SAN FRANCISCO: A US judge on Friday let Google put off opening Android-powered smartphones to rival app shops while the tech titan appeals an order to do just that.
The ruling by federal Judge James Donato spares Google from having to meet a November 1 deadline to open its Android smartphone operating system to rival app stores.
A Google spokesperson said the tech giant is pleased with Donato’s decision to “temporarily pause the implementation of dangerous remedies demanded by Epic” while an appeals court considers a permanent block.
“These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” the spokesperson added.
The order issued earlier this month is the result of Google’s defeat in an antitrust case brought by Fortnite-maker Epic Games, where a California jury decided that Google wields illegal monopoly power through its Android Play store.
The order follows a similar setback in August when a different judge found that Google’s world-leading search engine was also an illegal monopoly.
Google is also facing an antitrust lawsuit in a third federal case in Virginia over its dominance of online advertising.
Under the Epic Games order, for the next three years Google will be prohibited from engaging in several practices that were deemed anticompetitive by the jury in the landmark case.
Phones running on the Android operating system have about a 70 percent share of the world’s smartphone market.
A sizable chunk of app store revenue comes from video games, and Epic Games has long sought to have payments for its mobile games, such as Fortnite, take place outside the Google or Apple app stores that take commissions as high as 30 percent.
Epic mostly lost a similar case against Apple, where a different US judge largely ruled in favor of the iPhone-maker.
Apple and Google regularly argue that their app shop commissions are industry standard, and that they pay for benefits such as reach, transaction security and ferreting out malware.
Google wins delay opening Android app store to rivals
https://arab.news/zxm7b
Google wins delay opening Android app store to rivals
- The order follows a similar setback in August when a different judge found that Google’s world-leading search engine was also an illegal monopoly
Liam Payne’s ex-partner calls for media restraint after ‘painful’ death
- Payne died at age 31 after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires
LONDON: Liam Payne’s former partner, pop singer Cheryl, joined an outpouring of grief on Friday over the death of the One Direction band member, calling for restraint in coverage to protect his family during an “indescribably painful time.”
Payne, who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction, died at age 31after falling from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, triggering tributes from fans around the world.
Cheryl Tweedy, more commonly known by just her first name, was in a relationship with Payne between 2016 and 2018 and she used her statement to urge the media to remember they had a seven-year-old son, Bear, who could read the reports.
“As I try to navigate this earth shattering event, and work through my own grief at this indescribably painful time. I’d like to kindly remind everyone that we have lost a human being,” she said on her Instagram account.
“What is troubling my spirit the most is that one day Bear will have access to the abhorrent reports and media exploitation we have seen in the past two days. It is breaking my heart further that I cannot protect him from that in his future.”
It was not clear which reports she was referring to, but she called on people to “give Liam the little dignity he has left in the wake of his death to rest in some peace at last.”
Payne’s current girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, said on Instagram she had been “at a complete loss” and she would “continue to love you for the rest of my life.”
In the central English city of Wolverhampton, Payne’s home town, more than 100 people came to mourn him, often singing some of his songs.
The tributes to Payne, who found fame as a teenager, have flowed since the 31-year-old was reported dead.
A joint statement was signed by his One Direction band mates Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan.
“We’re completely devastated by the news of Liam’s passing. In time, and when everyone is able to, there will be more to say. But for now, we will take some time to grieve and process the loss of our brother, who we loved dearly,” Payne’s former band mates said.
“We will miss him terribly. We love you Liam.”
In a separate statement posted on Instagram on Thursday, Styles said Payne’s greatest joy was making people happy.
“The years we spent together will forever remain among the most cherished years of my life,” Styles said.
Malik also posted on Instagram about the late singer, along with a photo of them dozing off next to each other.
“I lost a brother when you left us and can’t explain to you what I’d give just to give you a hug one last time,” he wrote.
Along with a picture of Payne embracing him at a gig, Tomlinson wrote he was beyond lucky to have had him in his life.
“I’m really struggling with the idea of saying goodbye,” he said.
Music mogul Simon Cowell, who signed One Direction to his label, posted his tribute on Instagram on Friday, saying he was “truly devastated” and “heartbroken.”
“And I want you to know how much love and respect I have for you. Every tear I have shed is a memory of you,” he said.
Sharon Osbourne, former judge of TV talent show X Factor, where One Direction was formed, said on Instagram the music industry had let Payne down, describing him as “just a kid when you entered one of the toughest industries in the world.”
Prosecutors in Buenos Aires said on Thursday an initial search suggested Payne’s fall from the hotel balcony came after substance abuse.
Police earlier said they had found the room in “total disorder” in a search after his death, with various things smashed and medications scattered around.
Mitzi Gaynor, star of ‘South Pacific,’ dies at 93
LOS ANGELES: Mitzi Gaynor, the effervescent dancer and actor who starred as Nellie Forbush in the 1958 film of “South Pacific” and appeared in other musicals with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly, has died. She was 93.
