Did it mean that disabled people should feel confident in applying for that job? Did it mean that employers could demonstrate that they felt confident they had done “enough” to attract disabled employees, and to keep them? Okay, perhaps that last one was a bit far fetched … but the slightly cynical side of me felt that society was still afraid of taking on deaf or disabled employees, no matter what the rhetoric. I haven’t managed to dispel this feeling yet, but trying to be a glass half-full type of person, even as I hold the mouse down for an especially long time to scroll back through the age range brackets when completing a questionnaire, I feel it is important to look for the positives. I had a number of interviews, for local authorities, an adult education college, an arts centre and a university – all institutions where you’d probably expect to find the Disability Confident Employer scheme – but I honestly can’t remember if they championed this scheme or not. The interviews were variable: one place was difficult as the interviewers sat spaced out round a huge table, so that it was very hard to lipread, and the lighting was poor (why do meeting rooms need to have ambient lighting?! It’s not a party). Another place was far better as the interviewers took extra care to sit directly opposite me (I had mentioned that it was helpful for me to face the speaker), and they specifically asked if I could hear them, which was greatly appreciated. Another interviewer at a different institution asked how I managed on the phone, and when I said that it could sometimes be a little challenging, replied that it was just as well that I didn’t work in a call centre! Bizarre. My next interview was far more productive, on both sides. It was for a technician post in a local school, and the interviewers were professional, knowledgeable and understanding. For once, I was not disappointed to be turned down for the job. We mutually agreed that it wouldn’t have been practical for me to take on the role, as I was unlikely to hear clearly in a classroom environment, with the volume of noise from the students. But I didn’t feel dismissed in any way, as I was given the opportunity to demonstrate how I might have met the criteria, but after exploring the practicalities, it became apparent that this role wasn’t suitable. I feel that this way of conducting interviews is appropriate and fair, as it gives the deaf candidate the chance to see whether the job is truly right for them. I am grateful that the school gave me due consideration. Very shortly after this, I heard that there was a job opening very locally, for an administrator role at the parish council. This particular post ticked all the boxes for me: it was local, it had the option of hybrid working, it involved very similar projects to ones I had worked on previously in full time roles, and it was with a small, friendly team. I submitted my cv but didn’t mention that I was deaf until they emailed me to invite me for an interview. I was slightly apprehensive about whether this would put them off, but on the contrary, they could not have been more welcoming and understanding. The interview went very well and to my complete delight and surprise, they said that it wouldn’t be necessary for me to even answer the phone at all, as they already employed a member of staff who dealt with all phone enquiries. Despite being a small organisation, they made every effort to accommodate me. I started working as a part time administrator last summer, and I am enjoying it a great deal. They have been nothing but supportive. There are some small aspects of the job which I need support to do, such as taking minutes at meetings (not a very frequent occurrence) but I have made an application to Access to Work to take out a subscription to Otter.ai, so hopefully I can use this transcription software to accurately record the minutes of a meeting. But there are always people who are willing and able to help me out with checking the minutes, so for that I am very grateful. I could not be more pleased to have finally found an employer who can see past my deafness. It’s very easy to give up and be completely disheartened – and if you asked me a year ago, I would have doubted whether I could ever move forward. In the end, it’s all down to the people in an organisation. No Disability Confident Employer logos or other initiatives, however well intentioned, are even necessary. If an employer actively wants to make the effort to employ a deaf person, they may well find their willingness is rewarded with a loyal and productive employee. I suppose if I could change one thing, it would be to enable me to work in the office a little more – we currently lack desk space so we have to hot desk and mainly work from home. I rely completely on email and WhatsApp messaging to communicate with my colleagues, and I don’t really speak to them unless I see them in person. Isolation is a key factor for many people working from home, but deaf people working from home are especially prone to being left out of the loop. However, we are currently in the process of bidding for a new building and increased office space, including the all-important kitchen so that we can make tea and coffee properly. And not forgetting a snack corner … where would we be without the obligatory office cake? Watch this space. TIFTON- It was another busy year at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in 2023, including a substantial increase in enrollment in the fall, a slew of successful on-campus events, and several visits from leaders around the state. Some of the highlights were: January • University System of Georgia Regent Tom Bradbury visited ABAC and spent several hours with administration, faculty, and students. • ABAC’s Georgia Museum of Agriculture’s Curator Polly Huff was honored for “Carver & Polk: Crossover of Agriculture and Photography in the early 20th Century” Museum Exhibit by the Georgia Association of Museums. February • The college celebrated its 115th birthday on February 20. In that time, ABAC grew from just 27 students to nearly 4,000 students. • Pumpkin, the matriarch of the college’s beef herd, was honored with a 20th birthday party on February 14. The popular Pumpkin has played a key role in ABAC’s unique hands-on learning opportunities for most of her life. March • Seven students, majoring in either biology or animal science were accepted into top veterinary programs after participating in the Pre-Vet Club, a program designed to streamline and track the acceptance rate of ABAC students into veterinary colleges. • The Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) presented ABAC band director Deborah Bradley with its highest honor, the Distinguished Career Award. Bradley has spent 40 years as a music educator. • Emily Groat was named Ms. ABAC 2023. Groat, a senior agriculture major from Ruskin, Fla. who was sponsored by the Stallion Society, also won the Interview Award and was named Miss Congeniality. April • Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed two agriculture bills on the college’s Bainbridge campus on April 18. The bills were House Bill 545, which creates an Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits, and Senate Bill 220, which creates the Georgia Farmland Conservation Fund. ABAC alum Tyler Harper, Georgia’s Agriculture Commissioner, joined Kemp and President Tracy Brundage for the bill signing ceremony. • Homecoming 2023 took place from April 10-15. This year’s festivities included a packed crowd for the Gee Haw Whoa Back Rodeo and several events and activities throughout the week for students and returning alumni such as a Homecoming Cookout, Alumni Awards Luncheon, Golden Alumni Gathering welcoming the class of 1973, a Cattlemen’s reunion, a Baptist Student Union/Baptist College Ministries reunion, Remembrance Service, and a Community Plant Sale. May • The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved ABAC’s proposal for four-year athletics, including the return of men’s and women’s basketball for the 2024-25 season. • During the Spring Commencement ceremonies, 397 graduates earned their degrees on May 11. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, an ABAC alumnus, was the featured speaker. • ABAC was awarded a $434,000 nursing grant from the Georgia Board of Health Care Workforce (GBHCW). Funds from the grant help combat the nursing shortage by increasing the number of nurses graduating from qualified institutions. Also, the grant supports pre-nursing instruction in anatomy and physiology classes and microbiology classes. • Former Georgia governor Roy Barnes visited the campus and donated Whitlock, a registered Polled Hereford bull, to the college as part of its beef unit. • ABAC honored employees with Faculty and Staff Awards and Service Recognition Awards in May. Dr. Alan Kramer was recognized for 30 years of service, while Doug Hicks was selected for the Roy R. Jackson Award for Staff Excellence; Dr. Sallie McHugh was selected for the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Teaching Excellence; Dr. Janet Koposko was selected as the recipient of the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Excellence in Advising Award; Deidra Jackson was the recipient of the E. Lanier Carson Leadership Award; and Dr. Benjamin Gahagen was selected for the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Excellence in Student Engagement. June • ABAC was chosen to host a 90-acre Digital and Data-Driven Demonstration Farm, or “4-D Farm,” as part of a $4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The award recognized the efforts that the department has had in addressing the agriculture teacher shortage, their preparation of highly skilled