Smartmatic won’t be required to give Fox News a trove of information about U.S. federal charges against the voting machine company’s co-founder over alleged bribery in the Philippines, a judge ruled Thursday.
Fox News and parent Fox Corp. sought the information to help fight Smartmatic’s $2.7 billion defamation suit over broadcasts about the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Smartmatic says its business was gutted when Fox aired false claims that the election-tech company helped rig the voting.
Fox says it was simply reporting on newsworthy allegations made by then-President Donald Trump and his allies.
The Aug. 8 indictment of Smartmatic co-founder Roger Piñate and two other executives concerns a geographically distant matter: Smartmatic’s efforts to get work in the Philippines between 2015 and 2018.
But Fox maintains the criminal case is pertinent to Smartmatic’s business prospects, and therefore to the election-tech company’s claims about what it lost and stands to lose because of Fox’s 2020 coverage.
“As of Aug 8, governments will have to take into account the risks of doing business with a company (where some executives have been) accused of serious corruption by the U.S. Department of Justice,” Fox lawyer Brad Masters told a New York court Thursday.
He asked the court to order Smartmatic to provide any documents that it has given to the DOJ for the bribery investigation; any customer inquiries about the criminal charges; and any staff communications about the matter and its impact on the company.
The indictment accuses Piñate and two other Smartmatic executives of scheming to pay over $1 million in bribes to a Filipino election official to deploy the company’s machines and pay promptly for them. Federal prosecutors say the payments were made through sham loan agreements and via a slush fund created by overcharging for the machines.
Piñate, who has served as Smartmatic’s president, has pleaded not guilty to conspiring to violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and to money laundering. It’s unclear from court records whether the other two executives have entered pleas.
Boca Raton, Florida-based Smartmatic itself isn’t charged in the criminal case. The company put the executives on leave and sought to reassure voters that elections are “conducted with the utmost integrity and transparency.”
Smartmatic’s lawyers contend the indictment is irrelevant to the defamation suit, which is about election-fraud allegations made by Trump’s attorneys.
“There’s merely an allegation, which is probative of nothing,” Smartmatic attorney Caitlin Kovacs argued Thursday. She suggested Fox wanted to “stand up here and play prosecutor to the jury” and “accuse Smartmatic of a crime that they didn’t commit.”
Judge David B. Cohen denied two similar requests from Fox while the federal investigation was ongoing, and said Thursday that the indictment didn’t change his mind.
“It’s a mere accusation. It raises no presumption of guilt,” he said.
Smartmatic is suing Fox and multiple current or former on-air hosts over shows in which Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell portrayed the company as part of a broad conspiracy to steal the 2020 vote from Trump, a Republican and the winner of this year’s election.
Federal and state election officials, exhaustive reviews in battleground states and Trump’s own then-attorney general found no widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome of the 2020 election. Nor did they uncover any credible evidence that the vote was tainted. Dozens of courts, including some presided over by judges whom Trump appointed, rejected his fraud claims.
Fox News ultimately aired an interview with an election technology expert who refuted the allegations against Smartmatic.
Fox is countersuing Smartmatic, claiming the defamation case violates a New York law against baseless suits aimed at squelching reporting or criticism on public issues.
BAKU, Azerbaijan — Even as Earth sets new heat records, humanity this year is pumping 330 million tons (300 million metric tons) more carbon dioxide into the air by burning fossil fuels than it did last year.
This year the world is on track to put 41.2 billion tons (37.4 billion metric tons) of the main heat-trapping gas into the atmosphere. It’s a 0.8% increase from 2023, according to Global Carbon Project, a group of scientists who track emissions. Several United Nations reports say the globe must cut emissions by 42% by 2030 to possibly limit warming to an internationally agreed-upon threshold.
This year’s pollution increase isn’t quite as large as last year’s 1.4% jump, scientists said while presenting the data at the United Nations climate talks in Azerbaijan.
If the world continues burning fossil fuels at today’s level, it has six years before passing 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, the limit agreed to at the 2015 climate talks in Paris, said study co-author Stephen Sitch. The Earth is already at 1.3 degrees Celsius (2.3 Fahrenheit), according to the United Nations.
“We clearly are not doing enough on a global scale to reduce emissions. It’s as simple as that,” said study co-author Mike O’Sullivan, a University of Exeter climate scientist. “We need to massively increase ambition and actually just think outside the box of how we can change things, not be so tied to fossil fuel interests.”
Scientists used reported emissions from rich countries and oil industry data, O’Sullivan said. The 2024 figure includes projections for the last couple months or so. The Global Carbon Project team released figures for the four biggest carbon emitters — China, the United States, India and Europe. It also produced more detailed and final figures for about 200 countries for 2023.
The continued rise in carbon emissions is mostly from the developing world and China. Many analysts had been hoping that China — by far the world’s biggest annual carbon polluting nation with 32% of the emissions — would have peaked its carbon dioxide emissions by now. Instead China’s emissions rose 0.2% from 2023, with coal pollution up 0.3%, Global Carbon Project calculated. But it could drop to zero in the next two months and is “basically flat,” O’Sullivan said.
That’s nothing close to the increase in India, which at 8% of the globe’s carbon pollution is third-largest carbon emitter. India’s carbon pollution jumped 4.6% in 2024, the scientists said.
Carbon emissions dropped in both the United States and the European Union. They fell 0.6% in the U.S. mostly from reduced coal, oil and cement use. The U.S. was responsible for 13% of the globe’s carbon dioxide in 2024. Historically, it’s responsible for 21% of the world’s emissions since 1950, a figure that matters since the gas persists in the atmosphere for centuries.
