Pop Mart shares rise 12% as Labubu maker announces stellar profits and new doll

The firm announced the launch of a new Labubu doll as the furry elf toys continue to take the world by storm. Shares in Pop Mart soared over 12.5% in daily trading in Hong Kong on Wednesday after the Chinese company released stellar earnings.

The creator of the Labubu doll saw its revenue jump 204% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, coming in at 13.88 billion yuan (€1.66bn). Net profit soared 386% to 4.68bn yuan (€559.39 million), beating forecasts. Around 40% of sales were made up by purchases outside of mainland China thanks to the international appeal of the firm’s Labubu brand, part of its “The Monsters” range.

“The Monsters” brought in 4.81bn yuan (€574.99mn) in the first half of the year, accounting for 34.7% of total revenue. The elf-like dolls have become a viral sensation, boosted by the endorsement of celebrities like Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian and David Beckham. Part of the attraction is that the toys are sold in blind-box packaging. This means that customers don’t know what they have purchased until they open the product.

Although the firm was created back in 2010, Pop Mart launched its first blind-box series in 2016. The popularity of the range allowed the company to list in Hong Kong in December 2020, achieving a market capitalisation of around €6bn. Since the IPO, shares have risen by over 300%.

Pop Mart opened its first European store in London in January 2022, hoping to expand in overseas markets. Today, the company operates around 2,600 vending machines and almost 600 stores across the globe, meaning Labubu dolls can be bought in more than 30 countries.

Given the demand for dolls, Pop Mart is now considering expansion in the Middle East, Central Europe, and Central and South America. The firm operates around 40 stores in the US, with 10 more sites expected to open by the end of 2025.

In an earnings call on Wednesday, CEO Wang Ning also said that Pop Mart would this week launch a new, mini version of Labubu that can be attached to phones. Wang added that his firm was on track to meet its 2025 revenue goal of 20bn yuan (€2.39bn), noting that “30bn this year should also be quite easy”. Some analysts have nonetheless raised doubts over the sustainability of the company’s rise, driven by social media sites like TikTok.

“The craze for the elf-like Labubu dolls is translating into big profit and cash flow,” said AJ Bell head of financial analysis, Danni Hewson. ““Consumers can be capricious when it comes to this type of fad though and Pop Mart will have to work hard to build on this success if it is to avoid being a one-hit wonder.”

source: Euronews

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Hollywood star Michael Madsen dies after being ‘found unresponsive at home’. The Kill Bill and Reservoir Dogs actor was aged 67.

The actor was found in his Malibu home on Thursday morning. His manager confirmed he had died from cardiac arrest.

He was expected to be involved in a number of upcoming movies, too. The star’s representatives said the actor had spent the last two years working on independent films. They included feature films such as Resurrection Road, Concessions, and Cookbook for Southern Housewives.

In a statement, his publicist Liz Rodriguez and his managers Susan Ferris and Ron Smith said the star “was really looking forward to this next chapter in his life”.

His performance in Reservoir Dogs, which was a low-budget Tarantino production, earned him a place in film history. His role as Mr Blonde – a sadistic and trigger happy bad guy – earned him a place in the nomination list for the American Film Institute’s list of the all-time greatest movie villains.

‘Worst car in history’ set for comeback with new makeover

A budget car dubbed the ‘worst in history’ is set to make a comeback. The Yugo, which hailed from the former Yugoslavia, became the butt of many jokes after it was released in the UK and the US in the 1980s. It cost around £3,000, making it the cheapest vehicle on the market at the time. But the car was known for its poor-quality construction, lack of reliability and safety concerns and after an initial rush of customers, demand quickly fell.

Britain imported the Yugo for just ten years, between 1981 and 1991 and production ceased entirely in 2008. A book has even been written about the vehicle’s failure, called The Yugo: The Rise and Fall of the Worst Car in History.

Now a Serbian university professor is hoping to bring the car back to life, and unveiled a 1:5 scale model version at the Car Design Event 2025 in Munich.

Dr Alekasandar Bjelić, who owns the Yugo naming rights and is linked to the German automotive industry, hopes a fully working prototype will be showcased at Belgrade Expo 2027 and on the market soon after.

Designed by fellow Serb, Darko Marčeta, the new Yugo has a retro 80s look but with slim LED lights front and back and large alloy wheels. Mr Bjelić said the car would initially be sold as an ‘affordable’ two-door model, with potential for ‘different body versions’ in the future.

