DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

MADISON, Wis. (AP) —A state judiciary disciplinary panel has rejected several complaints lodged against Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Janet Protasiewicz that alleged she violated the judicial code of ethics for comments she made during the campaign. Protasiewicz on Tuesday released a letter from the Wisconsin Judicial Commission informing her that “several complaints” regarding comments she had made during the campaign had been dismissed without action. Protasiewicz’s win in April flipped majority control of Wisconsin’s Supreme Court from conservative to liberal for the first time in 15 years. That case is expected to eventually reach the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Its members include two lawyers and two judges appointed by the Supreme Court and five non-lawyers appointed by the governor to three-year terms.

Persons: Janet Protasiewicz, It's, Protasiewicz, ” Protasiewicz, Randall Cook, Jeremiah Van Hecke, Dan Kelly, Van Hecke, Robin Vos, impeaches, Tony Evers, Todd Richmond Organizations: Wisconsin Supreme, Commission, Associated Press, Protasiewicz’s, Republican, Democratic, The Wisconsin Republican Party, Protasiewicz, Judicial, Supreme, Wisconsin Democratic Party, Senate, Democratic Gov Locations: MADISON, Wis, Wisconsin, U.S

☆ Fact Check-Panelist did not say WEF would add vaccines to water
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is not planning to put vaccines in water supplies, contrary to claims in some online posts. A post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, (here) reads: “The WEF wants to vaccinate you through your water now,” and boasts over 11,800 likes. “WEF never made any statement about or is having any plan to add COVID vaccines to the water.’’ He also stressed the Global Commission on the Economics of Water is an organization independent to the WEF. The WEF did not say it would add vaccines to water. A Davos panelist compared global COVID-19 vaccination rates to addressing global water issues.

Persons: Mariana Mazzucato, Yann Zopf, “ WEF, Read Organizations: Economic, Twitter, Facebook, University College London, UCL Institute for Innovation, Global Commission, Reuters Locations: Davos

A panel of judges in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington said the securities regulator's denial of Grayscale's proposal was arbitrary and capricious because the SEC failed to explain its different treatment between bitcoin futures ETFs and spot bitcoin ETFs. CRYPTO WINThe SEC rejected Grayscale's application for a spot bitcoin ETF in June 2022, arguing the proposal did not meet anti-fraud and investor protection standards. The court said in its ruling that the SEC failed to explain why it disagreed with Grayscale's assertion that the bitcoin spot and futures markets are 99.9% correlated. If the SEC chooses not to appeal, the court would issue a mandate specifying how its decision should be executed. That could include instructing the SEC to approve the application, or to revisit Grayscale's application, in which case the SEC could still reject the proposal on other grounds.

Persons: Dado, CRYPTO, Judge Neomi Rao, Hannah Lang, Chris Prentice, Paul Simao, Matthew Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, WASHINGTON, U.S . Securities, Exchange, District of Columbia, SEC, CRYPTO WIN, Fidelity, Appeals, U.S, Supreme, BlackRock, New, Thomson Locations: District, Washington, New York

☆ Japan’s X-ray satellite, ‘Moon Sniper’ lunar lander are ready to launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-27 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —A revolutionary satellite that will reveal celestial objects in a new light and the “Moon Sniper” lunar lander are expected to lift off Sunday night. The XRISM satellite (pronounced “crism”), also called the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission, is a joint mission between JAXA and NASA, along with participation from the European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency. Along for the ride is JAXA’s SLIM, or Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. Previously, Japanese company Ispace’s Hakuto-R lunar lander fell 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before crashing into the moon during a landing attempt in April. If SLIM is successful, JAXA contends, it will transform missions from “landing where we can to landing where we want.”

