staff at amazon germany, say the union, should be paid in line with the retail sector rather than lifted just ask -- rather than the logistics industry. christmas deliveries will not be seriously disrupted, says amazon. only 800 of 9000 workers are on strike. it also says logistics center staff packed packages and do not serve shoppers. >> european stocks have been on the rebound after some heavy losses last week. dorothy hawkes has the story from frankfurt. >> a strong start into the new trading week. the dax almost made good for the losses of the previous week, fueling hope there might be a year-end rally. traders welcome positive economic data in the eurozone. economies gaining momentum, driven by a strong industry -- energy sector. terminate has the lead. shares of siemens and deutsche telekom -- siemens profited from mentor buys from a u.s. energy supplier. deutsche telekom rose after rumors sprint might be interested in the u.s. unit t- mobile usa. >> let us look at some of the market numbers in more detail, starting in frankfurt. the dax gained more than 1.7% to close at 9163. str

there he says staff at amazon germany should be paid in line with the retail sector rather than the logistics industry where pay is generally lower christmas deliveries will not be seriously disrupted says amazon only one hundred of its nine thousand workers on strike. it also says its logistics center staff had package if you do not serve shoppers. the kids the mosque is now a new pistol to being on the rebound fell to some heavy losses last week. to which he hopes his story the resort has died aged in new trading week on the scene though they did jam and that's almost naked for the losses of therapy this week killing hope that this still might be a yet and many traders love comments positive economic data in the eurozone the economy is gaining momentum driven by a strong industry said to procure me past the heats this diploma splash as often as siemens and argentina come as siemens profiting from that record order full wheel turbines by annie guest in a tea supply and agitated come true sense to speaking nations that spring might be interested in us you need to offer two to become too might

want to deliver by wednesday december twenty fifth well not so fast hundreds of workers at amazon and germany have walked off the job in an effort to pressure the e-commerce leader to settle on a wage disagreement now these are the first strikes against amazon anywhere in the world and today the strikers plan to rally outside amazon's seattle headquarters a top amazon executive in germany said the workers were mostly unskilled and had been unemployed for a long time implying they should be grateful to work at amazon original i'd turn to you in a down economy when employers have so much power like amazon does do workers have much leverage when they go on strike in a place like germany they have significantly more leverage than they do in the united states and that has to do with germany's labor laws which are regarded as significantly stronger and more in favor of employees in the united states ok now according to reports in the german media amazon is accusing strikers of. quote this quote from german media not us trying to steal first to know who their area grinch like to the timing of his jo

a top amazon executive in germany said the workers were mostly unskilled and have been unemployed for a long time implying they should be grateful to work at amazon rachael i turn to you in a down economy when employers have so much power like amazon does do workers have much leverage when they go on strike in a place like germany they have significantly more leverage than they do in the united states and that has to do with germany's labor laws which are regarded as significantly stronger and more in favor of employees then in the united states ok now according to reports in the german media amazon is accusing strikers a quote is quote from german media not us trying to steal first to know who herrera grinch led to the timing of his joke trying to give workers an overhand other than the labor laws so they could go both ways i think i mean clearly amazon in germany has a very strong need to get all of those packages done on time and get them to people by the time that santa's supposed to bring them at the same time so clearly they have a need for these workers but at the same time if

amazon. they're working around this. they have nine distribution centers here in germany. n with continued strikes, packages will be delivered on time. francine, guy? >> hans, thanks so much. hans nichols with the latest on amazon. >> ok, from germany to the united states. america is getting a cheaper version of the little blue pill. the news follows a settlement between pfizer and the israeli-based teva pharmaceuticals. we're following the story from tel aviv. elliot, was it a complete victory for teva? what's going on? >> well, not necessarily. in fact, some people could even see this as a defeat because teva wants more than it got. but basically this states back to 2010, and it dates back to when part of pfizer's patent for viagra was deemed invalid because it closely resembled a between ease medicine, known here as horny goat weed, randy lamb herb or randy beef grass. now, because of that, teva has been fighting to get the rest of pfizer's patents invalidated. yesterday we got the decision in the u.s. courts. they threw out teva's request, but it's part of a broader agr