If plans are given the green light, it will launch with a petrol engine and a choice of manual or automatic gearboxes. He hopes electric versions would also be possible at some point.

Mr Bjelić has promised a ‘fun-to-drive car’ that ‘meets all relevant safety standards’.

The first Yugo was introduced to the UK market under the name Yugo 45 and offered cheaper alternative to rivals like the Ford Fiesta and Austin Metro.

It came with three petrol options of different capacities, from from 903cc to 1,301cc, with a ‘convertible’ version also available. Four years after its UK debut, the Yugo was also launched in the US, where it was ‘a punchline’ within a year, according to Jason Vuic’s book on the car. ‘Within a year, it was a staple of late night comedy,’ he wrote.

It’s reputation fell further in 1989 when 31-year-old Leslie Pluhar plunged off the Mackinac suspension bridge in Michigan in her Yugo.

She had lost control of the car after being struck with 48mph winds – although her speeding at the time was said to be a contributing factor.

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In total, 794,428 Yugos were manufactured, although a fairly small percentage of those were sold in the UK. Official registrations show there were only 19 on UK roads by 2018, with reports only nine remain today. In 1997, one reached a rather strange end to its life when it was catapulted through the air.

Cavalry officer Hew Kennedy and his friend Richard Barr built a replica 13th century catapult and sent the Yugo flying to showcase the equipment’s slinging capacity.

Another car that’s had its fair share of jokes thrown at it is the Lada.

source: Metro

érvényes: 2025. június 30.

Tesco is to give away food for free to shoppers as it races to slash waste and hit net zero targets. The company will introduce “yellow sticker” prices of £0 for food that is about to go out of date. At present, discounts are typically limited to 90pc.

Bosses are testing the change in a small number of Express stores for shoppers who visit after 9.30pm, in a trial aimed at slashing food waste as part of its net zero targets. It comes after a boom in demand for discounted food across supermarkets, with sales of yellow sticker items soaring as shoppers battle a jump in prices.

Figures from Barclays in 2023 suggested that almost two thirds of households were buying discounted products. Tesco aims to give unsold food to charities, but some of it has instead been used to generate gas that can be burned for energy – a process counted as waste.

Tesco has a target to cut its food waste by 50pc by 2025 as part of a wider net zero push. The company said in its last annual report that it was keeping this “ambitious” target, which is partly used to help determine the level of share-based bonus for Ken Murphy, its chief executive.

A spokesman for Tesco said: “We are constantly looking for innovative new ways to reduce food waste. In all our stores we offer unsold surplus food to charities and community groups, donating millions of meals each month.

“This trial, in a small number of our Express stores, will allow customers to take any remaining yellow stickered items for free at the end of the day, after they have first been offered to charities and colleagues.”

source: Yahoo

Match the words and expressions with their definitions.

key: 1-d, 2-c, 3-e, 4-a, 5-b 

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The New York Public Library celebrated the return of a copy of Igor Stravinsky’s 1936 autobiography 72 years after it was last checked out.

Billy Parrott, director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, said he received a call a few days before Christmas from the library’s 5th Avenue branch.

The situation turned out to be the return of a book that had been checked out April 4, 1952, and had been due back two weeks later.

“We routinely get stuff [returned], all the time, from the ’80s or the ’90s but rarely stuff from mid-century,” Parrott told Gothamist.

Parrot said the book, Igor Stravinsky’s autobiography, was returned by a man who explained his mother had checked it out from the library’s Woodstock branch in the Bronx while she was studying music at Hunter College.

The woman never got around to returning the book, and even went on to work at a New York Public Library location in the Bronx for a time.

Parrot said the book will not be returned to circulation, but will instead be kept “for the curiosity and engaging story.”

The library shared photos of the long-lost book on Instagram.

“Do you happen to have a library copy of Igor Stravinsky’s 1936 autobiography that’s 72 years overdue?” the post said. “Is the fear of late fees preventing you from returning it? Forget about it! The New York Public Library has been fine free since since 2021.”

source: UPI

Match the words and expressions with their definitions.

