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☆ Britain labels data centers critical infrastructure to boost cyber defenses
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Data centers today are crucial computing infrastructure that power the modern-day internet. Granting data centers critical infrastructure status will enable the government to coordinate better against hackers and unexpected cyber events, Kyle said. Data center operators will effectively be given a direct line to the government to prepare for and respond to data threats, the government said. Data centers are a key part of the modern internet as it exists today. When they go offline, it can cause massive outages for internet users, with sometimes critical services going down.

Persons: Andrew Aitchison, Peter Kyle, Kyle Organizations: Pictures, Corbis, Getty, British Technology, Amazon, U.S, Security Locations: Hertfordshire, England, Europe

☆ Charli XCX stopped chasing success when writing ‘Brat’—now it’s her highest-selling album
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Inspired by singer Charli XCX's seventh studio album "Brat," which came out last month, large swaths of social media users — primarily Gen Zers — are celebrating the carefree, rebellious lifestyle depicted throughout the record. The trend gained more attention on Sunday after Charli XCX posted "Kamala IS brat" to social media platform X, referencing U.S. vice president Kamala Harris' attitude, age and energy as she campaigns to become the country's first-ever woman president. For Charli XCX, whose given name is Charlotte Aitchison, the brat takeover is unexpected — the album was risky, and could've flopped. But Charli XCX didn't enjoy the songs: The record represented the "vanilla palatable flatness" that pop music embodied at the time, she told The Face in February. "I wasn't born to do radio one liners," said Charlie XCX, who's been releasing music since age 19.

Persons: it's, Charli XCX's, Zers —, Charli XCX, Kamala, Kamala Harris, XCX, Charlotte Aitchison, would've, didn't, Charlie XCX, who's, That's

☆ Brexit border checks: Britain braces for less choice and higher prices on food imports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Hanna Ziady | Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The new regime for food imports is perhaps the starkest example of the painful border bureaucracy that UK and EU businesses must contend with in the wake of Brexit. An additional cost of that scale will “significantly increase food prices and reduce choice,” the federation’s CEO Phil Pluck wrote in a letter to environment and food minister Steve Barclay earlier this month. But here too Brexit hasn’t helped, ending as it did the free movement of EU workers on whom British farmers had relied for decades. In addition to Brexit-related challenges, UK farmers have been squeezed by soaring input costs, including those of fertilizer, energy and labor. “I’m not hugely in favor of subsidies, I’m in favor of fair food prices,” Maddocks said.

Persons: Eddie Price, ”, Phil, Steve Barclay, Andrew Aitchison, Andrew Opie, “, Jack Bobo, “ It’s, Price, hasn’t, ” Tom Bradshaw, “ You’re, Chris Ratcliffe, Brexit, ” Philip Maddocks, I’m, ” Maddocks Organizations: London CNN, European Union, EU, Britain, Birmingham Wholesale, CNN, Chain Federation, British Retail Consortium, University of York, Food Systems, University of Nottingham, Birmingham Wholesale Market, Bank, National Farmers ’ Union, Bloomberg, Getty, PDM Locations: United Kingdom, Britain, France, Spain, artichokes, Italy, Birmingham, Dover, Port, Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, North Africa, England, Sandwich, Australia, New Zealand, English, Shropshire

☆ Carrier, the century-old inventor of the air conditioner, is moving on to the home heat pump
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Bob Woods | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Andrew Aitchison | In Pictures | Getty ImagesIn case you haven't noticed, heat pumps are hot. But there are other reasons why heat pumps are fast becoming popular with homeowners. All of this is transforming Carrier Global , the nearly 100-year-old manufacturer whose founder, Willis Carrier, invented air conditioning. Heat pumps have a history dating back to 1850s The thermodynamic science behind heat pumps was developed in the 1850s, when the first ones were invented, and they've been used in homes since the 1960s. Heat pumps use electricity to transfer heat from a cool space to a warm space, making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer.

Persons: CARR, Andrew Aitchison, Willis Carrier, David Gitlin, Carrier, Hakan Yilmaz, Yilmaz, they've, Michael Kretschmer, Sebastian Kowalski, Kretschmer, Tobie Stanger, Dave Lis, Viessmann, Milena Oliveira, Oliveira, Mark Prodan, Prodan, There's Organizations: Carrier Global, United Technologies, Solutions, East Trade Policy, Getty, International Energy Agency ., U.S . Climate Alliance, Consumer, Energy Efficiency, Carrier, M, Energy Star Locations: Gardens , Florida, Saxony, Leipzig, America, U.S, Maine, Michigan, Indian, Connecticut, New York State

Ms. Aitchison, 55, who works for a senior living home, advises her family each year that she plans to make the holidays smaller, spending less. “I’m a huge gift giver,” Ms. Aitchison, who started her shopping in early November. I’m always running around the last week before Christmas because I have to find just a few more gifts.”There are many reasons for people to be more prudent in their holiday spending this year. While inflation is less rapid than it was a year ago, millions of shoppers still feel sticker shock when buying groceries. And higher interest rates have meant larger credit card bills and, for home buyers, mortgage payments.

Persons: Christina Beck, Beck, Kristin Aitchison, Aitchison, “, Ms, I’m Locations: Minneapolis

☆ Top companies' lobbying undermines their climate pledges, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

InfluenceMap uses the United Nations' High-Level Expert Group's (HLEG) 'Integrity Matters' guidance on the need to align lobbying with climate commitments. Catherine McKenna, Chair of the U.N.'s HLEG on Net Zero Emissions Commitments of Non-State Entities, said the findings should be a "wake-up call" for businesses. "Not only are many companies choosing to undermine their own climate commitments by lobbying against climate action, their net zero commitments are simply not credible," she said. InfluenceMap, founded in 2015 to encourage action to tackle the climate crisis, highlighted companies at the most significant risk of 'net zero greenwash'. "Governments are failing to progress climate policy at the speed needed, and corporate influence is a key reason why," said Will Aitchison, the study's lead author.

Persons: Arnd, Catherine McKenna, InfluenceMap, Glencore, Will Aitchison, Tommy Reggiori Wilkes, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, ExxonMobil, Forbes, Nations, European Union, U.S . Environmental, Stellantis, Thomson Locations: Baar, Switzerland, U.S

☆ Think the Police Should Wear Body Cameras? That Will Cost Taxpayers Extra.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Shaila Dewan | More About Shaila Dewan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Unions have the right to bargain whenever there is a change in wages, hours or working conditions. Those rulings have given unions a say in policies like when the devices must be activated and how often supervisors are allowed to review footage. Perhaps most controversially, many unions have won the right for officers involved in a serious incident to review body camera video before giving a statement to investigators. In Worcester, officers may view the footage only after writing their initial report, but before giving additional statements. More and more, unions have used their bargaining right to demand more pay.

Persons: —, William Aitchison, Aitchison Locations: Worcester, Portland ,

☆ A 'greenwashing' crackdown in Europe hasn't gone down well. Here's what you need to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, published its so-called "Green Claims Directive" on Wednesday. The highly anticipated proposal seeks to establish an EU-wide methodology that will help to clean up the environmental claims marketplace. Today, most green claims are too good to be true and the proposal is… far from the real (green) deal. The EU's "Green Claims Directive" seeks to tackle this trend. "Green claims are everywhere: ocean-friendly t-shirts, carbon-neutral bananas, bee-friendly juices, 100% CO2-compensated deliveries and so on," said Frans Timmermans, executive vice-president for the European Green Deal.

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