Twenty-two nations have shown steady decreases in emissions, O’Sullivan said, singling out the United States as one of those. The biggest emission drops from 2014 to 2023 were in the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom and Ukraine.
Europe, which accounts for 7% of the world’s carbon pollution, saw its carbon dioxide output drop 3.8% from last year — driven by a big cut in coal emissions.
Global carbon emissions are well more than double what they were 50 years ago and 50% than they were in 1999. Emissions have gone up about 6% in the past decade.
“This is a needed reminder of the urgency with which we need to address the cause of the climate crisis,” said PowerShift Africa founder Mohamed Adow, who wasn’t part of the study. “The problem is the fossil fuel industry is kicking and screaming for us to slow down and to keep them in business for longer. That’s why they poured money into Donald Trump’s election campaign.”
Carbon dioxide from humanity’s burning of coal, oil and natural gas amounts to 2.6 million pounds (nearly 1.2 million kilograms) of the heat-trapping gas every second.
Total carbon emissions — which include fossil fuel pollution and land use changes such as deforestation — are basically flat because land emissions are declining, the scientists said. That’s an important and encouraging milestone amid bad news, said University of Pennsylvania climate scientist Michael Mann
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
The 2024 season was one for the history books, with records broken, nail-biting storylines written, and new Olympic champions crowned.
Some Grand Tours went right down to the wire, while others were already tied up by the second week – such was the standout strength of their victors.
Alongside the victories, record-breakers, and history-makers, there were also season-defining moments that sprung from crashes. A few notable incidents shaped the campaigns of some of the peloton’s key protagonists.
To give each of these moments from the road their fair share of the limelight, we refrained from including highlights from other disciplines, such as gravel and mountain biking.
While in the world of gravel, the exhilarating World Championships in Belgium saw Marianne Vos and Mathieu van der Poel win world titles in yet another discipline.
Back to the tarmac though, and we’ve whittled a long list down to just 12 key moments from the 2024 road cycling season.
Biniam Girmay becomes first Black African to win a stage at the Tour de France, wins three stages in 2024
Biniam Girmay wins three stages and the green jersey at the 2024 Tour de France (Image credit: Getty Images)
The 230.9-kilometre stage from Piacenza ended with Girmay blasting up close to the barriers on the right-hand side to win ahead of Fernando Gaviria (Movistar) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), taking the early lead in the green points classification.
He captured another win on the 183.4km-long stage 8 from Semur-en-Auxois to Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises ahead of Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and De Lie. He won for a third time on stage 12’s 203.6km race from Aurillac to Villeneuve-sur-Lot and then carried the green jersey all the way into the finale in Nice to win the points classification.
(Image credit: Future)
The victory in Torino is one of many highlights for Girmay during his career, his name hit the headlines in 2021 when he took silver in the under-23 race at the Leuven Worlds, then again the following year as he took victories at Gent-Wevelgem and on stage 10 into Jesi at the Giro d’Italia.
Girmay followed in the footsteps of compatriots Natnael Berhane, Merhawi Kudus, and Daniel Teklehaimanot, who became the first Black African to start the Tour de France in 2015 and he stood on the podium as the leader of the polka dot jersey after stage 8 in Le Havre.
“It means a lot personally for me. And especially for the continent because it’s been a long time for African Black riders to not win at the Tour de France,” Girmay said after his Tour stage win in Torino. “It means a lot, especially for Eritrean cycling because we have a long history with cycling. We have cycling in our blood and know a lot about the Tour de France so to win today was amazing.” (PT)
Rainbow jerseys rule Paris-Roubaix as Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel conquer the cobbles
Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel celebrate victory in the famous Roubaix Velodrome (Image credit: Getty Images)
The ‘curse of the rainbow jersey’ was nowhere to be seen in northern France on the first weekend of April as both Lotte Kopecky and Mathieu van der Poel avoided punctures and crashes to raise their arms in sheer euphoria at the iconic Roubaix Velodrome, albeit achieving the feat in contrasting styles.
It was a race that yo-yoed back and forth with attacks, until a select group of riders, including Kopecky, Elisa Balsamo, Marianne Vos and Pfeiffer Georgi, burst clear with a handful of pavé sectors remaining.
Six riders arrived at the velodrome, and Kopecky was the last to launch her sprint. The Belgian – resplendent in an all-white rainbow kit – timed her sprint to perfection, navigating her way around the outside group at the perfect moment to take the Queen of the Classics crown.
While Kopecky’s decisive move came inside the final 100m, the Dutchman made his key attack with 60km to go. Benefiting from smart teamwork by his teammates Gianni Vermeersch and Jasper Philipsen, he powered away from the rest of the peloton and wouldn’t be seen again.
The time difference between MVDP and the second finisher, his teammate Philipsen, would eventually be three minutes, breaking the record for the fastest edition of L’Enfer du Nord in its 128-year history, and becoming the first rider in 11 years to complete the Flanders-Roubaix double. (PT)
Kasia Niewiadoma and a magical four seconds at the Tour de France Femmes
Kasia Niewiadoma reacts to winning the Tour de France by four seconds atop Alpe d’Huez (Image credit: Getty Images)
Niewiadoma took the overall lead after finishing second on stage 5. On the same day, overnight leader Vollering was involved in a mass crash that caused her to lose 1:19. Although Vollering clawed seconds back on the penultimate stage into Le Grand-Bronand, it was not enough.
