Thomas Hawk posted a photo:
As part of Epic's settlement with Google over the Play Store, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney agreed to stop criticizing Google's app store practices until 2032 and even publicly support the revised policies. The deal also prohibits Epic from pushing for further changes to Google's platform rules. The Verge reports: On March 3rd, he not only signed away Epic's rights to sue and disparage the company, he signed away his right to advocate for any further changes to Google's app store polices. He can't criticize Google's app store practices. In fact, he has to praise them. The contract states that "Epic believes that the Google and Android platform, with the changes in this term sheet, are procompetitive and a model for app store / platform operations, and will make good faith efforts to advocate for the same."
He may even have to appear in other courts around the world to defend this deal with Google, and Google gets to make sure his public statements are supportive of the deal from here on out. And while Epic can still be part of the "Coalition for App Fairness," the organization that Epic quietly and solely funded to be its attack dog against Google and Apple, he can only point that organization at Apple now. "Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we've settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE!," Sweeney wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
He may even have to appear in other courts around the world to defend this deal with Google, and Google gets to make sure his public statements are supportive of the deal from here on out. And while Epic can still be part of the "Coalition for App Fairness," the organization that Epic quietly and solely funded to be its attack dog against Google and Apple, he can only point that organization at Apple now. "Google is opening up Android all the way with robust support for competing stores, competing payments, and a better deal for all developers. So, we've settled all of our disputes worldwide. THANKS GOOGLE!," Sweeney wrote in a post on X on Wednesday.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Voor Rotterdammer Eelko voltrekt zich een klein wonder. Na ruim vijftien jaar huren belt zijn verhuurder hem op met de vraag: “Wil je de woning kopen?” Eelko wil dat maar krijgt het financieel niet voor elkaar. Huisbaas Geert stelt vervolgens alles in het werk om hem te helpen.
Voor Rotterdammer Eelko voltrekt zich een klein wonder. Na ruim vijftien jaar huren belt zijn verhuurder hem op met de vraag: “Wil je de woning kopen?” Eelko wil dat maar krijgt het financieel niet voor elkaar. Huisbaas Geert stelt vervolgens alles in het werk om hem te helpen.
Noem’s tenure was marked by killings of US citizens by federal agents, a rumored affair and $220m spent on ads
Donald Trump on Thursday announced he was replacing Kristi Noem as the homeland security secretary, capping weeks of bipartisan complaints about her leadership after immigration agents killed two US citizens and reports emerged that she was involved in a personal relationship with a top deputy.
Noem’s firing was the first major personnel shakeup of Trump’s second term. The president made it public in a post on Truth Social, in which he said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican Oklahoma senator, would take over from Noem starting on 31 March – though Congress would need to vote to confirm the choice first. The secretary, who he said “has served us well, and has had numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!)”, would become special envoy for “the Shield of the Americas”, a security initiative Trump said he planned to announce over the weekend.
Continue reading...Critics sceptical Pentagon chief’s plan for increased military force – amid rising US intervention – will stop drug gangs
Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has urged Latin American countries to adopt a more aggressive approach against drug cartels, warning that the Trump administration may otherwise act unilaterally in the region.
Hegseth’s remarks come in a context of escalating US intervention in the region, both militarily and in elections, which culminated in the capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro – the first US ground military attack on a South American country.
Continue reading...Lawmakers will ban use of 31 meat-related names as part of efforts to strengthen position of farmers in food supply markets
EU lawmakers have agreed to ban meaty names such as steak and bacon for vegetarian and vegan foods, but “veggie burgers” and meat-free sausages will remain on the table.
Negotiators from the European parliament and EU council of ministers found a recipe for compromise on rules for food names on Thursday, although critics said they were creating needless complexity.
Continue reading...CAF postpones tournament after weeks of speculation
Decision due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’
The Confederation of African Football has confirmed the postponement of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to July-August just 12 days before the tournament was due to start.
The decision ends weeks of speculation as to whether it would go ahead as scheduled this month but leaves teams without games to play during this international break.
Continue reading...AMERSFOORT (ANP) - Bouwconcern VolkerWessels verzet zich tegen twee boetes van samen 480.000 euro die twee dochterbedrijven onlangs kregen voor de omkoping van een politicus in Sint Maarten. Ook een voormalige directeur, die een geldstraf kreeg van 30.000 euro voor zijn rol bij de corruptie, heeft hoger beroep aangetekend.
De rechter in Zwolle achtte onlangs bewezen dat de twee bedrijven, VCI en VSC, tussen 2009 en 2014 bewust betalingen deden aan een consultant. Dit met het doel een deel van dat geld bij de toenmalige infrastructuurminister te laten belanden.
De boetes pakten lager uit dan door het Openbaar Ministerie (OM) was geëist. Maar de zaak kan VolkerWessels nog meer kosten. Via een ontnemingszaak probeert het OM ook ruim 1,6 miljoen euro te innen bij de dochterbedrijven. Dat gaat om het geldbedrag dat volgens aanklagers is verdiend met strafbare feiten.
In een korte verklaring benadrukt VolkerWessels donderdag dat de dochterondernemingen inmiddels alle activiteiten hebben gestaakt. Ze komen sinds 2014 niet meer in de jaarrekeningen van VolkerWessels voor.
Ancient salamander-crocodile predator revealed by new Western Australian fossil research. A salamander-crocodile type predator survived five extinction events and travelled from waters off Norway to Western Australia's Kimberley coast.