graduates, and quick starter agriculture teachers. • ABAC brought back the African-American Male Initiative (AAMI) program under the direction of Dr. Jewrell Rivers. (AAMI) is a system-wide initiative designed to increase the number of black male students who complete their postsecondary education from any USG institution. Its mission is to provide an integrated program model of academic, leadership, and life skills to assist any participating student to complete each academic level and graduate. July • ABAC’s Ag Education and Communication Department was named the Outstanding Post Secondary Agriculture Program by the Georgia Vocation Agriculture Teachers Association (GVATA). • University System of Georgia Chancellor Sonny Perdue toured ABAC’s Bainbridge campus after a facility transfer ceremony where a facility that formerly served as ABAC’s Blakely campus to the Early County School System. • The new ABAC Certificate in Instructional Support Personnel and the Certificate in Digital Media and Professional Communication started for ABAC students in Fall semester. • The ABAC Testing Center received national certification from the National College Testing Association. ABAC’s testing center provides a wide range of services, including online testing, program-specific entrance and exit exams, proctoring services (independent learning), and placement testing. August • President Tracy Brundage celebrated one year as ABAC’s 11th president on August 7. She addressed faculty and staff during the annual State of the College meeting, where she reviewed the new strategic plan, the introduction of new certificate programs, and the transition to four-year athletics. • Long-time ABAC supporters Rick and Sandy Bostelman were selected to receive the University System of Georgia’s Regents Hall of Fame Distinguished Alumni Award. This award recognizes “distinguished alumni and friends for outstanding achievements in their professional lives, personal integrity and stature and dedicated service to a USG institution.” The couple was honored at a gala in September. • ABAC’s Fall semester kicked off with its largest enrollment increase in five years. A total of 3,769 students enrolled, which reflected an increase of over 3.5 percent from the fall of 2022. • Alumna Jaclyn Ford was named Chair of ABAC Foundation Board of Trustees. She had served on the board since 2015 as a member of the Finance and Investment Committee. • ABAC welcomed 10 new faculty members throughout 2023, including five in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, two in the School of Arts and Sciences, one in the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, and two in the Stafford School of Business. September • ABAC faculty, staff, students, University System of Georgia institution representatives, and community officials celebrated Dr. Tracy L. Brundage’s investiture as ABAC’s 11th president on September 22. The event included supportive remarks from several individuals about Brundage’s contributions to higher education throughout her 31-year career, as well as remarks from USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue, Governor Brian Kemp, and a host of local dignitaries. • ABAC boasted a 100 percent boards pass rate for nursing graduates at both Tifton and Bainbridge locations. October • ABAC hosted the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents for its monthly meeting during the first week of October. The Board annually holds two meetings on college campuses, and more than 20 years had passed since a meeting was held in Tifton. Several system officials remarked that it was their first time at ABAC and were overwhelmed by the beauty of the campus and the hospitality they received. • The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Council of Presidents officially approved ABAC for membership at its meeting on October 2. ABAC’s athletic teams will begin NAIA competition in the fall of 2024. • Ryan Hogan was selected as the Vice President of Enrollment Management, Marketing, and Communications. His experience included 24 years of in the field, 22 of which was at Valdosta State University. • ABAC’s episode on “The College Tour” debuted on Amazon Prime. Each episode of the show focuses on a single college, including campus life, academics, housing, sports, activities, and more. Life at ABAC is told in 10 vignettes featuring students, who provide an inside look at what it is truly like to be a Stallion. November • ABAC’s Office of College Advancement was honored with the Overall Institutional Excellence in Advancement Award at the Georgia Education Advancement Council (GEAC) annual conference on Nov. 14. This award is the highest award presented by GEAC to an entire staff at an institution that demonstrates outstanding achievement and commitment to the field of higher education advancement. The ABAC Office of College Advancement (OCA) includes the ABAC Foundation, development, alumni, advancement services, and advancement communications offices. • Melissa Pierzchajlo was named ABAC Alumni Association President. The Alumni Board of Directors supports the mission of the ABAC Alumni Association, which is to strengthen and enrich the College’s educational and extracurricular programs and to maximize the contribution to the economic, social, and cultural life of Georgia and the Southeastern United States. December • Fall commencement exercises saw 267 graduates earn their degrees on Dec. 14. Cathy Cox, President of Georgia College and State University and ABAC alumna, was the commencement speaker at both ceremonies. Examination copies are only available to Lecturers and Instructors for textbooks which are being considered for use as a prescribed text at a teaching or university institution. If you require a copy of this title for critical review or other journalistic purposes then please use our request review copy form instead. Please log in with your existing instructor account, or register if you do not have one. Fashion and lifestyleby Ellie Bramley Fashion and lifestyle have a knack for the surprise. The out-of-the-blue rise of butter moulding, say, or the sudden coolness of a shoe with a cloven toe. Divergence and disparateness are the mood music for 2024. What this means for fashion is yet more extreme luxury, both of the stealth wealth and exhibitionist varieties. But there will also be more emphasis than ever on thrifting, textile recycling, and the development of new materials, especially in the luxury market. Expect more seaweed yarns, plastic-free sequins and grape leathers like those shown by designer Stella McCartney at Cop28. With several elections set for 2024, slogan T-shirts will be used once more for political statements and to pledge allegiance rather than for more personal messages. Expect Maga caps and merch in the vein of Keir Starmer’s Sparkle With Starmer tee, turned around at speed after he was glitter-bombed at Labour conference. There’ll also be more politicians in the pages of Vogue, à la Angela Rayner. Pinterest predicts that slowcations are the new holidays, with searches up for things like “slow life” and “digital detox challenge”. That doesn’t mean we’ll stay at home, however. This is meant to be the year that travel will surpass pre-pandemic levels, so the holidaywear market is expected to boom. Guessing the mood for summer of 2024 is a fool’s errand this many months out. However, it probably will involve something sporty, given this summer will see Paris, city of chic, play host to the Olympics. Get ready to see some very well-dressed athletes, and the rest of us trying to copy them. UK politicsby Andrew Rawnsley Americans can be sure when they will be choosing their president because the election date – the Tuesday after the first Monday in November – is mandated by law. We don’t know when the UK will go to the polls because the decision lies in the hands of the prime minister. Rishi Sunak could even swerve an election in 2024 because the last possible legal date open to him is 28 January 2025. Clinging on until he hit the buffers would make him look totally terrified of the voters. It would also entail the campaign running over Christmas, which would be popular with no one. Spring or autumn is the choice facing the Tory leader. Anyone who claims to be certain what he will do is either a fool or a fibber, because he doesn’t know himself. Like any politician in his dire circumstances, he’s trying to keep his options open and his opponents guessing. Take with a pinch of salt the flurry of speculation that he is leaning to spring since the announcement that the budget will be on 6 March. That gives him the scope to go to the king soon afterwards to ask for the dissolution of parliament in order to time the general election to coincide with the locals on 2 May. That might appeal to the Tories if they were suddenly looking competitive, but I struggle to visualise the circumstances in which their whopping deficit in the polls will shrink enough to make that look attractive. As for any budget “giveaways” that Jeremy Hunt might conjure up, tax cuts will look extremely cynical and suspicious if they are almost instantly followed by a dash to the country. I forecast an autumn contest for two main reasons. There’s a better chance that the Bank of England will have started to cut interest rates by then. For many voters, reductions in inflation and borrowing costs will make a bigger difference to their quality of life than any tax cuts. My second reason for expecting an autumn election is the psychology of beleaguered incumbents who fear the verdict of the electorate. Leaders who aren’t confident of winning almost invariably delay the moment of reckoning in the hope that something will turn