Google fires 28 employees who protested its cloud contract with Israeli government

Google said on Thursday it has terminated 28 employees after some staff participated in protests against the company’s cloud contract with the Israeli government. The Alphabet unit said a small number of protesting employees entered and disrupted work at a few unspecified office locations. “Physically impeding other employees’ work and preventing them from accessing our facilities … Read more

NASA pauses Mars sample return plan until a cheaper, faster one can be developed

NASA’s plan to bring samples from Mars back to Earth is on hold until there’s a faster, cheaper way, space agency officials said Monday. Retrieving Mars soil and rocks has been on NASA’s to-do list for decades, but the date kept moving forward, as costs ballooned. A recent independent review put the total cost at … Read more

The impact of AI on disinformation and democracy – POLITICO

We are proud to support POLITICO’s expanded coverage of artificial intelligence (AI) and elections this year through this dedicated series. As a global foundation working to safeguard democracy from digital threats — from illegal data collection to algorithmic polarization — we know the role of AI throughout 2024’s global marathon of elections will shape public … Read more

Sack Andrew Bailey as Bank of England boss, says Liz Truss – POLITICO

Excerpts were released over the weekend and include a scathing view of Britain’s financial establishment. She describes the Treasury, the Bank of England and the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as a “three-headed hydra” that “wanted to stick as closely to EU law as possible.” But the now-backbench MP went further in the interview, saying … Read more

How Hong Kong’s Category III adult film industry is laid bare in 2 films that offer a different perspective

Directed by Derek Yee Tung-sing, one of Hong Kong’s most respected directors, the film is a clever light drama that offers insight into the nature of artistic compromise, the differences of perception between producers, directors and investors, and the daily life of Hong Kong’s low-budget filmmakers in the 1990s. Along with big names like Leslie … Read more

‘Nasty turn’ in Guess Who fight sees Burton Cummings cancel agreements that let band perform his songs

Burton Cummings’s latest blow in his legal battle against the current lineup of the Guess Who is tarnishing the legacy of the famous Winnipeg rock band, a local music historian says — and could set the stage for similar rifts between bands and former members. The band’s ex-frontman has terminated agreements with performing-rights organizations for … Read more

Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic defends job cuts in Commons committee testimony

As members of Parliament accuse Bell Canada of corporate greed, the head of the company is defending its decision to cut thousands of jobs, citing a shift in Canadians’ viewing habits away from traditional TV. Liberals, Conservatives and New Democrats grilled CEO Mirko Bibic during often combative exchanges at a meeting of the House of … Read more

France has the military gear everyone’s desperate to get – POLITICO

With more than 1,100 employees, the Limours factory tests the radars’ antennas in blue-walled rooms designed to muffle echoes, before assembling them in a large area with a French flag and pictures of Ground Masters in action. Security is tight: An officer checks phones and pictures taken by visitors before they leave to make sure … Read more

‘Significant consequences’ if Chinese firms help Russia’s war in Ukraine, US’s Yellen warns – POLITICO

“We’ve been clear with China that we see Russia as gaining support from goods that China, Chinese firms are supplying to Russia,” Yellen told journalists in Guangzhou. “Neither of us want this to be an issue with our bilateral relationship. So we’re working together,” she added. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began, Beijing’s ties with … Read more

Ukrainians may be tiring but won’t compromise with Putin, Zelenskyy’s chief of staff says – POLITICO

And this week another former unpaid adviser to Zelenskyy’s office linked to Tatarov, Artem Shilo, was arrested by detectives with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine on charges of embezzling $2.48 million from Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine’s state railway company. The allegation is that he was the ringleader of a group involved in the acquisition of transformers from … Read more