amazon looks to expand further in germany?> they want to grow in germany, it's the second-biggest market. it's about growth in other countries but they don't have a presence there yet. in -- and if ohio you can ship something to new is indeed oneope giant united states, then the borders matter less and transportation costs are not that high so you go where the cheapest wages are and they are cheaper in poland then here in germany. >> just ask the plumbers. thank you. we've got much more coming up on "surveillance." energy chairman and former ceo jim rogers will be joining us to talk about is confidence and the changing landscape of the energy market. this is "bloomberg surveillance." ♪ >> good morning, everyone. at 2 p.m. with their coverage of the fed. i will have jeff rosenberg a of black rock at the 2 p.m. hour. >> unemployment in the uk falls to a 4.5 year loan. since april,owest 2000 nine. it has led to speculation the bank of england could raise interest rates as early as the end of next year. a surprise move the indian

amazon says there's no impact yet on services despite the walk out by close to 700 workers. germanyis amazon's second biggest market, behind only the u-s. best buy stock is up nearly 240-percent this year!!!!! it's one of the top three in the s-and-p 500!but a year ago, a lot of people were preparing to say good-bye to best buy.our cover story looks at how the electronics retailer bounced back. best buy, the electronics retailer is enjoying a turnaround. just a year ago, it suffered from shoppers who came in to look but often went home and ordered more cheaply from amazon. now, it's trying to convert traffic into sales by matching prices on local and selected online competitors. "we know we have to a better job of converting traffic into buyers and we think we're doing a great job with that." "i think it's important but i also think its important to have customer service so you can understand what you're trying to buy." under a new ceo, hubert joly, a turnaround specialist, best buy cut 400-positions--many of them mid-level managers, cut operating costs and reconfigured its stores.

germany is amazon's second- biggest market behind the u.s., $8.7 billion, one third of its overseas total. over four million articles were bought in just one day last december. joined bykers were american trade union representatives. they protested outside the amazon headquarters in seattle in the united states. they said solidarity may be taking place some distance away, but the demands are the same. treat workers equally across the border. take as turn now and look at how the markets are doing. the major indexes closed down. is down as a closed this tuesday, and we have been seeing a similar trend over on wall street. is happening as investors look to washington, with the federal reserve kicking off their last policy meeting of the year. there is continuing and increasing speculation that following some solid economic data, the fed may start tapering back its stimulus measures. about confirming or denying that speculation on wednesday. we are going to move on now to some of the day's other is this news. a boost for the struggling automotive industry in europe. demand for new cars in eur

in the meantime, a group of amazon workers from germany are taking their case to the company's seattleaging a protest at the same time as a workers from the german locations go on strike as well. amazon workers in germany have staged strikes throughout the year, demanding higher pay and better work environments. facebook will help to write the rules on facial recognition, inputting into regulations on facial scanning technology, shaping the world in february, a number of companies plan to like highlyts targeted sales pitches to security. >> in the markets the futures are up nine and 81. >> before the fomc on tuesday and wednesday. the big question is whether we will get any word of tapering anytime soon. any thoughts on that? >> my agenda today is the fed meeting this week driving everyone's conversations. right now the interesting thing is analysts are anticipating that anything could happen. because of what they did in september, nothing is off the table. >> but do they simply wait and honor? what is the history of a vice- chairman waiting? >> according to harry reid in washington, t

amazon. warehouse workers go on strike in germany and bring the protests to amazon's front door. >>> plus, life at nelson mandela. can the dream live on without him? night with the combatants in their training base. >>> the u.n. warns the world about the growing humanitarian crisis. >>> do no harm. do antibacterial soaps really work, and the fda proposed a new rules to make certain they work as tied. >>> a federal judge says the spy agency program that collects phone call is probably unconstitutional. former nsa contractor and leaker edward snowden was in russia and said today's legal decision is likely the first of many. >>> unfinished business. tomorrow the senate begins debate on the budget already approved by the house to keep the government open another two years. several other major pieces of legislation dealing with immigration, farmers and long-term unemployed won't be acted before the end of the year. >>> amazon is taking heat in germany. the largest foreign market, more than 1,000 employees walked off the job. they're demanding higher wages, and one of those workers brought her fight

