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☆ Disney CEO Bob Iger calls the drive to make streaming profitable a priority
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File PhotoNov 28 (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) Chief Executive Bob Iger said on Monday one of his top priorities is to make the company's streaming business profitable. Iger is responsible for Disney's all-in embrace of streaming, and the launch of its marquee service, Disney+, but he acknowledged the measurement of success has changed. Disney joins a number of media companies seeking to grow their streaming services without sacrificing its film or television businesses. From a sound stage on Disney's lot, Iger said he returns to the company he led for 15 years with a sense of urgency. He offered no timing on the restructuring of the company's film and television distribution group, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution.

☆ Disney’s Theme Parks Are Sore Spot for Investors, Too
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Robbie Whelan | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Walt Disney’s theme-parks division, which includes Magic Kingdom in Florida, has posted record quarterly profits this year. Bob Chapek took heat over losses at Walt Disney Co.’s streaming business. But cracks were also showing at Disney’s crown jewel theme-parks division when Mr. Chapek lost his job as chief executive last week. Investors were spooked by shrinking margins at the parks division amid a softening economy, raising concerns about how long the parks can continue to produce the profits needed to help subsidize losses in streaming, now more than $8 billion since Disney’s flagship Disney+ service launched in late 2019.

☆ NBCUniversal layoffs are coming in January, with cuts expected mainly in broadcast and cable TV groups
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Layoffs will come in ad sales and marketing in the linear TV business but aren't expected to affect theme parks. NBCUniversal is the latest major media corporation to plan layoffs, according to two company insiders and a third person closely familiar with plans. The axe will fall mainly in ad sales, marketing, and back-end functions at the traditional broadcast and cable business units, but will come division by division, two people said. The company is looking for $1 billion in cuts across the TV networks, according to a Bloomberg report. Paramount Global also conducted layoffs last week, mainly in ad sales in New York and Los Angeles.

SINGAPORE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Link Real Estate Investment Trust (0823.HK), Asia's biggest REIT, has emerged as the frontrunner to buy a portfolio of assets from Singapore shopping mall owner NTUC Enterprise Co-operative Ltd, multiple sources told Reuters on Monday. If Link REIT does buy, the assets will be its first in Singapore. Mercatus and Hong Kong-listed Link REIT declined to comment on the matter. Nearly three-quarters of its portfolio value is in Hong Kong. Link REIT has been on the prowl for assets in Singapore and other countries to diversify its portfolio.

☆ Travel warnings: What other nations tell their citizens about US violence
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Forrest Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

After all, the rate of gun-related deaths in the United States has been going up in recent years. CNN Travel keeps a periodic check on what the governments of the United States’ neighbors and closest allies tell their citizens about coming here. It also tells its citizens that “violent crime, including gun crime, rarely involves tourists, but you should take care when traveling in unfamiliar areas. In many states, it is legal for United States citizens to openly carry firearms in public. “Violent crime has targeted individuals and groups from the LGBTQIA+ community and those with diverse ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds.

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☆ Lisbon and Mexico City are on travelers’ wish lists for 2023: These are the top 10 trending vacation destinations
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Celia Fernandez | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

According to American Express Travel, 70% of respondents say they want to travel to wish-list destinations in 2023, and 50% are already planning summer vacations for next year. In November, American Express Travel published its 2023 Trending Destinations list . It was compiled using the number of global American Express Card Member travel reservations made between 2019 to 2022. The Florida Keys, known for its beautiful beaches, comprises five areas: Key West, the Lower Keys, Marathon, Islamorada, and Key Largo. The most famous of these is Key West.

☆ Top tips for saving money at Disney parks while traveling with a family on a budget
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( Gabrielle Reeder | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

For non-Florida residents who want to visit Disney World, purchasing a vacation package is cost-effective, travel agent Shannon Devine told Insider. For non-Florida residents, purchasing a Disney World vacation package is cost-effective, Shannon Devine, an independent travel agent with Academy Travel who specializes in planning Disney family vacations told Insider. A view of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort main entrance at Walt Disney World. Disney Tsum Tsums or smaller stuffed animals are at Walmart or Target for a fraction of Disney parks' costs. For an estimate of Disney trip costs, visit the Disney World Coast Calculator.

