Author: AFP
Ruben Amorim is expected to be confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager on Thursday after the club reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon, reports said. The Athletic said the 39-year-old would stay with the Portuguese league leaders for their next three games, including next week’s Champions League match against Manchester City. He is expected to take charge at Old Trafford during the November international break, with his first game set to be United’s away trip to Ipswich on November 24. Sky Sports said it was understood the Premier League club had paid Sporting an extra one million euros over and…
The United States announced on Wednesday that it is sanctioning hundreds of so-called “third party enablers” that facilitate the evasion of sanctions placed on Russia for its launching of an all out war with Ukraine in February 2022. A total of 400 entities and individuals, including 120 sanctioned by the State Department, 270 by Treasury and 40 from the Commerce Department, were listed. The sanctions’ targets include entities and individuals in China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, the statement said. The US Treasury Department said its list spanned 17 jurisdictions and included China, Switzerland, Thailand and…
Finance ministers of the G7 nations vowed Saturday to step up efforts to prevent Russia from evading sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine. “We remain committed to taking further initiatives in response to oil price cap violations,” the group said in a statement following a meeting in Washington. Those further steps were not spelled out in detail. In December 2022, the G7 together with the European Union and Australia agreed to pressure purchasers of Russian oil to not go above a certain price ceiling. The agreement was intended to limit Russian petroleum sales and revenues without curbing exports so…
A severe outbreak of E. Coli linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder burgers has expanded to 75 reported cases, mainly in the western United States, authorities said Friday. The number of hospitalizations has risen to 22, though no additional deaths have been reported beyond that of an elderly patient in Colorado, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). One child and one adult developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that damages blood vessels in the kidneys. Investigators have yet to confirm a specific ingredient as the contamination source, though they…
Apple risks billions of euros in fines after the European Union on Monday accused the iPhone maker of violating the bloc’s landmark digital rules by hindering competition on its App Store. The European Commission informed Apple in a “preliminary view” that the “App Store rules… prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content”. The finding opens a new front in the increasingly bitter fight between the US tech giant and Brussels over the EU’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA), and may force changes to the way the App Store operates in the bloc. On…
Apple on Friday said it would delay the rollout of its recently announced AI features in Europe because of “regulatory uncertainties” linked to the EU’s new landmark legislation to curb the power of big tech. Citing the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a spokesperson for the iPhone-making juggernaut said “we do not believe that we will be able to roll out these features to our EU users this year.” Apple earlier this month unveiled “Apple Intelligence,” its suite of AI features for its coveted devices as it looks to reassure users that it is not falling behind on the…
Nintendo surprised fans on Tuesday by announcing a new chapter in its 40-year-old “Zelda” saga, one of the Japanese video game giant’s biggest cash-cows. During an event broadcast on the web, the firm said “The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom” would be scheduled for release on the Switch console on September 26. Eiji Aonuma, producer of the Zelda series, said on the webcast that fans would be able to play as Princess Zelda herself rather than the elf-like warrior Link — a first for an official entry into the game’s cannon. “This time around Link has vanished and it’s…
Apple on Monday unveiled “Apple Intelligence,” inserting artificial intelligence capabilities into the software powering its coveted lineup of devices. “Recent developments in generative intelligence and large language models offer powerful capabilities that provide the opportunity to take the experience of using Apple products to new heights,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said as he opened an annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple executives stressed privacy safeguards have been built into Apple Intelligence to make its Siri digital assistant and other products smarter, while not pilfering user data.
McDonald’s has lost a legal battle against an Irish fast food chain after a top EU court ruled Wednesday that the global chain could not exclusively call its chicken burgers “Big Mac”. The long-running fight began in 2017 when Supermac’s of Ireland sought to have McDonald’s “Big Mac” trademark revoked in the European Union, after the US giant opposed the Irish chain’s own trademark application in the bloc. The EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) initially upheld Supermac’s application, but later on appeal reaffirmed the trademark protection for McDonald’s “Big Mac” hamburgers. On Wednesday, the Luxembourg-based General Court altered the EUIPO’s…
France authorities have banned Israeli defence firms from exhibiting at a trade show next month near Paris, organisers said on Friday. “By decision of the government authorities, there will be no stand for the Israeli defence industry at the Eurosatory 2024 fair,” organisers Coges Events said. Neither Coges nor the defence ministry provided an explanation. Seventy-four Israeli firms had been set to be represented at the event from June 17 to 21 at fairgrounds close to Paris’ main international airport, with Coges previously saying around 10 of them were to exhibit weapons. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli embassy said it…