dChan
Anonymous ID: 11f26a May 2, 2022, 9:03 p.m. No.16198892   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>8897

Justice Scalia allowed left and right as his clerks, he enjoyed their input. Justice Scalia was betrayed by others on the court. There is no more thinking the other side has opinion worth considering. War On!

Anonymous ID: 11f26a May 2, 2022, 9:19 p.m. No.16199006   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9011 >>9030 >>9050

2 May, 2022 21:54

 

EU charges Apple over system abuse

 

The US tech giant has been barring third-party app developers from accessing contactless payment technologies, the EU argues

 

The EU Commission issued a Statement of Objections to Apple on Monday over the US tech giant’s supposedly abusive practices in the field of mobile wallets technology. The company has been using its “dominant position” in the market to bar third-party services from accessing software and hardware on its devices facilitating contactless payments, the document states.

 

“We have indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple’s devices,” the EU Commission’s competition policy head, Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, said, adding that the EU had preliminary data suggesting the US company might have restricted competition to benefit Apple Pay.

 

“If confirmed, such a conduct would be illegal under our competition rules,” Vestager warned.

 

The hardware and software in question, jointly known as the near-field communication technology or NFC, allows interaction with payment terminals in stores and helps people make purchases with a quick tap. According to the European regulators, Apple bars PayPal and other similar services from accessing it on iPhones and Apple Watch.

 

Apple will now have the opportunity to respond or challenge this assessment before the final judgment is announced. If it fails to reach a settlement with the EU, it can be fined up to 10% of its global revenue, which might equal $36 billion.

 

So far, the company has denied any wrongdoing. “Apple Pay is only one of many options available to European consumers for making payments, and has ensured equal access to NFC while setting industry-leading standards for privacy and security,” it said in a Monday statement, adding that it would continue to work with the EU Commission.

 

The EU, in turn, has said that the Statement of Objections “does not prejudge the outcome of an investigation.”

 

This is not the first time the US tech giant has faced antitrust accusations in the EU. Last year, the bloc brought similar charges against the company following a complaint by Spotify and some other services about the 30% commission Apple imposes on any purchases made inside the apps allowed on its devices. The case is still pending.

 

In November 2021, Italy fined Apple and Amazon some $230 million over what it called anti-competitive cooperation in sales on Amazon’s Italian platform. The two tech giants struck a deal back in 2018 allowing certain resellers to sell Apple products and Beats electronic accessories on Amazon, thus affecting completion and prices, according to the national antitrust authority.

 

In June 2021, Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (FCO) launched a probe into the Apple Store’s operations, arguing it “empowers Apple to influence the operations of third parties.”

 

https://www.rt.com/news/554881-apple-pay-eu-antitrust-charge/

Anonymous ID: 11f26a May 2, 2022, 9:22 p.m. No.16199019   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9023 >>9057 >>9075

2 May, 2022 19:07

 

Mourners forced to rent coffins – media

Yikes!

Surging inflation in the UK appears to be behind the growth of casket-renting services

 

Cash-strapped Brits are renting temporary coffins for funeral services before having their loved ones buried in cardboard, the Sun reported on Monday. Funeral directors say the cost-saving measure is becoming more popular as Brits struggle with a skyrocketing cost of living.

 

A temporary coffin is obtained for the day of the funeral and is returned afterward. The deceased is placed into a cheap and lightweight ‘inner’ coffin, which sits inside the rented casket. This outer coffin is then removed after the service, leaving the body to be interred inside the lighter one.

 

The average cost of renting a coffin is ÂŁ250 ($312), the Sun reported, much below the ÂŁ750 ($937) price tag for buying a casket outright.

 

“There are many ways to keep the cost of a funeral within a budget, while making it special,” a spokesman for the National Association of Funeral Directors told the British tabloid. "Provided it is clear what is being provided, this is one of several choices available that may assist families.”

 

While one manufacturer of rental coffins told the Sun that her company’s products should be seen as no different from renting a wedding dress, an “industry insider” told the tabloid that “this move is the latest sign the living costs crisis is literally becoming a killer issue.”

 

"This rental coffin market is saving families thousands of pounds, but it’s sad they must come to terms with the fact their loved one isn’t in an enclosed casket,” the source said.

 

Inflation in the UK rose by 7% in the year leading up to March. This 12-month rate is the highest since March 1992. Energy costs have soared even higher in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine and Britain’s decision to cut itself off from Russian energy imports, as households are now paying 28% more for gas and 19% more for electricity.

 

Meanwhile, 83% of adults in the UK reported an increase in their cost of living in March. Last month, the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted that real household incomes would fall by 2.2% this year, and that Britons would experience the largest fall in living standards since records began in 1956.

