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The co-founder of ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s says that its parent company Unilever blocked it from launching an ice cream flavour that expressed “solidarity with Palestine”.

Ben Cohen announced that he will independently create the new flavour as part of a personal series highlighting causes the company has been barred from addressing publicly.

Ben & Jerry’s is known for its activism on social issues and has consistently spoken out on political, environmental and humanitarian matters – including the Israel-Gaza conflict.

The BBC has contacted Unilever for comment.

Mr Cohen’s statement deepens the long-drawn dispute between the world-famous ice cream maker and Unilever, the British packaged goods giant which has owned Ben & Jerry’s since 2000.

The co-founders said Unilever and its ice cream arm Magnum, which is being spun off from its parent company, had unlawfully blocked their company from “honouring its social mission”.

Mr Cohen said in an Instagram video on Tuesday that he is creating a new watermelon-flavoured sorbet, calling for ideas for the product’s name and what ingredients should be added.

The watermelon has become a symbol for solidarity with Palestinians due to its colours, which are similar to those of the Palestinian flag – red, green, black and white.

The American entrepreneur said Ben & Jerry’s were prevented by Unilever from creating the dessert.

“I’m doing what they couldn’t,” Mr Cohen says from his set in a kitchen. “I’m making a watermelon-flavoured ice cream that calls for permanent peace in Palestine and calls for repairing the damage that was done there.”

In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s refused to sell its products in areas occupied by Israel. Its Israeli operation was sold by Unilever to a local licensee, allowing its ice cream to continue being sold in the occupied West Bank.

The dessert series will be developed under Ben’s Best, Mr Cohen’s activist ice cream brand, he said in a statement to the press. The flavour is being produced independently of Ben & Jerry’s, the statement said.

Ben’s Best was first setup in 2016 to support former US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, with the flavour “Bernie’s Back”.

Mr Cohen said he will develop other ice cream flavours that speak to the issues Ben & Jerry’s was silenced from addressing publicly by Unilever.

In September, co-founder Jerry Greenfield stepped down from Ben & Jerry’s after decades at the company, citing concerns that its independence had been compromised following Unilever’s decision to curb its social activism.

At the time, Ben Cohen said that “Jerry has a really big heart and this conflict with Unilever was breaking it.”

“My heart leads me to continue to work inside the company to advocate for its independence so that it can actualise the social mission, the values that it was founded on and has maintained for over 40 years,” he told the BBC’s PM programme.

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Oct 2025

Nearly 25 million people visited Greece between January and August 2025, the country’s central bank said, marking a 4% jump from last year as non-European Union (EU) tourists drove record travel spending.

Tourism revenue surges as non-EU visitors lead way

Greece earned €16.7 billion in travel revenue from January to August 2025, up 12% from the same period last year, according to the Bank of Greece. 

Inbound travelers reached 24.9 million, up from 24.8 million in 2024, showing continued recovery in the country’s travel sector.

EU travelers still made up the majority of arrivals, but their numbers barely changed from 2024. Within the bloc, trips from Eurozone countries rose 3.8%, while those from non-Eurozone states increased 6.9%.

Air, land arrivals both rise

According to the same data, air arrivals rose 4.2%, while land border crossings were up 4.8%, highlighting solid demand from both long-haul tourists and regional travellers.

Tourism remains a “vital pillar of the national economy,” the Bank of Greece noted in its summary, adding that the country’s travel sector is on track for another strong year in 2025.

(Image courtesy of user32212 via Pixabay)

Greece dominates travel awards

Separately, Greece secured top rankings in seven categories of the 2025 Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Choice Awards.

Greek hotels and resorts dominated the European lists — including Porto Zante Villas & Spa (Zakynthos) and Sani Resort (Halkidiki) — while Naxos was named Europe’s Best Island with a score of 95.71.

The awards also placed Athens 12th among Europe’s best cities, praising its mix of ancient sites and new cultural energy.

Outlook for the rest of 2025

Tourism receipts and visitor volumes suggest Greece is heading for another record-breaking year.

Economists have highlighted tourism as a central driver of national income and employment, with revenue growth supported by high-spending markets beyond the EU.

The Bank of Greece said the sector’s strength “suggests another strong year for the industry as the country looks ahead to the final months of 2025.”

(Image courtesy of k5hu via iStock)

Travel rules tighten as Europe adapts to tourism growth

For short-term visitors heading to Greece or elsewhere in the Schengen Area, new border systems are set to change how people enter and leave the EU. 

The European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), due to begin in late 2026, will require travelers from visa-exempt countries to apply online before their trip. 

Meanwhile, the Entry-Exit System (EES), which was launched this October, will log when non-EU visitors cross the border, replacing manual passport stamps.

Together, these systems aim to improve border security and track overstays, but they will also make travel planning more digital and time-sensitive. 

Tourists can still move freely once inside the Schengen Zone, but they will need to factor in extra steps before arrival. 

Long-term visitors and migrants will also face closer checks, as the EU updates how it monitors movement between member states.

Tourism boom set to shape Greece’s economic future

Greece’s strong tourism performance in 2025 highlights the sector’s vital role in driving the country’s economy. 

Record visitor numbers and rising travel receipts show that international demand — especially from non-EU countries — is keeping momentum high.

With the industry now a cornerstone of national growth, Greece’s focus on sustainability and year-round travel will determine how long this success can last. 

