Morocco on Friday called on a Madrid court to exonerate the kingdom of repeated claims by a Spanish journalist that it was responsible for bugging his phone with Pegasus spyware.. "It is not possible to confirm that the Kingdom of Morocco has any responsibility whatsoever" in this spyware affair, Sergio Berenguer, one of Rabat's lawyers told the court.
Jamaican financial authorities have launched an investigation into a company holding investments for eight-times Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt after reports that he may have lost millions to large scale fraud.. Bolt retired from athletics in 2017 after a stellar career which in addition to eight Olympic golds included 11 World Championship gold medals.
Tesla on Friday announced it will cut the price of its best-selling electric vehicle models up to 20 percent in Europe and the United States, launching a price war as more rivals hit the market.. Observers also point to the arrival of multiple competitors in the electric vehicle market, with major auto builders now offering a line-up of models, including in the luxury segment long dominated by Tesla.
Major US banks reported mixed fourth-quarter results Friday as executives pointed to the rising odds of a "mild recession," with inflation and interest rate hikes challenging households and businesses.. The biggest lift to earnings came from a whopping 48 percent rise in net interest income, offsetting the drag from lower investment banking results and elevated expenses.
Delta Air Lines on Friday reported better-than-expected results in the final months of 2022, helped by strong consumer demand, although it expects labor costs to weigh on first quarter profits this year.. Looking ahead, Delta expects labor costs to weigh on profits in early 2023.
Morocco demanded Friday that a Madrid court rule it had nothing to do with the possible installation of Pegasus spyware on the phone of a Spanish journalist, who has blamed Rabat.. Morocco was singled out as one of the countries that had bought the programme and whose intelligence services had used the spyware against journalists -- a claim denied by Rabat.
The return of Gucci to the menswear catwalk calendar, robust sales of Italian fashion and a farewell to the pandemic-imposed trend of virtual shows -- it's all systems go for men's fashion week in Milan opening Friday.. Nothing replaces "the live experience, the frenzy, the expectation, the applause, the top models parading on the catwalk and the powerful music," fashion consultant Elisabetta Cavatorta told AFP. Most anticipated is fashion powerhouse Gucci which is putting on a menswear only show for the first time in three years.
JPMorgan Chase reported higher fourth-quarter profits Friday, boosted by income tied to increasing interest rates as the big bank set aside more funds in case of a recession.. The bank also set aside another $1.4 billion in funds in case of loan defaults, after benefiting in the year-ago period from a release of $1.8 billion in reserves.
Just days after a failed UK satellite launch, Sweden inaugurated Friday its new launching site as the race heats up to be first country to send satellites into orbit from the European continent.. That would make Sweden the first country in continental Europe -- excluding Russia -- to send up a satellite from its soil.
Germany will end the requirement to wear face masks on long-distance trains and buses from February 2 as the coronavirus pandemic loosened its grip on the country, authorities announced Friday.. Alongside Germany, Spain is the only other large European country to maintain mask rules on long-distance trains and public transport, with the Spanish government announcing in October that these will remain in place until at least March 2023. dwi/sea/jm