Persons: Ray, SLIM, Smart Lander, ”, Richard Kelley, James Webb, XRISM, Taylor Mickal, ” Kelley, “, Xtend, Brian Williams, NASA’s, Goddard, Ispace’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, YouTube, Ray Imaging, JAXA, NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, Goddard Space Flight, NASA Goddard Space Flight, Space Center, Soviet Locations: Japan, Greenbelt , Maryland, United States, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ Japan prepares to launch X-ray satellite, ‘Moon Sniper’ lunar lander
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A revolutionary satellite that will reveal celestial objects in a new light and the “Moon Sniper” lunar lander are preparing for launch. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, is expected to launch its XRISM mission, pronounced “crism,” from Japan on Sunday evening. Along for the ride is JAXA’s SLIM, or Smart Lander for Investigating Moon. Moon Sniper sets its sights on a craterMeanwhile, SLIM will use its own propulsion system to head toward the moon. Previously, Japanese company Ispace’s Hakuto-R lunar lander fell 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) before crashing into the moon during a landing attempt in April.

Persons: Ray, SLIM, Smart Lander, ”, Richard Kelley, James Webb, Taylor Mickal, XRISM, Ispace’s Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA, Ray Imaging, NASA, European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, YouTube, Goddard Space Flight, Center, Soviet Locations: ”, Japan, Greenbelt , Maryland, United States, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ UN peacekeepers hurt in Cyprus buffer zone clash with Turkish forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.N. peackeepers were manhandled by personnel in Turkish Cypriot police and military uniforms, a witness said. Turkish Cypriot bulldozers had moved U.N. trucks, cement bollards and barbed wire in the United Nations-administered buffer zone splitting the island. The controversy is centred around plans by Turkish Cypriot authorities to build a road traversing the territory which the United Nations says is under its control. Turkish Cypriot authorities are planning to build an 11.5 km road linking Pyla/Pile to a neighbouring community which lies in breakaway north Cyprus. It had been in talks with Turkish Cypriot authorities over their plans, and work had started without the requisite agreement from the U.N., Siddique said.

Persons: Scuffles, Aleem Siddique, Siddique, Michele Kambas, Angus MacSwan Organizations: United Nations, Turkish Cypriot, . Security, UN, Greek Cypriot, The United Nations, Turkish, Thomson Locations: NICOSIA, Turkish Cypriot, Cyprus, Turkish, British, United States, Britain, France, United, Pyla, United Nations, Greek

☆ New study warns against risks of ‘time-traveling pathogens’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Ava Loomar | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Through tens of thousands of iterations, the study team tracked how the virus affected species diversity of a bacterial community. About 1% of the ancient viruses caused major disruptions to the digital ecosystems. The pathogen either increased diversity by up to 12% or, conversely, decreased species diversity by 32%. The role of carbon emissionsModern organisms, including humans, have few, if any, natural defense mechanisms for ancient pathogens. If ancient pathogens did somehow manage to escape, they would have trouble finding people to infect.

Persons: Giovanni Strona, Corey Bradshaw, Jean, Michel Claverie’s, Claverie, Bradshaw, ”, Strona, Kimberley Miner, Miner Organizations: CNN, Asahi Shimbun, NASA, Marseille University School of Medicine, Laboratory, Flinders University, Commission’s, Research, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: Greenland, Alaska, Siberia, Tibetan, Canada, Barrow , Alaska, Aix, Australia, Pasadena , California

☆ Mars is rotating more quickly, NASA mission finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Mars is rotating more quickly than it used to, according to data that NASA’s InSight lander collected on the red planet. Initially, the InSight mission, the first to study the interior of Mars, was supposed to last about two years after it landed in November 2018. The InSight mission continued to collect data about Mars until the very end, falling silent in December 2022 after dust blocked its solar panels from receiving sunlight. Researchers then used RISE to measure the wobble of Mars as the core sloshes around inside it. This new figure was compared with previous estimates of the core’s radius that were collected by tracking seismic waves as they traveled through Mars’ interior.

Persons: CNN —, Viking landers, ”, Sebastien Le Maistre, Mars, “, Bruce Banerdt, “ I’ve Organizations: CNN, NASA, JPL, Caltech, Pathfinder, Space, Space Network, Royal Observatory of, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Locations: Royal Observatory of Belgium, Pasadena , California

☆ Regulators give green light to driverless taxis in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Nadia Bidarian | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

San Francisco first responders, city transportation leaders and local activists are among those who shared concerns about the technology. “Today’s permit marks the true beginning of our commercial operations in San Francisco,” said Tekedra Mawakana, co-CEO of Waymo, in a press release. Until Thursday’s vote, Cruise and Waymo could offer only limited service to San Francisco residents. The San Francisco Police Officers Association, San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and the San Francisco Fire Fighters Local 798 all wrote letters to the CPUC in the week leading up to the originally scheduled vote on June 29. 2022 was the worst year on record for traffic fatalities in San Francisco since 2014, according to city data.

