Korda sisters expected to lead U.S. women's golf team at Olympics

Sisters Nelly and Jessica Korda are expected to lead the American women's golf contingent at the Olympics in Tokyo.

The International Golf Federation released the list of the 60 players in the Final Olympic Golf Rankings on Tuesday. The list was cemented after the completion of the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, which Nelly Korda won last weekend to move to No. 1 in the world and in the rankings for the Olympics.

Both the United States and South Korea qualified four athletes, while other countries were limited to a maximum of two, based on the world golf rankings.

Also invited to compete for the United States were Danielle Kang and Lexi Thompson. The qualifying South Koreans are Jin Young Ko, Inbee Park, Sei Young Kim and Hyo-Joo Kim.

The 60-player women's tournament is scheduled to be played Aug. 4-7 at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Saitama, Japan. The course, opened in 1929, has hosted the Japan Open Golf Championship four times.

The national Olympic committees have until Thursday to confirm the participation of each player. Any unused berths will be reallocated.

Park won the gold medal in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Also qualifying for Tokyo were the other Rio medalists: Lydia Ko of New Zealand (silver) and Shanshan Feng of China (bronze). Thompson competed for Team USA in 2016 -- the first time women's golf had been an Olympic sport since 1900.

Jin Young Ko finished No. 2 in the rankings, followed by Park, Sei Young Kim, Kang, Hyo-Joo Kim, Brooke Henderson of Canada, Yuka Saso of the Philippines, Thompson and Lydia Ko to complete the Top 10.

-reuters

Death toll in Florida building collapse rises to 9: mayor

SURFSIDE, Florida - The death toll after the collapse of a Florida apartment tower has risen to nine, the local mayor said Monday, more than three days after the building pancaked as residents slept.

"We were able to recover four additional bodies in the rubble... So I am confirming today that the death toll is at nine," Miami-Dade County mayor Daniella Levine Cava told reporters in Surfside, near Miami Beach, adding that one victim had died in hospital. "We've identified four of the victims and notified next of kin." 

With more than 150 people still unaccounted for, the outlook grew more grim by the hour, and weary family members at the site were showing increasing signs of anger, despair and strain.

Cava said four bodies, as well as human remains, were found when workers dug a huge trench -- 125 feet long, 20 feet wide and 40 feet deep (38 by 6 by 12 meters) -- through the mountain of debris. 

"We are making every effort to identify those others who have been recovered," she said in a morning briefing.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said debris with "forensic value" is being taken to a large warehouse to be inspected as investigators seek to determine the cause of the collapse.

And Surfside mayor Charles Burkett said accommodation was being found for anyone wishing to evacuate the tower's nearly identical "sister" building a block away, though no structural problems have yet been identified there.

INTERNATIONAL EFFORT

Israeli and Mexican engineers and search-and-rescue specialists have joined an army of American workers at the site.

Teams in protective gear, backed by two huge cranes and aided by sniffer dogs, have been working nonstop in torrid heat and high humidity since the early-morning collapse.

Six to eight squads are "on the pile actually searching at any given time," Mayor Cava said. The teams are able to work only a half-hour at a time before handing the job to the next crew.

"There is progress being made," Burkett told ABC's "This Week." "We've got waves of search-and-rescue teams that are flowing over the site.

"We don't have a resource problem," he said. "We have a luck problem. We need to get more lucky right now."

The 12-story oceanfront Champlain Towers South pancaked in the middle of the night Thursday as residents slept. Surveillance video of the collapse showed it coming down in just a few seconds.

The rescue operation has been agonizingly slow and painstaking, and fears of a much higher death toll are climbing with each passing hour -- though rescuers have stressed that there may yet be survivors trapped inside the rubble.

"My heart is with the community of Surfside as they grieve their lost loved ones and wait anxiously as search and rescue efforts continue," President Joe Biden tweeted Saturday, offering any federal assistance needed.

