Dr Abdulrahman

Perk up, Shanghai: Crowds throng world's biggest Starbucks

SHANGHAI - Muslimchronicle

Starbucks opened its largest cafe in the world in Shanghai on Wednesday as the U.S.-based beverage giant bets big on the burgeoning coffee culture of a country traditionally known for tea-drinking. The opening of the sprawling, two-storey outlet in a busy central shopping district was thronged by hundreds of customers, some waiting more than an hour in long lines stretchingRead more

US state reaches deal to repeal transgender 'bathroom law'

Washington - Arab Today

Lawmakers in the US state of North Carolina have reached an agreement to repeal a controversial law setting rules on which bathrooms transgender people can use in public buildings. But the deal reported by US media still has to pass a series of hurdles in the state legislature on Thursday. And gay and lesbian groups complained that even the newRead more

Starbucks to hire 10,000 refugees

New York - Arab Today

Starbucks plans to hire 10,000 refugees worldwide over the next five years in response to President Donald Trump's travel ban, the head of the US coffee-chain company said Sunday. "I write to you today with deep concern, a heavy heart and a resolute promise," Starbucks chairman and chief executive Howard Schultz said in a letter to employees posted on theRead more

Cup of nostalgia at timeless Chinese teahouse

Chengdu - Arab Today

At 4:00 am the kettles crackle on a charcoal stove as regulars crowd inside an ancient Chinese temple turned teahouse, a relic in a country being overrun by Starbucks cafes. Wearing a cap and a blue vest, Li Qiang gets up in the middle of the night, as he does every day, to light the fire and prepare portions ofRead more

To step aside, stay as chairman

New York - Arab Today

Howard Schultz, the charismatic head of Starbucks, will step aside as CEO next year, turning a major page in the history of a company he built into an iconic global brand. Having led the company's rise from a sleepy Seattle chain into the world's biggest coffee business, Schultz will stay on as executive chairman and chairman of the board, theRead more

Starbucks opens first cafe in sub-Saharan Africa

Johannesburg - AFP

Hundreds of coffee lovers queued early Thursday in an upmarket Johannesburg shopping centre as international chain Starbucks opened its first cafe in sub-Saharan Africa. The US-based global brand plans to open 12 to 15 more stores in South Africa over the next two years, with a long term plan of up to 150 outlets. The cafe's first customers formed aRead more