FTC To Review Microsoft’s $68.7B Deal , To Buy Activision Blizzard.
FTC To Review Microsoft’s $68.7B Deal , To Buy Activision Blizzard.
In January, Microsoft announced the all-cash deal that would make it the third-largest video game maker in the world.
In January, Microsoft announced the all-cash deal that would make it the third-largest video game maker in the world.
The agreement would also put the company
in charge of popular franchises such as
'Call of Duty' and 'World of Warcraft.'.
The agreement would also put the company
in charge of popular franchises such as
'Call of Duty' and 'World of Warcraft.'.
CNET reports the deal is expected to close
within the next year and a half.
But on Jan.
31, 'Bloomberg' reported that the
U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will perform
an antitrust review of the impending acquisition.
The agency will reportedly seek to determine whether Xbox-maker Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard would hurt competition by inhibiting rivals' access to games.
The agency will reportedly seek to determine whether Xbox-maker Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard would hurt competition by inhibiting rivals' access to games.
CNET reports that in January, the antitrust divisions of the FTC and DOJ announced they would restructure guidance for mergers.
CNET reports that in January, the antitrust divisions of the FTC and DOJ announced they would restructure guidance for mergers.
FTC Chair Lina Khan also suggested antitrust violations may affect workers and other businesses, saying, .
"Illegal mergers can inflict a host of harms, from higher prices and lower wages to diminished opportunity, reduced innovation and less resiliency."
Families of 737 MAX , Crash Victims Seek Justice.
'Newsweek' reports that families who lost loved
ones in two 2019 Boeing 737 Max crashes are waiting for a
decision from the United States Justice Department (DOJ).
'Newsweek' reports that families who lost loved
ones in two 2019 Boeing 737 Max crashes are waiting for a
decision from the United States Justice Department (DOJ).
The families hope that the DOJ will allow Boeing to be prosecuted in connection with the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, which claimed the lives of 346 people.
The families hope that the DOJ will allow Boeing to be prosecuted in connection with the crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia, which claimed the lives of 346 people.
Ike Riffel, who lost his sons, Melvin and Bennet, in the Ethiopia
crash, fears that Boeing will be offered a deferred prosecution
agreement (DPA) or be allowed to skip trial.
Ike Riffel, who lost his sons, Melvin and Bennet, in the Ethiopia
crash, fears that Boeing will be offered a deferred prosecution
agreement (DPA) or be allowed to skip trial.
In 2021, the DOJ charged Boeing
with fraud for misleading
regulators regarding the 737 MAX.
However, prosecutors went on to accept
an agreement that could see felony charges
against Boeing dropped in three years.
'Newsweek' reports that the DOJ reopened the
possibility of prosecuting Boeing in May,
claiming the company breached the original 2021 deal.
Now, the DOJ has until July 7
to determine whether it will
file charges against Boeing.
Families of those who died in the two Boeing crashes
have pushed for high-ranking Boeing officials to be
prosecuted and the company to be fined $24 billion.
We want to find
some meaning in
what happened
to our loved ones. , Ike Riffel, father of two Boeing 737 crash victims, via 'Newsweek'.
If we can make aviation
safer so this doesn't
happen again, then
we have had some
victories out of this, Ike Riffel, father of two Boeing 737 crash victims, via 'Newsweek'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Julian Assange , Reaches Plea Deal With , US Government.
'The Independent' reports that Wikileaks
founder Julian Assange has been released
from Belmarsh prison as part of a plea deal
with the United States Justice Department.
Assange will be flown out of the U.K. as part
of the deal before he makes a guilty plea deal
that could end the years-long legal battle.
On June 24, Assange boarded a flight at Stansted airport
ahead of a scheduled appearance later this week in the
Mariana Islands, a Western Pacific U.S. commonwealth.
The U.S. government has charged the
Wikileaks founder with conspiracy to obtain
and disclose national defense secrets.
The charges stem from one of the largest leaks of
classified information in U.S. history, disclosing tens of
thousands of reports regarding the war in Afghanistan.
The disclosure, which occurred between 2009 and
2011, included unfiltered diplomatic cables that
potentially endangered the safety of confidential sources. .
The leak also included significant
activity reports related to the war in Iraq
and information regarding Guantanamo Bay.
According to the latest DOJ filing, Assange is expected
to plead guilty and be sentenced to 62 months of time
already served, thus avoiding U.S. imprisonment. .
This is the result of a global campaign
that spanned grass-roots organizers,
press freedom campaigners,
legislators and leaders from
across the political spectrum,
all the way to the United Nations, Wikileaks statement, via X.
After more than five years in
a 2x3 metre cell, isolated 23 hours
a day, he will soon reunite with his
wife Stella Assange, and their children,
who have only known their
father from behind bars, Wikileaks statement, via X
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
DOJ Files Lawsuit , Against Adobe.