'MAKE EVERY EFFORT'

Many members of the local Jewish community were among those affected by the tragedy in Surfside, near Miami Beach, and Israel had vowed to help with the agonizing search.

"This is one of the best, if not the best, and the most experienced rescue teams, Israeli rescue teams," Israeli diaspora affairs minister Nachman Shai said as the team arrived early Sunday.

About half of Surfside's population is Jewish, including many members of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement, according to the Israeli media. 

So far, four victims have been identified by local police: Gladys and Antonio Lozano, respectively aged 79 and 83; 54-year-old Stacie Fang, whose 15-year-old son was rescued from the debris Thursday; and Manuel LaFont, also 54. 

At least 18 Latin American nationals are among the missing -- including Uruguayans, Argentines and Paraguayans. Canada has also said at least four of its citizens may be "affected," without elaborating.

Late Saturday, officials said they had been able to battle back a fire that for days had hampered their efforts.

Families of the missing have expressed mounting frustration and anger at the wait as concerns grown about the building's condition before the collapse. Officials who spoke Sunday repeatedly sought to reassure them that everything possible is being done.

"We're moving as fast as we can, as hard as we can," Miami-Dade fire chief Alan Cominsky told reporters.

Anger was fanned by news Friday that an engineer's survey of the building in 2018 had pointed to "major structural damage" to a concrete slab beneath a ground-level pool deck, as well as "abundant" damage inside the parking garage.

Authorities have stressed that the reason for the collapse could take months to determine.

US media have reported that one resident has already filed a class-action lawsuit against the building's owners seeking compensation for victims.

Agence France-Presse

MLB: Kyle Schwarber homers twice to power Nats over Marlins

Kyle Schwarber clubbed two homers and drove in four runs, leading the Washington Nationals to a 7-3 win over the host Miami Marlins on Thursday night.

Schwarber hit a homer to lead off the game and added a three-run shot in his second at-bat.

Thursday was just the 13th time that Schwarber hit leadoff for Washington, and he has delivered 12 home runs in those games. Yet, he is already tied for third in franchise history with five leadoff homers. He is also the first player in franchise history with eight homers in a five-game span.

The reigning National League Player of the Week, Schwarber has 21 homers for the season. He is one of just four players in major league history with at least eight homers and 15 RBIs in a five-game stretch.

Schwarber's hot hitting and strong work from starting pitcher Joe Ross (4-7) allowed the Nationals to win their fifth straight game, making them the hottest team in the NL since June 13, with a 10-1 record.

Ross lasted seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and two walks. He struck out eight, one short of his season high.

Miami has lost four straight games and eight out of 10. The Marlins couldn't get a runner past first base until the fifth inning, and they have now scored just five runs over their past four games.

Marlins rookie Cody Poteet (2-3) took the loss, allowing six hits, four walks and five runs in three innings. He struck out six batters, including the red-hot Schwarber.

Poteet went 2-0 with a 1.06 ERA and one homer allowed in his first three starts. In his four starts since then, he is 0-3 with a 9.88 ERA and six homers allowed.

Schwarber gave Washington a 4-0 lead with his shot down the right field line to start the game -- a homer measured at 398 feet -- and his 414-foot blast to center in the second.

That gave the seven-year veteran his 12th multi-homer game. Four of those have come since June 13.

The Nationals added on in the second inning as Trea Turner singled and scored from first when Juan Soto scorched an opposite-field double that rolled to the wall in left-center.

Washington made it 7-0 in the seventh, an inning that included Soto again driving in Turner with a double.

Miami got on the board in the eighth as Jon Berti walked, Luis Marte singled, and rookie Jazz Chisholm Jr. lofted a three-run homer that traveled 414 feet to right-center.

-Field Level Media

Colombia death toll from COVID-19 tops 100,000

BOGOTA - Colombia's death toll from COVID-19 passed the 100,000-mark on Monday with a new 24-hour record of almost 650 deaths, the health ministry said. 

