Fortnite video game returns to iPhone app store in US, ending exile imposed by Apple

Epic filed a lawsuit alleging Apple had turned its app store into an illegal monopoly. (Reuters)
Epic filed a lawsuit alleging Apple had turned its app store into an illegal monopoly. (Reuters)
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Updated 21 May 2025
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Fortnite video game returns to iPhone app store in US, ending exile imposed by Apple

Fortnite video game returns to iPhone app store in US, ending exile imposed by Apple
  • The legal wrangling is all part of a bitter feud that is still boiling

The popular video game Fortnite has returned to the iPhone app store in the US, ending a prolonged exile that was triggered by a legal showdown over the lucrative fees that Apple had been collecting for years through a payment system that it has been forced to change.
Fortnite hailed its app’s long-awaited restoration to the iPhone and iPad in a Tuesday pos t, marking the first time it will be available on those devices since it was ousted in 2020 for trying to avoid the 15 percent to 30 percent commissions that Apple collects on in-app transactions.
The video game featuring a virtual fight on a digital island is coming back to the iPhone just a few days after its parent company, Epic Games, filed a motion asking a federal judge to order its return as part of a civil contempt of court finding issued against Apple late last month.
In a brief statement filed in court late Tuesday, Apple said the dispute that had been keeping Fortnite off its iOS software for the iPhone had been resolved. The Cupertino, California, company didn’t immediately respond to a request for further comment.
The legal wrangling is all part of a bitter feud that is still boiling.
Epic filed a lawsuit alleging Apple had turned its app store into an illegal monopoly — a claim that it lost under a 2021 ruling made by a federal judge after a month-long trial.
Although she decided Apple wasn’t breaking antitrust laws, US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ordered the company to loosen control over in-app payments and allow links to other options that might offer lower prices.
After exhausting an appeal that went all the way to the US Supreme Court, Apple last year introduced a new system that opened the door for links to alternative payment options while still imposing a 27 percent commission on in-app transactions executed outside its own system.
Epic fired back by alleging Apple was thumbing its nose at the legal system, reviving another round of court hearings that lasted nearly a year before Gonzalez Rogers delivered her stinging rebuke that included a ban on collecting any kind of commission on alternative payment options.
That appeared to clear the way for Fortnite’s return to the iPhone and iPad, but Epic last week said the video game was still being blocked by Apple. After Apple contended that keeping Fortnite was still permissible while it pursues an appeal of Gonzalez Rogers’ contempt ruling, Epic forced the issue by asking the judge for another order that would make clear the video game should be allowed back on the iPhone and iPad.
Gonzalez Rogers on Monday asked why Apple was still blocking Fortnite without an order from the appeals court authorizing that action. She scheduled a May 27 hearing in Oakland, California, to hear Epic’s latest motion while noting “Apple is fully capable of resolving this issue without further briefing or a hearing.”


Turkiye’s youngest oil wrestlers keeping a 14th-century tradition alive

Turkiye’s youngest oil wrestlers keeping a 14th-century tradition alive
Updated 08 July 2025
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Turkiye’s youngest oil wrestlers keeping a 14th-century tradition alive

Turkiye’s youngest oil wrestlers keeping a 14th-century tradition alive
  • The sport, which is on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list, sees wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil and try to press their opponent’s back to the ground to win the bout

EDIRNE, Turkiye: On a grass field slick with olive oil and steeped in tradition, hundreds of boys as young as 11 joined the ranks of Turkiye’s most time-honored sporting event: the annual Kirkpinar Oil Wrestling Championship.

Held every summer in the northwestern city of Edirne, the event is said to date back to the 14th century as a way of keeping the Ottoman Empire’s fighting men fit and ready for battle.

The sport, which is on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list, sees wrestlers cover themselves in olive oil and try to press their opponent’s back to the ground to win the bout.

Alongside the men contesting, youngsters also don the iconic “kispet” leather trousers to embark on a slippery test of strength, skill and stamina under the scorching sun.

The boys are ranked in divisions based on age, height and build, with the youngest generally placed in the “minik,” or tiny, category. Under strict safety regulations, their matches are shorter and closely supervised.

Most young wrestlers train year-round at local clubs, often in towns where oil wrestling is passed down through generations.

While the youngest competitors aren’t wrestling for titles like “baspehlivan,” the grand champion of the men’s matches, their participation is no less significant as it is key to the continuity of a sport that holds deep cultural importance across Turkiye.

This year’s contest – the 664th in its history – saw 36-year-old Orhan Okulu win his third men’s title.

“My goal was the golden belt in Kirkpinar and thanks to my God, I succeeded,” Okulu said of the coveted prize.