☆ The Ultimate Father-Son Travel Adventure: Exploring ‘Creepy’ Caves
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Taras Grescoe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

ECHO CHAMBER Intrepid visitors in Riverbend Cave, one of several caves you can explore at Vancouver Island’s Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park. WE WERE about 120 feet from the mouth of one of the caves in British Columbia’s Horne Lake Caves Provincial Parks when Ryan Nelson, our 29-year-old guide, suggested we find a stable perch on the water-slicked rocks beneath our feet. “In every cave,” Ryan told us, “you have the entrance zone, the twilight zone, and a zone where no light at all penetrates during a complete 24-hour cycle. Now, turn your lights off.” Desmond, my son, and I obeyed, flicking switches on our helmets. Suddenly there was nothing left in the world but the sound of a subterranean river rushing through limestone.

☆ Abandoned Greek airport to be transformed into a 600-acre coastal park
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

Tegel Projekt GmbH/Atelier Loidl Kai Tak International Airport, Hong Kong -- With a runway that protruded into the sea, Kai Tak International Airport in Hong Kong once had one of the most arresting approaches in the world. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Hellinikon International Airport, Athens, Greece -- Hellinikon was once the only international airport in Athens, Greece, before Hellinikon was once the only international airport in Athens, Greece, before closing down in 2001 . Developer LAMDA is looking to complete the first phase of construction in 2025 courtesy LAMDA Development Stapleton International Airport, Denver, Colorado -- A photo of Stapleton International Airport from 1963. The grounds of the old airport became the 125-hectare (309-acre) Quito replaced its main airport with another bearing the same name. RODRIGO BUENDIA/AFP/AFP via Getty Images Downsview Airport, Toronto -- Downsview Airport in north Toronto was once a Canadian Air Force base.

Persons: Sasaki, ”, Michael Grove, Eero Saarinen, Kai, Kok, FREDERIC J . BROWN, Kai Tak, PHILIPPE LOPEZ, Hellinikon, Milos Bicanski, Ken Tillis, Lisa Martine, Sean Gallup, Maja Hitij, RODRIGO BUENDIA, Eleni Myrivilli, …, Aleksandra Kazmierczak, it’s, we’re Organizations: CNN, Ellinikon International, Games, Charleston Waterfront Park, Newcastle University, Tegel Airport, Tegel Projekt, Kai Tak International Airport, Kai Tak International, Getty, Foster + Partners, AFP, Stapleton International Airport, Denver International Airport, Denver, Getty Images, Airport, CNN Galeville Army, Galeville, United States Military Academy, West, Wildlife Refuge, Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife, Nazi, Maja, Mariscal Sucre International Airport, Old Mariscal Sucre International, Downsview, Canadian Air Force, Downsview Airport, City, Resilience, European Environment Agency, Development, Ellinikon Locations: Athens, Greece, Ellinikon, Boston, Charleston, Beijing, American, Grove, Berlin, Hong Kong, AFP, Europe, Hellinikon, Denver , Colorado, Central, New York, Ulster County , New York, Germany, Quito, Ecuador, Toronto, Downsview Park, Canada, Downsview, City of Athens, ”

☆ The Disney CFO Who Raised Concerns About Bob Chapek Has Respect on the Street
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Nina Trentmann | Mark Maurer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Christine McCarthy, Walt Disney Co. ’s longtime finance chief, took an unusual step when she expressed a lack of confidence in the chief executive to directors of the entertainment giant. But Ms. McCarthy had raised concerns to Disney directors, The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | CFO Journal The Morning Ledger provides daily news and insights on corporate finance from the CFO Journal team. Following the leadership shake-up, Disney faces a challenge to regain trust from the street and Ms. McCarthy needs to realign with her old and new chief executive Mr. Iger, analysts said. Age 67, Ms. McCarthy is likely to stay on while Mr. Iger reviews Disney’s strategy and searches for another successor to himself, analysts said.

☆ Taliban's treatment of women may be crime against humanity: UN experts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - The Taliban's treatment of Afghan women and girls, including their exclusion from parks and gyms as well as schools and universities, may amount to a crime against humanity, a group of U.N. experts said on Friday. The assessment by the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan Richard Bennett and nine other U.N. experts says the treatment of women and girls may amount to 'gender persecution' under the Rome Statute to which Afghanistan is a party. There was no immediate response from a Taliban spokesperson to a Reuters request for comment on the experts' assessment. The experts also cited as an example the arrest earlier this month of female activist Zarifa Yaqobi and four male colleagues. They say they respect women's rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law.

☆ The secrets behind these Christmas movie classics
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Aj Willingham | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ was supposed to be a flop"A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a beloved special, but those involved in its production worried that they'd created a dud. Classic songs were reused, rewritten and dubbed for ‘White Christmas’"White Christmas" is a movie that has a lot of behind-the-scenes lore. Paramount/Kobal/ShutterstockThe 1954 film “White Christmas” is brimming with behind-the-scenes lore, especially when it comes to the music. The animators behind 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” used about 400 different hand-sculpted heads to bring Jack Skellington to life. Michael Caine did a literal balancing act during ‘The Muppet Christmas Carol’The Ghost of Christmas Present, left, and Michael Caine, right, in 1992's "The Muppet Christmas Carol."