After 3 weeks of demonstrations that have brought thousands of people into the streets to protest the government of conservative President Ivan Duque, the South American country of 50 million is suffering its worst moment since the pandemic began. 

It has now recorded 100,582 dead, including 648 in the past 24 hours, the ministry said. 

In proportion to its population, Colombia is reporting the fourth worst death toll in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the sixth for the number of infections, according to an AFP count. 

"More than 10,000 deaths could have been avoided if we had not had these gatherings in the past 6 or 7 weeks," Duque said in a statement. 

The health authorities identified a resurgence of the virus in early April, and slapped restrictive measures such as a nightly curfew on the main cities.

But since April 28, thousands of Colombians have turned out to protest in the street, spurred on by a heavy handed police response, even as the government scrapped a controversial tax hike. 

Agence France-Presse  

NBA: Kevin Huerter, Hawks upset No. 1 seeded 76ers in Game 7

Kevin Huerter scored a playoff career-high 27 points, Trae Young added 21 points and 10 assists and the fifth-seeded Atlanta Hawks stunned the host Philadelphia 76ers, 103-96, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday.

The Hawks will face the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Young shot 5 of 23, but made a couple of clutch shots down the stretch.

John Collins had 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Danilo Gallinari had 17 points and Clint Capela 13 for the Hawks, who reached the conference finals for the first time since 2015. The Hawks won three games at Philadelphia in this series.

Joel Embiid led the top-seeded Sixers with 31 points and 11 rebounds yet committed eight turnovers. Tobias Harris added 24 points and 14 rebounds, Seth Curry had 16 points and Ben Simmons contributed 13 assists.

The Sixers haven't reached the conference finals since 2001.

The Hawks led, 48-46, at halftime, thanks in large part to Huerter's 12 points. Young shot just 1 of 12 in the opening half.

Embiid had 15 points but committed four turnovers and appeared to tweak his injured right knee shortly before halftime.

The game was tight throughout the third as the Hawks moved out to a 64-63 advantage with 4:45 left after a tough jumper by Huerter. He was fouled as well but missed the free throw.

Matisse Thybulle scored four late points in the period, but the Hawks closed the third strong and led, 76-71.

Embiid scored the first five points of the fourth -- a jumper and a 3-pointer -- to tie the game at 76 with 10:37 to go.

The Hawks missed their first nine shots of the fourth but only trailed 81-77. Gallinari then connected on a trey to close the Hawks within one.

When Young drove to the basket and scored with 5:11 left, the Hawks took an 86-84 lead.

Embiid responded with a jumper with 4:14 remaining to tie the game at 86.

Young drained a deep 30-foot trey with 2:31 to go and the Hawks led 93-87.

The Sixers went on a 5-0 run to close within one with 1:09 remaining.

Huerter was then fouled on a 3-pointer and dropped in all three for a 96-92 lead with 54 seconds left.

-reuters

34 women sue Pornhub in sex abuse video, trafficking case

Nearly three dozen women have filed a lawsuit in California against adult video website Pornhub, accusing it and its parent company of knowingly profiting from footage depicting rape and sexual exploitation, including of minors.

Lawyers representing the 34 plaintiffs accuse the online giant -- one of the world's largest adult video websites -- of creating a teeming marketplace for child pornography and "every other form" of nonconsensual sexual content, and want the company to pay damages.

They accuse MindGeek, the controversial adult entertainment empire that runs Pornhub, of being a "classic criminal enterprise" with a business model based on exploiting non-consensual sexual content.

"This is a case about rape, not pornography," the complaint said, describing the website as "likely the largest non-regulatory repository of child pornography in North America and well beyond."

All but one of the plaintiffs, who reside both in the United States and abroad, wished to remain anonymous.

Fourteen said they were minors when they were filmed and should be considered "a victim of child sex trafficking".