up to save them, as did Alec Douglas-Home in the early 1960s, Jim Callaghan in the late 70s, John Major in the late 90s and Gordon Brown in the run-up to the 2010 election. Delay didn’t spare any of them, but it did give them some extra months at No 10. Never underestimate how much their position on the longevity league table matters to prime ministers. The environmentby Ashish Ghadiali It looks as if 2024 will be the year of climate action versus the culture wars as crucial elections take place across the US, the UK, the EU and India. These four are some of the world’s highest emitters of greenhouse gases and, across them all, rightwing parties are promising to row back on existing commitments to climate action in an appeal for the populist vote. Donald Trump, who as US president in 2016 made withdrawal from the Paris agreement an early statement of intent, is again the frontrunner for the Republican nomination and has already promised to renege on the Biden administration’s $3bn pledge at Cop28 for a Green Climate Fund. He also promises to reverse the Environment Protection Agency’s plan to require two-thirds of all new cars sold in the US to be electric by 2032. Meanwhile, elections for the European parliament in June will see citizens across the EU weigh in on the future of the European Green New Deal, the proposal developed over the past four years by European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Such decisive contests will take place during what many climate scientists predict will be the hottest year on record (an accolade currently held by 2023) when, according to Professor Petteri Taalas, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organisation, unprecedented levels of greenhouse gas, new global temperature highs, record sea level increases and Antarctic sea ice lows, amounted to a “deafening cacophony of broken records”. Extreme heat in 2024 will be driven by the “super El Niño” – a phenomenon of ocean warming in the Pacific that disrupts the Earth’s weather systems, increasing the risk of extreme events around the world, including heatwaves, wildfires, heavy rains and floods – which, in turn, has the potential to hit crop yields threatening both food and global commodity supply chains. The environmental cost of political instability will be evident, nowhere more than in Gaza where the 25,000 tonnes of munitions dropped on the city within the first few weeks of the conflict amounted to the annual greenhouse gas emissions produced by nearly 5,000 passenger vehicles. Ramallah-based Nada Majdalani, director of EcoPeace Middle East, says decaying bodies and contaminated water supplies now amount to a “ticking time bomb” that may lead to the spread of deadly diseases, including cholera. The total shutdown of wastewater treatment plants in Gaza last October is currently driving the release of more than 130,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage into the Mediterranean every day, according to data released by the Norwegian Refugee Council. Televisionby Barbara Ellen Dramatisation of significant novels is a big theme for 2024. On BBC One, there’ll be an adaptation of Mr Loverman, the novel by Booker-prizewinning author, Bernardine Evaristo, starring Lennie James and focusing on life and love in the older British Caribbean community. On Netflix, One Day by David Nicholls is another key adaptation. A 14-episode series will feature Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall as the star-crossed lovers, with each episode representing one year. Anna Maxwell Martin is to star in the BBC Three series of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. Meanwhile, those who loved Anthony Minghella’s film of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley may be interested to hear that a TV series, Ripley, is imminent. Made by Netflix, it will star Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn and Dakota Fanning. Elsewhere in 2024, there looks to be a strong trend for heightened social commentary in British drama. Steven Knight (creator of Peaky Blinders) is to deliver a new six-part BBC One show, This Town, about 1980s-era working-class life focused on the ska music scene. Alongside the four young leads (Levi Brown, Jordan Bolger, Ben Rose and Eve Austin), it also stars Michelle Dockery, Nicholas Pinnock and Geraldine James. On the same channel, actor Michael Sheen co-creates and directs The Way, a sociopolitical tale of a fictional civil uprising in a small industrial town. Over on ITV1, Joanne Froggatt is to play an NHS doctor at the time of the pandemic in the three-part series Breathtaking. This is adapted by medic Rachel Clarke from her personal memoir, and co-written by Line of Duty’s Jed Mercurio and Prasanna Puwanarajah, both also former doctors. On BBC One, there’s the return of two acclaimed hard-hitting dramas. Nottingham-set Sherwood, with returning cast members, David Morrissey and Lesley Manville, joined by David Harewood and Monica Dolan. Also, Tony Schumacher’s The Responder, which once again stars Martin Freeman as a policeman mired in criminality and corruption in Liverpool. Regarding talent to look out for in 2024, young Irish actor Katherine Devlin recently shone in the BBC One Northern Irish police drama, Blue Lights. With another series of the show planned, Devlin is also due to star alongside Eddie Redmayne in the forthcoming TV version of The Day of the Jackal, produced by Top Boy’s Ronan Bennett. Theatre, dance and visual artsby Vanessa Thorpe New Year’s fireworks continue in the West End, where a run of glittering theatrical turns is due to light up early 2024. In February, Succession’s Sarah Snook will perform her one-woman version of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray to Royal Theatre Haymarket audiences, and, before that, the queen of Manhattan heels, Sarah Jessica Parker, appears at the Savoy Theatre alongside her husband, Matthew Broderick, late of Netflix’s pharma-drama Pain, in a revival of Neil Simon’s 1968 comedy, Plaza Suite. More powerful wattage still may come in February from homegrown star Matt Smith, who returns to the West End stage after 15 years to take the lead role of Dr Stockmann in Henrik Ibsen’s time-tested classic, An Enemy of the People. It’s a play that repeatedly picks up fresh political resonance, as well as purportedly inspiring Peter Benchley to write Jaws. It’s the English-language premiere of German director Thomas Ostermeier’s acclaimed “townhall debate” production, in which the audience is invited to tackle the ethics of the plot. In March, another beloved television Smith, Sheridan, opens at the Gielgud Theatre in a new musical by Rufus Wainwright, all about such a stage premiere. Based on John Cassavetes’s 1977 film, Opening Night, it’s directed by Ivo van Hove. Wainwright has said: “I’ve been waiting for ages to write my first musical … I don’t think I could’ve aimed any higher.” Spectacle, in the shape of thousands of silk carnations strewn across the stage of Sadler’s Wells, will draw ballet fans to the first revival of Pina Bausch’s Nelken (Carnations) since 2005 . Opening on Valentine’s Day, it features the now-fabled “Nelken line” dance motif, illustrating the passing seasons. The latest generation of 20 of the late Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal dancers will hop over, kiss and squash the flowers once again. Bradford receives an early taste of national attention this summer, as it gears up for 2025’s UK City of Culture status. The Bradford Live venue is unveiled shortly after the National Science & Media Museum is due to reopen its doors, following £6m of work. The city’s literature festival gets in first though, celebrating a 10th anniversary at the end of June. And for those not yet sick of Barbie pink, London’s Design Museum salutes the doll’s 65th birthday with a dedicated show running from early July. More conventional museum fare will be widely available from May when Britain’s historic repository of visual art, the National Gallery, marks its 200th anniversary. The gallery is linking up with 12 other sites – including museums in Liverpool, Newcastle, Cambridge and Brighton – to display key pieces, for free. January also offers a partial answer to all the mystery surrounding the new Matthew Vaughn thriller, Argylle. The publication date of the book the film is supposedly based upon, written by an “Elly Conway” (last heard of as a fictional character in TV’s Neighbours), is 9 January. Vaughn’s big budget film, which stars Henry Cavill and Dua Lipa, is released in February. Technologyby John Naughton If 2023 was the year of ChatGPT, then 2024 will be the year when the world recovers from the shock of generative AI and takes stock of what the technology offers. At the moment, the Gartner Hype Cycle – a visualisation of the social use of technologies – has AI right at the “Peak of Inflated Expectations”, poised to begin the downward slide into the “Trough of Disillusionment” with a predicted time to productive deployment of five to 10 years. So we’re embarking on a decade of experimentation and deployment. Our future, says Steven Levy, Wired’s editor at large, “will be characterised by a tension between copilot (AI as collaborator) and autopilot (humans as sidekick to AI). The latter is more efficient and cheaper in a narrow labour economics sense but troublesome in all sorts of ways.” Sales of electric vehicles (EVs) will increase, further outpacing countries’ national charging infrastructures. And Europe will find itself locked into a toxic loop as Chinese-built EVs flood in. This is happening because European governments subsidise the purchase of EVs, while China subsidises their production. Since Chinese domestic demand for the