Latest news with #European
The Sun
42 minutes ago
- Business
- The Sun
Lyon can play in Europe if relegation appeal succeeds
LYON could still compete in European football next season if their appeal against relegation to Ligue 2 succeeds, the club confirmed on Friday. The decision follows an agreement with UEFA on financial sustainability measures. Earlier this week, the French financial watchdog DNCG demoted Lyon despite their sixth-place finish in Ligue 1, which initially secured Europa League qualification. The club immediately announced plans to appeal. 'Olympique Lyonnais completed the financial sustainability procedure and signed an agreement with the UEFA Club financial control body,' the club stated. 'The club could therefore participate in next season's Europa League, subject to a favourable outcome of the appeal of the DNCG decision.' A source familiar with negotiations revealed Lyon faces a 12.5-million-euro fine, with an additional 37.5 million euros suspended pending financial targets. UEFA had been monitoring Lyon since November when the DNCG first flagged financial concerns. In May, UEFA imposed a 200,000-euro penalty on Lyon for unpaid dues to clubs, employees, and tax authorities. Despite failing to sway the DNCG, UEFA has provisionally cleared Lyon for European competition. The club has seven days to appeal once officially notified of the DNCG ruling. Lyon confirmed they are yet to receive formal notification.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump warns US will strike again if Iran resumes high-level uranium enrichment
But in a Truth Social post Friday, Trump lashed out at Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, for claiming in remarks to his people that Iran had prevailed in its conflict against Israel and the United States. Advertisement Trump called Khamenei's assertion 'a lie' and said that he had spared the Iranian leader's life. He said he 'knew EXACTLY' where Khamenei was sheltered and chose not to attack him or allow Israel to kill him. 'I SAVED HIM FROM A VERY UGLY AND IGNOMINIOUS DEATH,' Trump wrote. Trump also said in the post that he had begun work in recent days 'on the possible removal of sanctions, and other things' to help Iran 'recover.' But after Khamenei's message of 'anger, hatred and disgust,' he added, he 'immediately dropped all work on sanction relief, and more.' Trump fielded questions on Iran during a news conference -- alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy -- to discuss a Supreme Court ruling on birthright citizenship. Advertisement Trump said it was 'a little early' to specify what he might demand in an agreement from Iran to contain its future nuclear activities. But he said he would insist on inspections of Iran's nuclear sites, conducted by either the International Atomic Energy Agency or 'somebody that we respect,' possibly including 'ourselves.' Trump downplayed concerns from nuclear experts and European officials that Iran may have moved and hidden its stockpile of 400 kilograms, or 880 pounds, of enriched uranium, which the IAEA has estimated as sufficient to make 10 bombs in less than a year if enriched only somewhat further. 'Nothing was moved from the site,' Trump said, apparently referring to Iran's underground enrichment facility at Fordo, one of the three nuclear sites that the United States bombed Saturday. Satellite images released by Maxar Technologies, taken in the days before the U.S. strike, showed 16 cargo trucks positioned near an entrance to Fordo. An analysis by the Open Source Center in London suggested that Iran may have been preparing the site for a strike. Trump said the trucks were conducting masonry work to reinforce the facility's concrete bunker, not removing uranium. 'Everything's down there. It's under millions of tons of rock,' Trump said. If the country did preserve its uranium stockpile, it is possible, some experts say, that with the right equipment Iran could enrich it to bomb-grade purity within weeks or months. Although this month's attacks probably crippled Iran's known centrifuge facilities, experts fear that Iran may still retain secret facilities. Asked about that prospect, Trump said he was not concerned by it. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said in an interview released Friday that his country would be prepared to ship out its stockpiles of highly enriched uranium to another country, or to store it 'under IAEA seal' within Iran. Advertisement In return, he said, Iran would want to receive yellowcake, a powdered form of uranium ore that requires extensive enrichment for energy or weapons production. Speaking to Al-Monitor, a Middle East news site, Iravani reiterated Iran's position that it had a right to enrich uranium on its own soil for what he called peaceful purposes. This article originally appeared in