Michael Bowe, a lawyer representing the women, told CBS News the court could order MindGeek to pay hundreds of millions to his clients.

Serena Fleites, the only plaintiff to be named, said that in 2014 she learned that "a nude, sexually explicit video" that her boyfriend had coerced her to make when she was only 13 years old had been uploaded to Pornhub without her consent.

The video remained online until the teen, posing as her mother, asked Pornhub to remove it.

Yet the video was not taken down for several weeks, the lawsuit said, and during that time it was downloaded and reuploaded by several different users, with each video requiring a fresh request to remove it.

The plaintiffs' lawyers accuse MindGeek of operating a "gaslighting campaign" online in a bid to discredit the victims, as well as making "threats of physical violence and death" against them.

They are also suing Visa Inc -- one of the world's largest payments processing companies -- for "knowingly" profiting from trafficking in providing merchant services to MindGeek.

Both Visa and Mastercard suspended processing payments for Pornhub in December, after a New York Times article accused the site of hosting illegal content, including child pornography and rape videos.

According to the suit, MindGeek owns more than 100 pornographic sites, including Pornhub, RedTube, Tube8 and YouPorn, and sees some 3.5 billion visits each month.

Montreal-based MindGeek described the suit's accusation that it is running a "criminal enterprise" as "utterly absurd, completely reckless and categorically false," according to US media.

Pornhub, which claims 130 million visitors a day, has denied allegations of trafficking and announced a series of measures to combat illegal content.

Agence France-Presse

Microsoft bolsters video game line-up as Xbox turns 20

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Microsoft unveiled Sunday a batch of new titles for Xbox at the world's premier video game trade show, including award-winning sensation "Hades" and long-time hit "Halo".

The Xbox maker showed off 30 new games coming to its console, which in November will celebrate two decades on the market.

"Our team strives to make Xbox a place where you'll find the greatest games, the most dedicated developers, and the most passionate community," unit chief Phil Spencer said during a streamed event on the second day of a virtual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).

Microsoft revealed a coming take of beloved "Halo", along with new creations such as science-fiction action title "Starfield" and a vampire-battling adventure called "Redfall" from Bethesda Softworks.

Microsoft recently-acquired Bethesda Softworks, the maker of hits including "Fallout" and "Elder Scrolls."

As trailers depicted tense battles and the games' rich graphics, Microsoft stressed that all but a few would be available for play at its subscription Xbox Game Pass service.

The company also highlighted titles that will be exclusive to Xbox, which competes with rival consoles Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Switch.

Award-winning "Hades" from San Francisco-based Supergiant is coming to Xbox as well as PlayStation, the independent studio said Sunday.

"Hades" has so far only been available for play on personal computers and Switch.

"Hades", which snagged five honors this year at Britain's prestigious BAFTA Games Awards, is a "dungeon crawler" that challenges players to fight their way through the underworld.

The line-up of new titles comes as Microsoft works on software and a plug-in device to let people play Xbox video games on internet-linked televisions without need of consoles.

"As a company, Microsoft is all-in on gaming," chief executive Satya Nadella said in introducing the plan last week.

Microsoft has been playing on the strength of its Xbox unit as it vies with Luna and Stadia cloud gaming services run, respectively, by Amazon and Google.

In coming weeks, cloud gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions will be possible through internet browsers Chrome, Edge and Safari, according to Microsoft.

Many are expected to tune in on the closing day of E3 on Tuesday for a Nintendo streamed event at which it may reveal a new version of its coveted Switch consoles along with showing off new games.

Agence France-Presse

Trip to space with Jeff Bezos sells for $28 million

WASHINGTON - A mystery bidder paid $28 million at auction Saturday for a seat alongside Jeff Bezos on board the first crewed spaceflight of the billionaire's company Blue Origin next month.

The Amazon founder revealed this week that both he and his brother Mark would take seats on board the company's New Shepard launch vehicle on July 20, to fly to the edge of space and back.

