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Removed Ben & Jerry’s chair says Magnum aimed to ‘smear’ her

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Removed Ben & Jerry’s chair says Magnum aimed to ‘smear’ her


The ousted chair of Ben & Jerry’s has accused the company which owns the brand of threatening to launch a public smear campaign against her.

Anuradha Mittal, who chaired Ben & Jerry’s independent board for seven years, told the BBC that Magnum had threatened to publish “defamatory statements” about her if she did not step down from her role.

It relates to an increasingly bitter dispute between the Vermont-based activist ice cream maker and its owner over the independence of the board and its freedom to pursue its social missions.

Magnum said in its view Mittal “no longer met the criteria to serve” on the board, following an investigation it had commissioned by external advisors.

In a statement on Monday, Magnum outlined changes to the way the board operates including a nine-year limit for people serving on it.

As well as Mittal, who said she had received a letter telling her she had been removed from the board, two other board members will be required to leave as a result.

It also said that an audit of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation, a charitable organisation, had “identified a series of material deficiencies in financial controls, governance and other compliance policies, including conflicts of interest”.

Speaking to the BBC’s World Business Report, Mittal said there had been an escalation of the friction between Ben & Jerry’s board and its owner, over the brand’s independence, social mission and integrity.

“For several years now, we have been resisting their overreach, including their efforts to muzzle us from speaking out for human rights, for peace,” she said.

The brand, which is also known for the playful puns in its flavour names, was owned by Unilever until earlier this month, when the household goods giant spun off its ice cream unit to create, Magnum Ice Cream Company.

Ben & Jerry’s was sold to Unilever in 2000 in a deal which allowed it to retain an independent board and the right to make decisions about its social mission.

This was a frequent source of friction while owned by Unilever.

In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s refused to sell its products in areas occupied by Israel, resulting in its Israeli operation being sold by Unilever to a local licensee, and in October, Ben Cohen said it was prevented from launching an ice cream which expressed “solidarity with Palestine”.

This row has now been inherited by Magnum, culminating in this week’s stand-off, and Mittal’s removal.

“This October, Unilever-Magnum executives threatened me with defamatory statements in their forthcoming prospectus if I did not resign,” Mittal said.

“At the same time, they offered me a prominent role in a multimillion dollar Unilever-funded non-profit if I gave in,” she added.

She said she had turned down that “inappropriate” offer.

Magnum is now the world’s largest ice cream maker, with its brands include Cornetto, Wall’s and Carte D’Or.

Mittal, founder of the Oakland Institute, a human rights and development focused think tank in California, described Magnum’s approach as a “public smear campaign” and said the allegations were unfounded.

One of the firm’s original founders Jerry Greenfield left the firm in September saying he felt its social mission was being stifled. The other, Ben Cohen, has also hit out at Magnum saying it was “not fit” to own the firm.

In a statement a spokesperson for Magnum said the steps it had taken were aimed at strengthening corporate governance and to “reaffirm the responsibilities of the Board of Ben & Jerry’s”.

“These actions aim to preserve and enhance the brand’s historical social mission and safeguard its essential integrity,” a spokesperson said.

When Ben & Jerry’s was created in 1978 it made its mark selling flavours such as Cherry Garcia named after the guitarist from rock band Grateful Dead, Bohemian Raspberry, a play on the Queen track, and the now discontinued Vermonty Python.

Magnum said in its statement: “We remain unequivocally committed to Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission – product, economic and social – and its progressive, non-partisan values.

“Ben & Jerry’s continues to advocate for a range of causes and be a bold voice for social justice, as a glance at its social media channels demonstrates.”



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Joni Lamb, Whose Christian TV Station Went Global, Dies at 65

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Joni Lamb, Whose Christian TV Station Went Global, Dies at 65


Joni Lamb, the president of Daystar Television Network, a televangelism broadcaster she founded with her husband, Marcus Lamb, turning their family into stars of Christian entertainment, died on Thursday. She was 65.

In an announcement posted on Daystar’s website, the company described the cause as “serious health matters” exacerbated by a recent back injury. It did not say where she died.

On a trip to Jerusalem in 1983, shortly after the couple married, Mr. Lamb visited the Mount of Olives and felt God telling him to move to Montgomery, Ala., and start a Christian TV station. He and Ms. Lamb poured their energy and modest finances into the effort and began appearing on the air two years later.

By the time they founded Daystar — in Texas in 1997 — they were experienced entrepreneurs and performers. After just a few years, they owned 24 stations around the country. By 2010, they had become the second-largest Christian broadcaster, after Trinity Broadcasting Network, and were reaching more than 200 countries, The Dallas Morning News reported.

Compared with other televangelists, the Lambs “are younger and come across as more ordinary folks,” David Clark, the president of a rival Christian broadcaster, told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 2001. “They come across as being sincere.”

Mr. Clark added: “Marc is sharp, and his wife, Joni, is a big asset.”

The Lambs frequently appeared on their own network in a talk show format, discussing the pleasures and challenges of domestic life in a Christian idiom. Ms. Lamb, who liked to break into song, was Daystar’s leading talk show host, over the decades moderating shows like “Taking a Break With Joni” and “Joni Table Talk.” She would often be surrounded by other female regulars, putting questions to a male guest who had wisdom to impart.

The prominent pastor Jentezen Franklin visited earlier this year, for example, to discuss his new book, “The Power of Short Prayers.” The conversation slipped easily into evangelism.