cars has slumped, they are being effectively dumped on Europe. This won’t end well. Twitter/X will continue its self-imposed decline as its owner thrashes around trying to staunch the bleeding. No matter how decrepit the network becomes, though people will use it because of the absence of an alternative that isn’t owned by Mark Zuckerberg. With its legislative triad of the Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act and (forthcoming) AI Act, the EU will continue to be the only game in town for tech regulation. Signs of its effectiveness are beginning to surface – for example with Meta, Facebook’s owner, offering customers in Europe ad-free subscriptions. Google’s competition problems in the US will go on. Self-driving cars will continue to be – like artificial general intelligence and nuclear fusion – “some decades off”. Foreign affairsby Simon Tisdall Suspense over the outcome of the US presidential election in November will increasingly command American domestic and international attention. Joe Biden plans to ignore many in his own party and seek a second term despite his age (81) and low approval ratings. The Democrats’ nightmare: Biden becomes unwell or suffers some disastrous embarrassment when it’s too late to replace him. Few believe vice-president Kamala Harris could step into his shoes. Donald Trump, who will be 78 in November, will win the Republican nomination. But his overall national approval rating is as negative as Biden’s, at roughly -15%. It’s also possible Trump will be in jail come the election. Prediction: Biden wins the popular vote, Trump the electoral college – which means Trump gets a second term. President Xi Jinping, is now the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong. The downside, for him, is that when things go wrong, he cannot escape blame. And things are going wrong. The economy is struggling, unemployment among young people is up, there’s a debt, investment and property crisis, and the population is ageing. Xi’s expansionist policies, predatory trade practices, disregard for international law, and human rights abuses have alienated neighbours, provoking western pushback. Taiwan, which Xi insists is part of China, worries he may attack to distract attention from domestic problems. Purges of top officials have added to a sense of instability. Prediction: Xi is stripped of some or all of his powers in an internal Communist party revolt. At a time when democracy is everywhere under attack, 2024, paradoxically, will see record numbers of elections – possibly in more than 50 countries, depending on dates and how defined. Sadly, a lot of these polls will not be freely contested. Results can be predicted in advance. Vladimir Putin’s re-election as Russia’s president in March is not in doubt. In other countries, too, the cards are stacked against opponents to such a degree that incumbents can hardly fail to win. Examples are India, Iran, Belarus and Venezuela. Genuinely open contests are expected in the UK, Taiwan, across the EU – including for the European parliament in June – and in the US. Holding elections in the midst of a war will be a big test for Ukraine’s democracy. Prediction: this global vote-fest will see further advances for authoritarian and populist-nationalist far right leaders. Financeby Rupert Jones The cost of living crisis will continue to dominate the headlines – although economists will be watching to see if the signs that pressure is easing develop into something more substantial. Just when many people’s finances will be feeling especially fragile as a result of festive spending, households will begin the new year with a typical 5% increase in energy bills. That’s because the regulator, Ofgem, raised the energy price cap to £1,928 a year for a typical household using gas and electricity and paying by direct debit. The cap is for 1 January to 31 March, but the energy consultancy Cornwall Insight predicts it will then fall back: to £1,816 from 1 April, and then to £1,793 from the start of July. Another bit of potential bad news concerns food prices. New border checks on food and fresh produce from the EU that begin on 31 January will add costs to imported ingredients and could be a big inflationary factor, bodies such as the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association have warned. But an expansion of free childcare schemes starting from April should, in theory, relieve some pressure on family finances. From that month, eligible working parents of two-year-olds will get 15 hours a week of taxpayer-funded childcare for 38 weeks of the year – the first part of a phased expansion. House prices and mortgages will continue to be a national obsession. The Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted house prices will fall by 4.7% in 2024, which would please first-time buyers, though maybe not homeowners. However, the housing market has form when it comes to defying a predicted downturn or crash. And with Halifax and Nationwide reporting house prices rose in both October and November, you wouldn’t bet against the market ending the year in positive territory. The cost of new fixed-rate mortgages has been coming down, and Nicholas Mendes at mortgage broker John Charcol predicts there will be further cuts in 2024. “Five-year fixed rates will be the first to see a sub-4% rate, with two- and three-year fixed rates then breaking the 4.5% benchmark,” he added. Meanwhile, analysts will be waiting to find out if Taylor Swift can sprinkle her stardust on the UK economy when her tour arrives in June. Earlier this year the market research firm QuestionPro estimated that her Eras Tour could generate $5bn (£3.9bn) for the US economy – more than the gross domestic product of 50 countries. “The Taylor Swift economy” is not just folklore: the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia confirmed her three concerts in the city in May had boosted tourism revenue. Swift is doing 15 shows in Great Britain, in front of almost 1.2 million people. The gigs should unleash a wave of spending on merchandise, food and drink, travel, accommodation and new outfits. Lighthouse, a travel and hospitality industry data specialist, said there were clear indications the singer would positively affect the cities where she is playing. Sportby Sean Ingle Sport will be dominated by two mega events: the Olympic Games and the men’s football European Championships. Britain’s biggest stars should take centre stage in both. Half a million people will attend the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on 26 July, which will see a flotilla of 160 boats carrying athletes travelling along nearly four miles of the Seine. Expect spectacular theatre, dance and circus performances before the Games are officially opened at the Trocadéro. That should set the stage for the rest of the Olympics, which organisers hope will be a spectacular reboot after corruption and then Covid marred the Rio and Tokyo Games. Rather than build new venues, Paris’s famous sites will take centre stage. Skateboarding, breaking and 3x3 basketball will be held at Place de la Concorde, equestrian at the Palace of Versailles. Beach volleyball will be in front of the Eiffel Tower. It means this will be the first true Olympics for the Insta generation, and once again Team GB should be near the top of the medal table. Expect Adam Peaty, Tom Daley and Katarina Johnson-Thompson to return – and new stars, such as super-heavyweight boxer Delicious Orie and 21-year-old cyclist Emma Finucane, to emerge. Before the Olympics, England’s male footballers will hope to match the women’s team success in 2022 by winning the Euro 2024. A kind draw has given Gareth Southgate’s side every chance – with bookies making them joint favourites alongside France, although Scotland are also through, with Wales hoping for a play-off win to qualify. If England do go far, don’t be surprised if Jude Bellingham, the 20-year-old Real Madrid midfielder, wins the 2024 BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year. Meanwhile, after women’s sport delivered record audiences in football, basketball, golf, tennis and cricket in 2023, the global sports and culture company IMG is predicting that “will convert to tangible dollars” in 2024. “There is already data to suggest that fans of women’s sports will… support the brands that commit to it,” IMG’s recent report states. “[Women’s sport sponsor] Michelob Ultra found fans of women’s sport are 30% more likely to engage with its brand than fans of men’s sports.” The report also predicts the rise of the mega influencer will grow even further after Cristiano Ronaldo joined the Saudi Pro League and Lionel Messi went to Major League Soccer. Foodby Tony Naylor Restaurant land remains volatile. Costs are high, staff in short supply, spending was down for long periods last year. But hospitality will adapt, survive, in many cases thrive. It is resilient, with escapism very much on the menu in 2024. The new Leeds branch of Pizza Pilgrims features a pink flamingo pedalo that dispenses soft-serve ice-creams. Diners can sit in it and use pedal power to play an old gramophone. That is where we are now. Goodbye leather aprons, hand-thrown earthenware and artisan minimalism. Hello eye-popping interiors, DJs, live music, theatrical tableside service, chefs on display in counter kitchens and endless collaborations, as restaurants seek an experiential edge over their rivals. Big food hall openings, such as the forthcoming Boxpark Liverpool, will continue for similar reasons of entertainment and variety, as traditional meal times and formats change. Wine bars serving snack-y, quality small plates will also embed. That is, if you’re still drinking. A recent Olive magazine survey