1-circulation
2-curiosity
3-due
4-engaging
5-get around

a-it is expected to happen
b-pleasant, attractive, and charming
c-the process in which something passes from one person to another
d-to do something that you have intended to do for a long time
e-something that is interesting because it is rare and unusual

key: 1-c, 2-e, 3-a, 4-b, 5d

Singer Rod Stewart, who helped British rock conquer the world with a string of megahits, turns 80 on Friday (10.01.2025) – with no plans to slow down.

Stewart, with his distinctive spiky blond hair and raspy voice, dominated pop charts during the 1970s and 1980s with hits like “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?” and “Young Turks”, notching up more than 250 million record sales worldwide.

He also made headlines for a prolific love life that included relationships with a string of models and actresses including Britt Ekland.

Despite his landmark birthday, Stewart says he has no plans to retire.

“I love what I do, and I do what I love. I’m fit, have a full head of hair and can run 100 metres (330 feet) in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79,” he wrote last year.

The star will play the legends slot at the famed Glastonbury music festival this summer.

Although his forthcoming European and North American tour dates will be his last large-scale project, he has said he plans to concentrate on more intimate venues in the future.

He will headline a new residency in Las Vegas from March to June.

A tour is also slated for 2026 for Swing Fever, the album he released last year with pianist and ex-Squeeze band member Jools Holland.

As he has approached his ninth decade, Stewart has also made headlines for quirkier reasons such as his passion for model railways and his battle with potholes that have prevented him from driving his Ferrari near his home in eastern England.

The singer, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2016, has been married three times and has fathered eight children. His third wife is model and television personality Penny Lancaster.

source: france24.com

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Well, there’s $1,000,000 lottery mystery that’s still unsolved in our state. Someone hasn’t claimed their winning ticket for the 2024 Minnesota raffle and time is running out.

Sammy Salina is in Delano, where that lucky ticket was purchased.

To think that someone here could be a millionaire and they just don’t know it.

“We’ve had other winners, you know, nothing that was this large, of course.”

Joe Tipka is the store’s director of Coburn’s in Delano. He hopes that the person who bought a lottery ticket from them a year ago will claim their $1,000,000 prize.

“I truly hope that someone is holding onto the ticket.”

The ticket was bought as part of the new year’s raffle and there’s only three days left to claim the money.

What would you do if you want $1,000,000? A million, just a million straight up, not after taxes, just straight one million.

“Maybe go to the casino.”

“I’m going to donation to the puppy rescues because I love puppy.”

So much can be done with a million. It begs the question, what happened to the ticket?

There’s been a lot of theories going around.

“Misplaced it, didn’t check the numbers.”

“I think it’s kind of weird.”

“There’s a lot of people that buy him as gifts.”

“When I buy tickets, I throw in the corner and live it there.”

“You need to check your tickets. Do that for me.”

“Okay, I will. I will from now on.”

“No, you do it right now.”

And Reese has her own theory.

“I was and I believe that I was the person that sold that ticket. I’m just saying.”

She says her spidey senses point her to one man in particular.

“One gentleman paid over $100 for his nieces and nephews. And I’m kind of thinking maybe one of those nieces or nephews won. Just my assumption.”

There is, of course, no way to confirm that, unless someone steps forward.

The person who has the winning ticket has until the end of business day on December 31st to claim their ticket. If it goes unclaimed, the money is forfeited to the state. Sammy Solina, Carol Levin News.

Hallgasd is meg a szöveget! 

Actress Dame Maggie Smith, known for the Harry Potter films and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her family has said.

A legend of British stage and screen, she won two Oscars during her career – for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 1970 and California Suite in 1979.

She had four other nominations, and received eight Bafta awards.

A statement from her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin said: “It is with great sadness we have to announce the death of Dame Maggie Smith.

“She passed away peacefully in hospital early this morning, Friday 27th September. An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

Hugh Bonneville, who co-starred in Downton Abbey with Dame Maggie, paid tribute, saying: “Anyone who ever shared a scene with Maggie will attest to her sharp eye, sharp wit and formidable talent.

“She was a true legend of her generation and thankfully will live on in so many magnificent screen performances. My condolences to her boys and wider family.”

Some of her other most memorable roles include the 1985 Merchant Ivory film A Room With a View, in which she played the chaperone Charlotte Barlett, accompanying Helen Bonham Carter’s Lucy Honeychurch to Italy.

The role won her nominations for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Her career began in theatre, but she gained her first Bafta nomination in the 1958 melodrama, Nowhere to Go.

