Author: afp

  • Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    Taylor Swift got police escort to London gigs after Austria terror plot

    US star Taylor Swift got a special police escort for her London concerts after an alleged suicide attack plot led to the cancellation of three performances in Vienna.

    Culture Minister Lisa Nandy denied the singer was given preferential treatment, after reports she had a motorbike escort usually reserved for senior members of the royal family and politicians.

    Her denial comes with the new Labour government under attack for accepting free gifts, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was given six tickets to the Swift concert.

    Starmer, who attended the concert with his wife Victoria, announced last week that he had repaid thousands of pounds worth of gifts including the concert tickets.

    But Nandy said the police escort, first reported by The Sun newspaper, was not the result of pressure from senior politicians.

    “I utterly reject that there’s been any kind of wrongdoing or undue influence in this case,” she told Sky News television.

    The interior minister, Yvette Cooper, would not have insisted “any individual got the top level of private security arrangements. That is an operational matter for the police, not for the government,” she said.

    Other Labour politicians who enjoyed free tickets for the “Eras” tour shows included Education Minister Bridget Phillipson, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Nandy herself.

    The Swift tour wrapped up its European leg in August in London following dates across a dozen countries.

    The last month of the Europe tour, however, was marred by the thwarted Austria attack, with authorities there revealing that an Islamic State sympathiser was planning a deadly attack at a concert in Vienna.

    Three suspects were detained and all three August concert dates in Vienna were cancelled after an investigation conducted with the help of US intelligence.

    According to The Sun report, Swift’s mother and manager threatened to axe the London shows in August unless she received the police escort.

    It alleged that the Met Police agreed after “personal interventions from Cooper and Khan”, stressing that any cancellation would be “economically damaging and embarrassing”.

    The Swift tour had been forecast to boost the UK economy by almost £1 billion ($1.3 billion), Barclays bank said in a study entitled “Swiftonomics”.

    London’s Metropolitan Police told AFP the force was “operationally independent” with decisions taken on the basis of a “thorough assessment of threat, risk and harm and the circumstances of each case”.

  • Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing

    Turkish Airlines pilot dies mid-flight, forcing emergency landing

    A Turkish Airlines pilot died after collapsing mid-flight, forcing the Turkish national carrier to make an emergency landing in New York, the airline said on Wednesday.

    The plane had taken off from the western US coastal city of Seattle on Tuesday evening, airline spokesman Yahya Ustun wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

    “The pilot of our Airbus 350… flight TK204 from Seattle to Istanbul collapsed during the flight,” he wrote.

    “After an unsuccessful attempt to give first aid, the flight crew of another pilot and a co-pilot decided to make an emergency landing, but he died before landing.”

    The 59-year-old pilot, who had worked for Turkish Airlines since 2007, had passed a medical examination in March, which gave no indication of any health problems, Ustun wrote.

  • Samsung issues rare apology for poor results in tech ‘crisis’

    Samsung issues rare apology for poor results in tech ‘crisis’

    Samsung Electronics issued a rare apology and acknowledged on Tuesday it was facing a “crisis” over its technological competitiveness, reflected in a disappointing profit guidance, despite a global AI boom.

    Samsung said it expected third-quarter profits to rise to 9.1 trillion won ($6.8 billion), up 274.5 per cent from a year earlier, falling short of market expectations as the company struggles to leverage robust demand for the chips used in artificial intelligence servers.

    “Today, we, the management of Samsung Electronics, would like to first say sorry to you,” Samsung said in a statement signed by Jun Young-hyun, the vice chairman of its device solutions division.

    It said “concerns have arisen about our fundamental technological competitiveness and the future of the company” because of the results.

    “Our management will take the lead in overcoming the crisis […] We will make the serious situation we are currently facing an opportunity for a resurgence.”

    The results are up around three-fold from the same period last year but down nearly 13pc from the previous quarter.

    The rare apology came about a week after the tech giant said it intended to reduce staff in some of its operations in Asia, describing the move as “routine workforce adjustments”.

    Bloomberg reported that the layoffs could affect about 10pc of the workforce in those markets, while other reports claimed the planned move could affect up to 30pc of overseas employees at some operations.

    Samsung has been lagging behind South Korea’s SK hynix when it comes to high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips used in AI chipsets, which could be one of the biggest causes of the profit estimate released on Tuesday, said Kim Dae-jong at Sejong University in Seoul.

