America’s Got Talent 2024: Sacred Riana’s Haunting Magic Yet Stuns Judges Speechless and Fans Amazed
Simon Cowell begs Listerine to bring back original mouthwash in bizarre video
Olivia Petter
July 11, 2023 at 7:57 PM
Simon Cowell has confused fans by posting a plea to Listerine on social media, begging the company to bring one of its original products back to the UK.
On Instagram, the music industry mogul shared a short clip of himself in his bathroom holding an empty bottle of the Listerine Original mouthwash.
“I’ve run out of Listerine,” Cowell began, speaking in a serious tone. “This is the original. You don’t sell it anymore in the UK, I don’t know why because it’s the best.
“Could you please, please bring it back? I’m begging you.”
In the caption, Cowell tagged the American brand and wrote: “@LISTERINE I’VE COMPLETELY RUN OUT, PLEASE BRING IT BACK TO THE UK !!!!!!!”
The post has baffled the 63-year-old’s 2.2 million followers, many of whom have commented underneath asking him why he felt compelled to share it.
“Best Ad ever,” commented Canadian comedian Howie Mandel.
“Seriously??…I can send u some from this side of the world Simon,” a fan wrote.
“I’d be happy to ship you some from Canada….” another offered.
Advertisement
Some people even questioned whether or not it was really him in the video, asking whether it might have been AI.
“Is this really him?” one person asked.
This is AI…no way is that Simon Cowell
— Emma Butler (@EmmaRoseButler) July 10, 2023
“Clever of Listerine to create a viral campaign using AI to generate Cowell’s face. Bravo,” another teased.
The Independent has contacted Listerine for comment.
Cowell’s video comes after he reflected on his 2020 E-bike injury, which resulted in six hours of surgery after he broke his back.
The Britain’s Got Talent judge was testing an electric bicycle at his home in Malibu when the accident happened. He then required surgery to have a metal rod put into his back in order to stabilise it.
“It was painful, it wasn’t great,” he told the TODAY show in an interview in May with fellow America’s Got Talent judges.
“However, I was so unfit before the accident,” he continued. “I didn’t know how unfit I was until I had to do all this stuff afterwards. And I’m like, ‘My God.’ Things like that, I believe happened for a reason.”
When asked whether or not the accident meant he would stop cycling, Cowell replied: “I’m still gonna stay on my bike. I’m obsessed with these things.”
This is despite the fact that Cowell had a second crash in 2022 on a road near his west London home.
Vietnam to introduce new taxes on real estate to curb speculation
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed the Ministry of Finance to develop policies to limit real estate speculation and improve oversight of construction projects.
February 7, 2025 at 17:28:17
ZaloFacebookTwitterPrintCopy link
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) – Vietnam is considering new taxes on real estate to address rising prices and mitigate speculation, after prior initiatives were postponed amid public backlash.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has directed the Ministry of Finance to develop policies to limit real estate speculation and improve oversight of construction projects.
Reports have indicated that some regions have seen prices rise beyond residents’ financial capabilities, driven by speculative behaviour that distorts market information.
Certain developers have taken advantage of limited property availability, inflating prices significantly, he said.
The PM has tasked the ministry with proposing tax measures to address these issues, including a potential tax on the gap between land use fees and sale prices.
The PM has also urged the State Bank of Vietnam to tighten credit for speculators to prevent real estate price bubbles.
He mandated stricter credit quality control regulations, requiring banks to provide detailed reports on real estate loans for better risk monitoring.
He also proposed lower lending caps, higher equity payment ratios, and increased interest rates for those owning multiple properties to reduce speculative borrowing.
The Ministry of Public Security has been asked to strictly enforce land auction regulations, targeting those spreading false information to inflate prices and defraud the public.
The PM ordered that a report on this initiative be due by April 30.
The recent surge in land auction prices in suburban areas has led to winning bids significantly exceeding starting prices, negatively impacting the real estate market’s healthy development.
Many regions are facing an imbalance, with an oversupply of shophouses and villas alongside a critical shortage of affordable housing, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
At the end of 2024, Vietnamese lawmakers proposed tax policies targeting individuals who own multiple properties or leave real estate vacant, amid the persistent rise in housing prices across various localities.
The Ministry of Construction has recently proposed a tax on individuals owning multiple properties to mitigate speculation, a proposal supported by the Ministry of Finance, which plans further study.
The Ministry of Finance had also proposed a 0.03% tax on homes valued over 500 million VND (19,607 USD) in the 2009 draft Law on House and Land Tax.
Most recently, public feedback was recently sought on a new Property Tax Law, offering two thresholds: 700 million VND or 1 billion VND, with tax rates of 0.3% or 0.4%.
However, these proposals faced mixed public reactions, leading to their postponement.
The tax reform is part of Vietnam’s broader tax system reform strategy by 2030, approved by the PM.
Experts have, however, urged caution against high taxes, raising interest rates, or tightening credit for real estate due to limited housing supply.
Dr. Le Xuan Nghia said: “Without increased supply, such measures will only drive prices higher as buyers are willing to accept higher costs when supply is low.”
He called for a long-term housing finance strategy, particularly for social housing.
To improve the social and low-cost housing sectors, there needs to be an open mechanism for development and favourable financial policies for buyers.
Previous efforts, such as a 120 trillion VND lending package, failed due to high interest rates and short terms.
Dr. Can Van Luc, BIDV’s chief economist, urged prompt implementation of relevant laws to boost supply and address market issues, such as land valuation and bad debt, to ensure sustainable real estate development./.