of Gen Z habits found more 16-to-26-year-olds drink bubble tea weekly than alcohol. Alcohol-free options will grow, but also creativity in lower-strength cocktails and, after recent alcohol duty changes, beers under 3.5% ABV. Carlsberg has already reformulated its flagship pils for UK drinkers at 3.4%. Need something stronger? Orange wine, whiskey and spicy, chilli-mined cocktails are trending. You may think heat has peaked. But hot sauce sales are still surging, up 94% last year at specialist Hop, Burns & Black. With excitement around veganism cooling, flexitarianism is back on the agenda. Though focusing on veg-led dishes is a win-win for restaurants in managing ingredient costs, menu prices and on sustainability. In fish, predicts Jack Stein, chef-director at Rick Stein’s restaurants, there’ll be growing interest in the cheaper pouting, dab and whiting. Cuisine-wise, Waitrose tips Nepalese and Pakistani food for greater exposure in Britain. The supermarket is also backing Korean doenjang paste as the new miso, as east Asian food continues to enthral foodies. From omakase dining (a menu set by the chef) to senbei rice crackers (a 2024 tip from specialist retailer, Sous Chef), Japanese food, in particular, will be a huge inspiration. Alternatively, Pinterest is reporting search increases for “melty mashups”, comfort food crossovers which, despite the terrifying name, sound (pizza-inspired pies, smashed burger tacos, ramen noodle carbonara) quite tasty, actually. Jelly sweet kebabs, less so. How that fits with our burgeoning interest in gut health, who knows? But as we toast 2024 – perhaps, with Joia restaurant’s squid ink-blackened cocktail – it is guaranteed to be interesting. The World Socialist Web Site invites workers and other readers to contribute to this regular feature. EuropeNational rail strike in Portugal over working conditions and payOn Tuesday and Thursday, workers at Infraestruturas de Portugal (IP), the state-owned company responsible for the national rail and road infrastructure, stopped work in a dispute over pay and working conditions. The strikes had a major impact on the railways, with 798 of 1,086 national rail services suspended between midnight and 7pm on Tuesday, Lusa reported, and a similar participation on Thursday. The president of the Association of Railway Command and Control Professionals told Lusa IP workers held strikes over the same demands since September 2022, and accused IP of reneging on its commitment to negotiate. Workers at the on-board refreshment service on long-distance trains also held a stoppage on December 28. The Union of Workers in the Hospitality, Tourism, Restaurants and Similar Industries of the North said that NewRail, the company which holds the concession from state rail company Comboios de Portugal (CP), promised to pay workers what was owed by the previous concessionaire, which had stopped paying salaries in February 2023. Although NewRail paid the regular salaries which were owed, the union says it still owes some workers payments for overtime and holiday pay, and that working conditions worsened after the takeover in June, despite it receiving over three and a half times more money from CP than the previous concessionaire. The strike was initially planned to last for 48 hours. However, when NewRail proposed increasing salaries by 60 euros, despite considering it “manifestly insufficient,” the union called members’ meetings where the suspension of the second day of the strike was approved. It told Lusa this represented the first step, and it expected further negotiations in January. Polish farmers and lorry drivers continue blockades at the Ukrainian borderFarmers and lorry drivers in Poland continue blockades of the country’s border with Ukraine, protesting the impact of policies which the European Union (EU) introduced to facilitate the NATO war with Russia. In June 2022, the EU exempted Ukrainian hauliers from the need to obtain permits and pay many fees. Polish lorry drivers, many of whom are self-employed or small business owners, say this has led to unfair competition, making it difficult for them to earn a living, and call for permits to be reintroduced for Ukrainian lorries. Drivers also demanded the introduction of a separate queue for empty lorries returning from Ukraine, as they can spend 10-12 days at the border waiting to return home. Polish farmers, affected by the import of Ukrainian grain and other produce, began a new blockade on Thursday, calling for subsidies for their corn, no changes to tax rates in agriculture, and for the government to make loans available, Ukrinform reported. According to Ukrinform, more than 2,000 lorries are waiting at checkpoints to cross the Polish-Ukrainian border, and more than 8,400 lorries were queueing at the western border of Ukraine, as many hauliers have redirected their cargo via Slovakia, Hungary and Romania. Ukrainian and Polish officials, as well as the European Commission, rejected the lorry drivers’ demands for an end to the permit-free regime, as it would endanger the war aims of the far-right Zelensky regime. The European Commissioner for Transport repeatedly attacked Poland’s previous government, led by the far-right Law and Justice Party, for failing to shut down the protests. Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure claimed that “the problems that the protesters are talking about do not really exist,” according to Korrespondent. Ukrinform reported newly elected prime minister Donald Tusk saying last week, “I don't think we will reach the maximum demanded by the protesting Polish carriers. However, what we can achieve seems to allow us to remove emotions and possibly quickly end the blockade at the border.” Zelensky said in an end-of-year press conference, “I believe the new [Polish] government will lift all the blockade, which is artificial” and said he had talked to Tusk about this. Kaufland supermarket workers in Poland hold warning strike over wages and conditionsWorkers at the Kaufland chain of supermarkets in Poland held a two-hour warning strike on Saturday, denouncing low wages and difficult working conditions. One told Gazeta Wyborcza that “people come for 2-3 days, see what it is like and leave.” According to Business Insider, the Konfederacja Pracy union is calling for 1,200 złoty more in monthly salaries. Some workers picketed outside their stores during the strike, while another told Głos Wielkopolski, “Our strike means that we perform our duties much slower.” Kaufland is a chain which operates in Germany and many Eastern European countries. It is owned by the Schwarz Group, Europe’s largest retail company, which also owns Lidl. SuperBiznes reported comments by Polish Kaufland workers who said, “2024 will be a year of changes. We do not want to be Europe’s cheap labour force. Our colleagues from Germany earn three times more.” Home care nurses hold pay strike in Cantal, France“Liberal” nurses in Cantal, France, self-employed nurses who care for patients at home, held a stoppage between Saturday and Tuesday, La Montagne reported. The nurses are calling for an increase in payments for their services, as many procedures they carry out are paid at a flat rate, no matter how long they take. One nurse told the paper, “We work 12- to 14-hour days, and since 2009, we have stagnated. Financially, all expenses increase. Psychologically, we are in contact with patients, their families... We manage the administration, the pharmacy, the billing.” According to La Montagne, a collective of liberal and other nurses was created in May to organise protests and strikes, “because our trade unions did not defend us.” Workers close the Eiffel Tower for strike on the centenary of Gustave Eiffel’s deathOn December 27, workers at the Eiffel Tower in Paris closed the landmark to protest against mismanagement. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT) called a one-day strike for the centenary of the death of Gustave Eiffel, the famed engineer who designed the tower for the centenary of the 1789 French Revolution, many famous railway bridges in France and the Statue of Liberty in the US. According to Ouest France, the CGT accused the management of the Eiffel Tower Operating Company (SETE), owned by the City of Paris and Greater Paris, of “leading the SETE straight into the wall.” It said the SETE had underestimated the costs of required maintenance and restoration work and based their projections of ticket revenue on “annual attendance objectives of 7.4 million visitors,” which are “attendance levels never before reached.” Port workers in Bari, Italy strike after death of colleagueWorkers held a 24-hour strike at the Port of Bari, Italy on Sunday, after one of their colleagues was killed in the latest of the fatal accidents which claim hundreds of workers’ lives every year. According to Ansa, Angelo Rossini, a 51-year-old father of two with many years’ experience, was struck by a machine at the port and died of his injuries not long after paramedics arrived. The UIL union said it would relaunch its “Zero deaths at work” campaign in 2024, citing data collated by the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work and analysed by Vega Engineering’s Occupational Safety and Environment Observatory, which showed 1,000 workers were killed in the first eleven months of 2023. However, the unions have never waged any serious fight for safe conditions, always diverting workers’ anger via short walkouts of one day or a few hours whenever another avoidable death occurs. Taxi drivers at Brussels Airport stop work to protest new Dutch-language requirementsBelgian taxi drivers stopped work for two and a half hours on December 29 to protest a new Dutch-language requirement imposed by