Anonymous ID: 11f26a May 2, 2022, 9:30 p.m. No.16199068   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9098 >>9106 >>9311

2 May, 2022 03:16

HomeWorld News

US government defends 'Ministry of Truth'

 

Homeland Security chief says the task force is the exact opposite of George Orwell’s infamous brainchild

 

The newly unveiled ‘Disinformation Governance Board’, operating within the US Department of Homeland Security, has triggered a massive pushback, forcing DHS chief Alejandro Mayorkas to make several appearances on national TV in an attempt to clarify how the unit will operate.

 

Many critics, including top Republicans, have blasted the initiative as a crackdown on free speech, akin to a ‘Ministry of Truth’ taken from the pages of George Orwell’s dystopian novel ‘1984’.

 

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday, Mayorkas dismissed the criticism by claiming that thought policing is “precisely the opposite of what this small working group within the Department of Homeland Security will do.”

 

“What it will do is gather together best practices in addressing the threat of disinformation from foreign state adversaries from the cartels and disseminate those best practices to the operators that have been executing in addressing this threat for years,” he explained, after CNN’s Dana Bash said it was still not clear “how this governance board will act.”

 

The DHS chief also repeatedly reassured Americans that the unit has absolutely no intention, “operational authority,” or “capability” to spy on US citizens.

 

The new body is headed by Nina Jankowicz, whose resume includes working with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and overseeing the Russia and Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute lobby group. Detractors also scrutinized her for dismissing the New York Post’s suppressed Hunter Biden laptop story as a fake “Russian influence op,” only for it to be later verified by major media outlets.

 

In a separate appearance on Fox News Sunday, Mayorkas defended the qualifications and objectivity of Jankowicz, calling her “eminently qualified” and a “renowned expert in the field of disinformation.”

 

I don’t question her objectivity. There are people in the department who have a diverse range of views and they’re incredibly dedicated to mission. We’re not the opinion police.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki also attempted to play down the ‘anti-disinformation’ initiative as an alleged “continuation of work that began at the Department of Homeland Security in 2020, under former President Trump.”

 

The new censorship push was announced on Wednesday, just two days after billionaire Elon Musk reached an agreement to buy Twitter for $44 billion and vowed to restore freedom of speech on the platform.

 

Responding to news of Musk’s Twitter takeover,Jankowicz said, “I shudder to think about if free speech absolutists were taking over more platforms, what that would look like for the marginalized communities, which are already shouldering disproportionate amounts of this abuse.”

 

https://www.rt.com/news/554834-mayorkas-dhs-disinformation-unit/

Anonymous ID: 11f26a May 2, 2022, 9:33 p.m. No.16199094   🗄️.is 🔗kun   >>9100 >>9111 >>9112

2 May, 2022 16:43

 

Netflix dumps Meghan Markle’s project – Deadline

 

Amid plummeting stock values, the streaming giant has nixed the Duchess’ feminist series ‘Pearl’

 

Streaming giant Netflix has dropped Meghan Markle’s ‘Pearl’, an animated series that the British royal’s production company said would portray the life of a “12-year-old girl who finds inspiration in a variety of influential women throughout history.” Netflix’ stock price has plunged in recent months amid accusations of promoting ‘woke’ culture and its withdrawal from the Russian market.

 

The cancellation was reported by Deadline on Monday, with the Hollywood gossip site reporting that a number of other animated projects have also gotten the boot.

 

Created by Markle’s Archewell Productions, ‘Pearl’ was still in the development stage, Deadline reported, and the Duchess’ company still has other projects in the works with Netflix, including documentaries featuring herself and her husband, Prince Harry.

 

Announced last year, ‘Pearl’ was described by its producers as “a family series that centers on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl, who is inspired by a variety of influential women from history.”

 

Netflix’s director of Original Animation, Megan Casey, called the project “an exciting tale that weaves together fantasy and history, Pearl focuses on a young girl who learns to step into her own power when she embarks on a heroic adventure and meets important women from history along the way.”

 

However, some critics were unenthused. Author Douglas Murray, a critic of ‘woke’ culture, described the series as “self-referential and reputation-polishing.” In an interview with Sky News Australia on Monday, Murray suggested that the titular heroine of the series was a thinly-veiled stand-in for Markle herself, and declared “there is just no self-awareness with this couple,” referring to the royals.

 

Netflix reported last month that it had lost 200,000 subscribers, a revelation that tanked its share price by nearly 40% and wiped $40 billion off the company’s value. The firm has shed around two thirds of its value since January, with its pullout from the Russian market over the Ukraine conflict also losing it some 700,000 users, and is now the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500.

 

Some critics have attributed the decline in subscriptions to Netflix’ in-house production of ‘woke’ content. Shows like ‘Dear White People’ and ‘Bridgerton’ and documentaries like ‘White Hot’ have been panned online, and when news broke of Netflix’ drop in share price, billionaire Elon Musk attributed the decline to “the woke mind virus” that has “made Netflix unwatchable.”

 

Amid Netflix’ decline, the company has hiked prices and attempted to clamp down on password-sharing. CEO Reed Hastings has also announced plans to launch cheaper, advertising-supported subscription plans.

 

https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/554869-netflix-drops-meghan-markle/