Connect with us

Technology

Pizza Hut Debuts First-Ever BOOK IT!® App

Published

on

The revitalized summer reading program, “BOOK IT! Summer of Stories™,” launches June 1, offering free Personal Pan Pizzas® to young readers during the summer months

PLANO, Texas, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — For the first time in BOOK IT!’s 40-year history, Pizza Hut, LLC, proudly announces the launch of the BOOK IT! app — now available in all available app stores. The new app officially launched this month and is designed to help parents keep their children engaged in reading all summer long. This new digital tool empowers families to track progress of their child’s reading, set goals and earn pizza rewards all while preventing the “Summer Slide.” 

The Summer Slide is a well-documented dip in reading skills that many children experience during school breaks. Combined over the years, research shows that by the time a student reaches middle school, they’ve lost the equivalent of 2 years of learning to summer slide. *  

The BOOK IT! app is part of Pizza Hut’s revitalized summer reading program named, “BOOK IT! Summer of Stories,” which officially launches June 1. The initiative encourages parents to stay engaged with their child’s reading journey and sharpen their literacy skills throughout the summer months. Parents can set monthly reading goals specifically designed to support children from Pre-K through 6th grade and cater toward their child’s unique abilities while monitoring their progress.

Pizza Hut believes every story deserves a great reward, and through this program, young readers can earn one free Personal Pan Pizza® each month in June, July, and August by reaching the reading goals parents set for each month.

“BOOK IT! has inspired a love for reading in millions of children since 1984,” said Lucila Cuello, Chief People and Culture Officer, Pizza Hut U.S. “Now, with the launch of the BOOK IT! app, we’re making it even easier for parents to connect with their kids, set meaningful reading goals and inspire plenty of fun pizza-filled memories with their families. This new platform will help keep reading goals top of mind this summer — and turn progress into pizza!”

To participate, families can download the BOOK IT! app from their preferred app store, set their child’s June reading goal by June 1 and kick off their child’s “BOOK IT! Summer of Stories” reading adventure. Every page turned brings children closer to earning their monthly pizza reward, helping to establish a lifelong love of reading. 

For more information about BOOK IT! and the “BOOK IT! Summer of Stories” program, please visit www.bookitprogram.com. And to stay up to date on all things Pizza Hut, visit www.pizzahut.com or follow the brand on social media on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

*Source: iD Tech

About Pizza Hut® 
Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), was founded in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas, and is a global leader in the pizza category with nearly 20,000 restaurants in more than 110 markets and territories. The brand has earned a reputation as a trailblazer in innovation with the creation of icons like Original® Pan and Original® Stuffed Crust pizzas. In 1994, Pizza Hut pizza was the very first online food order, and today Pizza Hut continues leading the way in the digital and technology space with over half of transactions worldwide coming from digital orders. In addition, Pizza Hut has Hut Rewards®, the brand’s loyalty program in the U.S. that offers points for every dollar spent on food any way you order. Leveraging its global presence, Pizza Hut also works to positively impact its employees, the communities it serves and the environment through commitments across three priority areas: More Equity, Less Carbon and Better Packaging.

For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. You can remain up-to-date on what’s happening at Pizza Hut by following us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and subscribing to our YouTube channel.

About BOOK IT!®
Launched by Pizza Hut® in 1984, the BOOK IT!® Program is one of the nation’s longest-running corporate-supported reading initiative. Designed for children in Pre-K through 6th grade, the program motivates young readers to achieve literacy goals by rewarding their accomplishments with a free, one-topping Personal Pan Pizza® from participating locations. 

For more than 40 years, BOOK IT! has inspired over 70 million children to develop a love of reading, distributing over 1.5 billion in free Personal Pan Pizzas along the way. Today, the program continues to empower families and educators through both its traditional in-school format and the newly launched BOOK IT! app, a digital platform that makes it easy for parents to set reading goals, track progress and reward achievements at home. 

For more information or to enroll, visit www.bookitprogram.com. Stay connected by following BOOK IT! on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

MEDIA CONTACT
ALISON BROD MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
pizza@abmc-us.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/pizza-hut-debuts-first-ever-book-it-app-302465451.html

SOURCE Pizza Hut

Continue Reading

Technology

Chungnam Partners with Digital Travel Platform Agoda to Welcome World Youth Day Visitors

Published

on

By

The province signed an MOU with Agoda on November 6 to attract domestic and international visitors in connection with World Youth Day 2027

SINGAPORE, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chungnam Province is partnering with digital travel platform Agoda to attract domestic and international visitors ahead of World Youth Day 2027, a major international youth event that South Korea will be hosting for the first time.

World Youth Day is one of the largest gatherings of young people in the world. Its 2027 edition will take place in Seoul from August 3 to 8 and is expected to draw about 500,000 registered participants — including roughly 400,000 from 190 countries and 100,000 from within South Korea[1]. The partnership aims to leverage the occasion to draw international and domestic visitors to Chungnam and build wider awareness of the province’s tourism offerings through Agoda’s global network.

On November 6, the provincial government signed a memorandum of understanding with Agoda at the Provincial Government Office’s situation room. Attendees included Governor Park Soo-hyun and Jay Lee, Agoda’s representative for Northeast Asia.