the Flemish Government, a coalition led by the Flemish-nationalist New Flemish Alliance. Under the new rules, from July all taxi drivers working at the airport will need to pass a written and spoken level B1 Dutch exam. Cambridge English estimates that to reach level B1 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages requires 350-400 hours of study. Brussels Airport is situated in the Dutch-speaking Flemish area of Belgium, but close to the border with French-speaking Wallonia, and the city of Brussels is predominantly French-speaking. The head of the union representing taxi drivers told RTL they accepted a basic level of Dutch should be required, but 80 percent of candidates fail the B1 exam and “The bar has been set much too high,” as around 300 of the 400 taxi drivers at the airport would likely lose their jobs. Others also pointed out that 90 percent of taxi customers are English-speaking, and taxi drivers would likely lose customers to Uber, whose Brussels-based drivers are not covered by the Flemish Government’s regulations. Pay strike by frozen food workers at Swindon, UK distribution centreAround 150 workers at two sites in Swindon, England walked out for the day on Saturday as they did previously just before Christmas. The sites are run by logistics contractor GXO to supply Iceland frozen food products in the south west of England. In November, the Unite union members voted to reject a below-inflation pay offer and strike. UK car parts supplier workers in Hartlepool strike over pay offerAround 150 UK workers at car parts supplier TMD Friction in Hartlepool held a 24-hour walkout on Tuesday, with another scheduled for Friday. The Unite members, many on as little as £12.88 an hour, rejected a 4 percent pay offer. TMD supplies brakes and brake parts to outlets across the UK. Additional stoppages are scheduled for January 9, 11 and 15, but more may be announced. Industrial action by Isle of Man steam packet officers impacts sailingsThe industrial action over work conditions by officers employed by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company, which operates services between the island and Heysham on the English mainland, has led to cuts in sailings. The Nautilus union members began an overtime ban and a refusal to cover senior absences on December 27. A Nautilus press release notes the ferry the Manxman will only be able to make one sailing a day (rather than the usual two) for the next two weeks, due to an officer taking unexpected leave and Nautilus members refusing to provide cover. The Nautilus International union members responded to threats by the company to fire and rehire staff to impose changes to working conditions. The company wanted staff to live aboard the ferry when working on shifts for journeys between Douglas, the Isle of Man capital, and Heysham. Currently, the officers return home between shifts. According to Nautilus, it would mean them being on board for around 76 days a year. It is unclear how many Nautilus International union members were threatened with dismissal, effective from March 15, if they did not accept the new contract. Of 70 officers employed by the government-owned ferry service, 48 are in the union. Nautilus members balloted by 81 percent to support a walkout, and 89 percent to work to rule in a 77 percent turnout. Around 70 percent of the workforce belong to the RMT union, which agreed to the changes in conditions. The Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea, is a self-governing British Crown dependency. Further strike by UK pension regulator workers announced over payAround 300 workers employed by The Pensions Regulator (TPR), the UK pension regulatory body, based in Brighton, are to hold a further 12 days of stoppages between January 10 and February 1. The Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union members have held 36 days of strikes since September 5, after rejecting a 3 percent pay offer. They want a 4.5 percent rise with an additional 0.5 percent for the lowest paid. This is the deal accepted by the PCS for other civil service workers. National Museum Liverpool workers ballot over withheld cost of living paymentWorkers at the National Museum Liverpool (NML) in England are balloting for strike action, with the ballot closing at the end of January. The PCS union members are protesting NML’s withholding of a £1,500 cost of living payment made to civil servants as part of a pay agreement. The NML is the only employer out of more than 200 who have withheld the payment. FBU union calls off planned strike by fire control staff on Merseyside, UK over staffing levels and shift system after new offerThe Fire Brigades Union (FBU) called off an eight-day strike of fire control staff on Merseyside, England due to begin December 27. The FBU members voted 100 percent on a 92 percent turnout in August to strike. It was in opposition to moves by the fire authority to reduce the number of staff on night shift from six to five and the imposition of a new shift system. A meeting of FBU members on December 21 voted to accept a new offer from the fire authority. An FBU press release of December 22 described the revised offer as improving the “work-life balance of control room staff, as well as introducing an agreed duty shift system with a pay uplift of £6,880 per year. Staff will also be compensated if they agree to change shifts at short notice.” Middle EastOngoing strikes and protests in Iran over deteriorating social conditionsProtests and strikes are continuing in Iran as workers fight against deteriorating social conditions and for pay increases. The year end saw workers at the Offshore Oil Company in the province of Hormozgan hold further protests for improved pay and against poor conditions. Permanent employees and contractors working for the Aghajari Oil and Gas Exploration Company also held further protests to abolish salary caps, against retirement age restrictions and for reimbursement of overpaid tax demands. Saturday marked the eighth day of stoppages by around 3,000 workers at the National Steel Industrial Group in Ahvaz. According to free-them-now.com, management agreed to demands to reinstate dismissed workers, but they were still pressing their other demands. On December 27, workers marched from the company site to Baghael Square. That day also marked the fifth day of a strike by the guild of gold traders against unfair taxation. On December 25, Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) retirees protested outside TCI offices in several cities including Ahvaz, Arak, Isfahan and Zanjan over the erosion of the value of their pensions. They were joined by nurses in Ahvaz, Qazvin and Tehran with their own demands. According to the Iran International website, 2023 saw over 300 protests by workers and over 110 strikes. Living standards have plummeted, partly due to US sanctions, which are a precursor to war against Iran. West Bank general strike in response to Israeli assassination of Hamas deputy leaderA general strike was observed across the West Bank on Wednesday in response to Tuesday’s assassination of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut, the Lebanese capital. Shops, commercial enterprises, public bodies and banks all closed for the day. Transport was disrupted and protest rallies against the assassination took place. The genocide in Gaza is widening into a NATO battlefront against Palestinians in the West Bank, Lebanon, the Yemen, Syria and Iran. AfricaSouth African bus workers in Johannesburg walk out over restructuring following takeoverBus workers for the Rea Vaya bus rapid transit system in Johannesburg, South Africa took strike action on Wednesday, blocking the exit of the depot. PioTrans, which operated the service with the City of Johannesburg, were in a business rescue and taken over by Mahier Tayob. The dispute is over payment of thirteenth cheques and unhappiness over new internal controls that were introduced. PioTrans are looking to the courts to stop the strike. Impoverished civil servants in Nigerian states delay return to work after Christmas holidayNigerian state employees in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and in Jigawa State refused to return to work at the end of the official Christmas holiday, due to not being paid their entitlements. Most civil servants in the two areas had not returned on December 27. Gloria Anza, a worker in the FCT, explained she could not go back to work because she did not have money for transport costs. Reporting to work every day was a challenge after the government removed the fuel subsidy, said FCT Ministry of Women Affairs worker Chioma Alex, as it now cost her N1,000 a day for transport instead of N700. Kenyan teachers prepare to strike at start of new termOver 21,000 Kenyan intern teachers working in Junior Secondary Schools are due to strike from January 8. The strike is to demand permanent and pensionable (PnP) terms of employment when their current contract ends in February. Interim Secretary General of the teaching union, Daniel Murithi, claimed that 2023 graduates were employed on PnP terms, while those who graduated 10 years earlier were still on short term contracts. We’re getting ready to enter 2024, which means it’s a great time to look back at the past 12 months and its most exciting moments for wine, gin and more. So put a bookmark in your copy of José Andrés' graphic novel, jump into your favorite wine-themed wintertime wear and maybe even pop a celeb-led fizzy beverage, because we’re rolling out the red carpet for our top 15 wine and culture items of 2023. Click through on each headline to get the full stories, and sign up for our Unfiltered newsletter for the latest wine and culture updates in 2024!