The Bezos brothers will be joined by the winner of Saturday's charity auction, whose identity remains unknown, and by a fourth, as yet unnamed space tourist.

"The name of the auction winner will be released in the weeks following the auction's conclusion," tweeted Blue Origin following the sale. 

"Then, the fourth and final crew member will be announced -- stay tuned."

Saturday's successful bidder beat out some 20 rivals in an auction launched on May 19 and wrapped up with a 10-minute, livecast frenzy.

Bidding had reached $4.8 million by Thursday, but shot up spectacularly in the final live auction, rising by million dollar increments.

The proceeds -- aside from a six percent auctioneer's commission -- will go to Blue Origin's foundation, Club for the Future, which aims to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Taking off from a desert in western Texas, the New Shepard trip will last 10 minutes, four of which passengers will spend above the Karman line that marks the recognized boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space.

After lift-off, the capsule separates from its booster, then spends four minutes at an altitude exceeding 60 miles (100 kilometers), during which time those on board experience weightlessness and can observe the curvature of Earth.

The booster lands autonomously on a pad two miles from the launch site, and the capsule floats back to the surface with three large parachutes that slow it down to about a mile per hour when it lands.

LIFELONGD REAM

Bezos, who announced earlier this year he is stepping down as Amazon's chief executive to spend more time on other projects including Blue Origin, has said it was a lifelong dream to fly into space.

Blue Origin's New Shepard has successfully carried out more than a dozen uncrewed test runs from its facility in Texas' Guadalupe Mountains.

"We're ready to fly some astronauts," said Blue Origin's director of astronaut and orbital sales, Ariane Cornell, on Saturday.

The reusable suborbital rocket system was named after Alan Shepard, the first American in space 60 years ago.

The automated capsules with no pilot have six seats with horizontal backrests placed next to large portholes, in a futuristic cabin with swish lighting. Multiple cameras help immortalize the few minutes the space tourists experience weightlessness.

PRIVATE SPACE RACE

Blue Origin's maiden crewed flight comes in a context of fierce competition in the field of private space exploration -- with Elon Musk's SpaceX, and Virgin Galactic, founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, all jostling for pole position.

Bezos has a very public rivalry with Musk, whose SpaceX is planning orbital flights that would cost millions of dollars and send people much further into space.

SpaceX has already begun to carry astronauts to the International Space Station and is a competitor for government space contracts.

Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, hopes to begin regular commercial suborbital flights in early 2022, with eventual plans for 400 trips a year.

Some 600 people have booked flights, costing $200,000 to $250,000 -- and there has been talk of Branson himself taking part in a test flight this summer, although no date has been set.

Agence France-Presse

Two COVID cases on one of first N. American cruises since virus hit

MIAMI, United States - Two guests on one of the first cruise ships to sail from North America since the COVID-19 pandemic hit tested positive Thursday, the cruise company said, adding all passengers and crew had been vaccinated.

The Celebrity Millennium, carrying about 600 passengers and 650 crew, set sail from the Caribbean island of St. Maarten on Saturday for a seven-day including stops in Barbados, Aruba and Curacao.

"Two guests sharing a stateroom onboard Celebrity Millennium tested positive for COVID-19 while conducting the required end-of-cruise testing," Royal Caribbean said in a statement.

"The individuals are asymptomatic and currently in isolation."

It said that the ship exceeded US Covid-19 guidelines, and all guests were required to show proof of vaccination as well as a negative Covid-19 test before sailing.

The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently requires that more than 95 percent of passengers and crew be vaccinated in order for cruise lines to bypass a requirement for trial voyages.

Cruise operations were suspended on March 14, 2020 when the CDC issued a "no sail order" to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Several ships already had deadly outbreaks on board.