“For someone watching right now: You’ve been listening; God’s opened your heart,” Ms. Lamb said. “In fact, your heart’s already been opened for some time, as you’ve been looking, searching, and you tried everything else. Always say, ‘Why don’t you try Jesus?’ A simple prayer: That will change your life for eternity.”

During the episode she was flanked, as she often was, by her two daughters, Rachel Lamb Brown and Rebecca Lamb Weiss, and referred to her husband by his first name, as if the viewers at home were family friends.

In 2021, Mr. Lamb died, at 64, of Covid-19, after having frequently suggested that people should pray instead of getting vaccinated. Ms. Lamb announced his death on air.

The travails of the Lamb family were often incorporated into the station’s programming. In 2010, Mr. Lamb admitted on live TV to an extramarital affair and described an attempt to extort millions of dollars in blackmail.

“Christian TV took a soap opera turn,” The Dallas Morning News wrote of the episode.

In 2020, Daystar returned a $3.9 million Paycheck Protection Program loan after the CBS program “Inside Edition” investigated the company’s purchase of a Gulfstream jet used by the Lamb family for beach and golf trips.

Four years later, a panel of Ms. Lamb’s talk show regulars questioned her on air about an accusation by her son, Jonathan, that there had been a coverup of a family member’s sexual molestation of his infant daughter. Ms. Lamb denied that any abuse had occurred, and after an investigation, no charges were filed.

Joni Lynn Trammell was born on July 19, 1960, in Greenville, S.C., where she grew up. Her father, Billy Frank Trammell, worked for a local refrigeration and heating company and would evangelize with friends he made playing basketball. Her mother, Sandra (Hudson) Trammell, competed in the Miss Greenville beauty pageant.

The Lambs met at a Greenville church in 1980, when Mr. Lamb, a traveling Pentecostal preacher, was visiting. They married in 1982.

Their early investments in TV stations came fortuitously, at a time of deregulation that The Star-Telegram would describe as “market bottom.” They later made money buying and selling small broadcast towers, and selling airtime to ministries and churches.

In 2023, Ms. Lamb married Doug Weiss, a sex therapist who became a co-host on Daystar. He survives her; other survivors include her three children and several grandchildren.

On air earlier this year, Ms. Lamb told viewers that the Christian faith guaranteed a posthumous reward.

“When you pray that prayer, and you receive Jesus, he forgives your sins,” she said. “When you die, you’re going to heaven.”



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US consumer price inflation hits 3.8% in April, highest in nearly 3 years as Iran war fuels energy costs – The Times of India

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US consumer price inflation hits 3.8% in April, highest in nearly 3 years as Iran war fuels energy costs – The Times of India


US inflation rose in April to 3.8 per cent as surging fuel costs amid the ongoing Iran-US conflict drove up consumer prices, hitting a three-year high complicating the Federal Reserve’s path on interest rates.Data released by the Labor Department on Tuesday showed the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 0.6 per cent in April after a 0.9 per cent jump in March, the biggest monthly rise since June 2022. On an annual basis, inflation accelerated to 3.8 per cent, marking the highest year-on-year increase, since May 2023.Petrol prices in the US are now more than 28 per cent higher than a year ago, according to official data. AAA estimates show average gasoline prices have crossed $4.50 per gallon, roughly 44 per cent above year-ago levels, squeezing household budgets and raising concerns about broader economic fallout.The spike in energy prices follows the escalation of hostilities between the US, Israel and Iran earlier this year. Markets were rattled after Tehran blocked access through the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global energy route that handles nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.Core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, remained relatively contained. Core CPI rose 0.4 per cent month-on-month and 2.8 per cent annually, suggesting that higher fuel costs have not yet fully spread across the wider economy.Food prices also edged higher in April. Grocery costs rose 0.7 per cent from March, led by increases in meat prices after a slight decline in the previous month.The latest inflation reading adds to uncertainty for the Federal Reserve, which had earlier been expected to begin cutting interest rates in 2026. Policymakers are now signalling caution amid fears that prolonged geopolitical tensions and elevated oil prices could trigger another wave of inflation.US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised the Fed for not lowering borrowing costs faster to support economic growth. Attention is now turning to Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to succeed outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whose Senate confirmation is expected this week.Higher fuel costs are also beginning to weigh on corporate America. Appliance maker Whirlpool Corporation said last week that quarterly revenue fell nearly 10 per cent, warning that the war-driven economic slowdown had severely dented consumer confidence.



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EBay rejects £41.4 billion GameStop takeover offer

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EBay rejects £41.4 billion GameStop takeover offer



EBay has turned down a 56 billion US dollar (£41.4 billion) takeover move from GameStop, labelling the proposal as “neither credible or attractive”.

GameStop boss Ryan Cohen launched an unsolicited offer of 125 dollars (£92.40) per share – half in cash and half in GameStop stock – to eBay shareholders last week.

However, the online marketplace’s board confirmed on Tuesday that it had now rejected the move.

In a letter, eBay chairman Paul Pressler said it reviewed the offer but believes that eBay is a “strong, resilient business”.

He added: “We have sharpened our strategic focus, strengthened execution, enhanced our marketplace and seller experience, and consistently returned capital to shareholders.

“With its differentiated global marketplace and a clear strategy, eBay’s board is confident that the company, under its current management team, is well-positioned to continue to drive sustainable growth, execute with discipline, and deliver long-term value for our shareholders.”

GameStop, which runs around 1,600 shops around the US, said it started accumulating eBay shares earlier this year and currently has a 5% stake.

Mr Cohen had previously indicated he would take his proposal directly to eBay shareholders if the company’s board rejected the deal.



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