For a nation that depends on tourism more than most, maintaining that balance could shape its economic story for years to come.

(Bloomberg) — Asian stocks advanced on optimism that artificial intelligence will continue to drive profits at megacap technology companies reporting earnings this week, and growing bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate cut.

MSCI’s regional stock gauge rose 0.5%, with the tech sector outperforming. Japan and South Korea led the gains – yet, in both the Nikkei 225 and the Kospi, losers outnumbered winners. Similarly, almost 400 components declined in the S&P 500 index, even though the gauge gained a modest 0.2% to close at an all-time high. Asian chip-related stocks such as SK Hynix Inc. and Advantest Corp. jumped Wednesday after strong earnings.

Nvidia Corp.’s shares surged more than 8% in Asian trading on the alternative platform Blue Ocean, signaling further gains when trading starts in New York, after US President Donald Trump said he plans to speak with Chinese leader Xi Jinping about the company’s Blackwell chip. Futures for the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 indexes extended their gains on Trump’s comments.

With five big tech companies — representing roughly a quarter of the US equity benchmark — set to report earnings between Wednesday and Thursday, investors will soon gauge whether the billions poured into computing infrastructure will keep flowing and ultimately deliver returns. Adding to the week’s momentum, Fed officials are poised to announce their rate decision on Wednesday, with Wall Street largely betting on a quarter-point cut.

“There is positive news everywhere,” said Vey-Sern Ling, a managing director at Union Bancaire Privee.

The technology sector remains the key focus of market participants. Over Wednesday and Thursday, Microsoft Corp., Alphabet Inc., Meta Platforms Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc. will all report results. The so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ group is projected to deliver profit growth of 14% in the third quarter, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Intelligence.

That’s nearly twice the 8% expected profit growth for the broader S&P 500, but it also would be the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2023.

“We expect another strong round of megacap tech earnings reports, given the relentless demand for AI technology and infrastructure,” said Clark Bellin at Bellwether Wealth. “While profitability in AI remains an unknown, investors for now are willing to overlook this as the AI arms race heats up.”

What Bloomberg strategists say…

A spending boom for AI has sent the Magnificent Seven’s share prices to record highs, but is also raising concerns about whether companies are laying out too much on the new technology.

— Sebastian Boyd, MLIV strategist. Click here for the full analysis.

In other corners of the market, the yen gained after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent weighed in on the Bank of Japan’s policy space, which fueled rate-hike bets. A gauge of the dollar edged lower for a third day. Oil held a three-day drop amid mounting signs of oversupply, while gold inched up after three days of losses.

Trading in Hong Kong was closed for a holiday.

Meanwhile, Trump said he expects to lower tariffs the US imposed on Chinese goods over the fentanyl crisis and speak with Xi about Nvidia, as leaders of the world’s biggest economies seek to ease tensions in a meeting on Thursday.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday Trump was considering cutting the 20% tariff to 10% on Chinese goods over fentanyl.

Also buoying sentiment were bets the Fed will cut rates Wednesday, with traders hoping for clarity as to when officials will stop shrinking the central bank’s portfolio of securities. Bets have grown they may end quantitative tightening as soon as this month.

Expectations are set for two things from this week’s Fed meeting — officials will lower rates by a quarter percentage point and Chair Jerome Powell will offer little guidance as a growing divide among policymakers blurs the path ahead.

“The markets have a massive wall of event risk to scale this week,” wrote Kyle Rodda, a senior analyst at Capital.com in Melbourne.

Corporate News:

OpenAI is giving its long-time backer Microsoft Corp. a 27% ownership stake as part of a restructuring plan that took nearly a year to negotiate. Private equity firm Boyu Capital has emerged as the frontrunner in Starbucks Corp.’s search for a partner in its China business. Apple Inc. is preparing major changes to its MacBook Air, iPad mini and iPad Air lines, with a plan to give the popular devices higher-end displays. Visa Inc. reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings that topped estimates as consumers continued to swipe, tap and insert their credit cards to transact globally. Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. said profit rose 11.5% in the first nine months of this year, as a stock market rally lifted investment returns and policy sales expanded. Bank of China Ltd. reported a 5% increase in third-quarter profit, as the lender managed to stabilize its net interest margin despite mounting challenges from weakening credit demand. Some of the main moves in markets:

Stocks

S&P 500 futures rose 0.2% as of 11:49 a.m. Tokyo time Nikkei 225 futures (OSE) rose 1.8% Japan’s Topix was little changed Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.9% The Shanghai Composite rose 0.3% Euro Stoxx 50 futures fell 0.2% Currencies

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index was little changed The euro was little changed at $1.1645 The Japanese yen was little changed at 152.06 per dollar The offshore yuan was little changed at 7.0990 per dollar Cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin fell 0.1% to $112,680.48 Ether rose 0.5% to $4,001.03 Bonds

The yield on 10-year Treasuries was little changed at 3.98% Japan’s 10-year yield advanced one basis point to 1.650% Australia’s 10-year yield advanced five basis points to 4.22% Commodities

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 0.2% to $60.02 a barrel Spot gold rose 0.2% to $3,958.79 an ounce This story was produced with the assistance of Bloomberg Automation.

–With assistance from Abhishek Vishnoi.

©2025 Bloomberg L.P.