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Tag: AP News

  • Minnesota Nuclear Plant Leaked 400,000 Gallons of Radioactive Water

    Minnesota Nuclear Plant Leaked 400,000 Gallons of Radioactive Water

    Xcel Energy’s Monticello nuclear plant leaked 400,000 gallons of radioactive water, although regulators say there’s no danger.

    According to AP News, regulators have been monitoring the Xcel’s cleanup efforts surrounding the radioactive water leak, saying the company took swift action to address the issue.

    The company evidently reported the leak of tritium-contaminated water to federal and state authorities in late November, but the public was not informed until this week.

    “We knew there was a presence of tritium in one monitoring well, however Xcel had not yet identified the source of the leak and its location,” Minnesota Pollution Control Agency spokesman Michael Rafferty said.

    “Now that we have all the information about where the leak occurred, how much was released into groundwater, and that contaminated groundwater had moved beyond the original location, we are sharing this information,” he said, adding the water remains contained on Xcel’s property and poses no immediate public health risk.

    The company says the leak poses no danger to people or the environment.

  • Federal Government Will Not Bail Out Silicon Valley Bank

    Federal Government Will Not Bail Out Silicon Valley Bank

    Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) shocked the industry when it collapsed Friday, leaving a plethora of companies in limbo.

    SVB was the 16th-largest bank in the US, making it the second-largest bank collapse in US history. The bank’s collapse has left many of Silicon Valley companies and startups scrambling to address cash-flow issues.

    The collapse has also sparked questions about whether the government plans to bail the bank out, much like it did in the crash of 2008. According to AP News, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen threw cold water on the idea.

    “We’re not going to do that again,” she said, referencing past bailouts. “But we are concerned about depositors, and we’re focused on trying to meet their needs.”

    Some experts are concerned that SVB’s collapse could spark a run on other banks, leading to more collapses. After all, it was tech companies’ run on SVB — in an effort to stay solvent during the financial downturn — that led to SVB’s failure. Yellen tried to offer reassurance that the banking system was sound.

    “The American banking system is really safe and well capitalized,” she said. “It’s resilient.”

    In the meantime, deposits insured by the government should be available Monday morning.

  • Canada Bans TikTok From Government Devices

    Canada Bans TikTok From Government Devices

    Canada is the latest jurisdiction to ban TikTok from government devices, another setback for the Chinese social media platform.

    According to AP News, the Canadian government has banned the popular app from all government-owned devices. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t rule out additional steps down the road.

    “I suspect that as government takes the significant step of telling all federal employees that they can no longer use TikTok on their work phones many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” Trudeau said.

    “I’m always a fan of giving Canadians the information for them to make the right decisions for them,” he added.

    The EU Commission and US Congress has already banned the app on government devices. US lawmakers have introduced legislation that would ban the app entirely, and the EU has signaled it could do the same if TikTok fails to respect user privacy.

  • Microsoft Confirms Layoffs, 10,000 Jobs Cut

    Microsoft Confirms Layoffs, 10,000 Jobs Cut

    Microsoft has confirmed its plans to engage in layoffs, with plans to cut 10,000 jobs, or nearly 5% of its total workforce.

    Rumors surfaced Tuesday that Microsoft was preparing to lay off employees, with reports placing the number at 11,000, or 5% of the company’s workforce. Some analysts, however, expected the total number to be higher.

    According to AP News, Microsoft has confirmed its plans, although the total number is coming in slightly slower than initially reported, at 10,000. In a regulatory filing, Microsoft blamed “macroeconomic conditions and changing customer priorities.”

    Interestingly, as AP points out, the layoffs are still less than the number of jobs Microsoft added during the pandemic, a testament to the popularity of its products and cloud services.

    CEO Satya Nadella also made clear the company has not frozen all hiring, but will continue to hire for specific roles.

    “While we are eliminating roles in some areas, we will continue to hire in key strategic areas,” Nadella said.

  • Rein In Big Tech? Maybe Not, Thanks to the Supreme Court

    Rein In Big Tech? Maybe Not, Thanks to the Supreme Court

    Efforts to rein in Big Tech in the US may face new hurdles, thanks to a ruling by the Supreme Court.

    The Supreme Court’s decision to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate carbon emissions could have significant consequences for regulators’ attempts to reign in Big Tech. By limiting the EPA’s authority, some experts believe it could significantly reduce the authority of other agencies to regulate industries.

    “Every agency is going to face new hurdles in the wake of this confusing decision,” said Alexandra Givens, the president and CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, according to AP News. “But hopefully the agencies will continue doing their jobs and push forward.”

    Despite the new challenges it may pose, Givens doesn’t believe the decision completely nullifies agencies’ authority. She noted that Chief Justice John Roberts repeatedly highlighted the “extraordinary” nature of the EPA decision, seemingly leaving other agencies unchallenged.

