Unilever is currently the world's largest tea maker, with brands including Lipton, Brooke Bond and PG Tips brands. However, the London-based company said in January 2020 that it was exploring a possible sale of the business after struggling for years to boost growth as consumers in developed markets such as the U.S. and Europe increasingly favored coffee and other drinks over black tea.

Prada Heads to Austin, Chasing New, Wealthy U.S. Markets

Prada SpA, long a bastion of Fifth Avenue and Rodeo Drive, is planning to open more stores across the rest of the country, making U.S. expansion key to a three-to-five-year plan to boost overall sales by 50% from pre-pandemic levels.

"We are underinvested in the U.S.," said Paolo Zannoni, Prada's chairman, in an interview. "That's going to be a significant area of growth and profitability."

Sleep Apnea Device Recall From Philips Causes New Worry

Over the summer, Royal Philips NV set off a scramble among sleep apnea sufferers when it recalled millions of machines that many use to breathe at night, citing concerns that the foam in the devices could pose a health risk.

Last week, users were thrown another curveball when the Food and Drug Administration warned the replacement machines that the Dutch health giant has been cranking out since September may be harmful, too. The FDA didn't order a recall of some 250,000 replacement devices Philips has sent to users, but said it was concerned that a silicone-based foam used in the substitute devices could emit harmful gases. That has raised new questions among users about what to do.

At Polish Border, Migrants Say Belarus Waved Them Through

MINSK, Belarus-Word went out across Iraq on Facebook, YouTube and Telegram: The landlocked former Soviet republic of Belarus was offering an easy gateway to a new life in the European Union. Brothers Araz and Anad Shawkat decided this was their best shot to escape the hardships of home.

Last month, the 20-something siblings paid more than $4,000 for two "invitations" to visit Belarus and plane tickets to fly there from Iraq via Syria. When they arrived at the airport in Minsk, immigration officers waved them through, along with scores of other Iraqis from the packed flight.

Turkey Currency Crisis Threatens Economy, Posing Challenge to Erdogan Rule

ISTANBUL-A currency crisis is shaking Turkey's economy, imperiling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's nearly two-decade-long grip on power and upending living standards in a country that had enjoyed years of growth.

The Turkish lira hit a record low against the dollar on Thursday after the Central Bank cut a key rate by one percentage point. The currency has lost more than a third of its value since March and is the worst-performing major emerging market currency this year so far.

Microsoft Pressures Activision Blizzard

Microsoft Corp.'s videogame boss said the company is evaluating its relationship with Activision Blizzard Inc. in the wake of a Wall Street Journal article about its chief executive's handling of sexual-misconduct issues at the videogame company.

Xbox maker Microsoft made the remarks in a letter to employees Thursday, a day after the head of Sony Group Inc.'s PlayStation business said in a letter to that company's employees that Sony has asked Activision how it plans to address the Journal's reporting.

Write to sarka.halas@wsj.com

Expected Major Events for Friday

00:01/UK: Nov UK Consumer Confidence Survey

06:30/FRA: 3Q ILO Unemployment and Labour Market-related indicators

07:00/NOR: Sep Monthly GDP

07:00/GER: Oct PPI

07:00/UK: Oct UK monthly retail sales figures

07:00/UK: Oct Public sector finances

08:30/SWE: 3Q Industrial capacity utilization

09:00/EU: Sep Euro area balance of payments

09:00/POL: Oct Average gross wages

09:00/ITA: Sep Industrial turnover & orders

10:00/ITA: Sep Balance of Payments

15:59/GRE: Sep Balance of Payments

17:59/POR: Sep Balance of Payments

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This article is a text version of a Wall Street Journal newsletter published earlier today.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

11-19-21 0028ET