individual stories including amazon workers in germany sent a delegation to seattle headquarters to protest about working conditions in germany. there's been strikes since may. germ and workers are after better salaries, clegting wage agreements and treatment around the company for its part. their salaries are the upper end of the logistics spectrum. retailers are seeing a lot more haggling than in previous years. lots more tools at their disposal of consumers. the signs, a website which collects data says 20% of big box retails have price match opportunities. >> i never gone into the big stores and make me haggle. it makes me uncomfortable. maybe i should do it. you talked about amazon. they're in a drone battle themselves and this time it's google getting involved. >> yeah. google has taken over this company. they make all kinds of exciting things including big dog which can go over all kinds of terrain and chita, one of the fastest drones. a lot of the products are developed in relationship with the department of defense. for the short term, google is a defense contractor as well. it's p

. >> reporter: thank you, several hundred workers for amazon are going on strike again in germany. of them even traveled across the atlantic to protest outside the internet giant headquarters in seattle and kim reports. >> early morning shift workers arrived before do you know at amazon's warehouse but there was never any intention of clocking on. chanting strike day has arrived. these workers and more than a thousand others across the country walked off the job calling for more pay. >> translator: we demand from amazon they sign a labor agreement with us based on the regulation of the retail industry. this would mean amazon employees starting new in the company would have 7,000 euros per year. >> it pays well according to the industry with wages starting at over $13 an hour and the workers union says compared to retail and mail order industries amazon employees are under paid and faced with permanent performance pressure. germany's is the second biggest market after the u.s. employing more than 23,000 warehouse staff and seasonal workers and staff are downing talks during the busi

germany. they have nine of these fulfillment centers. amazon is saying that there logistical team has made it though they have not had any slowdown in christmas deliveries. they are quite confident that they can handle it logistically. here is a quote from an amazon spokesperson. amazon did not see any impact on customer service. this is what it gets down to. if these protesters can slowdown amazons ability to deliver packages for the holiday season, they may have a stronger case. as long as logistics inside seemed to be working better, faster than the protesters outside, amazon may have the upper hand. what are amazons options? they do not seem to be negotiating right now. a negotiatingt in mood in germany or the states. they firmly believe that they should be able to ship their products at their own wages. what they do have is the option to move elsewhere in europe. they are opening up two plants in poland. centers, three in poland and to in the czech republic. this is expansion in eastern and southern europe. there is a lingering fear that y

. >>> hundreds of amazon workers in germany have gone on strike today at three logistic centers. employees are in a dispute over play. a delegation of workers plans to protest at amazon's headquarters in seattle along with union members. >>> and director james cameron says he will make three sequel to the block buster "avatar" in new zealand. cameron hopes to release the first film in 2016. >>> our local post office may be a little busy today. >>> today may be the busiest mailing day of the year. more than 600 million pieces of mail are expected to be processed today. 6million customers are expected to visit post offices nationwide. you have until friday to mail first class cards and letters if you expect them to arrive for christmas. saturday is the deadline for priority mail and sunday for express mail. so get it out soon. but maybe not today, if you can avoid it. >> thank you. >>> 5:41 right now. uber announces a partnership with two giants in the auto industry. >> and tesla has a new model that won't break the bank. when you'll find it at the dealership, coming up. ,,,, [ male

when amazon came in to germany, they absolutely cleaned up and left metro behind and they have put aegy and place where they are now selling electronics on the internet and that's an important thing to be selling because at least you don't have to go try on a television set. that explain some of the share price and performance they've seen this year. also, speculation that they may sell their department stores here in germany. the real speculation is about what could potentially happen if they ipo off the russian cash and carry business. >> what might the russian business be worth, david? what would they do with the money they put it up for sale? >> this is causing a lot of speculation around the metro share prices because the russian business according to commerce 9.6 say it could be worth billion euros. metro's entire market capitalization is just over 11 billion euros which means you could in fact get the russian business, nearly 10 billion euros and the rest coming in for free. they are saying it is a valuation game. growingso the fastest- business for metro. it's a growing 20% p