Persons: Cruise, “, ”, Tekedra Mawakana, Drew Pusateri, General Motors, Matthew Sutter, Justin Sullivan, Critics, Tracy McCray, Jeanine Nicholson, ” Nicholson, Waymo, Genevieve Shiroma, ” Shiroma Organizations: CNN, Cruise, San Francisco, California Public Utilities Commission, Waymo, General, Francisco, San, San Francisco Police, Association, Sheriffs ’ Association, San Francisco Fire Fighters, San Francisco Fire Department, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Locations: California, San Francisco, San, Waymo, San Francisco , California, “

☆ A Watch ‘Made in the U.S.A.’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Kathleen Beckett | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The boast was big: Joshua Nathan Shapiro, founder of the watch brand J.N. Shapiro, declared that its Resurgence watch is the first timepiece made in the United States in more than half a century. “There hasn’t been a watch totally made in the U.S. since Hamilton watches closed down in 1969” and moved to Switzerland, Mr. Shapiro said. His company, based in Torrance, Calif., makes 148 of the watch’s 180 components, and most of the others are provided by U.S.-based companies, a tally that Mr. Shapiro said met the Federal Trade Commission’s standard that “all or virtually all” parts of a product must be made in the country before it may use the label Made in the U.S.A. (The label is on the Resurgence’s movement, he said.)

Persons: Joshua Nathan Shapiro, Shapiro, hasn’t Organizations: Hamilton, U.S, Federal Trade Locations: United States, U.S, ”, Switzerland, Torrance , Calif

☆ Richard O. Simpson, First U.S. Product Safety Czar, Dies at 93
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Sam Roberts | More About Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Richard O. Simpson, a self-made Republican businessman who as the first chairman of the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission aggressively protected the American public from buying millions of risky goods, died on July 21 in DeLand, Fla., north of Orlando. His death, in a hospital near his home, was confirmed by his daughter Karen Simpson Tweedie. Mr. Simpson was appointed to the commission by President Richard M. Nixon in 1973, shortly after it was created by a Democratic Congress. Still, during his three-year tenure, the commission declared some 25 million items unsafe and demanded that they be recalled, repaired or replaced. They included flammable mattresses, TV antennas that could lead to electrocution and pill bottles without child-resistant caps.

Persons: Richard O, Simpson, Karen Simpson Tweedie, Richard M, Nixon Organizations: federal, Product Safety, Democratic Locations: DeLand, Fla, Orlando

☆ NASA’s Voyager 2 Is Out of Contact but Not Lost in Space
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Katrina Miller | More About Katrina Miller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This isn’t the first time NASA has lost the ability to talk to the spacecraft. In 2020, scientists managing the Deep Space Network shut down the sole radio dish capable of talking to Voyager 2 for repairs and upgrades. A few weeks after Voyager 2 began its journey, NASA launched its twin, Voyager 1, which followed a different trajectory and reached interstellar space first. Earlier this year, Voyager 2 switched to running its five instruments on backup power to prolong the life of the mission. “It’s a 46-year-old spacecraft — we don’t like being out of contact with it,” the spokeswoman said.

Persons: “, It’s Organizations: NASA, Deep Space, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

☆ Big Tech super-regulator would be a super-dud
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, July 27 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Two U.S. lawmakers have an idea for reining in Big Tech: get someone else to do it. They include protecting young users of social media, and countering anticompetitive behavior. A new watchdog that sets out to safeguard young users would overlap with some of the Federal Communications Commission’s duties. Instead of spending time and taxpayer dollars on a super-regulator, lawmakers would do better to get their act together, and face Big Tech themselves. The proposal, introduced in the Senate on July 27, would set new rules for tech mergers, data security, and safeguards for young users, according to the essay.