Vollering tried to gain back the time lost on the final day with an attack on the mid-stage Col du Glandon. In the race up the 21 hairpins of Alpe d’Huez, Vollering and Pauliena Rooijakkers played a tactical battle for the stage victory.
In the end, Vollering crossed the line with the win, securing a 10-second bonus seconds toward the overall. She also made history as the first woman to have her name etched on a bend of the fabled ascent after winning on Alpe d’Huez.
But with the clock still ticking in the race for the general classification, Niewiadoma desperately tried to make it to the finish line with enough time on Vollering to keep the yellow jersey, and she did so by just four seconds.
In addition, for Niewiadoma, it signified another turning point in her professional cycling career after having won the world title at the Gravel World Championships last October and secured the win at La Flèche Wallonne atop the Mud de Huy in April. (KF)
Mass crash at Itzulia Basque Country shapes riders’ seasons and safety debate
Unscathed riders were in no mode to continue racing after witnessing a large section of the peloton hit the deck (Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Stage four of Itzulia Basque Country might not have been witness to any record-breaking performance or an emphatic victory but a mass high-speed crash with 35km remaining arguably had equal impact, shaping the course of several riders’ summers and the continuing discourse surrounding rider safety.
Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard, and Primož Roglič were among the 11 riders forced to quit the race following the incident as the race came around a bend on their way to the day’s finish in Legutio. Roglič came away fairly unscathed and would return to racing at the Critérium du Dauphiné, which he would go on to win.
Meanwhile, Evenepoel suffered a broken collarbone and sustained fractures to his clavicle and scapula when he skidded off the road. The Soudal Quick-Step rider also managed to make it back for the pre-Tour warm-up race but was off the pace when the race went uphill.
However, it was Vingegaard who was the worst affected by the crash, suffering a collapsed lung alongside broken ribs and collarbone. The Dane would not return to action until the Grand Dèpart for the Tour de France at the end of June, almost three months after the incident.
Perhaps it’s a testament to his recovery that he challenged Pogačar as well as he did en route to second place overall.
Mark Cavendish etched in history with record 35th Tour de France stage win
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Racing at his 15th Tour de France in July, Mark Cavendish broke the all-time stage win record set by Eddy Merckx by securing his 35th stage victory at the French Grand Tour on stage 5 in Saint Vulbas, the latest step in his own era in the history of sprinting.
Cavendish had announced his retirement the previous season but reneged on the idea after he crashed out of the 2023 Tour de France and lost his chance to establish a new record, that he had shared with Merckx, both on 34 – and a record that had stood for 48 years.
While racing for Astana-Qazaqstan on stage 5 at the 2024 Tour de France, Cavendish hit the front from distance to claim the win, beating Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility).
All of Cavendish’s Tour de France stage wins have come in bunch sprints. His first four wins were with Columbia in 2008, then his next 16 with HTC and their famed lead-out train from 2008 through 2011. He also took three stage wins while racing for Team Sky in 2012, and another three with QuickStep between 2013 and 2015.
He went on to race Dimension Data, where he won four stages in the 2016 edition, before his resurgent stint with Deceuninck-Quickstep in 2021 when he won another four stages. A prolonged career with Astana-Qazaqstan into 2024 saw him finally secure his record-breaking 35th Tour stage win.
Remco Evenepoel and Kristen Faulkner deliver golden doubles at Paris Olympics
Golden glee for double gold medallists Remco Evenepoel and Kristen Faulkner (Image credit: Getty Images)
Remco Evenepoel and Kristen Faulkner both starred at the Olympic Games this summer, clinching two gold medals each across their respective disciplines.
In dreary and wet conditions Evenepoel powered to time trial victory on the first weekend of the Games – putting 15 seconds into Filippo Ganna’s time despite the treacherous conditions on the French capital’s roads. Evenepoel couldn’t hide his joy as he crossed the line, already aware his time was enough for gold, punching the air as headded yet another major TT title to his record.
Coming to the fore with 40km of the 272km race remaining, Evenepoel ignited the afterburners to power through the remnants of the day’s early break and lead the race with only Valentin Madouas remaining by his side at the 15km to-go marker.
The Frenchman was duly dropped on the final ascent through Montmartre, but Evenepoel – seemingly untouchable – couldn’t foresee a mechanical nearly deriding his golden double dream.
A frantic minute ensued, with the Belgian gesturing and shouting to his mechanic for a new bike. The handover proved slick and the crisis averted.
In vast contrast, Kristen Faulkner was by no means a favourite for the women’s road race – in fact, she wasn’t even on the startlist until a last-minute switch.
Perhaps it was her rank outsider status that saw none of Marianne Vos, Lotte Kopecky, or Kata Blanka Vas respond to her attack with 3km remaining.
They’d quickly regret that when the American powered across the line over a minute ahead of themto win the women’s road race – too focused on the Olympic title to even sit up and celebrate.
Devastation for Demi Vollering at Tour de France Femmes
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Demi Vollering went into the 2024 Tour de France Femmes as the out-right favourite to win a second consecutive overall title after she had an outstanding early season that saw her on a stage racing winning streak at La Vuelta Feminine, Itzulia Women, Vuelta a Burgos and Tour de Suisse. She had also opted not to compete at the Giro d’Italia Women in order to focus on the Tour, which had moved to a new August date to accommodate the Olympic Games.