By 1963, she was offered the part of Desdemona by Laurence Olivier, to star opposite his Othello, at the National Theatre, and two years later, it was made into a film with the original cast, with Smith being nominated for an Oscar.

Válaszd ki a helyes választ! 

1.What was Dame Maggie Smith’s most well-known role?
a) Desdemona in Othello
b) Charlotte Bartlett in A Room with a View
c) Blenkinsop in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
d) Violet Crawley in Downton Abbey

2. How many Oscars did Dame Maggie Smith win during her career?
a) One
b) Two
c) Three
d) Four

3. Which genre of films did Dame Maggie Smith not appear in?
a) Melodrama
b) Comedy
c) Science Fiction
d) Drama

4. What was the name of the hospital where Dame Maggie Smith passed away?
Mary’s Hospital
Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery
The Royal London Hospital

5. Which of Dame Maggie Smith’s co-stars paid tribute to her after her death?
a) Laurence Olivier
b) Judi Dench
c) Emma Thompson
d) Hugh Bonneville

6. How many grandchildren did Dame Maggie Smith leave behind?
a) Two
b) Three
c) Four
d) Five

7. In which year did Dame Maggie Smith receive her first BAFTA nomination?
a) 1958
b) 1963
c) 1970
d) 1979

key: 

1d, 2b, 3c, 4b, 5d, 6d, 7a

Climate change is stressing rainforests where susceptible cocoa beans grow. According to the National Confectioners Association, the chocolate market is massive, with sales in the United States surpassing $25 billion in 2023.

Cocoa prices broke $10,000 per tonne for the first time in March, amid disease outbreaks and destructive weather patterns in West Africa. Cocoa futures were as high as $10,080 in New York.

Cocoa is also on the European Union’s hitlist of deforestation-risk commodities and will soon become subject to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) in December this year. The new law affects all companies importing cocoa into the bloc.

Six start-ups are rethinking cocoa with sustainability in mind.

Planet A Foods uses oats and sunflower seeds in Germany as the best-tasting chocolate alternative, sold under the ChoVivia brand.

In the United States, Voyage Foods is replacing cocoa with grape seeds from postharvest wine production, which it combines with vegetable oil, cane sugar, sunflower protein flour, natural flavours, sunflower lecithin and salt.

Californian Cultured is growing cocoa from cell cultures from cocoa bean cells.

UK-based start-up Nukoko makes cocoa-free chocolate from faba beans, otherwise known as broad beans, which contain a seed storage protein known as vicilin.

Celleste Bio is developing “tree-free” cocoa butter and powder in Israel. Celleste Bio calculates that just one cell and one bioreactor can replace 10,000 square metres of cocoa plantations.

Southern Italian start-up Foreverland is working with carob to make cocoa-free chocolate products, which it markets under Freecao.

London-based Win-Win turns to carob and barley for alternative chocolate products. Win-Win sells its cocoa-free chocolate alternative in wholesale packs to bakeries, food service operators, and the confectionery sector.

source: Graphic News

1) Cocoa prices … $10,000 per tonne for the first time in March.

1. dropped to
2. decreased
3. exceeded
4. failed to reach

2) Grape seeds from postharvest wine production … by Voyage Foods in place of chocolate.

1. are replacing
2. are being used
3. are being substituted
4. are utilising

3) Cell cultures from cocoa bean cells are used by Californian Cultured … .

1. to producing cocoa
2. growing cocoa
3. due to raise
4. to cultivate cocoa

4) “Tree-free” cocoa butter and powder … in Israel by Celleste Bio.

1. are improving
2. have been invented
3. are being developed
4. have been produced

5) London-based Win-Win turns to carob and barley … .

1. for improving chocolate products
2. to make substitute chocolate goods
3. to alternate chocolate products
4. to spike chocolate products

key: 1.C;2.B;3.D;4.C;5.B

Budapest riverbanks to close on Monday evening, mayor warns of prolonged flood

In response to rising water levels on the Danube, Budapest authorities are preparing for serious flooding by closing the city’s riverbanks and reinforcing defences on Margaret Island with sandbags.

Mayor Gergely Karácsony has warned residents to expect a significant and prolonged flood, with the capital’s flood defence status raised to the highest alert level starting Monday.