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Lindsay Graham, Warren, Barack Obama’s, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Rohit Chopra, John Foley, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Big Tech, Democratic, Digital Consumer Protection, of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Democratic U.S, New York Times, Thomson

☆ Big Tech super regulator would be a super dud
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Ben Winck | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Persons: Elizabeth Warren, Lindsey Graham, Warren, Barack Obama’s, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Rohit Chopra, John Foley, Sharon Lam Organizations: Reuters, Big Tech, Democratic, Republican, Digital Consumer Protection, of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Democratic U.S, New York Times, Thomson

☆ Microsoft under European antitrust investigation over Teams
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington CNN —European officials are investigating whether Microsoft’s practice of bundling its Teams software with Office 365 is anticompetitive, the European Commission said Thursday. The EU probe follows a formal complaint by Microsoft’s rival, the Salesforce-owned Slack, in 2020, alleging that Microsoft has illegally circumvented competition. By packaging Teams together with its “well-entrenched” productivity suite, including apps such as Word and Outlook, Microsoft could be effectively blocking customers from seeking out rival collaboration tools, the Commission said. “We respect the European Commission’s work on this case and take our own responsibilities very seriously,” said a Microsoft spokesperson. We first need to identify indeed if there is a breach of antitrust considerations.”The in-depth investigation reflects rising EU antitrust scrutiny for Microsoft, which was last fined on a competition violation in 2013 for not honoring a commitment to give European consumers a choice in web browsers.

Persons: Slack, ”, “, Arianna Podesta, Slack’s, Jonathan Prince Organizations: Washington CNN, European Commission, EU, Microsoft, Antitrust

☆ A Fight to Save Soldiers, From the Lab to the Battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Tom Mueller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Charles Barber’s “In the Blood” treats a consequential topic, and contains moments of real insight, drama and humor. Trouble is, Barber opens with several omissions and slights that left me on edge for the balance of the book. Barber begins his story about catastrophic bleeding and the urgent search for a cure, appropriately enough, in the savage battle for Mogadishu in 1993. More glaringly, the Army Rangers described on the raid actually played a supporting role to commandos from Delta Force, which Barber never mentions. Yet I wanted to trust this book, because it tells an important story in vivid, engrossing terms.

Persons: Charles Barber Reading, Charles Barber’s “, Barber, Mohamed Aidid’s, Aidid Organizations: U.S . Army, Army Rangers, Delta Force, millenniums, Navy Locations: Mogadishu, Somali, Bethesda

☆ Tunisia’s president is accused of racism and dictatorship. He’s now getting a billion euros from Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“Since 2011, the European Union has been supporting Tunisia’s journey of democracy,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after signing the agreement. But these difficulties can be overcome.”Several European lawmakers and human rights organizations have warned that any agreement that doesn’t include human rights assurances would be seen as an endorsement of Saied’s anti-democratic policies. Values lose.”Saied rose to power in 2019 after the death of Tunisia’s first democratically elected president Beji Caid Essebsi. The EU is cooperating with Tunisia on migration despite serious allegations of human rights abuses against migrants on Tunisia’s part. It brokered a similar agreement with Libya in 2017 despite documented human rights violations there.

Persons: Kais Saied, ”, Ursula von der Leyen, Sophie, Veld, ” Camille Le Coz, Tunisia’s, Beji Caid, Saied, von der Leyen, Georgia Meloni, Mark Rutte, Tunisia “, ” Max Gallien, ” Le Coz, ’ Gallien, Gallien Organizations: CNN, European Union, Civil Liberties, Justice, Home Affairs, Migration, Dutch, European Commission, EU, UN Refugee Agency, UN, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, European Council, Commission, Libya Locations: Tunisia, Europe, ‘, Brussels, Italian, Tunis, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Netherlands, France, Germany, EU, Africa, Libya

☆ As Iraq Tries to Chill Critics, Its Newest Target Is Social Media
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | More About Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Often it is unclear exactly which acts violate public order and morality, according to the U.S. State Department’s most recent report on human rights, as well as a report by Human Rights Watch and other free speech and human rights organizations. Um Fahad, the social media influencer who was dancing on her son’s birthday, said she still did not understand why she was arrested and imprisoned. In 2021, the federal court stripped commissioners of their immunity, making them vulnerable to financially crippling lawsuits from any politician, government ministry or party. That curbed the commission’s efforts to hold to account Iraqi government officials or institutions for human rights violations under Iraqi and international law. Officials note accurately that when government critics are pursued in court, in the majority of cases they eventually prevail.