From Roman merchants to 17th-century English warships to World War I steamers, shipwrecks can reward adventurous spirits with some fascinating wine finds. One such prime example is "the Newport Ship," a massive 15th-century wine-trading vessel capable of carrying up to 18,000 cases of wine and rediscovered in South Wales in 2002 during excavations for construction of Newport's Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre. The Newport Ship's recovery has taken longer than anticipated, but the Newport Museum and Heritage Service, responsible for preserving the ship, announced this year that it has moved a step closer to putting the vessel back together. “The ship was extremely well-made from thousands of primarily oak timbers, which were extensively tarred during and after construction, helping to ensure the vessel’s preservation,” Newport Medieval Ship Project curator Dr. Toby Jones told Wine Spectator via email. What’s the status of the preservation effort? And why the delay? Posted Feb. 7
As archaeologists well know , there were some perks to being emperor in ancient Rome: authority over a mighty empire, vast riches, the right to distribute free grain and, apparently, your own private winery. A paper published this year offered new insight into an exceptionally royal Roman winemaking complex dating to the 3rd century A.D. In their paper, researchers Emlyn Dodd of the British School at Rome, Macquarie University and University of London and Giuliana Galli and Riccardo Frontoni of the Italian Ministry of Culture explain that in 2017, archaeologists uncovered a winery at the Villa of the Quintilii near Rome, a ruined manse with imperial connections and very impressive décor. While the layout is typical, the site stands out for its “colored and decorative architecture,” Dodd explained to Wine Spectator via email. “It is the only ancient winery (or production facility for any commodity really) so far known that possesses this extreme degree of theatricality and luxury.” In short, this is a special and very rare site … Posted April 17
A series of heavy rains and floods in California were national news at the start of this year, with at least 19 deaths and damages expected, at that time, to exceed $30 billion. Luckily, most vineyards and wineries were predicted to escape the floods largely unscathed. Across the Golden State, hundreds if not thousands of roads suffered washouts, and state and county repair crews worked heroically to address them. But the washout that occurred on Adelaida Road in Paso Robles on Jan. 9 became something of a local celebrity, thanks to a large white pickup truck unceremoniously cemented in place there. Someone decided to test their luck against the seemingly clear “Road Closed” sign and attempted, quite unsuccessfully, to ford the fresh concrete slurry. According to multiple local winemakers, the driver allegedly abandoned the truck, and by the time the rather large fly in the ointment had been discovered, the concrete had hardened to the point where the truck couldn’t simply be towed back out. Later on, once the rains cleared, the local winemaking community gathered at the site to celebrate the road’s reopening. Posted Jan. 17
The last time we checked in with Academy Award–winning actress Halle Berry, back in 2007, she was among the stars who’d been spotted in retro Boone’s Farm T-shirts, and her wine dedication hasn’t waned. More recently, Berry told Harper's Bazaar that red wine was an important part of her healthy lifestyle, and most recently, she shed the Boone’s Farm shirt to enjoy a glass of wine on her balcony, au naturel. Berry’s nude wine appreciation photo, captioned “i do what i wanna do. happy Saturday,” quickly gained more than 1 million combined likes on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). The titillating portrait attracted “wine lovers” from far and wide, but for Berry, wine isn’t just what she wanna do; it’s also part of her health and wellness routine. Posted April 11
It turns out that Belgian authorities are really certain of one thing: Miller High Life is not Champagne. On April 17, according to a joint statement issued by the General Administration of Belgian Customs and France’s Comité Champagne, a literal ton of Miller High Life beer was destroyed—98 cases, to be precise—after being deemed to have infringed on Champagne’s Protected Designation of Origin, or PDO. If this sounds familiar, that’s because authorities in Champagne (and in other wine regions) are ardent defenders of their name’s honor, and in the E.U., it’s illegal to use the name of a PDO unless you belong to said PDO. In other words, it ain't Champagne if it wasn't made in Champagne. Here in the United States, Miller High Life enjoys the very American privilege of calling itself whatever the hell it wants, including “the Champagne of Beers,” which it has for more than 100 years. But those iconic cans and bottles aren’t welcome across the pond. (If you’re curious, according to the Comité Champagne, the United States is joined by just three other countries—Argentina, Kazakhstan and Russia—in refusing to honor Europe’s protected designations.) Yet, in the case of these cans, a mystery remains … Posted April 27
You can’t get past the first page of author Alex Prud’homme’s Dinner with the President, released in 2023, without stumbling across a glass of wine. This book brings us tableside with 26 U.S. presidents in total, from President George Washington’s fondness for Madeira to President Thomas Jefferson’s wine cave to conductor Leonard Bernstein’s thoughts on attending White House dinners hosted by President Dwight Eisenhower vs. those of President John Kennedy (one of them served wine, cigarettes and bonhomie; the other did not). A chapter on President Richard Nixon includes his infamous stealth Margaux self-servings and a firsthand account from winemaker Hugh Davies of his family’s Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs landing on the international stage, courtesy of Barbara Walters, when Nixon brought it on his famous visit to China. More recent wine-friendly administrations—including those of Presidents Ronald Reagan, President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama—all get substantial attention. And for the pairing-minded on next year’s President’s Day weekend, Prud’homme highlights Vermont’s Plymouth Cheese, the family creamery where President Calvin Coolidge grew up. And these are just a few of the presidential moments in Prud’homme’s book! Posted Feb. 17
It was a Spanish wine lover’s nightmare. For three hours on Oct. 19, an angry mob of winegrowers from the southwest of France blocked the A9 highway near the town of Le Boulou just across the border from Spain. They lit tires ablaze to stop traffic so it could be searched. They were hunting for trucks carrying Spanish wine. Two tanker trunks carrying red wine were emptied, their liquid cargo spurting onto the asphalt. Then a tractor trailer carrying pallets of Freixenet Cava was opened up, and the contents smashed and thrown onto the ground, bubbles fizzing out as the liquid streamed into a ditch on the side of the road. Another truck transporting tomatoes was emptied, the cargo splattered onto the road. The protesters were railing against Spanish wine, arguing that while they are dealing with difficult economic conditions, France imported more than 650 million cases of Spanish wine in 2022. (It’s not clear why the tomatoes met such violent scorn.) Local authorities counted 380 participants in the riot … Posted Oct. 30