In a video posted on Facebook, Mayor Karácsony expressed concern that the upcoming flood could last for an extended period due to continuous rainfall in the Danube’s catchment area.

Starting at 8 PM on Monday, both the Pest and Buda lower riverbanks will be closed to the public.

According to the mayor’s office, the flood alert level will increase to third degree as of Monday, based on updated forecasts. The latest projections suggest that water levels could rise by one meter per day in Budapest, with the river potentially cresting above 8 meters by midweek.

Given the severity of the situation, Mayor Karácsony announced that as of midnight on Monday, flood defences will be ramped up citywide. The city’s flood management team will implement a number of measures in response to the rising water. Among the planned actions, the Budapest Sewage Works Company will close flood barriers along Nánási and Királyok roads and construct a four-kilometre-long clay embankment, standing one meter tall and four meters wide.

As a result, Királyok Road will be closed to traffic starting Monday, Economx reports. On Margaret Island, lower-lying areas will be fortified with sandbags, with high-powered machinery brought in to assist. If necessary, authorities may also close the island entirely to both vehicles and pedestrians later in the week. Floodwaters are expected to reach the lower riverbanks on Tuesday, 17 September.

Sections of the Pest embankment, already closed for a weekend event, will remain shut until floodwaters recede.

Additionally, the entirety of the Pest and Buda lower riverbanks will close from 8 PM on Monday. From midnight on Saturday, parking along the riverbanks will be prohibited, with any remaining vehicles towed away by the city’s enforcement agency on Monday.

Public transportation in flood-prone areas along the river could also be affected, with further details to be announced early next week, depending on how the situation develops.

She announced in March that she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer that was detected after abdominal surgery earlier in the year and would begin the treatment.

Her updated statement Monday says it has been a difficult year for her family but it has provided perspective on life and being grateful for simple but important things, such as “loving and being loved.”

She thanked supporters for their kindness and compassion and told those fighting cancer that she remains by their sides.

Read the full transcript:

“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment. The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.The cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.

With humility, it also brings you face to face with your own vulnerabilities in a way you have never considered before, and with that, a new perspective on everything. This time has above all reminded William and me to reflect and be grateful for the simple yet important things in life, which so many of us often take for granted. Of simply loving and being loved.

Doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes. I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can.

Despite all that has gone before, I enter this new phase of recovery with a renewed sense of hope and appreciation of life. William and I are so grateful for the support we have received and have drawn great strength from all those who are helping us at this time. Everyone’s kindness, empathy and compassion has been truly humbling.

To all those who are continuing their own cancer journey – I remain with you, side by side, hand in hand. Out of darkness, can come light, so let that light shine bright.”

source: CNN

Royal fans gush over ‘beautiful’ Kate Middleton in latest public appearance. 

As the 2024 Olympic Games came to an end last night, royal fans were delighted when they spotted the Princess of Wales in a video celebrating the success of TeamGB.

Fans of the Royal Family were delighted when, during the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics, “beautiful” Princess Kate put in a surprise appearance.

Last night millions watched as the two-week event came to a close as Tom Cruise jumped from the top of the Stade de France, before riding a motorcycle through the crowd to collect the Olympic flag and take it back to Los Angeles for 2028. During the night there was a celebration for Team GB’s performance during the games, as the athletes collectively won 65 medals – including 14 golds.

Among those to sing their praises was the Prince of Wales in a video introduced by Snoop Dogg. Alongside William was wife Kate, making a rare public appearance as she continues to fight her shock cancer diagnosis.

She said in the clip: “From all of us watching from home, congratulations to TeamGB.” William added: “Well done on all you achieved.”

The clip came as a surprise to royal fans, who gushed their delight at the Princess’s appearance. One said: “Lovely to see you both looking so healthy! Thank you for this.” Another added: “Cheers Team GB! Princess Catherine as usual still very beautiful and Prince William wow! I’m loving the facial hair! Very handsome.”

Another shared: “Kate looks incredible, wishing you great health soon. Missing you in action.” One more said: “Fantastic video and how beautiful to see the princess Catherine so pretty and the prince William so relaxed.”

Also to appear in the video were the likes of David Beckham, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Rebecca Adlington, Emma Willis and Snoop Dogg. The Prince and Princess wrote on Twitter : “Well done TeamGB, what an incredible journey! Every athlete showed immense dedication, heart and passion.

source: Mirror.co.uk