Gaynor, among the last survivors of the so-called golden age of the Hollywood musical, died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday morning, her long-time managers Rene Reyes and Shane Rosamonda confirmed in a statement to The Associated Press.
“As we celebrate her legacy, we offer our thanks to her friends and fans and the countless audiences she entertained throughout her long life,” Reyes and Rosamonda said in a joint statement. “Your love, support and appreciation meant so very much to her and was a sustaining gift in her life.”
Her entertainment career spanned eight decades across film, television and the stage, and appeared in several notable films including “We’re Not Married!” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” but she is best remembered for her turn in “South Pacific.”
The screen version of “South Pacific” received three Academy Award nominations and won for best sound, while Gaynor was a best actress nominee for a Golden Globe.
The role of the love-sick nurse Nellie, created on Broadway by Mary Martin, had been eagerly sought by Hollywood stars. Sinatra helped Gaynor land it.
She was starring with him in “The Joker Is Wild,” when she had a one-day opportunity to audition for lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. It was the same day she was scheduled for her biggest scene with Sinatra. When she explained her plight, he told her, “Don’t worry, I’ll change the schedule.”
Hammerstein was impressed with Gaynor, who had already won the approval of director Josh Logan and composer Richard Rodgers. She was cast opposite Rossano Brazzi, about whom she sang “I’m in Love with a Wonderful Guy.”
“South Pacific” was not the turning point in her career that Gaynor had hoped it would be, and she shifted her focus from film to television, making early appearances on Donald O’Connor’s variety series “Here Comes Donald,” and on CBS’ “The Jack Benny Hour.” In October of 1959, she was the only women to guest star alongside Sinatra, Crosby, Dean Martin and Jimmy Durante on ABC’s “The Frank Sinatra Timex Show” special.
Later in her career, Gaynor reinvented herself as a performing entertainer. Working with her husband and manager Jack Bean, she starred in her own musical revue that was a big draw in theaters throughout the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
She became the highest paid female entertainer in Las Vegas and was the first woman to be awarded the Las Vegas governor’s trophy for “Star Entertainer of the Year” in 1970.
When touring with a full orchestra, a corps of dancers and backstage personnel became too unwieldy and expensive, Gaynor slimmed down the production, eventually making it a one-woman show. They continued touring every year until 2002 when Bean’s illness required a hiatus.
“I love touring; I’ve been doing it much of my life,” Gaynor said in a 2003 interview. “We go back to the same places; it’s like visiting friends. After the show, people come backstage to the dressing room, and we renew friendships. We send out almost 3,000 Christmas cards every year.”
“Off stage, she was a vibrant and extraordinary woman, a caring and loyal friend, and a warm, gracious, very funny and altogether glorious human being. And she could cook, too!” the statement from Rosamonda and Reyes said, referencing a song from the musical “On the Town” that Gaynor sang in one of her revue shows.
Gaynor also starred in several television variety specials, including “Mitzi...Zings Into Springs” and “Mitzi...Roarin’ in the 20’s.” Many of the specials received nominations for Emmy Awards, with wins for choreography, lighting, art design and costume design, the last of which was awarded to Gaynor’s longtime collaborator, Bob Mackie. The specials were the subject of the 2008 documentary “Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle! The Special Years.”
Born Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber (Mitzi is diminutive for Marlene) in Chicago on Sept. 4, 1931, she was a part of a musically inclined family and started singing and dancing at a young age.
In a 2003 AP interview, Gaynor said she has a clear memory of her stage debut. She had been taking ballet and tap lessons and at age 7 she was scheduled for a tap routine at the dance school recital. She had neglected to use the bathroom, and when she faced the audience, a puddle formed on the stage.
“I ran kicking and screaming off the stage,” she recalls. “But I got huge applause. So I dried off and put some lipstick on. After the next girl did a hula with batons and slipped on the wet floor, I went out and said, ‘I’m OK now. Can I do it?’ And I got cheers!”
Gaynor and Bean married in 1954 and in 1960 bought a spacious house in Beverly Hills that became their home until his death in 2006. They rarely appeared at Hollywood events, preferring to entertain a few close friends. The couple had no children.
Portrait by humanoid robot to sell at auction in art world first
- The ultra-realistic robot is designed to resemble a human female with a face, large eyes and a brown wig
LONDON: The robot artist Ai-Da, a humanoid powered by artificial intelligence, will be the first of its kind to have a painting sold at a major auction house, organizers said Wednesday.
The work, due to go under the hammer at Sotheby’s in London next month, is described as a “haunting” portrait of the English mathematician Alan Turing, considered one of the fathers of modern computing.
Entitled “AI God,” the 2.2 meter (7.5 ft) high portrait is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £150,000 ($130,000 and $196,000).
The online sale, featuring a range of digital art forms, would explore the intersection between art and technology, according to Sotheby’s.