    “Given the circumstances, it appears that Samsung has also lost a significant number of (HBM-related) employees to SK hynix,” Kim told AFP.

    The company was facing a “grave situation”, he said.

    Shares in Samsung fell 1.31pc in afternoon trading in Seoul, with its stock down almost 30pc over the past six months.

    ‘Expected decline’

    The Samsung statement said management would “quickly assess and make any necessary adjustments to our workplace culture”.

    The firm is the flagship subsidiary of South Korean giant Samsung Group, by far the largest of the family-controlled conglomerates known as “chaebol” that dominate business in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

    Jene Park, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, said there had been “an expected decline” in Samsung’s memory sector, with delays in supply of the newest chips and general reductions in memory demand.

    Even so, a sharp profit or sales decline was unlikely in the near future, he said. “Samsung plays a significant role in the global supply chain,” Park said.

    The company’s estimate for its sales for the third quarter was seen increasing 17.2pc on-year to 79 trillion won.

    Samsung is expected to release its final earnings report at the end of this month.

  • Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI

    Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI

    American John Hopfield and British-Canadian Geoffrey Hinton won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for pioneering work in the development of artificial intelligence.

    The pair were honored “for foundational discoveries and inventions that enable machine learning with artificial neural networks,” the jury said.

    “This year’s two Nobel Laureates in Physics have used tools from physics to develop methods that are the foundation of today’s powerful machine learning,” the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences said in a statement.

    Hopfield, 91, a professor at Princeton University, was spotlighted for having created “an associative memory that can store and reconstruct images and other types of patterns in data.”

    The jury said Hinton, a 76-year-old professor at the University of Toronto, “invented a method that can autonomously find properties in data, and so perform tasks such as identifying specific elements in pictures.”

    “I’m flabbergasted… I had no idea that could happen,” Hinton told reporters via a phone interview as the winners of the award were announced in Stockholm.
    The pair will receive their prize, consisting of a diploma, a gold medal and a $1 million cheque, from King Carl XVI Gustaf in Stockholm on December 10, the anniversary of the 1896 death of scientist Alfred Nobel who created the prizes in his last will and testament.

    Last year, the Nobel Prize in Physics went to France’s Pierre Agostini, Hungarian-Austrian Ferenc Krausz and Franco-Swede Anne L’Huillier for research using ultra quick light flashes that enable the study of electrons inside atoms and molecules.

    The Nobel season continues this week with the announcement of the winner, or winners, of the chemistry prize on Wednesday — followed by the much-anticipated prizes for literature on Thursday and peace on Friday.

    The Economics Prize winds things up on Monday, October 14.

    Awarded since 1901, the Nobel Prizes honor those who have, in the words of prize creator and scientist Alfred Nobel, “conferred the greatest benefit on humankind.”

  • New ‘Joker’ film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office

    New ‘Joker’ film, a dark musical, tops N.America box office

    Warner Bros.’ “Joker: Folie a Deux,” a dark new musical Batman spinoff, earned an estimated $40 million over the weekend to top the North American box office, industry watchers reported Sunday.

    But that was far behind the $96.2 opening of the original “Joker” in 2019, a movie that earned Joaquin Phoenix a best-actor Oscar and grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Industry analyst David A. Gross called it “a weak opening for the follow-up sequel in a superhero series.”

    “Folie a Deux” — French for “shared madness” — again stars Phoenix as the unbalanced titular villain, this time joined by Lady Gaga (playing the cheerily deranged Harley Quinn) as the two sing, dance and plan assorted acts of mayhem. Todd Phillips directs, and the cast includes Brendan Gleeson and Catherine Keener.

    Last week’s box office leader, family-friendly sci-fi tale “The Wild Robot” from DreamWorks Animation, slipped a spot to second, taking in $18.7 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations estimated.

    Lupita Nyong’o voices Roz, an intelligent robot who is marooned on an uninhabited island and, to survive, has to befriend a menagerie of woodland animals — and ends up adopting an adorable gosling.

    Warner Bros.’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” also slipped a spot, to third, earning $10.3 million.

    Michael Keaton again plays the creepily hilarious title character with Winona Ryder reprising her role as Lydia Deetz, backed by “Beetlejuice” newcomers Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci and Justin Theroux.

    In fourth was Paramount’s animated action film “Transformers One,” the latest installment in the toy-based franchise, at $5.4 million.