. >>> in symbolic move, strike by germany's amazon workers will reportedly make their way to the company'seattle, busiest time of the year. those strikes are over wages and working conditions. >>> "avatar" director james cameron said the three sequels to the blockbuster film will also be shot in new zealand. they will pay a quarter of cost of movies and job creation and potential to attract more tourists to the country. >>> first the mnsa. now ikea. now they are accused spying on employees. when will it end? that is today's "speed read." liz? liz: the federal reserve today is celebrating 100 years. of course the official celebration -- david: was a couple months ago. >> as celebrations do take place some are wondering if the fed's 10st year could be the most difficult in the central bank's history. david: let's go to peter barnes who devours everything federal reserve. he is in washington with details. >> david and liz, december 23rd marks the anniversary of 100th anniversary of president woodrow wilson signing the federal reserve act. they had speeches by former chairs, alan greenspan and

germany. strikes over wages and we are live at the amazon center in leaps it. >> attention chocolate lovers. liepzig. a recent cocoa shortage may have you hiding your chocolate supply. >> hello. welcome to "countdown." i'm mark barton. >> and i'm anna edwards. a standingeport is by across the world ready to deliver the stories that will drive your day. marcus cranny is following ahead of the fed decision and we are also in berlin on the latest deal in brussels. pre-k's hans nichols is in leipzig and caroline hyde has the most difficult assignment. she's outside a chocolate shop in london with the story on the surging cocoa. click some people get all the tough diggs. let's get a gauge on whether the markets are pricing in the tapering this evening in any form. click to the speak to anybody, whether it comes tonight, january, march, the markets are prepared. as people who have kids, if you take sugar away from children, is anything preparing you for the ruckus that might actually come? there will be a reaction. it will come for a day, says goldman sachs. they make it very clear. 90% of the bon

the challenge amazon has here is it is in some ways analogous to the other challenges tech companies have when they come to germany. a different set of issues. amazons bluster on seaside, as well. they are saying we will continue to deliver products on time to our consumers and customers in germany. as long as they're able to, they may have the upper hand in these negotiations. that said, 2006, there was nothing here. behind me big factor now. in 2010, the union should of and they have made robbins. -- progress. they have christmas bonuses. they are making incremental progress. what the union wants to see is fully unionized and higher ridges. they want to see vacation money. job security. amazonre long lists might not be prepared to share. >> thank you so much. hans nichols. did you feel fulfilled at amazon? class i did enjoy my time. spent time at those of foam and centers and it is a really hard and mindnumbing job of putting stuff on shelves and taking stuff off shelves and walking off with a sharp -- shopping cart, having people monitor how quickly you are working. it is a rough job here my first reaction was,

. >> amazon workers in germany companyelegation to the headquarters to reinforce their strike for higher pay and better eu toldditions read the a german newspaper that regulators may strike during a german holiday. >> tech regulators are headed to the white house today. byy are those invited president obama. the meeting is being held at the nsa. >> speaking of the nsa, a u.s. judge have ruled that the collection of domestic phone records is probably illegal. that allows a lawsuit to go forward. the first time a district court judge has ruled on the nsa program, which leaguer edward snowden brought to life. >> coming up, angela merkel locks in her dominance of germany. the chancellor prepares to be sworn in for a third term. >> we will head to berlin to see how much of her agenda for europe she can realistically achieve. ♪ >> good morning, everybody. welcome back. you are watching "the pulse." we are streaming on bloomberg.com, your tablet, your phone, and any windows own as well. angela merkel has been confirmed as the next german chancellor. votess elected by 452 ing. 9 abstain this is