Persons: Um Fahad, “, ”, Ali al, neutered, Saddam Hussein Organizations: U.S, U.S . State, Human Rights Watch, Iraqi Human Rights Commission Locations: U.S ., Iraq

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled against the Federal Trade Commission’s attempt to delay Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard, setting the stage for the tech giant and the video game publisher to merge as soon as this month. In a 53-page decision, Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said the F.T.C. had failed to show it was likely to prove that the merger was likely to result in a substantial reduction in competition that would harm consumers. The ruling is a significant blow to the F.T.C.’s efforts to police blockbuster tech mergers more aggressively. has sued Microsoft, Meta and Amazon, but it walked away from one of its cases against Meta and has had little to show for its efforts so far.

Persons: Jacqueline Scott Corley, Lina Khan Organizations: Federal Trade, Activision Blizzard, U.S, Northern, Microsoft, Meta Locations: Northern District, California

☆ Anthropocene: Scientists say they’ve found a site that marks a new chapter in Earth’s history
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-11 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Scientists have identified the geological site that they say best reflects a proposed new epoch called the Anthropocene — a major step toward changing the official timeline of Earth’s history. “We’ve moved into this new Earth state and that should be defined by a new geological epoch,” Waters added. On Tuesday, the scientists announced the geological site — Crawford Lake in Ontario, Canada — that best captures the geological impact of the Anthropocene, according to their research. Annual sediment samples from the Crawford Lake site have revealed geochemical traces of nuclear bomb testing, researchers have confirmed. The alpha spectrometry output shown on the screen indicates the presence of plutonium in a Crawford Lake drill core sample.

Persons: ”, Colin Waters, “ We’ve, Waters, eon, James St, Andrew Knoll, “, ” Knoll, Crawford, AWG, Crawford Lake, Francine McCarthy, Andrew Cundy, Stan Finney, it’s, Paul Crutzen —, Finney, It’s, stratigraphers, ” Waters, they’re, Andrew Mathews, We’ve, ’ ” Organizations: CNN —, Environment School, University of Leicester, Geologists, Wales, Harvard University, University, Southampton, Brock University, UK’s University of Southampton, International, International Union of Geological Sciences, Geological Congress, California State University, University of Southampton “, University of California Locations: Crawford Lake, Ontario, Canada, Flinders, South Australia, Jura, Crawford, Southampton Crawford, Sudeten, Lake, California, Baltic, Japan, China, Australia, Gulf of Mexico, Busan, South Korea, Long, Santa Cruz

☆ The FTC wants to make it harder to publish fake reviews
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-01 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

It would ban fake reviews, suppressing negative reviews and paying for positive reviews. Amazon in particular has been dealing with fake reviews on its third-party marketplace for years, suing the administrators of Facebook groups who facilitated the purchase and sale of fake reviews. The commission has taken strong enforcement action in the past on fake reviews, but said it might not be enough without civil penalty authority. Businesses also would not be able to offer any incentives for writing positive reviews and would prohibit company officers and managers from writing reviews without disclosing their roles. They also wouldn’t be able to make company controlled review websites or buy fake followers or views on social media.

Persons: ” Samuel Levine Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Protection, Google, Facebook, FTC, Bountiful Locations: New York, FTC’s

☆ Virgin Galactic launches first paying customers to the edge of space
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Virgin Galactic, the venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, successfully launched its first paying customers to the edge of space — a milestone two decades in the making. (Future Virgin Galactic flights, however, are expected to include a range of high-profile customers.) Bennett’s role was to assess the comfort and function of the flight, using that information to inform future changes Virgin Galactic might make to its rocket-powered space plane, VSS Unity. Organizations such as NASA have routinely flown experiments on suborbital rockets, including Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin missions. In a tragic 2014 accident, Virgin Galactic’s space plane broke apart during flight, killing the mission’s copilot, Michael Alsbury.

