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Virgin Galactic Launches Branson Into Space
Richard Branson on Sunday made history as he was launched into space aboard his own company’s rocket, Virgin Galactic’s Unity 22.
The spacecraft VSS Unity launched above New Mexico carrying Branson and three Virgin Galactic employees after decades of work and billions of in investments.
Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk was also present for the launch.
Blue Origin and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wished Branson “successful and safe flight” good luck as he prepares for his own trip into space on July 20.
IN THIS WEEK’S HISA NEWSLETTER; The Space in your Portfolio
G20 Meeting Reaches Agreement on Corporate Tax
Finance ministers of the Group of 20 (G20) on Saturday announced they reached an “important agreement on a more stable and fairer international tax architecture”. The ministers also “endorsed key components of the two pillars on the allocation of taxing rights on profits of multinational corporations and the global minimum effective corporate taxes.
Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Daniele Franco stated the agreement “is an important achievement that will contribute to stabilize the international tax system in the coming years. It will grant greater tax certainty and stop the race to the bottom with respect to corporate tax rates.” He explained additional work will be necessary before the next G20 summit in October “to fully finalize the agreement” and work out the technical details.
Seoul to enter toughest coronavirus lockdown in S. Korea
South Korea has announced that it plans to place Seoul and the greater surrounding area under the toughest coronavirus measures, Level 4, in an effort to prevent a surge in cases over the summer.
Meetings between more than two people have now been banned, as well as protests that have more than one person. Additionally, nightclubs have been closed, while restaurants can operate on a stricter timetable.
Health experts in the country have warned that South Korea is on the verge of a fourth wave with the head of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Jeong Eun-kyeong stating the worst is yet to come.
Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak urges Big Tech to not sell user data
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak on Friday spoke at the World Economic Forum’s Cyber Polygon event where he urged Google and Facebook to follow Apple’s example and stop selling customer personal data to third parties, such as advertisers.
“Apple is truly committed to protecting your data. You pay two dollars a month for iCloud and that provides you with complete privacy, we don’t sell anything to advertisers. It would be nice if other large ecosystems – Facebook, Google, etc – also said: pay us a certain amount, and we won’t use any of your personal data,” Wozniak said.
Amazon’s JEDI challenge rejected by US court
Amazon.com Inc.’s lawsuit disputing the United States Department of Defense’s (DoD) JEDI (Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure) contract with Microsoft was on Friday dismissed by the US Court of Federal Claims.
Amazon claimed in 2019 that former US President Donald Trump illegally influenced the Pentagon’s decision due to his alleged animosity against the company and its then-CEO Jeff Bezos.
The United States Defense Department said on Tuesday last week it had canceled the $10 billion cloud contract with Microsoft following a lawsuit filed by Amazon and that it is looking to make the two tech giants work together on the job.
Didi parent firm’s 25 apps removed from app stores in China
China’s Cyberspace Administration announced on Friday that it removed additional 25 apps developed by Didi Chuxing Technology Co.’s parent company Xiaoju Kuaizhi Inc. from app stores operating in the country.
The measure was imposed after “serious violations of laws and regulations in collecting and using personal information” were detected in the apps. App operators have been instructed to “strictly follow the legal requirements and refer to the relevant national standards to seriously correct the existing problems and effectively protect the majority of users.”
The Chinese internet regulator noted that all websites and platforms are banned from providing “access and download services” to the 25 apps.
READ; US Stocks; Amazon, Microsoft, Didi