Under the agreement, the two parties will cooperate on:

Joint integrated marketing campaigns in key global markets through Agoda’s website, mobile app and other platform channels.Joint planning and development of themed tourism products tailored to individual markets in connection with World Youth Day.Strengthening the global competitiveness of Chungnam’s tourism brand.Promoting Chungnam’s tourist attractions and accommodation facilities globally and driving online sales, helping local accommodation providers reach international travelers.Analyzing tourism demand and sharing marketing results.

In particular, the parties plan to leverage Agoda’s global platform reach and market insights to develop tourism marketing campaigns tailored to the needs and preferences of international visitors traveling to Korea for World Youth Day 2027.

Through the agreement, the province expects to expand domestic and international promotion through Agoda’s platform, raise awareness of Chungnam as a tourism destination, and translate that awareness into actual visits. It also expects the partnership to help local tourism businesses expand their online sales channels and strengthen their global marketing capabilities.

“World Youth Day is an excellent opportunity to introduce Chungnam’s appeal to young people around the world,” Governor Park said. “Together with Agoda, we will work to make Chungnam a destination that travelers worldwide want to visit and help the province’s tourism industry achieve tangible results.”

Jay Lee, Senior Director, North Asia at Agoda said: “World Youth Day offers a powerful opportunity to put Chungnam on the global travel map and inspire a new generation to discover more of Korea. By connecting travelers with places to stay, cultural attractions and practical travel information on Agoda, we aim to make Chungnam a compelling part of their journey. This partnership supports our broader ambition to help travelers discover Korea beyond its major destinations and bring the benefits of tourism to more local communities.”

Following the signing, the province plans to recruit accommodation operators and encourage participation from a diverse range of properties, taking into account accommodation demand and property types across its cities and counties.

In the first half of 2027, the province also plans to hold regional workshops for participating accommodation businesses and facility operators to share information on World Youth Day accommodation demand and operational arrangements, and to gather feedback from participants.

Drawing on the accommodation recruitment and survey results, as well as feedback from the workshops, the province will secure the accommodation needed during World Youth Day and develop detailed operational plans.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/chungnam-partners-with-digital-travel-platform-agoda-to-welcome-world-youth-day-visitors-302933000.html

SOURCE Agoda

Continue Reading

Technology

From ambition to implementation: 16 global organizations unite at COP31 to champion International Standards in the climate action agenda

Published

on

By

ANTALYA, Türkiye, Nov. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As COP 31 gets underway today, leading standards organizations IEC, ISO and ULSE, along with 13 other international partners, will reconvene the Standards Pavilion in Antalya, Türkiye, continuing joint efforts to position International Standards at the heart of climate implementation as practical tools for effective and accountable action.

This year marks the third edition of the Standards Pavilion at COP, with 16 standards bodies, international organizations, UN agencies and private sector coalitions partnering to champion credible, transparent and interoperable solutions for a sustainable future.

COP31 marks a pivotal moment in global climate negotiations, with a focus on implementation and the clean energy transition. Standards provide essential infrastructure to help turn high-level ambition into accountable, measurable and verified climate action.

Building on the momentum of previous COPs, the Pavilion will bring together policymakers, international organizations, business leaders and standards experts to explore how standards can support climate implementation across sectors, strengthen trust and transparency, and help solutions scale across borders.

“COP31 is about accelerating implementation, and that requires practical tools that work across technologies, sectors and borders,” said Philippe Metzger, IEC Secretary-General & CEO. “We want to show policymakers and business leaders that many of the tools needed to deliver climate action already exist, and that using them can help turn commitments into measurable progress. International Standards provide the technical foundations that help solutions scale safely and effectively, particularly as the clean energy transition accelerates.”

“The challenge now is not only setting climate ambition, but delivering it consistently and credibly around the world,” said Sergio Mujica, ISO Secretary-General. “International Standards provide globally agreed frameworks that help governments and businesses translate commitments into action, measure progress and build trust in the results. At COP31, our focus is on implementation – showing how standards can help turn global goals into practical action across countries, sectors and supply chains.”

The Standards Pavilion at COP31 aims to:

Empower climate action by providing the trusted tools that make progress measurable and accountable.Amplify impact by showcasing how standards drive real outcomes in policy, finance and implementation.Harmonize solutions by aligning approaches across countries, sectors, and reporting systems.Demonstrate global leadership by building alliances and fostering collaboration for a more sustainable future.

 “Advancing climate solutions requires technologies and approaches that are safe, reliable, and built on trust,” said Jeff Marootian, president and CEO of UL Standards & Engagement. “Standards play a critical role in that process, helping translate innovation and scientific knowledge into practical, measurable approaches that can be implemented at scale. COP31 is an important opportunity to highlight how standards can help accelerate the adoption of emerging technologies, strengthen confidence in climate solutions, and ensure progress is grounded in safety.”