The ultra-realistic robot is designed to resemble a human female with a face, large eyes and a brown wig and is one of the most advanced in the world.
It works by using AI algorithms and has cameras in its eyes and bionic hands.
Aidan Meller, gallery owner and founder of Ai-Da Robot studio, led the team that created it with artificial intelligence specialists at the universities of Oxford and Birmingham in England.
Meller said Turing, who made his name as a World War II codebreaker, mathematician and early computer scientist, had raised concerns about the use of AI in the 1950s.
The artwork’s “muted tones and broken facial planes” seemingly suggested “the struggles Turing warned we will face when it comes to managing AI,” he said.
Ai-Da’s works were “ethereal and haunting” and “continue to question where the power of AI will take us, and the global race to harness its power,” he added.
In 2022, Ai-Da painted portraits of the acts headlining Glastonbury Festival including Billie Eilish, Diana Ross, Kendrick Lamar and Paul McCartney.
Sotheby’s Digital Art Sale runs from October 31 to November 7.
‘Mysterious black balls’ close Sydney beach
SYDNEY: Hundreds of mysterious black tar-like balls have washed up on a popular Sydney beach, prompting lifeguards to close the strand to swimmers.
“Mysterious, black, ball-shaped debris” began appearing on Coogee Beach on Tuesday afternoon the local mayor said, leaving flummoxed authorities scrambling to find out what they might be, and where they may have come from.
“Coogee Beach is closed until further notice,” Mayor Dylan Parker said in a social media post.
Hundreds of golf-to-cricket-ball-sized spheres could be seen littering the length of sand, which is usually thronged with Sydneysiders and tourists.
Instead, a few seagulls wandered among the spheres, pecking and examining.
“At this stage, it is unknown what the material is, however, they may be ‘tar balls’ which are formed when oil comes in to contact with debris and water, typically the result of oil spills or seepage,” Parker said.
The beach remained closed Wednesday morning despite an overnight cleanup effort.
Other nearby beaches were being monitored but remain open.
“Beachgoers are advised to avoid Coogee Beach until further notice and not touch the material, while the clean-up and investigations continue,” Dylan Parker said.
Egypt’s long-delayed mega-museum will open some of its main galleries, a trial run for full opening
- Limited tours have been allowed in parts of the site since late 2022 to test visitors’ experience and the museum’s operational preparedness
CAIRO: The Grand Egyptian Museum will partially open its main galleries on Wednesday, including 12 halls that exhibit aspects of ancient Egypt, as part of a trial run, officials said Tuesday.
The museum, a mega-project near the famed Giza Pyramids which has cost well over $1 billion so far, will open the halls for 4,000 visitors as a trial run until the official opening date, which is yet to be announced, according to Al-Tayeb Abbas, assistant to the minister of antiquities.
The opening of the museum, which has been under construction for more than a decade, has been repeatedly delayed for various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 100,000 artifacts of Egypt’s ancient treasures will be displayed in the world’s largest archaeological museum, according to the Egyptian state information website.
Abbas told the AP that the trial run starting Wednesday would help prepare for the full opening by providing a deeper understanding of issues related to operations such as identifying overcrowded areas across the museum.
The displays across the 12 halls tap into issues related to society, religion, and doctrine in ancient Egypt, he added. All open-style halls have been classified by dynasty and historical order, and each will showcase at least 15,000 artifacts.
Eras that will be exhibited in the main galleries include the Third Intermediate Period (about 1070-664 B.C.), Late Period (664-332 B.C.), Graeco-Roman Period (332 B.C.-395 A.D.), New Kingdom (1550-1070 B.C.), Middle Kingdom (2030-1650 B.C.), and Old Kingdom (2649-2130 B.C.). One of the halls displays statues of “Elite of the King,” members of the royal family and high-ranking officials who worked in the army, priesthood, and the government.
Parts of the site have already been open for limited tours since late 2022 to test visitors’ experience and the museum’s operational preparedness.
Aude Porcedde, a Canadian tourist who visited several sections, told the AP she was amazed by the museum, adding that Egyptian civilization is important for her and for the world to know more about.
“There is a lot of history and a lot of things we are not aware of, especially coming from the other side of the world, and seeing everything here and learning from the locals has been great,” said Costa Rican tourist Jorge Licano.
The grand staircase, six stories high and with a view of the pyramids, and the commercial area are open to the public, showcasing monuments and artifacts that include sarcophagi and statues. Other parts of the museum, including the King Tutankhamun treasure collection, are set to open at later dates.
All halls are equipped with advanced technology and feature multimedia presentations to explain the lives of the ancient Egyptians, including its kings, according to Eissa Zidan, Director-General of the Preliminary Restoration and Antiquities Transfer at the museum.
One of the halls will use virtual reality to explain the history of burial and its development throughout ancient Egypt.
“The museum is not only a place to display antiquities, but it also aims to attract children to learn about ancient Egyptian history ... The museum is a gift to all the world,” Zidan said.