    And in fifth, for the second straight week, was “Speak No Evil,” a psychological horror film from Blumhouse and Universal Pictures, at $2.8 million. James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis star.

    Rounding out the top 10 were:

    “White Bird” ($1.5 million)

    “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($1.5 million)

    “The Substance” ($1.3 million)

    “Megalopolis” ($1.1 million)

    “My Old Ass” ($908,000)

  • Emirates bans pagers, walkie-talkies onboard after Lebanon blasts

    Emirates bans pagers, walkie-talkies onboard after Lebanon blasts

    Dubai-based airline Emirates has banned pagers and walkie-talkies onboard its planes following sabotage attacks in Lebanon and extended flight cancellations for Middle East destinations due to regional escalation.

    “All Passengers travelling on flights to, from or via Dubai are prohibited from transporting pagers and walkie-talkies in checked or cabin baggage,” the carrier said, weeks after a wave of exploding communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group, which blamed Israel for the attacks.

    In a statement posted on its website on Friday, Emirates said that “such items found in passengers’ hand luggage or checked baggage will be confiscated by Dubai Police.”

    The blasts last month killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 across Lebanon.

    Emirates, the Middle East’s biggest airline, also announced that its Iraq and Iran routes will remain suspended until Tuesday.

    The cancellations were first announced in the wake of a major Iranian attack on Israel this week that saw missiles flying over Iraq and Iran.

    Emirates said its flights to Jordan, which were also suspended, would resume on Sunday.

    Flights to and from Lebanon will remain suspended until October 15, Emirates said, as Israel steps up attacks on the country, including parts of the capital near its only airport.

    Several other carriers have also put some services to and from Beirut and other Middle East airports on hold.

  • Palestinian activist wins prize for peaceful resistance

    Palestinian activist wins prize for peaceful resistance

    Palestinian activist Issa Amro on Thursday accepted the Right Livelihood prize — considered by some an alternative Nobel — for his “nonviolent resistance to Israel’s illegal occupation” in the West Bank, the jury said.

    Amro was born in the city of Hebron, a flashpoint West Bank city where roughly 1,000 Jewish settlers live under heavy Israeli military protection amid some 200,000 Palestinians.

    He has dedicated his life to fighting against Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

    The 44-year-old founded the Youth Against Settlements group, which campaigns against the proliferation of Jewish settlements in the territory — communities widely regarded as illegal under international law.

    The rights campaigner has been repeatedly detained and tortured by both the Palestinian Authority and by Israel, the foundation said.

    “It’s a miracle that I still exist,” said Amro.

    When Palestine Polytechnic University, where he was studying, closed in 2003 during the Second Intifada, Amro successfully led a six-month civil disobedience campaign.

    “I managed to reopen the university with other students,” Amro said in a statement.

    “I graduated as an engineer and as an activist — it became part of my character,” he added.

    – ‘Non-violent methods’ –

    The Sweden-based Right Livelihood Foundation also honoured Joan Carling, a Filipina champion of indigenous rights and Anabela Lemos, a climate activist from Mozambique.

    It also gave the nod to research agency Forensic Architecture for its work in uncovering human rights violations around the world.

    The foundation said the four prize winners had “each made a profound impact on their communities and the global stage”.

    “Their unwavering commitment to speaking out against forces of oppression and exploitation, while strictly adhering to non-violent methods, resonates far beyond their communities,” Right Livelihood said in a statement.

    Carling from the Philippines was recognised for having defended the rights of indigenous communities for three decades, particularly in their fight against mining projects.

    The foundation celebrated Lemos, who heads the NGO Justica Ambiental (JA!), for her role in opposing liquefied natural gas extraction projects in northern Mozambique.

    Forensic Architecture, a London-based research laboratory known for 3D modelling conflict zones, won the distinction for “pioneering digital forensic methods” to ensure accountability of human rights violations around the world.

    By teaming up with Ukraine’s Center for Spatial Technologies to reconstruct Mariupol’s Drama Theatre before it was destroyed in 2022, the firm highlighted Russia’s “strategies of terror” and “attempts to obscure evidence of their own crimes”, the foundation said.

    Swedish-German philatelist Jakob von Uexkull sold part of his stamp collection to found the Right Livelihood award in 1980, after the foundation behind the Nobel Prizes refused to create new distinctions honouring efforts in the fields of environment and international development.