    Other experts believe a line in the sand has been drawn, however.

    SCOTUS “basically said when it comes to major policy changes that can transform entire sectors of the economy, Congress has to make those choices, not agencies,” said Neil Chilson, a fellow at libertarian-leaning Stand Together.

    Only time will tell if other agencies will face the same challenges as the EPA. If they do, it could provide a major reprieve to Big Tech.

  • Amazon Makes Major Workplace Change in Alleged Attempt to Combat Unionization

    Amazon Makes Major Workplace Change in Alleged Attempt to Combat Unionization

    Amazon is prohibiting off-duty warehouse workers from entering its buildings in an alleged effort to combat unionization.

    According to AP News, Amazon informed its employees via the company’s internal app. Employees are not allowed to come into Amazon’s buildings on their days off or before or after their shifts.

    Amazon has a well-established reputation for aggressively combating organization efforts. The company has been accused of trying to intimidate workers during previous organization attempts and has even resorted to using Pinkerton detectives to keep tabs on such efforts.

    The company denies its latest move has anything to do with combatting organization efforts, insisting it’s more about employee safety.

    “There’s nothing more important than the safety of our employees and the physical security of our buildings,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel told AP News. “This policy regarding building access applies to building interiors and working areas. It does not limit employee access to non-working areas outside of our facilities.”

    Employees aren’t buying it, believing the measure is a direct threat to their efforts.

    “On our days off, we come to work and we engage our co-workers in the break rooms,” said Rev. Ryan Brown, an Amazon warehouse worker in Garner, North Carolina, who is working to organize his fellow workers.

    “This was a direct response to that, to try to stop organizing by any means necessary,” Brown said.

  • The EU May Ban New Combustion Engine Cars by 2035

    The EU May Ban New Combustion Engine Cars by 2035

    Support is growing for an EU measure that would ban the sale of new vehicles powered by combustion engines by 2035.

    Countries around the world are working to reduce carbon emissions in the coming decade in a desperate attempt to curb climate change. Many automakers have already committed to electric-only lineups in the coming years, but the EU may be forcing the issue even further according to AP News.

    EU lawmakers held a vote, requiring automakers to achieve a 100% reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions by 2035. This would effectively make it illegal to sell new vehicles powered by gas or diesel. The lawmakers also adopted a measure that would require automakers to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030, substantially more than the 37.5% they are already required to meet.

    While environmental groups praised the steps taken, automakers were, unsurprisingly, less enthused. In particular, automakers wanted synthetic fuels exempted, something lawmakers did not agree to. As a result, the German auto lobby group VDA called the vote “a decision against innovation and technology.”

    The decision must still be adopted by EU nations but, if it is, it will signal a fundamental shift in the nature of the auto industry.

  • Robots Now Taking Service Jobs

    Robots Now Taking Service Jobs

    Robots and automation are moving into an unexpected sector, taking service jobs many once thought were safe.

    Robots and automation have already made major headway in manufacturing and industry, but many experts thought customer-facing service jobs were safe. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the game, and service jobs are now up for grabs.

    According to AP News robots are increasingly being used for drive-thru ordering, tossing pizza dough, sorting goods, transporting goods and inspecting gauges.

    Robots have a number of advantages, especially in the midst of a pandemic. Robots don’t call in sick, they don’t spread disease, they don’t complain and they don’t take time off. Adding to their adoption is the fact that AI and robot development has reached a point where most tasks can be handled with little to no errors.

    One thing is certain: As the technology advances, robots and automation will increasingly spread into a wider range industries, including ones that were thought to be a safe haven.

  • Microsoft Quarterly Results: Azure Growing Faster Than the Market

    Microsoft Quarterly Results: Azure Growing Faster Than the Market

    Microsoft beat analysts expectations with its quarterly results, with particularly good news coming from the cloud front, according to Bloomberg.

    Overall the company reported revenue of $36.9 billion, a 14% increase over last year. Operating income was $13.9 billion, representing an increase of 35% and net income was $11.6 billion.

    One of the big takeaways, however, was the impact Microsoft’s Azure business had on the company. Azure’s revenue grew 62% over last year. According to AP News, “Goldman Sachs analyst Heather Bellini said in a note to investors Wednesday that Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing business has been growing faster than the broader cloud market.”

    This substantiates earlier reports that Microsoft is making significant headway against AWS in the cloud wars, with a far greater percentage of companies planning on deploying Azure than either AWS or Google Cloud.

    It also seems that securing the Pentagon’s JEDI contract is having the desired ‘halo effect.’ According to AP News, “Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz said in a note that the JEDI cloud contract was a game-changer for Microsoft that goes beyond its likely $10 billion in revenue over the next decade. He said it could also serve as a template leading to broader adoption by other government agencies and business customers.”

    Despite AWS’ commanding lead in the cloud market, it no longer seems a stretch that Microsoft could soon take the lead from AWS.