Oil prices rise and markets fall after US seizure of ship hits Iran peace deal hopes

Oil prices rose sharply and European stock markets fell on Monday after the US seizure of an Iranian vessel dented hopes for a peace deal.Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, rose by 5% to about $95 a barrel.European stock markets dropped, with the UK’s blue-chip FTSE 100 index down 0.6%. The French Cac 40 and the German Dax fell by about 1%

Polymarket in fundraising talks that could value the prediction platform at $15bn

Polymarket, the online prediction platform that hosts bets on events such as the Iran war, is in talks to raise $400m (£296m) at a valuation of up to $15bn.The company has gained notoriety in recent months over wagers placed on the Middle East conflict, including on the timing of US-Israel strikes against Iran, and on a US-Iran ceasefire, some of which appeared to bear signs of insider trading.During this time the US company has experienced a massive increase in volume, with more than $1bn a week now traded on its platform. Polymarket takes a commission on some of these trades, with a varying fee structure depending on the kind of bet. It states that geopolitical and world events markets are “fee-free”

Who is John Ternus, Apple’s next CEO?

Apple has announced longtime company veteran John Ternus as the next CEO of the company, succeeding current CEO Tim Cook, who is set to transition to executive chair of Apple’s board of directors later this year.Ternus’s term as CEO will begin on 1 September. The hardware engineering executive is a longtime Apple insider, indicating the company will stay the course that has led to record profits under Cook’s leadership. Apple’s yearly profit now tops $100bn, and in January it announced record revenue from its iPhones, boosted by renewed demand in China.“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said in a company press release

Fifteen years after Steve Jobs, Tim Cook leaves a dramatically different Apple

After 15 years, Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple’s top executive. At age 65, he leaves behind a hardware juggernaut that, under his leadership, brought about a global smartphone revolution and transformed Apple into one of the most profitable publicly traded companies in history.With a reputation for logistical management, Cook first joined Apple in 1998, overseeing its worldwide sales and operations. In 2009, he temporarily began running day-to-day operations when the company’s legendary co-founder, Steve Jobs, took medical leave due to complications from pancreatic cancer. In 2011, just a few months before Jobs’ death, Cook took over as CEO

‘I hope it doesn’t get him down’: Usain Bolt tells Gout Gout to get ready to lose

Like running fast, growing pains are something sprint lord Usain Bolt knows something about. So when he tells teenage phenomenon Gout Gout that his first steps into the world of senior athletics will not be easy, the Australian ought to take heed.“I know it’s going to be an eye-opener,” Bolt told CNN of Gout’s first year as an adult, and an impending succession of showdowns against the world’s best sprinters. “And I hope it doesn’t get him down, but motivate him to work even harder.”Bolt showed huge promise as a teenager, winning the world juniors as a 15-year-old, but it was not until he overcame injury struggles and off-track distractions that he was able to become a world beater, when he won gold in Beijing as a 21-year-old

Fitness influencer drowns during swimming portion of Ironman Texas

A Brazilian fitness influencer has died after getting into difficulty during the swimming portion of an ironman event in Texas.Mara Flavia Souza Araujo was reported as a “lost swimmer” around 7.30am at the Ironman Texas in Lake Woodlands near Houston on Saturday. According to KPRC 2 News, safety crews could not immediately locate Araujo. The 38-year-old’s body was discovered around 90 minutes later in 10ft of water by divers