She looked well on her way to achieving that goal when she took a surprise win in the stage 3 time trial and moved into yellow in Rotterdam and then extended that lead into Liège the following day.
A devastating crash on the exit of a roundabout saw Vollering crash hard with 6.3km to go on stage 5 into Amnéville, and she was unable to remount her bike for 49 seconds as she clutched at the back of her left leg with what appeared to be a hip injury, slowly getting back on her bike to make her way to the finish, initially alone and without support from SD Worx-Protime.
The overall classification completely flipped on its head when Vollering crossed the line 1:47 behind her teammate and stage winner Blanka Vas, but more importantly, she had also lost 1:19 to Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM) heading into the final three stages.
Questions swirled around the SD Worx-Protime’s tactics and why their yellow jersey was left isolated in the closing kilometres of this stage, but her teammates and the riders from rival teams who had split off the front said they didn’t realize Vollering was involved in the crash, but that there was little that could be done with such a short distance to the finish line.
Vollering said she was ‘empty, sour but proud‘ after capturing the finale stage 8 victory on Alpe d’Huez, but having also lost the overall race by just four seconds to Niewaidoma.
Ben O’Connor delivers best season of career as he stars at La Vuelta and earns surprise Worlds silver
Ben O’Connor wearing the leader’s red jersey at La Vuelta (Image credit: Getty Images)
The opening week of La Vuelta a España looked to be falling perfectly into place for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe when Primož Roglič – returning to racing after abandoning the Tour de France – took the red jersey on stage four. That was until, in their directeur sportif Patxi Vila’s words,“things got out of hand.”
‘Things’ specifically being Ben O’Connor, with the Australian putting six minutes into GC rivals on stage six after soloing to victory from the break. When we think about race favourites lending out the jersey to outsiders for a few days to alleviate pressure, this wasn’t it. The Australian and his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team defended the jersey impressively.
Ultimately though, after 13 days on O’Connor’s back, the race leader’s jersey was wrestled back into Roglič’s control on the Alto de Moncalvillo – with the Slovenian all but sealing his record-equalling fourth Vuelta title in the process.
Nonetheless, O’Connor held on for second place, describing the result, which is his best Grand Tour finish and first podium, as “a bit of a dream, I have been close before but to get it now is such an amazing thing.”
Three weeks later, he’d add a road race World Championships runner-up spot to his palmarès too, to cap off his best season to date.
The Perth native played his role in the chasing group to perfection, behind an unassailable Tadej Pogačar. By no means the fastest finisher in the group, he bided his time and let other riders show their hands before bursting away with just a few kilometres remaining, telling Cyclingnews at the finish line that this result “is for Aussie cycling, not just for me.” (PT)
250 for Marianne Vos
Marianne Vos wins dwars door Vlaanderen (Image credit: Getty Images)
She had an impressive Classics campaign, which was a clear indication that she was back to her best after late 2023 surgery on her iliac artery, with first-time wins at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Dwars door Vlaanderen, along with a victory at Amstel Gold Race.
She went on to win two stages and the points classification at La Vuelta Feminine, a stage win and the overall title at Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and the points classification at the Tour de France Femmes.
She also secured the silver medal in the road race at the Paris Olympics Games and capped off the season by winning the world title at the UCI Gravel World Championships, adding a 14th rainbow jersey to her extensive collection of titles; eight cyclocross, three road race, two track and one gravel.
Vos has amassed 255 career road race wins by the end of the 2024 season, putting another defining stamp on her G.O.A.T status in professional cycling. “It’s a number you don’t dare think about at the beginning of your career,” said Vos of her 250th victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen. “Over the years you can make a lot of memories of different highs and lows and then this is definitely a very nice highlight.” (KF)
Grace Brown’s legendary last dance
A gleeful Grace Brown celebrates Olympic time trial gold (Image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Grace Brown called time on her career as a professional cyclist in scintillating style as she became the first Australian woman to win a Monument at Liège-Bastogne-Liège before reaffirming her legendary status by becoming the first woman to win Olympic time trial gold and the World Championships time trial in the same year.
Brown claimed victory at Liège when she outsprinted Elisa Longo Borghini and Demi Vollering to the title after spending half of the race in the breakaway.
Yet just two months later, at the age of 31, she announced 2024 would be her last in the women’s WorldTour. “I really miss my life in Australia with my husband, my family and my friends and it is something that is harder and harder to leave,” she explained when announcing her retirement.
That decision appeared to ignite a ‘leave it all out there’ mentality in the rider from Melbourne for the rest of the season as she stunned the field on the opening weekend of the Paris Olympics, storming the women’s time trial event by over a minute and a half to eventual silver medallist Anna Henderson.
“I can be really proud to go out on such a high,” Brown told reporters after her win. Yet the historic feat in Paris didn’t mark the peak of the Australian’s season – that arrived two months later in Switzerland.
Rounding out her career as the first woman to conquer both major TT titles in one year, Brown described it as a “dream” and was “really, really lucky to have the end of my career like this. It’s special.” (PT)
(Image credit: Future)
Elisa Longo Borghini’s magnificent Giro d’Italia
Elisa Longo Borghini wins the 2024 Giro d’Italia Women (Image credit: RCS Sport / LaPresse)
Italy had to wait a long 16 years until one of their own secured the coveted maglia rosa at the Giro d’Italia Women. It finally happened in this year’s 35th edition in the most dominating of fashions as Elisa Longo Broghini led the eight-day race from start to finish and was crowned the overall winner in L’Aquila.
