NBCUniversal theme parks posted their most profitable fourth quarter ever today, led by Universal Studio Orlando, where Epic Universe is rising. Universal Studio Hollywood and Japan are close behind and Universal Beijing Resort, which opened last September, will post a modest profit in 2022. “It’s impossible not be excited about our theme park business,” said
Business
The competition watchdog has launched a wide-ranging investigation into the music streaming market. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed last October an intention to examine the sector but was yet to determine the full scope of its inquiry. It followed hot on the heels of a report by MPs the previous month that raised
Los Angeles City Councilman Mike Bonin announced today he will not run for a third term in the June primary, saying he will instead focus on his personal health. “I’ve struggled for years with depression. It’s a constant companion, and often a heavy one. There are times when this job has made that easier, and
The head of America’s central bank has declared there is “quite a lot of room to raise interest rates” as it stepped closer to a March hike. Jerome Powell, chair of the US Federal Reserve, made the remarks in a news conference after the bank declared that a hike would “soon be appropriate” – as
EXCLUSIVE: The long-in-coming return of the musical based on Jerry Lewis’ The Nutty Professor, and a new musical adaptation of the Richard Dreyfuss 1995 film Mr. Holland’s Opus, will receive major regional theater stagings this year, with Maine’s nationally recognized Ogunquit Playhouse announcing the productions for its 2022 season. This summer’s staging of The Nutty
The chief executive of a major household energy supplier has cast doubt on whether the sector and government will be able to spare households from a huge spike in bills from April. Greg Jackson, the founder of Octopus Energy, used a letter to the three million households on its books to explain the options facing
While the 7-day average of new Covid cases in the U.S. is trending down, the daily number of new cases topped 1 million for only the second time in the 733 days since the first infection was reported stateside. Monday case numbers posted today by the CDC and Johns Hopkins University came in at 1,140,580
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has taken an axe to its global growth forecasts while listing a string of threats to the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. The world’s lender of last resort downgraded a prediction, made in October, for 4.9% growth in collective gross domestic product this year, saying it now expected a
Lisa Cooke has been re-elected chair of the Visual Effects Society, and for the first time in the organization’s 25-year history, women now serve in its top five elected posts. Emma Clifton Perry was re-elected first vice chair, Susan O’Neal was elected 2nd vice chair, Rita Cahill was re-elected secretary, and Laurie Blavin has been
Consumer goods giant Unilever has confirmed plans to cut 1,500 jobs under a shake-up of its global operations. The maker of Dove soap-to-Marmite, which made the announcement after details were apparently leaked on Monday evening, said the cuts to senior and junior management roles were the result of a new, simpler organisational structure. The company
Just as the Omicron wave may have broken across the U.S. comes word of another version of the more transmissible variant, dubbed BA.2. It’s been nicknamed by some “stealth Omicron” because it seems to evade identification better than its predecessor. While other new variants that seemed worrisome — like Mu or Lambda — have had
Consumer goods giant Unilever is preparing to cut thousands of management jobs across the business in a “major initiative” due to be announced within days. The cuts will form part of a shake-up, flagged last week by the Marmite to Domestos maker, intended to “drive greater agility, improve category focus, and strengthen accountability”. Unilever declined
UPDATE, 8:22 AM PT: A federal judge has pushed back the start of the trial in Sarah Palin’s libel suit against The New York Times after she tested positive for Covid multiple times. U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff instead has set Feb. 3 for jury selection. Rakoff had earlier delayed Monday’s proceedings for about 90
Wholesale gas costs have risen sharply while Bitcoin and stock market values have plunged further as tensions over Russia’s intentions concerning Ukraine add to the cocktail of concerns being juggled by global investors. The market volatility builds on heavy sell-offs that saw the US Nasdaq index come under particular pressure and endure its worst week
Iconic fashion designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, founder of Mugler, has died at the age of 73. His personal Instagram page confirmed his death with a post of a black square and a caption that reads, “We are devastated to announce the passing of Mr. Manfred Thierry Mugler on Sunday January 23rd 2022. May his soul
The quoted bid vehicle pursuing a takeover of M&C Saatchi has tabled a fresh offer which includes a partial cash alternative for investors in the London-listed advertising group. Sky News has learnt that AdvancedAdvT, which is backed by the technology entrepreneur Vin Murria and serial dealmaking group Marwyn, submitted a revised bid to the board
The AFL-CIO’s Department for Professional Employees is urging Congress to increase federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting to $565 million in fiscal year 2022 and the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to $201 million each – funding levels that were passed by the House of Representatives
There is no winter sport resort quite like Chamonix. Nestled in the shadow of Mont Blanc, it has a glittering history and a reputation for challenging even the best skiers. People travel from all around the world to try their luck on these slopes. And now, the British can join them once again. For nearly
On Saturday, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported 72 new deaths from Covid-19, along with 39,117 new positive cases. The number of deaths and confirmed cases reported today may reflect delays in weekend reporting. But today’s tallies bring the County to a total of 28,417 deaths and 2,467,797 positive cases. There have
Plans for a new British-owned battery gigaplant in Northumberland have been boosted by the commitment of around £100m of government funds to the £3.8bn scheme. The Britishvolt project intends to manufacture power cells for 300,000 electric vehicle battery packs a year at a new factory on the site of the former Blyth Power Station. The