Agence France-Presse

New Yorkers seek to shed pandemic pounds

NEW YORK - As fitness-conscious New York emerges from the pandemic, many residents are hitting the gym to get back in shape, but without putting too much pressure on themselves after the psychological stresses of the past 15 months.

Thirty-year-old Benny Maidenbaum comes from a family of sportsmen and said he's always been "very active." Basketball twice a week and pounding sidewalks as a real estate agent kept him fit.

But in March 2020, all that stopped.

"I had no activity, was sitting at home. I gained weight, like 15-20 pounds (7-9 kilograms). They call it 'corona weight,'" he tells AFP at TS fitness studio on Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Health journals and articles have indeed talked about "Quarantine 15" -- unwanted extra pounds gained from the upheaval of our daily routines, including lack of activities and emotional eating caused by the anxiety of the pandemic.

About 42 percent of American adults said they had gained more weight than they intended -- an average of 29 pounds -- during the pandemic, according to a survey conducted by the Harris Poll for the American Psychological Association.

Angela Thuman, a 42-year-old bank worker, lost 32 pounds over the winter before the pandemic struck. She put it back on during the COVID crisis.

"It made me depressed and my anxiety was sky high. I had no motivation whatsoever," said Thuman, who lives in Maryland. 

Maidendaum said he found himself stuck at home eating junk food, without any interest in healthy options.

"It's like you're in a hole. There is no way out," he said.

Maidenbaum says TS Fitness has helped him "break the cycle" of unhealthy living.

Founder Noam Tamir says the studio has seen attendance increase significantly in recent weeks.

"With summer coming, being outside more, not fitting into the clothes they used to and obviously revealing more of their body, they want to get into a fitness routine," he said.

The studio has offered Zoom classes throughout the pandemic but people "crave that human-to-human contact," Tamir added.

Khristel Rhoades, a 40-year-old stay-at-home mother, notes that there are more people in Central Park now than during the pandemic's early days.

"People are more comfortable. Initially, people would kind of jump when they thought you were coming by," she said while walking on the paved loop that goes around Manhattan's green lung.

'STIGMATIZATION'

Rhoades is among those who found exercise helped them through the pandemic.

"It's kept me sane for sure," she said.

Many specialists warn against stigmatizing weight gain, particularly at a time when people are still feeling extremely fragile psychologically.

"The very last thing we need right now is a diet," warned author Virginia Sole-Smith in her Burnt Toast newsletter.

"It's so much more important to have compassion for everything your body has gone through in the past year. And maybe even pride, for everything your body has helped you survive," she added.

But for Thuman, she said she had "a little bit of motivation" to lose weight as the pandemic dragged on, after separating from her husband.

Thanks to steady walks, a new diet and Facebook groups, Thuman has lost 22 pounds and is almost down to the weight she was pre-pandemic.

"I like the way that I feel now," she told AFP.

Like many, Maidenbaum refuses to set a target for his weight loss.

"If you put a timeframe, I realize you're building up a lot of pressure on yourself," he said, choosing to focus instead on a healthy lifestyle.

"As long as you show up and put in the work, that's really all that matters."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: No Harden, no problem as Nets hammer Bucks for 2-0 series edge

Kevin Durant scored 32 points in three quarters and the Brooklyn Nets did not miss a beat without James Harden, cruising to a 125-86 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals in New York.

The second-seeded Nets lead the best-of-seven series 2-0 ahead of Game 3 on Thursday in Milwaukee.

Brooklyn, which never trailed, led by as many as 49 points in the fourth quarter. The Nets led by double digits for the final 39:11.

In 33 minutes, Durant shot 12 of 18 from the field and posted his fourth 30-point game of the postseason. He also hit four 3-pointers, grabbed four rebounds and handed out six assists.

Durant finished his latest productive game by going around Giannis Antetokounmpo for a reverse layup with 4.8 seconds left in the third quarter to give Brooklyn a 95-65 lead.