Press and Journal
an hour ago
- Sport
- Press and Journal
Richard Gordon: Kusini Yengi has the potential to be a talisman for Aberdeen but Dons need more attacking options
It is still over a month until the Dons kick-off their 2025-26 campaign, but the next few weeks are going to be vitally important, and give us a few clues as to what lies ahead. The club announced a list of pre-season fixtures, some of which will feature a Dons XI, others more likely to offer a better indication of Jimmy Thelin's preferred line-up. The first of those will be at Balmoral Stadium on July 12 against Cove Rangers, and it will be interesting to see if more new faces have arrived by then. So far, Jimmy has brought in left-back Emmanuel Gyamfi and three Aussies, goalkeeper Nick Suman, winger Nicolas Milanovic and striker Kusini Yengi. Of that quartet, it is Yengi who will be of most interest. Last season, Kevin Nisbet was the only one who looked capable of scoring on a regular basis, and even then, it took him until the turn of the year before he really hit form. Kevin finished on 14 goals, the only player to make it into double figures. Given what we have seen so far of the other strikers at Thelin's disposal, there has been nothing to suggest any will fill the void. That means the spotlight will fall on the former Portsmouth hitman. He was by no means prolific at Fratton Park, and did not net a single goal for the club last season, but his previous campaign was more impressive, and he has a highly credible record at international level, notching six for Australia in his eleven appearances to date. He clearly has something; it will be up to Jimmy and his coaching staff to coax that out of the striker. But he will need back-up, and I have to imagine it is an area the club is still looking to strengthen significantly. As well as doing so, they have to be looking at moving a few players on, and there are some in the squad who clearly look surplus to requirements. With the additional demands of a European campaign ahead, in whichever of the leagues the Dons find themselves, they are going to require not only a bigger pool, but one which offers strength in depth when it comes to quality. That will hopefully mean more game time for the club's most promising youngsters. Jack Milne proved in the Scottish Cup final he has the required attributes, Fletcher Boyd has obvious potential, and Alfie Bavidge caught the eye while out on loan at Caley Thistle, earning a place in the PFA Scotland League One team of the year. A trio of players – Adam Emslie, Findlay Marshall and Dylan Lobban – played more than 100 between them for Cove last time round, and I saw them develop significantly over the course of the campaign. Not all will get a chance, but it would be good to see at least some of them feature more regularly during 2025-26, giving the squad more of a local identity. The next month is likely to be a busy one on the training ground, and on and off the pitch, and by the end of it I would hope the team is ready for what seems certain to be a challenging and demanding season. The excitement for the new campaign ramped-up last Friday with the announcement of the Premiership fixture list. Disappointingly, the first weekend will see one solitary Saturday 3pm kick-off – Kilmarnock v Livingston – with a trio of games on the Sunday. Because of the demands of the television companies, and Thursday night European games, Sundays often now feature more of the bigger games, and that will again be the case. It will certainly be something the Dons are going to have to adapt to if they are to have a successful season. Getting off the blocks positively should help – although that did not exactly work out last time – but Aberdeen have been handed a tough start with Celtic at home on day two, either side of trips to Tynecastle and Tannadice. It was no surprise that Sky chose the Hearts game for the Monday evening, and the meeting with Derek McInnes will be some appetiser for the top-flight campaign.