Attendees can visit the Standards Pavilion – the dedicated space at COP31 for advancing climate action with standards, in the Blue Zone – D620. More information via www.standardspavilion.org/.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/from-ambition-to-implementation-16-global-organizations-unite-at-cop31-to-champion-international-standards-in-the-climate-action-agenda-302929114.html

SOURCE ISO

Continue Reading

Technology

Tencent Cloud Named a Leader in the Inaugural Gartner® Magic Quadrant for Edge Distribution Platforms

Published

on

By

SHENZHEN, China, Nov. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Gartner has published its inaugural Magic Quadrant™ for Edge Distribution Platforms report, naming Tencent Cloud a Leader for EdgeOne, its edge security and acceleration platform. Tencent’s Ability to Execute and Completeness of Vision are the reasons why it was named a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Edge Distribution Platforms.

A Global Distributed Network Underpinning Secure, Accelerated Delivery

Built on more than 3,200 edge nodes across over 70 countries and a backbone network of more than 400 Tbps, EdgeOne carries both inbound China traffic and international traffic, delivering a low-latency, highly resilient digital experience that serves as a network cornerstone for enterprises expanding overseas or entering the Chinese market.

On this network, EdgeOne serves enterprise customers across finance, media, e-commerce, logistics, ticketing, aviation, and hospitality, with standout results in latency-critical industries such as gaming and video. In gaming, IDC’s cloud gaming market research shows that Tencent Cloud CDN services running on EdgeOne have ranked first in China by revenue for four consecutive years and first in game download distribution scale. EdgeOne secures more than 10,000 games worldwide, delivering a stable, smooth experience for over 35 million pre-registered players of Neverness to Everness, providing distribution and security support for over 5.2 million pre-registered players of Mecha BREAK during its global open beta, and helping Delta Force fend off hundreds of large-scale attacks. In video, 80% of China’s top 10 outbound social video apps by scale run on EdgeOne, serving global leaders such as BeLive Technology, DONUTS, Bilibili, and Tencent Music Entertainment Group.

From Hosting to Inference: Bringing AI Applications to Market Faster at the Edge

In this evaluation, we feel Gartner focused on how well edge platforms support AI workloads. As agents move rapidly into production and inference shifts closer to users, EdgeOne has been recognized for two AI advances: the rapid launch of Makers, which helps websites and agents go live faster and reflects strong market responsiveness, and Booster, which runs inference in real time at the edge, closer to users, and demonstrates the strength of its edge inference platform.

As vibe coding takes off, a growing wave of newly generated agents is moving into production, creating new demands for instant deployment and hosting. Makers extends hosting from web pages to agents, letting enterprises deploy and go live quickly without building their own infrastructure, with global acceleration and security protection on by default. Makers now serves more than 500,000 users and over one million hosted sites, and can batch-deploy tens of thousands of assets — static HTML pages, full-stack websites, and more — for a single customer, supporting corporate websites, cross-border e-commerce, and AI SaaS, as well as agent launches and website modernization across healthcare, government, legal, and education.

Booster extends the global distributed infrastructure from content delivery to AI compute, running inference on edge nodes close to the business. For latency- and concurrency-sensitive workloads such as voice interaction, real-time interactive video, image and video generation, embodied AI data annotation, and game AI NPCs, Booster reduces network latency by more than 50%, cuts time-to-first-token by more than 70%, and boosts peak real-time concurrency by three to five times — all through a single integration that also brings acceleration and security protection.

Booster is now deployed across embodied AI, film and video, and outbound short-drama production, helping enterprises speed up real-time interaction, scale compute elastically for major events, and break through content-production bottlenecks. In embodied AI, robot voice-interaction inference runs on EdgeOne edge nodes, cutting first-word response time by 30%, reducing interaction jitter by 4.6x, and keeping end-to-end latency within one second. In film and video, EdgeOne provides on-demand, scalable inference for 4D Gaussian cloud reconstruction at major events. In outbound short-drama, AI dubbing platforms connect to Booster to support global delivery.

In addition, EdgeOne was recently named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for Worldwide Managed Edge Services, Tencent Cloud was also named a Representative Vendor in two Gartner Market Guides — Cloud Web Application and API Protection, and Edge Distribution Platforms — and has seen related capabilities incorporated into 3GPP international standards. Looking ahead, EdgeOne will keep extending its global network, security, and edge computing capabilities toward AI, helping more enterprises connect with users worldwide and accelerate AI adoption.

Gartner Disclaimer

Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Edge Distribution Platforms, By Amol Nerlekar, Brandon Medford, Jimmy Chuang, 4 November 2026

Gartner, Market Guide for Cloud Web Application and API Protection, By Esraa ElTahawy, Adam Hils, Dale Koeppen, 8 June 2026

Gartner, Market Guide for Edge Distribution Platforms, By Amol Nerlekar, Peter Kjeldsen, Brandon Medford, 17 November 2025

Gartner and Magic Quadrant are trademarks of Gartner, Inc., and/or its affiliates.

Gartner does not endorse any company, vendor, product or service depicted in its publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s business and technology insights organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this publication, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

The Gartner document is available upon request from Tencent Cloud.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tencent-cloud-named-a-leader-in-the-inaugural-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-edge-distribution-platforms-302932950.html

SOURCE Tencent Cloud

Continue Reading

Trending