Persons: Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic’s, Jeff Bezos’s, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Colin Bennett, Pantaleone, Branson, Burt Rutan, Paul Allen, Hamish Harding, Michael Alsbury, — Organizations: CNN, Virgin Galactic, Italian Air Force, Virgin, SpaceX, Italy’s National Research Council, Branson, VSS, VSS Unity, NASA, International, National Research Council, Microsoft, Galactic, OceanGate, Scaled Composites, Origin, Congress, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA Locations: British, New Mexico, United States

☆ Microsoft and Activision Chiefs Testify Merger Will Benefit Consumers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Kellen Browning | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Satya Nadella, the chief executive of Microsoft, appeared in federal court on Wednesday to pledge his support for open platforms and consumer choice, underscoring the tech giant’s commitment to closing its $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard over regulators’ objections. “If it was up to me, I would love to get rid of the entire ‘exclusives on consoles,’” Mr. Nadella testified, rebutting claims from tech regulators that Microsoft’s deal for the video game giant would curtail competition and restrict Activision’s games only to players on Microsoft’s Xbox console. “I have no love for that world.”The fourth day of a hearing in U.S. District Court in San Francisco that could determine the deal’s outcome was the highest-profile session, with appearances by Mr. Nadella and Activision’s chief executive, Bobby Kotick. The Federal Trade Commission’s challenge of the blockbuster acquisition, led by its chair, Lina Khan, is viewed as a test of whether more aggressive efforts to curb tech giants can be successful. is seeking a preliminary injunction that would prohibit the companies from closing the deal before the agency has the chance to argue its case in its internal court.

Persons: Satya Nadella, ’, Nadella, rebutting, Bobby Kotick, Lina Khan Organizations: Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Federal Locations: U.S, San Francisco

☆ Racism, sexism and class-based discrimination ‘widespread’ in English cricket, independent report finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( Matt Foster | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —An independent report into the culture of cricket in England and Wales has found racism, class-based discrimination, elitism and sexism to be “widespread” and “deep rooted” in the sport. The “Holding a Mirror Up to Cricket” report was written by the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (ICEC) and received more than 4,400 responses to its call for evidence between oral and written submissions. … The decline in Black cricket in England and Wales has been well documented and subject to much public debate for many years. Regarding sexism, the report said: “Women are still seen as an ‘add on’ to the men’s game. “The apology should acknowledge that racism, sexism, elitism and class-based discrimination have existed, and still exist, in the game, and recognise the impact on victims of discrimination.

Persons: George Floyd, ”, Cindy Butts, Azeem Rafiq, Butts, Rafiq, Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Heather Knight, …, Richard Thompson Organizations: CNN, Cricket, Independent Commission, Equity, Wales Cricket Board, Culture, Media, Sport Committee, England men’s, ECB, ”, England Women, England Locations: England, Wales, “

However, the golf simulator transaction appears to have been structured to avoid Florida’s rigorous ethical disclosure requirements, said two governance experts in Florida. Florida state law requires public officials to file quarterly reports listing all gifts received with a value over $100. Uthmeier wrote that the loan was “permissible” according to state law and the Governor’s Ethics Code. Trump paid for his own golf simulator, according to the Washington Post. According to the list, the “acquisition cost” of both the treadmill and the golf simulator are listed as $1.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Morteza, Donald Trump, Lynn Blais, Ben Wilcox, James Uthmeier, ’, Uthmeier, Barbara Petersen, Hosseini, Trump, Barack Obama, Ronald Watson, cabana, Watson, Wilcox, Caroline Klancke, Jason Szep Organizations: cabana, ICI Homes Residential Holdings, Mansion Commission, Commission, Florida’s Department of Management Services, Florida Center, Government, University of Florida, Reuters, aboutGOLF, Washington Post, Thomson Locations: Florida, Hosseini, DeSantis, Tallahassee, Ohio

Search resuls for: "mission’s"

25 mentions found