Amazon starts selling groceries in the UK.

Apple and Google top UK-based Money magazine's list of most admired companies.

Auchan, Carrefour, C&A, Delhaize, Ikea, and other European retailers sign voluntary sustainable business code.

China's Yingli Green Energy benefits from official World Cup sponsorship.

Classmates.com asks judge to dismiss privacy suit.

Disney invests in language schools in China.

Microsoft is planning to announce layoffs (but not as many as last year).Continue reading...

Coca-Cola's interactive World Cup sign in London's Piccadilly Circus extends its "What's Your Celebration" FIFA campaign with a signboard that displays personalised messages along with live scores and a World Cup news ticker.

Now, members of the public are invited to perform live re-enactments of their goal celebrations on a pop-up Astroturf pitch. The installation will continue through the World Cup's finale on July 11th.

Ericsson is also running a Big Cheer online promotion (at bigcheer.com) to invite World Cup fans from all over the world to cheer on their teams via Twitter, SMS and the Web. All tweets are printed live on confetti in a large glass box, and all participants are eligible to win a SonyEricsson Xperia X10. Check it out after the jump.Continue reading...

Even Kobe Bryant's tongue-in-cheek challenge to the Brazilian team in Nike's latest "Write the Future" spot couldn't save it from getting knocked out by the Netherlands in the quarterfinals on Friday. Brazil responded by sacking its coach, while the Dutch are considered "strong favorites" to beat Uruguay in Cape Town tomorrow. As for why the Dutch favor orange — the color of the Bavaria beer ambush marketing stunt minidresses — click here.

In an exclusive interview answering YouTube fans' questions, Shakira talks about her song being chosen as the official World Cup song instead of a tune by an African artist.

YouTube also fixed a flaw that let hackers create pop-up messages (including the false report that Canadian singer Justin Bieber had died) on videos to redirect them to adult sites.

Bieber's Twitter and website poll on which country he should tour next was also sabotaged by Web pranksters 4Chan to skew votes to send him to North Korea. Yesterday also saw Wikipedia and iTunes attacked by hackers, who appeared to choose the Fourth of July holiday in the U.S. to wreak havoc online.

Brandchannel's top stories of the past week:

• McDonald's McNuggets Under Fire
• CNN Breaking News: Larry King Quits
• AT&T, Verizon, Sprint: It's On
• Toyota's IQ Font Wins Cannes Lion
• Ashton Kutcher, Popchip Culture Czar
• Eager to Start Your Own Agency?
• Is Nike's "Write the Future" Cursed?
• Old Spice Man is Back, with Questions
• Marketers Use England's World Cup Loss
• Twilight Eclipse Products Draw Blood

The curse of Nike's Write the Future ad may be taking down more than just the stars and teams it highlights. The Nike brand itself may now be feeling the bad luck bug brought on by its ambitious ambush (ambushous?) marketing tactics.

While "slow and steady wins the race" or "nice guys don't always finish last"--or choose your sports cliche--Adidas appears to be winning the online marketing battle for hearts and minds during this World Cup. Continue reading...

In his first major public outreach since taking over as BP's executive in charge of the Gulf spill cleanup operations, Bob Dudley answered the public's questions submitted via Google Moderator to YouTube's CitizenTube channel. Thousands of questions were submitted for what VentureBeat called a "candid interview," which was also live-streamed on PBS.org.

NBA star LeBron James met with executives from the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets in Cleveland today, as his free agency circus begins. The Knicks' pitch, among other incentives, highlighted his billion-dollar earnings potential. The Nets, meanwhile, needled the Knicks by buying billboard space across from the Garden.

Apple's iPhone 4 "antenna-gate" glitch prompts class-action lawsuits, could benefit accessory-makers (and Droid X?)Continue reading...

Nike's "Write the Future" curse was spoofed in a fan video, above, as hope rises for Brazil star Robinho to buck the fallen "Write the Future" trend in tomorrow's quarter-final face-off against the Netherlands.

As the World Cup advances to the quarter finals, official FIFA sponsor Adidas is ahead with "four teams wearing its kit (Germany, Argentina, Spain and Paraguay)," notes the Financial Times. Its rivals have only two teams moving ahead: Ghana and Uruguay, in Puma kits; and Brazil and Netherlands, in strips provided by Nike. With Adidas teams playing against each other tomorrow and Saturday, the brand has "a 50:50 chance of appearing in the finals."

With the U.S. out of the running, Nielsen estimates that one-third of Americans have watched some (at least six minutes) 2010 World Cup action. Out-of-home viewing by fans has boosted ESPN and ABC's World Cup viewing figures.Continue reading...