Kyrie Irving added 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting and had six assists for the Nets, who shot 52.1 percent and set a franchise postseason record with 21 3-pointers. It marked the fourth time in their first seven postseason games the Nets shot at least 50 percent from the floor.

Antetokounmpo led the third-seeded Bucks with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He shot 8 of 15 from the floor and missed five of seven free-throw attempts. He is shooting 53.5 percent (23 of 43) from the foul line in the postseason.

Milwaukee's Khris Middleton added 17 points but missed his first eight shots, finished 8 of 20 from the floor and committed five turnovers. Jrue Holiday was held to 13 points.

The Bucks shot 44 percent and misfired on 19 of 27 3-point tries after shooting 6 of 30 from behind the arc in Game 1.

Harden watched from the bench after being ruled out due to right hamstring tightness. He was injured 43 seconds into Brooklyn's 115-107 win in the series opener on Saturday.

Without Harden, the Nets dominated early and cruised to their fifth double-digit win of the postseason.

Durant scored 21 as the Nets led by as many as 27 points before halftime and took a 65-41 edge into the break. He made 7 of 10 shots prior to intermission, including a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the first quarter that put the Nets up 36-19 after the opening 12 minutes.

-reuters

Apple touts App Store economy as its clout challenged

SAN FRANCISCO, United States - Apple said Wednesday its App Store "ecosystem" surged in 2020, fueled by pandemic-hit consumers seeking to stay connected for work, school and play.

Apple spotlighted an independent study by Analysis Group indicating billings and sales of digital and physical goods as well as advertising "facilitated" by the App Store worldwide last year was up 24 percent from 2019 to $643 billion.

"The apps we’ve relied on through the pandemic have been life-changing in so many ways - from groceries delivered to our homes, to teaching tools for parents and educators, to an imaginative and ever-expanding universe of games and entertainment," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a release.

"The result isn’t just incredible apps for users: it’s jobs, it’s opportunity, and it's untold innovation that will power global economies for many years to come."

The Global Perspective on the Apple App Store Ecosystem study focused on small developers with fewer than a million downloads and less than $1 million in earnings last year.

About 90 percent of total billings and sales facilitated by the App Store ecosystem in 2020 occurred outside of the App Store, meaning that Apple collected no commission on those sales, according to the study.

The release of the study comes as US District Court Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers mulls evidence presented during a trial in which Epic Games is trying to break Apple's tight grip on its App Store, and potentially disrupt the entire mobile ecosystem.

Epic, maker of the popular Fortnite video game, is seeking to force Apple to open up the App Store to third parties seeking to circumvent Apple's procedures payment systems and its commission as high as 30 percent in the process.

Agence France-Presse

Football: Barcelona confirm Aguero signing from Man City

MADRID - Barcelona confirmed that Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero will join the club on 1 July when his contract with the Premier League champions expires.

Argentina international Aguero joined City from Spanish side Atletico Madrid in 2011 and went on to become the club's all-time leading goalscorer, netting 260 times as he helped them to claim five Premier League titles.

"Barcelona are the best team in the world," Aguero, who celebrates his 33rd birthday on Wednesday, told a news conference. "And we all know it.

"It was a good decision to join and help the team achieve things. It's another step and I'm very happy. I hope I can contribute a lot to the club.

"The first thing is to try and play and help the team as 

as I can. We are a team, and I will try my best. Hopefully we can get to the end of the season and be in contention for the important trophies."

Barca said the Argentine will sign a two-year deal, with a 100 million euro ($122.04 million) buy-out clause.

Aguero is expected to be the first of a number of arrivals at Camp Nou this summer as new president Joan Laporta looks to revamp a squad that could only finish third in La Liga.

Aguero's City team mate Eric Garcia has been heavily linked as a transfer target by local media, as have Dutch duo Memphis Depay and Georginio Wijnaldum. 

(Reporting by Joseph Walker; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Christian Radnedge and Pritha Sarkar)

-reuters