The U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit
against Adobe on June 17, TechCrunch reports.
The DOJ alleges that Adobe is deceptive because
it conceals early-termination fees and makes it difficult for customers to cancel subscriptions.
Adobe has harmed consumers by
enrolling them in its default, most
lucrative subscription plan without
clearly disclosing important plan terms, DOJ, via lawsuit.
The DOJ claims that Adobe pushes subscribers to choose its "annual paid monthly" plan and uses costly early-termination fees as a "powerful retention tool" to trap customers.
During enrollment, Adobe hides
material terms of its APM plan in fine
print and behind option textboxes and
hyperlinks, proving disclosures that are
designed to go unnoticed and that
most consumers never see, DOJ, via lawsuit.
Adobe then deters cancellations
by employing an onerous and
complicated cancellation process, DOJ, via lawsuit.
Adobe disagrees with the allegations.
Subscription services are convenient,
flexible and cost effective to allow
users to choose the plan that best fits
their needs, timeline and budget, Dana Rao, Adobe’s General Counsel and Chief Trust Officer, via statement.
Our priority is to always ensure our
customers have a positive experience. , Dana Rao, Adobe’s General Counsel and Chief Trust Officer, via statement.
We are transparent with the terms
and conditions of our subscription
agreements and have a simple
cancellation process, Dana Rao, Adobe’s General Counsel and Chief Trust Officer, via statement.
The U.S. government maintains that Adobe
has violated consumer protection laws and is
seeking "injunctive relief, civil penalties,
equitable monetary relief, as well as other relief.”
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Merrick Garland , Held in Contempt of Congress.
The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted to hold the attorney general in contempt of Congress on June 12, BBC reports.
The resolution was passed by a 216-207 vote.
Only one Republican,
David Joyce, voted in opposition. .
As a former prosecutor, I cannot in good
conscience support a resolution that
would further politicize our judicial
system to score political points, Rep. David Joyce, via statement.
Garland is held in contempt of Congress
for refusing to provide interview tapes with President Biden that were recorded during the Justice Department's classified document probe. .
Following the contempt vote, Garland said
House Republicans have "turned a serious congressional authority into a partisan weapon.".
Today’s vote disregards the
constitutional separation of powers,
the Justice Department’s need to
protect its investigations, and the
substantial amount of information we
have provided to the Committees. , Merrick Garland, via statement.
Garland is now the third U.S. attorney
general in American history to be held in contempt of Congress, BBC reports. .
In an opinion piece published in the 'Washington Post' on June 11, Garland said that "the Justice Department is under attack like never before.".
He pointed to a rise in "conspiracy theories, falsehoods, violence and threats of violence towards department officials by Republican critics.".
The short-term political benefits of
those tactics will never make up for
the long-term cost to our country. , Merrick Garland, via the 'Washington Post'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
The Group of Seven “likely” abandoned the US plan to expropriate Russia’s frozen central bank assets due to a “veiled threat” from Saudi Arabia, Bloomberg has reported. The US and UK had been pushing for outright seizure of around $280 billion in Russian sovereign funds, which the West had frozen in 2022 citing the Ukraine conflict. The EU, where most of the immobilised assets are held, was reluctant to see the euro endangered by the possible backlash.
#SaudiArabia #PutinSupport #MohammedBinSalman #PutinMohammedBinSalman #MBSBiden #G7Putin #G7 #RussianAssets #BidenAdministration #Geopolitics #InternationalRelations #EconomicSanctions #GlobalTensions #SaudiInfluence #FinancialStrategy #RussiaUkraineConflict #DiplomaticMove #MiddleEastPolitics
~HT.178~PR.152~ED.101~GR.124~
Apple Is Reportedly Building , a Dedicated Passwords App.
On June 6, Mark Gurman from 'Bloomberg' reported that Apple intends to build next-gen iPhones and Macs with a built-in password management app.
On June 6, Mark Gurman from 'Bloomberg' reported that Apple intends to build next-gen iPhones and Macs with a built-in password management app.
The new app will be called Passwords, Engadget reports.
The app will be revealed at the
Worldwide Developers Conference in June.
While Apple already offers password
services via the iCloud Keychain.
it can be tedious to find
or change passwords with it.
A dedicated passwords app would make the whole process easier and likely encourage some people to stick with Apple.
Similarly to subscription password managers 1Password and LastPass, Apple's app will
split passwords into categories.
Similarly to subscription password managers 1Password and LastPass, Apple's app will
split passwords into categories.
Such categories include "accounts, WiFi networks and Passkeys," CNBC reports. .
Users will be able to
import passwords from other apps.
Two-factor verification codes
will also be supported.
It's not clear if Passwords will let you
store files and images as its rivals do.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
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