. >> amazon workers are planning to strike outside company headquarters in seattle. hundreds of staffers already on strike in germanydemanding higher wages. amazon executives claim they pay more than most retailers. the company reports it does not expect the strike to affect any holiday deliveries. >> louisiana has the worst drivers in the united states, according to car insurance comparison.com. citing federal data. south carolina came in second, mississippi, texas, and alabama round out the top five. the report says the best drivers in vermont, new york, new hampshire, oregon. life with crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis is a daily game of "what if's". what if my abdominal pain and cramps end our night before it even starts? what if i eat the wrong thing? what if? what if i suddenly have to go? what if? but what if the most important question is the one you're not asking? what if the underlying cause of your symptoms is damaging inflammation? for help getting the answers you need, talk to your doctor and visit crohnsandcolitisadvocates.com to connect with a patient advocate from abbvie for one-to-one support an

it is quite simple. >> the strikers accuse amazon of importing american management practices into its biggest market in europe. >> the company is here in germany. we have laws. we have our teaming agreements and unions. those are all normal here. companies should stick to those, especially ones that create huge revenues and profits in this country. >> for its part, amazon insists it's strike is having no impact on its ability to deliver in time for christmas. >> let's turn to the markets now. >> the mood is quite positive with economic data. it rose to the highest level in more than seven years. investors are very optimistic. traders have been reluctant, waiting for results. the most important question is will it reduce the stimulus in december or before next year. the markets have to wait until tomorrow. registration numbers rose. and this is a chance for a real turnaround. >> reporting to us from frankfurt, let's have a look at the market numbers. the dax is down almost nine percent. 1.25% lower. the euro is gaining a little bit against the dollar. brazil has been rocked in recent months. problems in the health-care system have been one of t

. >> a group of amazon warehouse workers traveled from germany to the understates for a protest mondayutside the seattle headquarters. nook ever met figures predict the amount of crude oil produced in the u.s. will soar to near historic high in the coming years due largely to the controversial technique of fracking. fracking, which involves blasting chemicals into shale rock, is also fueling a rise in natural gas production. in current and former obama administration officials have confirmed the white house systematically delayed a series of regulations to avoid controversy in the 2012 election. "the washington post" reports federal agencies were told to hold off on key environmental, worker safety, and health care rules for up to a year. the stalin met a number were either link fully postponed were never enacted. the delays were said to be really political and far more extensive than similar maneuverings by previous ministrations. the delayed roles include standards for cleaner gasoline, lower pollution vehicles, and federal protections for bodies of water. and those are some of the h

people turn to the internet to get last-minute gifts, but shoppers in germany may run into difficulty if they are ordering from amazon as hundreds of workers have gone on strike, demanding a pay raise. the strike has not yet affected deliveries, but it could in the coming days. back to you. >> 20 more to come on live from thes, and we have all of latest details on the clashes in south sudan. and welcome to where we take a look at the headlines. hundreds of locations across the globe to be renamed after nelson mandela. and the supreme court of india criminalizes homosexuality. and a new york city high school is to be named after nelson mandela. to be open next year will be carved out of an existing brooklyn campus. the south african president was given a hero's welcome shortly after he was released from prison. of new yorkmayor city, michael bloomberg, said the city wants to pay tribute to the anti-apartheid leader who was laid to rest on sunday. globe,o from across the one's country is naming part of their city after him. and they are calling for one avenue in chicago to be renamed mandela road. and there is a campai

amazon is facing strikes today. workers are staging protests at the e commerce giant seattle headquarters in tandem with walkouts in germanye overpay with amazon's german union has been raging for months, but this is the first time the union has taken it directly outside the company headquarters. amazon said german employees are already paid on the upper end of what workers in that industry earn. >> two u.s. senators are now calling for expanded safety inspections for the nation's r. senators chuck schumer and richard blumenthal are asking congress to meet the obama administration's request of 100 ate $5 million for the next fiscal year. it's a $15 million increase over this year's budget. this comes as the special team of federal safety inspectors arrives in new york today. they're going to conduct a 60 day probe into operations on metro north. a train for the commuter rail line derailed this month killing four. >> a high speed train from spain to france cuts travel time in half between the two countries, at aljazeera reports, not everyone is happy about it. >> although the cheapest fare costs more than $80, there was no

