NEWS

Around North America in seven stories…

ENTERTAINMENT

MAVERICK RESURRECTS US BOX OFFICE

TOM CRUISE AND his beloved Top Gun Maverick, the long awaited and excellent sequel to the 1986 classic, has saved movie theaters across the US this summer.

The high-octane thriller has accounted for a staggering 23 percent of the domestic summer box office.

The hugely unexpected overperformance of Maverick has swooped in to save the day from an extremely product-starved, bleak, catastrophe of a summer for US cinemas. The commercial reception of Tom Cruise’s legacy sequel is the summer movie miracle theaters needed to stay afloat.

Its jaw-dropping performance has seen it become the seventh highest grossing film of all time in the US, and the biggest ever for Paramount as a studio.

AEROSPACE

INTERGALACTIC EQUALITY

NEXT MONTH, NASA will send a new crew into space, and for the first time ever there will be a Native American woman aboard.

Astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann, from the Wailacki of the Round Valley Indian Tribes, will be responsible for all phases of flight in her role as mission commander.

The crew aims to reach the International Space Station on 29 September.

Additionally, in 2020 Mann was selected to be in a pool of astronauts eligible for Nasa’s Artemis program that will send humans to the Moon.

AUTOMOTIVE

CHARGER THAN LIFE

ICONIC AMERICAN CAR manufacturer Dodge, has unveiled a new concept car called the Charger Daytona SRT. It is set to be its first all-electric muscle car and expected sometime in 2024.

This new supercar will replace Dodge’s current gas-powered Challenger and Charger muscle cars. It also features several new technologies meant to make it feel and drive like a traditional muscle car.

The concept vehicle resembles a futuristic, yet retro, version of the current Dodge Challenger with a more aerodynamic, but muscular, design.

TECHNOLOGY

MICROSOFT BOOTS UP NEW HQ

THIS MONTH, MICROSOFT celebrated the official opening of its new Canadian headquarters. The new HQ reflects the significant investments the company has made over the past four years across Canada.

Microsoft chose Toronto for its new Canadian headquarters because of its strong technology ecosystem, depth of multicultural talent and extensive network of globally recognized universities. The 132,000 square foot state-of-the-art office has been designed to both engage with the community and support Microsoft’s inclusive hybrid culture.

FOOD & DRINK

BEER A DOUBT DURING DEADLY DROUGHT

MEXICO’S PRESIDENT HAS proposed a ban on beer brewing as the nation’s drought intensifies.

The president has declared that beer in northern parts of the country will cease to be produced as the region faces intense water shortages.

Much of northern Mexico is under severe drought warnings, which has left major cities such as Monterrey rationing water. Mexico is currently the world’s largest exporter of beer, shipping over USD five billion of beer in 2021. As a result, the ban may bring catastrophic ramifications for the country’s economy.

TRANSPORT

BETTER FREIGHT THAN NEVER

UBER HAS DECLARED that the autonomous trucking future is almost upon us, to directly counter the ongoing truck driver shortage across the US.

Uber’s trucking logistics and supply chain management strand believes that autonomous trucking is the key to solving the driver shortage crisis.

“We’re getting ready for the future with drivers that will be available on both sides of the autonomous freight, available to pick up and drop off the freight that is being hauled by the autonomous truck, by providing a network of drop trails on both ends,” said Lior Ron, the head of Uber Freight.

RETAIL

SNEAKER FEUD BEGINS TO HEEL

SPORTS BRAND BEHEMOTHS Nike and Adidas have finally settled a series of US patent disputes over sports trainer technology.

The conflict between the two companies started last year when Nike filed a suit in Oregon claiming that Adidas was infringing on several of its footwear patents, namely its knitted shoe technology.

Adidas then filed its own countersuit in June, claiming that Nike intentionally infringed on nine patents related to athletic technology, such as Nike’s Run Club app.

All the court filings say the dispute has now been settled, while details of the settlement have not yet been revealed.