Longo Borghini is the reigning Italian Champion and has competed in 13 editions of the Giro d’Italia Women and finished twice on the podium in 2017 and 2020, and said it took an entire team effort to make that step up as the overall champion.
She pulled on the maglia rosa after the stage 1 time trial in Brescia, and then carryied the race lead through Volta Mantovana, Toano, Urbino, Foligno, Chieti and to the top of the iconic Blockhaus, in what was a dramatic race for time bonuses on the penultimate queen stage 7 against runner-up Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime).
In a dramatic stage 8 finale, she led by just one second ahead of Kopecky in the overall classification. A breakaway of three took the top three stage places, and then Longo Borghini accelerated and sprinted out of the field in the last kilometre to claim fourth place on the day and win the overall title by 21 seconds ahead of Kopecky.
Longo Borghini was the first Italian to win the maglia rosa at the women’s race since five-time winner Fabiana Luperini last won the title in 2008, and added her name to a list of compatriots to have won the race that also includes Maria Canins, Roberta Bonanomi, and Michela Fanini. (KF)
Rainbow jersey wraps up sensational season for Tadej Pogačar
Tadej Pogačar dons the rainbow jersey for the first time after an incredible 100km attack (Image credit: Getty Images)
Tadej Pogačar delivered the best season of his stellar career so far, becoming just the third male rider to complete the Triple Crown of Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and World Championship road race victories in one season.
Yet, unquestionably, the Slovenian’s World Championships victory was the most poignant of his successes in 2024, both for how he achieved it and what it meant in the context of cycling’s history.
Nowhere was this clearer than in Switzerland when the 26-year-old launched an attack from the peloton with 100km to go, weaving through the day’s breakaway as if they were barely pedalling and then riding solo to the finish from no less than 50km until the line.
A fortnight later the three-time Tour de France winner was at it again – now proudly donning the rainbow jersey – produced a mesmerising 48.4km solo effort to win a fourth consecutive Il Lombardia and his 25th victory of the campaign. (PT)
EQS-News: Zalando SE
/ Key word(s): Quarter Results
Zalando Records Strong Q3 Growth in Both B2C and B2B, Invests in Customer Loyalty, Lifestyle Propositions, fashion Discovery and Logistics 05.11.2024 / 07:00 CET/CEST The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Zalando Records Strong Q3 Growth in Both B2C and B2B, Invests in Customer Loyalty, Lifestyle Propositions, Fashion Discovery and Logistics
Q3 gross merchandise volume (GMV) rises 7.8% to 3.5 billion euros, revenue increases 5.0% to 2.4 billion euros
Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT) climbs from 23 million euros to 93 million euros in the quarter, representing a margin of 3.9%
B2C sees revenue rising 4.3% and adj. EBIT margin climbing by 3.5 percentage points to 4.0%
B2B records 11.1% revenue growth in Q3 with adj. EBIT margin of 2.8%
Number of active customers increases by half a million to 50.3 million in Q3
Zalando confirms full-year guidance, upgraded on 10 October
Berlin, 5 November 2024 // Zalando recorded strong growth in both its growth vectors Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B) in the third quarter, driven by increasing consumer demand amid an industry-wide strong start to the autumn/winter season. To capture further growth opportunities, the company is investing in key areas of its ecosystem strategy, such as driving customer loyalty, expanding lifestyle propositions, making fashion discovery more entertaining, and further strengthening its European logistics network.
Zalando’s third-quarter gross merchandise volume (GMV) rose 7.8% to 3.5 billion euros compared with a year ago, revenue increased 5.0% to 2.4 billion euros and adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (adjusted EBIT) climbed from 23 million euros to 93 million euros. The adjusted EBIT margin increased by 2.9 percentage points to 3.9%. The number of active customers increased by about half a million quarter on quarter, bringing the total number of active customers to 50.3 million in the third quarter.
“Consumers love the quality brands we are adding, spend time with our exciting digital experiences, and embrace our expanding lifestyle offerings in areas such as Sports, Beauty and Kids & Family,” said Dr. Sandra Dembeck, Chief Financial Officer.“To capture further growth opportunities, we are investing into initiatives such as evolving our Plus loyalty program, offering more inspiring content, ramping up our tech hub in China and driving localised convenience for customers via our European logistics network.”
B2C: New Brands, Rewarding Loyalty and Lifestyle Growth
For Zalando’s first B2C growth pillar, aiming to differentiate itself through quality and offer the best possible shopping experience, the company added new brands like Remain, A-COLD-WALL*, and Marine Serre to its curated lineup. Zalando also evolved its Plus program from a paid membership to a free, points-based system designed to reward customer loyalty.
In France, Zalando’s new fulfilment centre near Paris shipped its first parcel at the start of October. This latest addition to Zalando’s logistic network helps to provide customers across France and neighbouring countries with even more localised offerings and convenience.
Zalando’s second B2C growth pillar around making Zalando a lifestyle destination saw strong growth in Sports, Beauty, and Kids & Family. The company is working to elevate these categories into powerful lifestyle propositions with comprehensive assortments, personalised inspiration, and seamless convenience. Zalando’s partners continued to increase their own sales generated via the company’s platform, with the partner business recording double-digit growth in the third quarter.
For the third B2C growth pillar – introducing new content formats into commerce and offering personalised inspiration and entertainment – the company further evolved Stories on Zalando, the content hub that engages customers around exciting fashion and culture trends. Fashion influencers like Caro Daur, Linda Tol, and Jordan Anderson are now offering exclusive content and showcasing their curated fashion selections.