  • Death toll from Tel Aviv attack rises to seven

    Death toll from Tel Aviv attack rises to seven

    A man wounded in a shooting and stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv has died, the medical centre where he was being treated said Wednesday, bringing the number of fatalities up to seven.

    “The injured person came to us in a critical condition, suffering from multi-system damage, and after doctors fought for his life, they had to pronounce him dead a short while ago,” a statement from Ichilov Medical Centre in Tel Aviv said.

    On Tuesday, Israeli police said six people were killed and 17 others wounded in the attack, which took place near Tel Aviv’s light rail station in Jaffa.

    The attack came as Iran fired a barrage of missiles at Israel, sending hundreds of thousands of Israelis into shelters.

    Police on Wednesday published the two attackers’ names and said they were residents of the Palestinian city of Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

    The attackers “began their killing spree when they entered the carriage of the light train that stopped at the station and fired at the passengers,” police said in a statement on Wednesday.

    The two were armed with an M16 weapon, cartridges and a knife and continued on foot until police “neutralised” them, it added.

    One of the attackers was shot dead, and the other was seriously wounded, it said.

    Overnight, the Israeli security agency and the army arrested several suspects in Hebron and Jerusalem believed to have aided the two attackers.

    Israeli media identified three of the seven victims as Israeli citizens: Shahar Goldman, 30, Inbar Segev Vigder, 33, and Revital Bornstein, 24. A fourth was reportedly a Georgian citizen.

    Palestinian militants have carried out several attacks on Israelis since October 7, when the Islamist group Hamas attacked southern Israel, sparking war in the Gaza Strip.

    Palestinian attacks have since killed at least 26 Israelis, including members of the security forces, Israeli officials say.

    Violence in the West Bank has also surged.

    According to the Palestinian health ministry, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 682 people in raids or attacks in the West Bank since October 7.

    Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and its forces regularly make incursions into Palestinian communities, which often result in heavy clashes between troops and militants.

  • Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India

    Coldplay ticket scalping fiasco sparks backlash in India

    British rock band Coldplay’s upcoming tour of India has triggered a police investigation and dismayed fans after scalpers bought up cheap tickets to resell online for more than $1,000 apiece.

    Thousands of music fans tried and failed to buy tickets for three concerts scheduled in financial hub Mumbai next January, sold by popular Indian online ticket portal BookMyShow.

    All three shows sold out in minutes, and those who missed out were infuriated when they saw $70 (6,000-rupee) tickets appear on resale websites at vastly inflated prices.

    “The tickets are being sold at 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the price that is being sold on the website itself,” student Anna Abraham, 19, told AFP.

    “I wouldn’t feel good about it myself if I knew that I paid for something 30 times more than what I could have paid for.”

    Local media reports said BookMyShow’s chief operating officer was questioned by police Monday after a complaint brought by Mumbai lawyer Amit Vyas, who claimed the vendor was working with “black marketeers” to make an extra windfall on ticket sales.

    “I checked with nearly 100 people who I know are regulars at concerts, none of them had gotten a ticket,” Vyas said, according to the Indian Express newspaper.

    “This made me suspicious. I then decided to approach the police as I knew that something was amiss.”

    BookMyShow issued a statement after the public backlash began last week, saying it had “no association” with unauthorised ticket selling.

    “Scalping and black marketing of tickets is strictly condemned and punishable by law in India and BookMyShow vehemently opposes this practice,” the company said.

    Controversies surrounding tickets for major international musical or sporting events are not new.

    US megastar Taylor Swift lashed out at Ticketmaster in 2022 following fan anger over sales to concerts staged for her globe-spanning ‘The Eras Tour’.

    The debacle sparked debate over the Ticketmaster’s privileged position in the industry amid fan complaints of hidden fees, rampant ticket scalping and limited tickets due to presales.

  • Lebanon PM calls for ceasefire with Israel

    Lebanon PM calls for ceasefire with Israel

    Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday called for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot in Beirut.

    “The key to the solution is to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to revive the appeal launched by the United States and France… in favour of a ceasefire,” Mikati said, according to a statement from his office.

    Barrot arrived in Beirut Sunday, the first foreign diplomat to visit Lebanon since Israel escalated its strikes against Hezbollah strongholds.

    Mikati added that the “priority is applying resolution 1701” of the United Nations Security Council, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

    The French envoy’s visit came as a deadly strike hit a building in the centre of the Lebanese capital.

    Israeli strikes have been largely concentrated on Hezbollah’s strongholds in the south and east of the country and in south Beirut.