. >>> amazon has 9,000 full time employees working in germany. it is home to the company's second largest market after the united states. it did $8.7 billion in sales. the nine plants handled 4 million orders, and just as the country enters its busie moselem there.ometimes it's very hot in the summer months. >> we have the same conditions in germany. the last year or two, the management has been trying to alleviate some of these conditions. when you're working in summer and you have temperatures of 35, 40°, sell celsius, peeping are t literally dropping like -- people are dropping like flies because of heat exhaustion. >> amazon says work he pay is online with other worker ofs. i did speak with some of them who were walk through campus who say they sympathize with those workers.ent on worker pay and conditions. >> tanya moseley in seattle, thank you. with only nine days between now and christmas the shipping rush is on. the u.s. postal service expects today to be the biggest mailing day of the year. 600 million pieces of mail, it has been a year

amazon striking workers in germany making this strike to protest at the company's u.s. looking to become the next netflix. details coming up in your "media minute." stocks now every 15 minutes. nicole on the floor of the new york stock exchange. >> reporter: looking good. 130 points on the debt and industrials, three merger-type deals that we have been focusing on. some names on the move, at least crabbing wall street's attention right now, including apple debut the target was raised over at jefferies. you're on apple, you want to hear this. they kept their buy rating. up from 650. the $500 range and it continues to move to the upside. north liquidators. some positive comments. and sprint, and this is one that has been on the move. continue to follow the story. exxon, the best performer in the dow jones industrials. we did have goldman putting a buy rating, $109 price target. i figured that i would reiterate that because we have been watching it. the number one dow component and test led to the downside. higher and that lower and now it is almost flat. some action today

the strikers and his amazon of importing american management practices into its biggest market in year out when the company is here in germany. we have long as we have bargaining agreements and unions. those are all normal here. the company should stick to them especially ones that create huge revenues and profits in this country. for its part amazon and states to strike is having no impact on its ability to deliver in time for christmas. my list attention of monkeys now and don't see whole sent us this summary of today's trading act a bad mood despite positive economic data. i did say e w investor sentiment rose to the highest of any morgan said he is the basis of the optimistic that the german economy in two thousand and fourteen a treatise of being reluctant waiting for results often beating up his central bank and a most important question is this the fed going to reduce its massive steam it is in the sand back on up before next year the markets have to wait until tomorrow i can use five day european car sick to registration on this rose to fifth straight months and he says that on top and real turnaround treated . the s

amazon employs about 9,000 people in germany. >>> today expected to be the busiest day of the year forps. some 34 million packages will be picked up across the world. that's double the u.s. volume. they expect to deliver 129 million packages the week before christmas. they say the company will be delivering 300 packages per second at its busiest time. also we should say the u.s. postal service calls today its peak mailing day for cards, letters and packages. if you have a holiday card to get out, today is the day to do it. u.s.p.s. expects to process 607 million pieces of mail today. joe, where do you stand on digital holiday cards versus the in print by mail snail mail version? >> they don't do it for me. >> they don't do it for you? >> no. >> get the real thing. >> i didn't know if you thought the whole world was moving in this digital direction. >> they're free, too, right? >> actually not anymore. i mean, some are. >> what? >> well, if you do paperless post, that costs money. >> paperless what? >> paperless post. the clever cards that look like they're real. that actually costs you

amazon sales up 44% from a year earlier. and ebay up 32% as both companies profited big time from people tending to shop a bit more than work yesterday. much welcome news for tesla. regulators in germanyid their own investigation into model s fires and said there were no manufacturing-related defects. both the fires in the u.s. occurred when the cars ran over debris in the road. a fire in mexico after the car was involved in a serious accident. that could bode well for the u.s. investigation and could mean no recall for the model s and that is helping out tesla shares in a big way this morning. the company has lost a third of its value in the past two months. a lot of that because of the model s fires but the shares are rallying this morning by more than 7%. stocks ended on a downward note yesterday and they look like they are heading further lower again this morning. speculation again on the federal reserve starting to taper its bond issues. possibly at its meeting later this month due to some decent manufacturing news in the u.s. let's look at the big board and see how the numbers are doing. dow dropping 60 points. back below 16,000. nasdaq is down by 7. s&p down 4 points. back belo

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