In line with its commitment to enhance customer experiences, Zalando continued to invest in technologies such as the Zalando Assistant that has been rolled out to all 25 markets recently. Zalando’s AI assistant, powered by Zalando’s own models and OpenAI’s large language models, offers logged-in customers personalised fashion advice in local languages, enabling customers to navigate Zalando’s extensive assortment with intuitive queries such as“What should I wear to my dad’s 60th birthday in November in Barcelona?” The assistant understands context – such as location, weather, and occasion – to make informed recommendations.
Revenue in the B2C growth vector rose 4.3% to 2.2 billion euros in the third quarter compared with the same period a year ago. Adjusted EBIT rose to 86.7 million euros, representing an adjusted EBIT margin of 4.0% in the quarter compared to 0.5% a year prior, driven by improved gross margins and lower fulfilment costs.
B2B: Expanding value proposition for partners
In B2B, Zalando is opening up its logistics infrastructure, software, and service capabilities to be a key enabler for brands’ and retailers’ e-commerce transactions, regardless of whether they take place on or off the Zalando platform.
In the third quarter, ZEOS added ASOS as a new sales channel, expanding the value proposition for Zalando’s partners. In total, ZEOS can now fulfil orders that were placed via 9 major e-commerce platforms and brands’ own webshops.
In the third quarter, revenue in the B2B growth vector continued to outgrow group revenues and increased 11.1% to 239.7 million euros compared with a year ago. Adjusted EBIT fell from 12.6 million euros a year ago to 6.7 million euros, representing an adjusted EBIT margin of 2.8%, compared to 5.8% a year prior. The decrease was mainly caused by frontloaded investments to support future growth.
Outlook
Today, Zalando confirmed its guidance, which was upgraded on 10 October 2024, for the financial year 2024. The company expects gross merchandise volume (GMV) to grow between 3% and 5%, revenue to increase between 2% and 5% and adjusted EBIT to grow to between 440 million euros and 480 million euros.
The third-quarter 2024 financial report, as well as the earnings presentation for analysts and investors, is available on the Zalando Investor Relations website . Zalando will report the results for the full year 2024 on 6 March 2025.
(end)
Zalando at a glance
Key figures*
IN EUR M
Q3/24
Q3/23
Group GMV
3,458.5
3,209.3
Percent growth
7.8 %
-2.2 %
Group revenue
2,388.5
2,274.9
Percent growth
5.0 %
-3.2 %
B2C revenue
2,151.5
2,063.0
B2B revenue
239.7
215.8
Reconciliation revenue
-2.8
-3.9
Adjusted group EBIT
92.7
23.2
Adjusted group EBIT margin
3.9 %
1.0 %
B2C adjusted EBIT
86.7
10.6
B2B adjusted EBIT
6.7
12.6
Reconciliation adjusted EBIT
-0.7
0.0
Net working capital
-246.4
-11.6
Capital expenditure
-40.1
-70.4
Net income
44.3
-8.2
Q3/24
Q3/23
Key performance indicators
Active customers (million) (last 12 months)
50.3
50.1
Number of orders (million)
57.9
54.5
Average orders per active customer (last 12 months)
4.9
5.0
Average basket size (EUR) (last 12 months)
61.1
58.8
*Definitions are available in the Annual Report 2023
About Zalando
Founded in Berlin in 2008, Zalando is building the leading pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce around two growth vectors: Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B). In B2C, we offer an inspiring and quality multi-brand shopping experience for fashion and lifestyle products to more than 50 million active customers in 25 markets. In B2B, we are using our logistics infrastructure, software and service capabilities to help brands and retailers run and scale their entire e-commerce business, on or off Zalando. As an ecosystem, Zalando aims to enable positive change for the fashion and lifestyle industry.
Contact Media inquiries Carolyn Groß Business & Financial Communications …
Investor/Analyst inquiries Patrick Kofler Investor Relations …
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Company:
Zalando SE
Valeska-Gert-Straße 5
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Well, it was a night that will go down in ACC history and the man leading the charge was Dabo Swinney. When the match ended, or more precisely when Clemson secured a 29-13 win over Florida State, Swinney reached 174 overall… But this wasn’t just any win. The man who rebuilt Clemson football had just surpassed the only coach whose name was synonymous with the ACC for the better part of the last three decades. It is a dramatic irony — Swinney won the title from Bowden on the Bowden field.
Well, folks, Clemson football is humming! Clemson’s coach Dabo Swinney hit number 174, and that makes him the ACC’s all-time winningest coach. This was made possible against none other than the Florida State Seminoles, and in the Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium no less. Perhaps, this story could have been made for the movies, but it is real, and it is a big plus to Clemson football.
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Most career wins by a head coach – Atlantic Coast Conference history (1953-present): 174- Dabo Swinney (Via tonight’s 29-13 @ClemsonFB victory over Florida State) 173- Bobby Bowden 134- George Welsh 113- Frank Beamer 110- Mack Brown 98- Bill Dooley 96- Frank Howard 96- Danny Ford pic.twitter.com/FTSZUhN5ld
Thanks to the Tigers’ 29-13 win over the Seminoles on Saturday night, Swinney tied the record of 174-44 for his entire coaching tenure, which gives him a stunning winning percentage of .798, which is now a record in the ACC. This win is not just a figure; this win is his place in a conference that has already produced its due share of coaching giants. Indeed he surpassed Bobby Bowden’s record of 173 victories, a record set in 2009 when Bowden was coaching the Noles.