Business Times
an hour ago
- Business
- Business Times
Mid-year insights: Opportunities amid globalisation's discontents
IN THESE days of waning US-centric investment, some investors are betting that US President Donald Trump's tariff rhetoric may not translate into action, while others pursue strategies tilted toward industrials-heavy nations that may be benefiting from increased defence spending. Either way, the tide turned decidedly global during the first half of 2025. Diversification vs tariff sensitivity Building upon lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, the United Kingdom recently unveiled plans to significantly raise defence spending and accelerate the development of next-generation security capabilities. The notable rise tracks the trend we've seen in military expenditure across the globe, which reached US$2.7 trillion last year – an increase of 9.4 per cent in real terms from 2023. We believe this localisation of defence production should continue to spur job growth and revitalise smaller industrial centres. South Korea's market has also been lifted given its recent aerospace and defence company gains resulting from global expansion moves and expectations for increased orders on higher European defence spending. A leading South Korean aerospace company formalised its plan to establish a production base in Germany in addition to pursuing other projects in Poland, Romania and Canada, as it moves to strengthen its leadership in the sector. To date this year, South Korea's market saw exchange-traded fund (ETF) net inflows rise more than 121 per cent – higher than any other major Asian economy for the period. It has also widely outperformed the US market year-to-date, returning 21.3 per cent as measured by the Kospi Index (versus 1.1 per cent for the S&P 500 Index). We are optimistic that the recent landslide victory by South Korea's new president Lee Jae-myung can usher in a long-awaited political normalisation for Seoul, following months of political crisis stemming from the impeachment of the country's former leader in December. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Eurozone/Germany For the second half of the year, we foresee ongoing opportunities in Germany and the eurozone, which offer differentiated sector allocation compared to the tech-heavy S&P 500 Index. By contrast, Germany's information technology (IT) sector is its third largest. Similarly, the Stoxx Europe 600 Index holds top weightings in financials (around 23 per cent) and industrials (about 19 per cent) firms, with IT making up just 7 per cent of the index. Europe's stock market got an early boost in March when German officials proposed spending hundreds of billions of euros on infrastructure and defence, a notable departure from Berlin's reputation for fiscal austerity. In a significant turnaround for the long-sluggish market, the Stoxx 600 Index outpaced the S&P 500 by about 20 percentage points in US dollar (USD) terms at the end of May. Moreover, the US administration is considering taxing foreign owners of US assets from countries with 'unfair' tax practices, a move that could potentially discourage capital inflows and weaken the USD. This is leading investors to reassess their dollar exposure, particularly after April's simultaneous selloff in US stocks, bonds and USD, which revealed reduced diversification benefits. We believe a stronger euro, resilient corporate earnings and attractive valuations are making the region increasingly appealing, drawing investor attention back to the eurozone. Year-to-date, ETFs focused on the Europe region drew net flows of US$33 billion, bringing total net inflows to US$238.97 billion. Net ETF inflows have risen 19 per cent year-to-date. Germany's proposed infrastructure spending alone, by some estimates, may raise economic output by more than two percentage points per year over the next decade. Such comprehensive reforms stand to benefit not only its defence sector but the overall economy by stimulating job growth and key development areas such as manufacturing, green technology, and digital infrastructure. Titans of Latin America: Mexico and Brazil Notwithstanding the current uncertainties over tariffs facing steel industry exports to the United States, we believe Mexico should continue to benefit by capturing a disproportionate share of nearshoring opportunities. Whether Trump can justify his tariff policy in the courts remains to be seen, and steel duties facing Brazil and Mexico pose key risks, in our opinion. Mexico is also coping with a marked decline in remittances – a significant component to its economy – which recently registered their largest annual drop in more than a decade as US lawmakers mull taxing the transfers and continue with crackdowns on immigration. Last year, Mexico received nearly US$65 billion in remittances – roughly 3.5 per cent of its gross domestic product. An extended decline could affect consumption in Latin America's second-largest economy. Mexico's stock market, however, is heavily weighted toward sectors like consumer staples and communication services, known for their stable cash flows and reliable dividends, offering some resilience in uncertain times. In our analysis, valuations also appear attractive compared to historical averages: Over the past five years, the average 12-month adjusted price-to-earnings ratio for Mexican stocks was some 19 times. Currently, the S&P/BMV Total Mexico Index is trading at 12.6 times, based on forward earnings estimates. Brazil As companies continue to pivot to a 'China plus' strategy – maintaining operations in China while expanding production elsewhere – we believe Brazil may also be poised to benefit. China, Brazil's largest trading partner, is already shifting further demand for agricultural goods to Brazil, which was spared more of a direct hit in the tariff war as the country faces the lowest level of reciprocal US tariffs. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's recent visit to Beijing resulted in planned investments and agreements of about US$4.8 billion, underscoring Brazil's growing economic ties with China. Despite the country's current fiscal challenges, we believe Brazil's strategic positioning as a key commodity exporter, particularly in soybeans and meat, should bode well for its economic growth. During the second half of this year, politics should weigh more heavily on Brazil's market with its 2026 presidential election coming into clearer focus. Given Lula's low approval ratings, concerns over his health (emergency brain surgeries and chemotherapy treatments) and age (81), there is speculation that fresh candidates may emerge and increase the potential for markets to react positively to any signs of change. Over the near term, we'll be keeping close tabs on the divergence of each country and region's unique characteristics as they highlight the varying opportunities and risks, especially amid Trump's particular approach to reciprocal policymaking, and underscore the need for more nuanced investment strategies. The writer is head of global index portfolio management at Franklin Templeton
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
More than 1 million empty seats for Club World Cup group stage. Knockout rounds up next.
Total announced attendance was 1.67 million from 2.95 million capacity, an average of 34,746. Just 44.9 percent was filled for five matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., the site of next year's World Cup final, and 50 percent at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., where the 1994 championship game was played. Among other 2026 sites, 81.8 percent of capacity was filled in Miami Gardens, Fla., 61.6 percent in Philadelphia, 52 percent in Seattle, and 44.3 percent in Atlanta. Advertisement FIFA spokesman Bryan Swanson did not respond to a request for FIFA President Gianni Infantino to discuss the tournament and attendance. FIFA issued a statement that said: 'The appetite of the tournament speaks for itself: fans from 168 countries have already purchased tickets . . . a clear sign of global anticipation and reach.' The 12 games televised with English commentary on TNT, TBS, and truTV averaged 360,000 viewers through Monday, including 409,000 for seven matches on nights and weekends. Advertisement The second round opens Saturday with an all-Brazilian matchup of Palmeiras and Botafogo, followed by Chelsea-Benfica later in the day. Sunday starts with the high-profile meeting of Inter Miami and Lionel Messi against European champion Paris Saint-Germain and is followed by Bayern Munich-Flamengo. Inter Milan-Fluminese and Manchester City-Al Hilal are on Monday, and Real Madrid-Juventus and Borussia Dortmund-Monterrey on Tuesday. European teams won 16 of the 17 previous editions of an eight-team Club World Cup, the lone exception a 2012 victory by Brazil's Corinthians over Chelsea. Manchester City is the only team that went 3-0 in the group stage. ⋅ Five of the 12 stadiums being used are sites for next year's World Cup, which will have 104 matches instead of 64 and many more games lacking prestigious teams and players. There were five weather delays in the Club World Cup group stage and temperatures at times rose well over 90 degrees, a sign that climate change could impact next year's World Cup. However, four of the stadiums for next year's tournament have roofs and climate control. ⋅ Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe, among soccer's top stars, didn't play a minute of the group stage, 'I don't want to be optimistic and get ahead of myself, but we need him because he's a top player, one of the best in the world. We hope he's back soon,' Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso said Thursday. ⋅ Messi, the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner who turned 38 on Tuesday, has helped Miami reach the knockout phase with moments of brilliance. He hit the goal frame twice in the opening draw against Al Ahly, then scored his 68th free kick goal for club and country in the 2-1 win over Porto. Advertisement Next up is the game against PSG, Messi's team from 2021-23. ⋅ All four entrants from Brazil have advanced to the round of 16, with Botafogo beating PSG, 1-0, in a matchup of current European and South American champions. Flamengo, Palmeiras, and Fluminense are also through to the next stage.