Pakistan confiscates 18 lions kept as pets in crackdown after attack

Pakistan confiscates 18 lions kept as pets in crackdown after attack
Updated 07 July 2025
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Pakistan confiscates 18 lions kept as pets in crackdown after attack

Pakistan confiscates 18 lions kept as pets in crackdown after attack
  • The lion, which was kept without a license in a house in Lahore, was confiscated and sent to a local safari park
  • Keeping exotic animals as pets has been fueled by social media, with owners often showing off their animals online as status symbols

LAHORE: Eighteen lions kept illegally as pets have been confiscated in Pakistan’s Punjab region, authorities said on Monday as they launched a crackdown after one escaped from a house and attacked a woman and two children.
The woman suffered scratches and bruises, and the two children, aged five and seven, were hospitalized after the attack last week but their injuries were not life-threatening, provincial wildlife officials said.
The lion, which was kept without a license in a house in Lahore, was confiscated and sent to a local safari park, said Mubeen Elahi, director general of the provincial Wildlife and Parks Department. The owner was later arrested, police said.
Keeping exotic animals as pets has been fueled by social media, with owners often showing off their animals online as status symbols.
“According to the new regulations for keeping big cats, no individual is allowed to keep a lion without a license, without adhering to the required cage size, and without following other standard operating procedures,” Elahi said.
The punishment is up to seven years in jail.
As well as confiscating the 18 animals, the department raided 38 lion and tiger breeding farms and arrested eight people for violating the rules, he said, adding that all farms will be inspected by the end of this week.
There are 584 lions and tigers in homes and breeding farms in Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous province, he said.
“I know plenty of people who keep big cats as pets,” said Qaim Ali, 30, who himself had a lion but sold it after it attacked his nephew.
“Most of them are not interested in breeding but keep them as a symbol of power and influence in society.” 


Djokovic’s daughter steals the show at Wimbledon with her victory dance

Djokovic’s daughter steals the show at Wimbledon with her victory dance
Updated 06 July 2025
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Djokovic’s daughter steals the show at Wimbledon with her victory dance

Djokovic’s daughter steals the show at Wimbledon with her victory dance
  • Tara Djokovic’s victory dance brought a smile to dad’s face. Everybody else’s, too

LONDON: Novak Djokovic won the match on Center Court on Saturday, but it was his 7-year-old daughter who really wowed Wimbledon.
Tara Djokovic’s victory dance brought a smile to dad’s face. Everybody else’s, too.
Djokovic had just clinched his 100th Wimbledon singles win and was asked during his on-court interview to shed light on the little dance he’s been doing recently.
He said it’s done to a song called “Pump It Up.”
“There’s a song with my kids — look my daughter’s doing it right now,” a smiling Djokovic said as he looked into the crowd. “You want to show it darling?”
The TV camera then panned to Tara, who then showed everyone how it’s done: pump your fists down, then left, right and overhead.
The crowd roared.
“She’s the master. It’s a little tradition we have right now. Hopefully we can keep going so we can keep pumping more in Wimbledon.”


China’s first Legoland opens to visitors in Shanghai

China’s first Legoland opens to visitors in Shanghai
Updated 05 July 2025
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China’s first Legoland opens to visitors in Shanghai

China’s first Legoland opens to visitors in Shanghai
  • The resort, which opened Saturday, is the first in China
  • It is one of 11 parks across the world and was built with 85 million Lego bricks

SHANGHAI: A giant 26-meter (85-foot) Lego figure named Dada welcomed visitors to the new Legoland resort in Shanghai.

The resort, which opened Saturday, is the first in China. It is one of 11 parks across the world and was built with 85 million Lego bricks.

Among the main attractions is Miniland, which replicates well-known sights from across the world using Lego bricks. It features landmarks across China like Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and Shanghai’s Bund waterfront. There’s also a boat tour through a historic Chinese water town built with Lego bricks.

“My first impression is it is a good recreation, like a real fairyland of Lego,” said Ji Yujia, a Lego fan who was there on opening day.

The resort was developed in conjunction with the Shanghai government by Merlin Entertainments and the LEGO Group.

Visitors were greeted by performances featuring Legoland characters. Tickets range from $44 (319 yuan) to $84 (599 yuan).


River Seine reopens to first Paris swimmers after century-long ban

River Seine reopens to first Paris swimmers after century-long ban
Updated 05 July 2025
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River Seine reopens to first Paris swimmers after century-long ban

River Seine reopens to first Paris swimmers after century-long ban
  • The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is seen as a key legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics
  • A few dozen swimmers arrived ahead of the Saturday morning opening for the long awaited moment

PARIS: The River Seine reopened to Parisian swimmers on Saturday morning for the first time since 1923, offering locals and tourists a welcome respite after a scorching temperatures.

A few dozen swimmers arrived ahead of the opening at 8:00 a.m. (0600 GMT) for the long awaited moment, diving into the water under the watchful eye of lifeguards, an AFP journalist said.

The seasonal opening of the Seine for swimming is seen as a key legacy of the Paris 2024 Olympics, when open water swimmers and triathletes competed in its waters which were specially cleaned for the event.

The swimming zones are equipped with changing rooms, showers, and beach-style furniture, offering space for 150 to 300 people to relax, lay out their towels, and unwind from the city’s hustle and bustle.

The promise to lift the swimming ban dates back to 1988, when then-mayor of Paris and future president Jacques Chirac first advocated for its reversal.