Swinney’s achievements do not even end there. He has taken Clemson to eight ACC titles and has won national titles in 2016 and 2018. During his years the Tigers, have also earned six College Football Playoff appearances which set up the paradigm for continuing success. He holds hundreds of home wins and twelve bowl victories, making him a true winner on the field when it is needed most.
That is accomplished all while Dabo Swinney becomes the head coach immediately after replacing Tommy Bowden in the year 2008. He took the program from a good solid competitor to a great national program. Through his work ethic and family-like environment for his players, he demonstrates the spirit with which fans seem to enjoy.
Dabo Swinney: the living legend
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Post the game, Swinney expressed his relations with the Bowden family by saying, “He kinda claims me as one of his own.” This is why you can tell this was heart-warming for him as a coach, and for a man who has immense respect for the history of football.
Moving into the future, Swinney’s record-setting win puts Clemson in a great place. Swinney has already established himself as one of the best in the ACC, and this accomplishment only helps. They want more success in the ACC and beyond, and this milestone gives them the confidence they need. Clemson, again, has a strong team, and a demanding mindset keeper means that it will yet dominate.
The Tigers are once again contenders for more national and conference honors this season after winning four consecutive games after their opener against Georgia. Next up? A game they have coming up against Wake Forest might help them to strengthen that even more.
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Dabo Swinney has raised new future ACC coaches standards, and as far as I am concerned, it is fascinating to know what this part of Clemson’s history will be like. Swinney has his eyes on more wins and another crack at the playoff, so you know he definitely won’t be sitting down anytime soon.
Helias and Capital City each made cases to be the top high school football team in Jefferson City, throughout the 2024 season. The Crusaders and Cavaliers each look to stake a claim as the top squad in the state capital Friday night.
Reigning Central Missouri Activities Conference champion Helias is fresh off a 29-22 overtime loss to Rock Bridge last Friday. The Bruins scored 22 unanswered points in the clash to snap the Crusaders’ 12-game CMAC winning streak.
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Before Carson Steele became an unheraleded contributor for the Kansas City Chiefs, he was making plays for Ball State and UCLA.
Here’s more on Steele’s college career.
The vitals on Carson Steele
School: Ball State/UCLA Position: Running back Height: 6-1 Weight: 225 pounds Years active: 2021-23
Here are Carson Steele’s career stats in college.
YEAR
GAMES
Rush Att
RUSH YDS
RUSH TDS
REC
REC YDS
REC TDS
2021
13
192
891
6
12
157
1
2022
12
289
1,556
14
29
166
1
2023
12
167
847
6
17
163
2
Career
37
648
3,294
26
58
486
4
Carson Steele, a native of Greenwood, Indiana, signed with Ball State over offers that included Indiana State and Southern Illinois, per 247Sports. After two years at Ball State, Steele transferred to UCLA in 2023.
What kind of prospect was Carson Steele in high school?
Steel was a consensus two running back at Centre Grove High School in Greenwood, Indiana. Steele was ranked as the No. 287 running back in the country and the No. 54 player in Indiana in the class of 2021.
In high school, Steele ran for 5,907 yards and 82 touchdowns in his career, with 1,659 yards and 31 touchdowns coming during his senior year. During his senior year Steele also led his Center Grove team to an undefeated season and the Class 6A state championship. After the season, Steele was named Indiana’s Mr. Football, the MaxPreps Indiana Player of the Year and to the all-state team.
What was Carson Steele’s record in college?
Steele and Ball State finished a combined 11-14 in his first two collegiate seasons, losing in the TaxAct Camellia Bowl as a freshman. In his third season at UCLA, Steele helped the Bruins finish 8-5 with a Starco Brands LA Bowl win.
Records set by Carson Steele
Here are some of the notable records and statistical rankings set by Steele in college:
3rd in Ball State single-season rushing yards (1,556 in 2022)
3rd in Ball State single-season rushing touchdowns (14 in 2022)
Which awards did Carson Steele win in college?
Here are the awards and honors Steele won in college:
2022 First-Team All-MAC
2021 John Hodge Award (Ball State’s most outstanding freshman on offense)
2024 Ann Arbor Regional preview; Here’s what you need to know
The 2024 NCAA Ann Arbor Regional Championships will be held Wednesday, April 3 through Saturday, April 6 at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan hosted by the University of Michigan.
Before he made headlines starting in a 2022-23 NFL playoff game for the Miami Dolphins, Skylar Thompson placed himself in the Kansas State lore. Thompson took over as a full-time starter in 2018 and by his senior season, was one of the greatest quarterbacks in Wildcat history.
Here’s everything you need to know about Skylar Thompson’s college career.
Skylar Thompson, a native of Missouri, attended Kansas State. Per247Sports, Thompson signed with Kansas State over offers from Iowa State, Kansas, Wake Forest and others.
What kind of prospect was Skylar Thompson in high school?
Thompson was a four-star quarterback at Fort Osage high school in Independence, Missouri. Thompson was the second-ranked player in Missouri and the 10th-ranked dual threat quarterback in the class of 2016. Thompson played in 46 games during high school, passing for 6,222 yards and 71 touchdowns. Thompson’s dual-threat ability was on display his senior year where he rushed for 21 touchdowns and over 1,000 yards. He was named Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015 after leading his team to a state title.
Stefan Frei reached a milestone in his MLS career on Sunday night, becoming the second all-time in shutouts as he led the Seattle Sounders to a 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City at Lumen Field.
