Register

    Actor Sacha Baron Cohen, wife fund help for Syria victims

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments932 Views
    In a Sunday Jan. 27, 2013 file photo, Sacha Baron Cohen, left, and his wife Isla Fisher pose in the audience at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP, File)
    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Actors Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife, Isla Fisher, are donating $1 million to Save the Children and the International Rescue Committee to support victims of the conflict in Syria.

    Save the Children has announced that one-half of the sum will fund a program vaccinating more than 250,000 children against a potential measles outbreak in Northern Syria.

    The other half of the donation will go toward supporting families, with a special concern for women and children, both inside Syria and in neighboring countries. That money will go toward education, health care, shelter and sanitation, Save the Children said.

    Cohen, 44, starred in comedy features including "Borat" and "The Dictator." Fisher, 39, appeared in "Confessions of a Shopaholic" and the Netflix comedy series "Arrested Development."

    Tags:Sacha Baron Cohen



    DirecTV calls off acquisition of rival Dish, possibly ending a yearslong pursuit

    Friday, November 22, 2024
    Dish Network satellite dishes are shown at an apartment complex in Palo Alto, Calif., Feb. 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

    DirecTV is calling off its planned acquisition of rival Dish after the offer was rejected by bond holders at that company.

    The deal was reliant on Dish bond holders agreeing to trade in the debt they held for debt in the new company, a swap that would have cost them about $1.6 billion, collectively.

    The retreat by DirecTV this week may end a years-long effort by the company to acquire both Dish and Sling after it announced the bid in September.

    DirecTV was looking to acquire Dish TV and Sling TV from its owner EchoStar in a debt exchange transaction that included a payment of $1, plus the assumption of approximately $9.8 billion in debt. The deal was contingent on several factors, including regulatory approvals and bondholders writing off debt related to Dish.

    "While we believed a combination of DirecTV and Dish would have benefited all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed exchange terms were necessary to protect DirecTV's balance sheet and our operational flexibility," DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in a statement.

    The prospect of a DirecTV-Dish combo has long been rumored, and reported talks resurfaced over the years. And the two almost merged more than two decades ago — but the Federal Communications Commission blocked the deal valued at the time at $18.5 billion deal, citing antitrust concerns.

    The pay-for-TV market has shifted significantly since. As more and more consumers tune into online streaming platforms, demand for more traditional satellite entertainment continues to shrink.

    DirecTV says that it will continue to invest in next-generation streaming platforms and offer new packaging options while integrating content from live TV alongside direct-to-consumer... Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment