By Tyrone Siu and Farah Master HONG KONG (Reuters) -Torrential rain deluged Hong Kong on Friday leading to widespread flooding

FRANKFURT Euro zone bank lending slowed again in April, supporting the case for careful interest rate hikes in

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 1, 2023--

Uefa will take no action on an astonishing request by the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to be expelled over the Luis Rubiales crisis, as the federation president now faces an investigation from Spanish prosecutors for sexual assault. In other developments of a story that even Uefa officials were describing as “absurd” and “stranger by the moment”, Rubiales’ mother Angeles Bejar locked herself in a church to go on hunger strike, with police and doctors eventually intervening. Such details have stunned even the most experienced people in football, but it is the request to the European body that is being seen as the most significant, given it sums up how surreal the story has become. With Rubiales facing a series of official complaints and a government process that could yet see him banned from sport in Spain for two to 15 years – to go with his current 90-day suspension from Fifa – the federation sent a request to Uefa to be expelled for breaking Uefa’s own statutes on state interference. Expulsion would mean clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona kicked out of European competitions such as the Champions League. The move has been interpreted as “bluster” and “brinkmanship” by the federation in order to support Rubiales, but it would still involve all of Spain’s club and national teams being removed from competition, denying them of income and – in the words of one – “setting Spanish football back years”. The Independent has been told that Uefa will not take action and that the government’s involvement does not meet the criteria for state interference. Victor Francos, the president of Spain’s Higher Council for Sport who has become a central figure in this situation, stated on Monday that all of the relevant bodies are “acting within the regulations as they stand”. Rubiales being punished according to regulations and rules is different to the government just ousting him, which it cannot do, and has created an almost Kafkaesque circus over what remains a serious issue. Underpinning it all has been this Spanish government’s willingness to take on issues of equality and sexual harassment. On that, the Spanish Prosecutors Office will ask Jenni Hermoso if she wishes to press charges against Rubialies, after she stated that the kiss was not consensual. It was that statement which led Rubiales’ mother to go on hunger strike in a church in his home town in Montril, demanding that Hermoso “tell the truth” about the incident. There have also been public accusations from one of Rubiales’ cousins that the Spanish midfielder changed her story – something that did not happen. All of this comes amid Fifa’s directive that Rubiales not contact Hermoso or her family, to go with the 90-day suspension. Spain's Administrative Court for Sports has meanwhile been meeting all Monday to examine four complaints against Rubiales. Should it decide to open proceedings, it could mean the official is suspended for even longer than Fifa's 90-day provisional punishment. In that event, the Spanish government has confirmed it would take action. “If the court upholds the complaint and begins to process that case, we can request the provisional suspension of the president of the RFEF until TAD finishes analysing it and takes their decision,” Sports Minister Miquel Iceta said on Friday. Also on Monday morning, Spanish player’s union Futpro – representing Jenni Hermoso – further clarified Hermoso’s stance while describing a “structural problem” in the Spanish federation. “Those who applauded Rubiales, [at the assembly] in my opinion, should not continue in their positions.” While Rubiales’ position as vice-president of Uefa has itself led to criticism of the European body for a lack of comment, Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has been in constant contact with Fifa. The position is that since the events fall under the disciplinary jurisdiction of Fifa – because the World Cup was a Fifa event – it was agreed that Fifa’s disciplinary bodies would handle the case, something Uefa does not feel it should comment on. The global football representative body FifPro is meanwhile yet to receive an official response from Uefa to a letter sent on Friday requesting disciplinary action against Rubiales. Read More Luis Rubiales’ mother locks herself in church and goes on hunger strike Luis Rubiales news LIVE: Police investigate president for alleged sexual assault Spanish FA launch ‘sexual violence protocol’ against Rubiales ahead of urgent meeting Spanish football’s ‘MeToo moment’ is a mirror for the entire game Spain coaching team quits over Luis Rubiales row – but manager backs president Fifa suspends Luis Rubiales and coaching staff walk out over World Cup kiss row

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 9, 2023--

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay listed his Top 5 greatest NFL players ever, but fans and Twitter users pointed out that he omitted Peyton Manning.Everyone has their own opinion as to who they view as the best in a certain field. That is especially prominent in sports, as fans and media expres...

French prosecutors have launched an investigation into a billionaire who is the world’s second-richest person over his links to a Russian oligarch. Bernard Arnault, co-founder and chief executive of luxury-goods group Louis Vuitton (LVMH), is being investigated amid allegations of money-laundering. The Paris public prosecutor’s office says it is investigating financial transactions involving the French billionaire and businessman Nikolai Sarkisov. Mr Arnault’s spokesperson declined to comment. The inquiry is centred on property purchase in Courchevel, a ski resort in the French Alps known for being a playground for the ultra-rich, the prosecutors said. Mr Sarkisov acquired property there via a transaction in which Mr Arnault, through one of his companies, had provided a loan, according to French daily paper Le Monde, citing the Tracfin financial-intelligence unit. It said the 55-year old Russian billionaire had acquired 14 housing units from a single seller in 2018 for €16m (£13.9m) in a complex deal involving companies based in France, Luxembourg and Cyprus. Tracfin, part of the French justice system focused on combating money-laundering, has yet to determine whether any crime had been committed, a source close to the investigation said. Mr Arnault’s LVMH group owns handbag brand Louis Vuitton, Moët champagne, Hennessy cognac, the jeweller Tiffany’s and the watchmaker Tag Heuer, among many others. His fortune is thought to be worth $164bn (£134bn), according to financial experts at Bloomberg. Mr Sarkisov’s RESO-Garantia insurance company in Moscow could not be immediately reached for comment. Le Monde cited a person close to Mr Arnault as saying the transaction had been carried out in full respect of French law. In 2019, the French tycoon, who is the richest person in Europe and second-richest after Elon Musk, pledged 200 million euros (£173m) for the restoration of Notre Dame after it was devastated by fire. Breaking news: more follows Read More First Abrams tanks arrive from US in boost for Kyiv – live Europe sweeps opening session in Ryder Cup to put USA in 4-0 hole Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev First Abrams tanks arrive from US in boost for Kyiv – live Europe sweeps opening session in Ryder Cup to put USA in 4-0 hole Putin recruits former Wagner commander ‘Grey Hair’ Troshev

AI safety in focus after White House issues first U.S. rules, the season of labor activism is coming to a head, and other news to start your day.

Body language expert says Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce 'display an intimate, loving connection' while holding hands

Justin Herbert is set to become the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback by annual salary, agreeing to a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday

‘Loki’ Season 1 was one of the most successful Marvel projects as it introduced the concepts of variants, timelines, and eventually the multiverse

It appears that Travis Kelce is supporting Taylor Swift’s upcoming 1989 album re-release with a very fitting outfit. The Kansas City Chiefs star was seen leaving with the Grammy-winning musician on Sunday 24 September, after Swift was spotted cheering for Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Following the game, which saw the Chiefs beat the Chicago Bears 41-10, the rumoured couple were filmed leaving Arrowhead Stadium together by sports anchor Jarred Payton. In the clip, which has been viewed more than 12m times, Kelce is spotted wearing a blue and white splatter paint denim suit by the brand KidSuper Studios. However, eagle-eyed fans noticed that the name for the denim suit seemed to pay homage to Swift’s forthcoming album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which is due for re-release on 27 October. “Travis Kelce wore a ‘1989 Bedroom Painting’ matching set piece tonight leaving Arrowhead Stadium with Taylor Swift, very timely for #1989TaylorsVersion,” wrote one fan on X, formerly known as Twitter. The cream denim suit jacket, which retails for $295, and the matching denim pants, which cost $285, appeared to be labelled on the KidSuper website as “1989 Bedroom Painting Denim Jacket” and “1989 Bedroom Painting Denim Pants”. The Brooklyn-based menswear label seemed to have made the change from “Bedroom Painting” to “1989 Bedroom Painting” after the NFL star was spotted with the 1989 musician at Sunday’s game. On X, the brand wrote: “Look at the name change haha”. The rumoured couple were then seen leaving the stadium in Kelce’s convertible in photos and videos posted on social media. What’s more, fans couldn’t help but notice that Kelce, much like Swift, was also born in 1989. Throughout the game, the “Shake It Off” singer was often seen enthusiastically cheering on the tight end in the Arrowhead Stadium box seats. Swift sat next to Kelce’s mother, Donna, as she appeared to yell “let’s f***ing go” in response to Kelce’s third-quarter touchdown reception. Her appearance at the NFL game comes amidst much speculation that Swift and Kelce are dating. Romance rumours first circulated when the NFL star admitted that he tried to give the “Bad Blood” singer his number at a recent Eras Tour concert. Kelce’s brother, fellow football star Jason Kelce, later fueled speculation when he claimed that rumours the pair are dating are “100 per cent true”. While Kelce encouraged fans to stop asking his “brother about [his] dating life,” he did reveal that he reached out to Swift and asked if she’d want to attend one of his football games. “I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court,” Kelce said on the The Pat McAfee Show last week. “I told her, you know, I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead [Stadium], you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit. So, we’ll see what happens in the near future.” Most recently, Swift was linked to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Prior to their short-lived romance, which came to an end in June, she and British actor Joe Alwyn called it quits after six years of dating. Meanwhile, Kelce was previously in an on-again, off-again relationship with ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole for five years. The former couple reportedly ended their long-term relationship in 2022. Read More Witness claims Taylor Swift paid for entire restaurant to eat and leave for her and Travis Kelce Taylor Swift fans giddy as pop star cheers on ‘new boyfriend’ Travis Kelce at Kansas City game Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce seen together for first time leaving NFL game Witness claims Taylor Swift bought out restaurant for her and Travis Kelce Taylor Swift spotted alongside Kansas City star’s mother amid dating rumours Taylor Swift fans giddy as pop star spotted enthusiastically cheering on Travis Kelce