Frei’s clean sheet was his 113th regular-season shutout, moving him past Kevin Hartman and into sole possession of second place on the MLS all-time list. Nick Rimando remains the record-holder with 154 shutouts. Frei was called into action only once during the match, making a crucial diving save on Erik Thommy’s left-footed shot in the 35th minute.
The Sounders’ defense was solid throughout, and their offense provided the necessary support with first-half goals from Jackson Ragen and Paul Rothrock. Ragen scored in the 19th minute, capitalizing on a rebound from a header by Jordan Morris that was initially saved by Tim Melia. Rothrock doubled Seattle’s lead in the 40th minute, finishing off a pass from Morris after Cristian Roldan’s chipped ball into the box.
Seattle’s advantage could have been extended further, but a 24th-minute header by Cristian Roldan was ruled offside following a video review, and a penalty kick by Albert Rusnak was saved by Melia in the 44th minute.
With the win, the Sounders improved to 13-9-7 and moved up to fifth place in the Western Conference standings, with a strong record of 9-2-1 in their past 12 league matches. They are now just a game behind the fourth-seeded Las Vegas Aces in the playoff race.
Sporting Kansas City’s Peter Vermes, who reached his 500th regular-season match as a coach, became the third coach in league history to achieve this feat and the first to do so with only one club. However, SKC remains far behind in the playoff race, sitting in 11th place with 28 points, 11 points adrift of the final playoff spot.
Seattle’s win also underscored their defensive prowess and attacking efficiency, as they continue to build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
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SINGAPORE — Some struggle for hours to solve a Rubik’s Cube, others take minutes to do so.
Daryl Tan is able to work out the puzzle in seconds — with one hand, no less — while being suspended upside down or submerged underwater.
The 22-year-old Singaporean holds 11 Guinness World Records titles for his speedcubing feats, which in itself is another achievement. No other cubing aficionado globally holds as many records.
His feats have made it to the Guinness World Records 2025 book. Released on Sept 12, the latest edition marks the 70th anniversary of the series, which has sold more than 150 million copies in more than 100 countries.
The Singapore Institute of Technology second-year undergraduate, who is pursuing an honours degree in physiotherapy, picked up cubing when he was in Primary 6.
“My friend brought a Rubik’s Cube to school and solved it in 50 seconds. I was impressed,” recalls the St Andrew’s Junior School alumnus.
The puzzle toy, which has been around for 50 years, was invented by Hungarian sculptor-architect Erno Rubik. Beyond the classic 3×3 cube, it now comes in many variants.
Tan learnt basic cubing techniques on YouTube after the PSLE, and, within a month, improved his timing from four minutes to under 30 seconds.
As he became more adept, he started juggling balls while unscrambling the puzzle.
In 2020, he broke the Guinness World Record set by a fellow Singaporean for “fastest time to solve a Rubik’s Cube whilst juggling”, with a timing of 17.16 seconds.
“That was the only record that I wanted to break initially. Then I got curious about other existing speedcubing record titles,” recalls Tan, then a 19-year-old student at Republic Polytechnic’s Sports and Exercise Sciences diploma course.
“Some were quite easy to break, such as solving a cube while hanging upside down on a monkey bar. I thought: ‘Why not give it a shot?’”
His 56-year-old father, an engineer, and 64-year-old mother, a financial adviser, have always been supportive of their younger son’s pursuit of record-breaking feats. They have an elder son aged 25, who is also an undergraduate.
Tan, who is also a national sprinter, claimed the title of “fastest 100m solving a 3x3x3 rotating puzzle cube” in May 2023 with a timing of 13.61 seconds.
“But my parents were worried about some challenges, especially the underwater ones which could be quite risky. I had to hold my breath for as long as possible, so it put me at risk of passing out.”
Six of his record titles, achieved between April 2021 and February 2024, involved him cubing while submerged underwater. Today, he can hold his breath underwater for 3½ minutes.
“When I did the underwater training in a tub at home, I made sure my brother was at home so he could save me in case anything went wrong,” he adds with a laugh.
Daryl Tan has six Guinness World Records titles which involved him solving the cubes underwater. PHOTO: Guinness World Records
Since 2020, he has picked up 17 Guinness World Records titles but lays claim to only 11 now. The rest have been broken by other cubers.
“I’m happy for them,” he says. “Obviously, I hope to hold a record for as long as I can. But I understand that I’m not the only competitive guy out there.”
What remains on his bucket list is to complete a Rubik’s Cube while in free fall. He approached a few skydiving companies when he was on a family holiday in California in 2023.
“They rejected my request because they were concerned that I’d accidentally drop the cube and cause safety issues,” he says.
World Records 2025 marks the 70th anniversary of the series that has sold more than 150 million copies in over 100 countries. PHOTO: Guinness World Records
Recently, he applied to Guinness World Records to attempt another 14 challenges and is awaiting the organisation’s go-ahead.
Through this, he hopes to inspire children to put down their phones and pick up a Rubik’s Cube.
“A cube, which costs from about $5, can be a fun toy and help train cognitive skills and critical thinking,” says Tan, who does cubing coaching as a side hustle on weekends. His youngest student is a seven-year-old boy.
Contrary to popular belief, he says one does not have to be a maths genius to solve the cube.
He adds: “There are algorithms that you have to learn, but just like any other skill, such as riding a bicycle, you just need to practise. Don’t get intimidated by it.”
• Guinness World Records 2025 annual book is available at major bookstores for $42.01.