After a decade of fruitful partnership building the Côtes de Provence–based Miraval brand (which now includes Fleur de Miraval Champagne and a skincare line called Le Domaine), Brad Pitt and Famille Perrin decided to enter the spirits industry in 2023 with The Gardiner, a gin many years in the making. But that wasn’t the only development from Pitt and vintner Marc Perrin in the past year. This holiday season Champagne lovers can enjoy a new star-powered sparkling rosé from the team: the Brut Rosé Champagne Petite Fleur NV (93 points, $110). It’s the new release from Fleur de Miraval, a project launched in 2020 by Pitt, Perrin and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne’s Pierre Péters. Petite Fleur is a sister label to Fleur de Miraval’s original bottling, the Brut Rosé Champagne Exclusivement ER3 (95, $350). Available for a third of the cost, Petite Fleur still keeps quality high. Learn more about this star-studded sparkler! Posted Oct. 9
In January, Bordeaux's tribunal handed down sentences for five wine professionals found guilty in the largest wine fraud case in recent memory. Tribunal president Marie-Elisabeth Boulnois passed out ankle bracelets for the worst infractions, on top of heavy fines all around. But both defendants and plaintiffs are claiming that justice has not been served. The elaborate multimillion-dollar fraud involved trucking hundreds of thousands of cases worth of cheap Spanish bulk wine north to France, changing the official paperwork to reflect a French origin, and bottling it and selling it as more valuable Bordeaux appellations, including Margaux and Médoc. Jean-Sebastien Laflèche, owner of négoce Defivin in St.-Loubès, and Michel Gilin, formerly in sales at major cooperative Celliers Vinicoles du Blayais (CVB), received the harshest sentences, "due to the seriousness of the acts, the nature of the facts, their durations, the quantities involved and previous convictions," said Boulnois. How long are their sentences? Posted Feb. 16
This spate of robberies began in Norway in early November 2022, when thieves broke into Park 29 restaurant in Oslo, owned by Fridtjof Bade. They took 264 bottles representing Barolo, Bordeaux, Burgundy and Côte-Rôtie, while bypassing a selection of top Champagnes, suggesting to Bade that they knew what they'd come for. Had they checked out the wine list in advance? The perpetrators apparently left no trace, and Bade says the wines, valued at $120,000 to $200,000, are nigh impossible to replace. Along the Norwegian coast, hotel-restaurant Tollboden, owned by Fredensborg Hospitality, was robbed twice in November 2022, according to sommelier Francesco Marzola, who works for Fredensborg. "We had, unfortunately, two break-ins at our cellar in Kragerø, in Norway, the past few weeks," wrote Marzola on his Facebook page. "Several bottles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti as well as Mugnier, Château Mouton-Rothschild and Palmer have been taken away!" Meanwhile, in Spain, the restaurant Coque de Madrid was relieved of 132 bottles of high-end wines around the same time. Thieves used a neighboring shuttered pharmacy to gain access on a day when the restaurant was closed. Owned by the Sandoval family, some of the stolen wines had belonged to the current generation's grandfather, with vintages going back to 1925. The stolen wines were worth quite a sum … Posted Feb. 14
The wine-thieving lovebirds responsible for the $1.7 million heist at El Atrio restaurant in Cáceres, Spain, received their sentences for aggravated robbery in a Spanish court earlier this month: 4 years in prison and an $800,000 fine. It took nine months for Interpol and law enforcement in five countries to track down the culprits, Priscila Lara Guevara, 29, and Constantín Dumitru, 47. Guevara received a four-year prison sentence and Dumitru is looking at four-plus years behind bars. The heist took place in October 2021. Guevara checked in using a false Swiss passport, carrying only a backpack. Dumitru joined her for dinner at 8 p.m. While the perpetrators have been caught and sentenced, the stolen wines remain missing. Posted March 28
Here's something you don't see every day: a Cessna 172 airplane hoisted out of a Sonoma vineyard. On Aug. 19, after his engine failed, pilot William Tomkovic of Healdsburg made an emergency landing in Russian River Valley's El Diablo Vineyard, one of California's best Chardonnay vineyards and a source for top wines from Kosta Browne, Arista and Ram’s Gate. El Diablo is located just 2 miles away from Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport. While you might not think of vineyards as runways, this isn't the first time planes have landed among grapes. In 2005, a Cessna crash landed in a vineyard row belonging to Jaeger Vineyards, taking out 12 vines. In this most recent incident, the pilot was uninjured and the Cessna was relatively unscathed. The vines weren’t as lucky. Posted Sept. 15
This past summer, English actress and activist Emma Watson and her brother, Alex, launched a gin brand, Renais, made with grapes from her family’s French wine estate. Wait, you didn’t know about the Watson family's Burgundy domaine, where the Harry Potter and Little Women star spent summers tending Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines? “I was clearly a Burgundian soul who had the misfortune to be born in England,” says Chris Watson, father of Emma and Alex, and founder of Domaine Watson in Chablis. Emma and Alex credit their time spent working the vineyards at Domaine Watson as their inspiration to create Renais. Domaine Watson’s grapes are in fact directly incorporated into Renais gin, in the form of pomace distilled to create the base spirit. But this is far from the only ingredient used for the new spirit. Posted Aug. 7
On Nov. 29, the day Spotify announced that Taylor Swift was the streaming service’s top global artist of 2023, music producer Jack Antonoff posted on his Instagram Stories a photo of the pop phenomenon to celebrate the release of her new single, a vault track from her 2022 album, Midnights. Next to Swift was a matte black bottle of wine. “‘You’re Losing Me’ is out today. A very special track from the Midnight Sessions that’s finally streaming!” Antonoff wrote. “Written and recorded at home on 12/5/21 right after Taylor ate these raisins.” Swift’s fanbase (“Swifties”)—collectively addicted to decoding Easter eggs dropped by the musician in music videos, concerts and social media posts—leapt to decipher what the wine was, and what it could mean. It turns out it was a bottle of Gaslighter Rosé (we rated the debut 2020 vintage 88 points in a blind tasting) from fellow country music sensations The Chicks. Released in early 2022, Gaslighter rosé is produced by Sonoma’s Gundlach Bundschu family using Pinot Noir grapes. So why did the photo set Swift’s fans aflutter? Posted Dec. 1
Here it is, a strong contender for wine crime of the year! Whether it’s a meticulously recreated bottle of an ultra-rare Burgundy, an obvious knockoff Chât-O LaFake or bulk plonk bottled as classified Bordeaux, fraud might be wine crime’s favorite pastime. In 2023, one such affront came from China’s Fujian province, where a law-enforcement task force raided warehouses in the Longhai district of Zhangzhou, uncovering a massive counterfeiting operation. More than 40,000 bottles of falsely labeled wine as well as packaging and labeling equipment were discovered; authorities estimated the fake wine’s “street value” to be more than $150 million. The raid was conducted by the Fujian Market Supervision Bureau, with local public security bureaus, as part of its "Iron Fist" crackdown on counterfeit and illegal foods and drinks. Authorities revealed that among the faked products seized were counterfeit bottles of Bordeaux's Château Lafite Rothschild and Australia's Penfolds; both brands are enormously popular in China (and equally as popular among counterfeiters). That’s not to mention the food safety dangers of these counterfeit wines … Posted Jan. 30 Enjoy Unfiltered? The best of Unfiltered's round-up of drinks in pop culture can now be delivered straight to your inbox every other week! Sign up now to receive the Unfiltered e-mail newsletter, featuring the latest scoop on how wine intersects with film, TV, music, sports, politics and more. | ||||||||
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