The factory’s iPhone 14 production has been slowed by a labor shortage that began last month, when a Covid outbreak and an accompanying lockdown sent workers fleeing back to their hometowns. China’s “dynamic zero-Covid” measures make it an outlier among the world’s major economies, causing growing public frustration and economic pain. Though officials announced new “optimized” measures this month, they are struggling to ease the burden without setting off a major exit wave. Despite the purported easing of measures in China, a single case can still bring targeted lockdowns and sudden quarantines. Covid measures were further tightened on Thursday in the capital, Beijing, which is already in near-lockdown with schools, parks and shopping malls closed and a negative Covid test required every 48 hours to enter public places anywhere in the city.

☆ UK's Camilla donates Paddingtons left as tribute to Queen Elizabeth
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/3] Camilla, the Queen consort, smiles while holding a Paddington bear as she visits Barnardo's Nursery in Bow, London, Britain November 24, 2022. Arthur Edwards/Pool via REUTERSLONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Camilla, the wife of Britain's King Charles, personally delivered dozens of Paddington Bear toys to a children's charity on Thursday, giving a new home to the toys which had been left by well-wishers as a tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth. Mourners placed more than 1,000 Paddingtons and other teddy bears among the mass of floral tributes and messages which were left outside palaces and royal parks in London and Windsor in the days of mourning following Elizabeth's death in September. The stuffed bears have been professionally cleaned, and on Friday Camilla, the queen consort, visited a Barnardo's Nursery in east London for a 'teddy bears picnic' featuring marmalade sandwiches, and to hand out some of the Paddingtons to vulnerable young children there. During the comic sketch, she told Paddington she always kept the character's favourite - a marmalade sandwich - in her ever-present handbag.

☆ It's not just you. Disney's CEO reportedly thinks its theme parks have gotten too expensive.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Tim Levin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Disney's CEO was alarmed by rising prices at its theme parks, the Wall Street Journal reported. Bob Iger made a surprise comeback as Disney's CEO on Sunday, returning less than a year after leaving the company. Daily admission prices at Disney's theme parks have risen to $189 this year. Disney's top executive Bob Iger thinks prices at the company's theme parks have gotten too high, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people close to him. Chapek told investors in May that people were spending 40% more at Disney's theme parks than before the pandemic.

Bob Iger's return as Disney's CEO was met with surprise and relief by current and former employees. News of Bob Iger's return as Disney's CEO shocked the media world, but for many inside the company, the news touched off a mix of surprise as well as relief. Insider spoke with eight current and recently departed Disney employees about their reactions, hopes, and concerns for what's next. And there's still worry about where cuts will hit and how deep, and what's in store for Disney's streaming business. "Iger still has all the problems Chapek had — the company is bleeding money," said the first Disney insider.

Disney’s Robert Iger Loomed Over Bob Chapek After Ceding CEO Role, Creating Tensions Soon after he took the top job in 2020, Chapek was at odds with Iger and complained to deputies he had been undermined from the startLast year, Disney’s then-CEO Bob Chapek, in blue shirt, and then-Executive Chairman Robert Iger appeared at a Walt Disney World Resort event Florida. The two men had clashed over layoffs at the theme parks early in the pandemic. Gerardo Mora/Getty Images

☆ Shanghai cancels auto event as rising COVID cases add to reopening worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The rise in cases is testing China's resolve to stick to recent tweaks recently made to its COVID rules, putting pressure on local authorities to stamp outbreaks without one-size-fits-all measures such as mass lockdowns. Chengdu, with 428 cases on Tuesday, became the latest city to announce mass testing from Nov. 23 to Nov. 27. The capital Beijing, where 1,486 cases breached another daily high, was largely a ghost town with malls, restaurants and parks staying shut. RISING CASES, MASS TESTING - AGAINWhile China's infection numbers are low by global standards, the country continues to stick with its outlier zero-COVID approach, fuelling widespread public frustration and inflicting damage on the world's second-largest economy. Reporting by Beijing and Shanghai newsrooms; Writing by Bernard Orr; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bob Iger has a lot to get right as he returns to Disney. One big challenge is repairing LGBTQ relations.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney's newly reappointed CEO, Bob Iger, could face further backlash against LGBTQ content. Iger needs to support LGBTQ rights or risk upsetting employees and millions of Americans. Florida lawmakers voted to rescind the special tax status of Disney World in Orlando. Disney/PixarIger needs to understand that most Americans support LGBTQ rightsFor Disney's leadership, losing the company's special tax status in the state carries financial repercussions. There is a slice of American conservatives who are against LGBTQ rights.

Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) jumped 12.4%, leading gains on S&P 500 (.SPX) index, after forecasting a smaller drop in annual sales than previously estimated, confident that a ramp up in deals and discounts will lure more customers. "People are hopeful that consumers can still squeeze out a strong holiday season despite the headwinds they're facing," said Brandon Pizzurro, director of public investments at GuideStone Capital Management. "It would be an upside surprise if consumers really brought their full wallet to the table this year, probably what's driving Best Buy movement today." Gains in Best Buy boosted the S&P 500 retail (.SPXRT) sector index, but a 9.4% fall in Dollar Tree Inc (DLTR.O) capped the upside as the discount retailer lowered its annual profit forecast for the second time. Energy (.SPNY) led gains among the 11 major S&P 500 sector indexes, up 3.0%, as oil prices rose after top exporter Saudi Arabia said OPEC+ stuck with output cuts.

[1/3] FILEPHOTO: Executive Chairman of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger arrives at the world premiere for the film 'The King's Man' at Leicester Square in London, Britain December 6, 2021. In his 15 years as Disney chief executive, Iger postponed his retirement four times, sidelining would-be successors. read more Part of his mandate, according to Disney, is to work with the board to develop a successor to lead the company. Chapek was among a shortlist of internal candidates vying for Iger's job, according to a source familiar with discussions. Another seen as a top contender was Kevin Mayer, Disney's longtime head of strategic planning who had shepherded the successful launch of Disney+, according to sources.

Dow component (.DJI) Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) rose 1.9% after Cowen & Co upgraded the drug distributor stock, citing its healthcare services business push. Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) soared 9.4%, rising the most among S&P 500 (.SPX) components after forecasting a smaller-than-expected drop in annual sales. Energy (.SPNY) led gains among the 11 major S&P 500 sector indexes, bouncing off four-week lows by adding 2%. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 2.70-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and by a 1.12-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 19 new 52-week highs and two new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 49 new highs and 122 new lows.

SummarySummary Companies Best Buy up, sees smaller annual sales dropMedtronic down, lowers FY profit outlookTesla attempts to recoup losses post slumpFutures up: Dow 0.44%, S&P 0.49%, Nasdaq 0.40%Nov 22 (Reuters) - Wall Street's main indexes were set to open higher on Tuesday, with gains in shares of Walgreens and Best Buy helping investors assuage worries around the economic fallout of stricter COVID-19 curbs in China. Leading gains among S&P 500 (.SPX) components trading before the bell, Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) jumped 9.1% after forecasting a smaller-than-expected drop in annual sales ahead of the crucial holiday season. Dow component (.DJI) Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O) rose 1.7% after Cowen & Co upgraded the drug distributor stock, citing its healthcare services business push. ET, Dow e-minis were up 148 points, or 0.44%, S&P 500 e-minis were up 19.25 points, or 0.49%, and Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 46 points, or 0.4%. Analysts expect thin trading volumes as markets will be shut on Thursday for Thanksgiving holiday and will remain open for half day on Friday.

Lee County suffered none of the state’s 123 Irma deaths. That experience influenced many people’s decisions not to flee Hurricane Ian. “Hurricane Ian is going to be the strongest outreach messaging for southwest Florida ever,” said Gleason, the Charlotte County spokesman. “When you live through it, then that message sinks in deep and forever.”A view of the Matanzas Pass side of Estero Island, home to Fort Myers Beach, Fla. Fort Myers Beach is expected to take years to rebuild. Thomas Simonetti for NBC NewsMichael Yost's two closest friends in Fort Myers Beach drowned in Hurricane Ian.

☆ Shares brush off China COVID curbs, dollar retreats
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Amanda Cooper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The dollar pulled back from strong overnight gains while oil edged up after Monday's volatile sell-off. The MSCI All-World index of shares (.MIWD00000PUS) rose 0.2%, putting it on course for a second month of increases - its longest stretch of gains since late 2021. The dollar of the gains that took it to a 10-day high on Monday, when investors ditched risk assets over China's COVID flare-ups and was last down 0.2%. The dollar came under pressure in particular against the euro and the yen , which rose by 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively. Oil rose on Tuesday, a day after Saudi Arabia denied a media report that it was discussing an increase in oil supply with OPEC and its allies.

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