Business

Via press release from the State Department: On July 16, the U.S. Department of State, along with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, issued a business advisory to caution U.S. businesses about emerging risks to their operations and activities in Hong Kong. Many of these risks stem from …

Reuters reports: Pfizer Inc has agreed to pay $345 million to resolve claims by consumers who claim they overpaid for EpiPens due to anti-competitive and unfair practices by the drugmaker and the company that markets the emergency allergy treatment, Mylan. The proposed class action settlement was disclosed in a filing in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas. The deal, which …

Via press release from the Smithsonian: The Smithsonian will receive a $200 million donation from Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chair of Amazon, and founder of aerospace and space flight company Blue Origin. The donation is the largest gift to the Smithsonian since the Institution’s founding gift from James Smithson in 1846. A $70 million portion of the donation will …

The Verge reports: Facebook plans to pay out $1 billion to creators over the next year and a half as part of an effort to court content makers to its many services. The money will be awarded to creators who use Facebook products in different ways: on Facebook, creators can get a cash bonus for running ads on their videos …

The New York Daily News reports: Here’s to another year of drinking and dining al fresco! Gov. Cuomo signed a bill into law Wednesday that allows restaurants and bars statewide to use sidewalks, parking spots and other municipal spaces for outdoor food and beverage service for another year. The bill, which breezed through the state legislature last month, is meant …

Axios reports: The Department of Defense announced Tuesday it was canceling the massive cloud contract awarded to Microsoft in 2019, saying it “no longer meets its needs.” The JEDI contract was the largest-ever of its kind, with an estimated value of roughly $10 billion over a 10-year stretch. The deal, initially intended to modernize the Pentagon’s IT operations, was the …

Michael Brown writes for the Christian Post: According to a headline on the popular gay atheist blogsite, Joe My God, “Hobby Lobby Goes Full Dominionist In July 4th Ad.” A viral tweet claimed, “Hobby lobby took out a full page ad in the Register-Guard this morning. Talking about how America should only be led by Christians. Absolutely frightening.” I do …

Reuters reports: Between 800 and 1,500 businesses around the world have been affected by a ransomware attack centered on U.S. information technology firm Kaseya, its chief executive said on Monday. Fred Voccola, the Florida-based company’s CEO, said in an interview that it was hard to estimate the precise impact of Friday’s attack because those hit were mainly customers of Kaseya’s …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Facebook, Twitter, and Alphabet’s Google have privately warned the Hong Kong government that they could stop offering their services in the city if authorities proceed with planned changes to data-protection laws that could make them liable for the malicious sharing of individuals’ information online. A letter sent by an industry group that includes the internet …

Reuters reports: Hackers suspected to be behind a mass extortion attack that affected hundreds of companies worldwide late on Sunday demanded $70 million to restore the data they are holding ransom, according to a posting on a dark web site. The demand was posted on a blog typically used by the REvil cybercrime gang, a Russia-linked group that is counted …

Business Insider reports: Jeff Bezos’ reign as Amazon CEO will come to an end on Monday, and he’ll be stepping down as the world’s richest person. He will be retiring from the role at the age of 57 with an estimated $199 billion in wealth, according to Bloomberg’s Billionaire’s Index. The fortune largely consists of his hefty Amazon holdings and …

Reuters reports: The Swedish Coop grocery store chain closed all its 800 stores on Saturday after a ransomware attack on an American IT provider left it unable to operate its cash registers. Hundreds of American businesses were hit on Friday by an unusually sophisticated attack that hijacked widely used technology management software from a Miami-based supplier called Kaseya. According to …

NBC News reports: A successful ransomware attack on a single company has spread to at least 200 organizations, according to cybersecurity firm Huntress Labs, making it one of the single largest criminal ransomware sprees in history. The attack, first revealed Friday afternoon, is believed to be affiliated with the prolific ransomware gang REvil and perpetuated through Kaseya, an international company …

Via press release from Ikea Canada: In honour of Pride, IKEA Canada has collaborated with designers active in the 2SLGBTQ+ community to create “Love Seats,” a series of one-of-a-kind slipcovers inspired by the colours of different Pride flags, and the lived experiences from a wide spectrum of gender and sexual identities they represent. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, storytelling and personal …

The Verge reports: Microsoft is releasing its first Windows 11 preview build today. Windows Insiders can download the Windows 11 preview (build 22000.51) right now, which includes access to the new Start menu, multitasking features, and overhauled Microsoft Store. Unlike the previous Windows 11 leak, this official preview also features an updated File Explorer that replaces the ribbon with a …

CNBC reports: Virgin Galactic announced Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration granted the company the license it needs to fly passengers on future spaceflights, a key hurdle as the venture completes development testing. “The commercial license that we have had in place since 2016 remains in place, but is now cleared to allow us to carry commercial passengers when we’re …

The Verge reports: Microsoft is officially confirming the name for the next release of Windows today: Windows 11. After months of teases, hints of the number 11, and a giant Windows 11 leak, Microsoft’s new operating system is official. The big focus for Windows 11 is a simplification of the Windows user interface, a new Windows store, and improvements to …

Reuters reports: Launching one of the richest individuals on earth into orbit has proved a leap too far for insurers, who are not ready to price the risk of losing Jeff Bezos or his fellow space travelers. And while insurers are well known for offering cover for even the most outlandish of risks, at a price, potential accidents in space …

Gothamist reports: New York’s state of disaster emergency will end Thursday after more than 67 weeks, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday. Cuomo declared the state of disaster emergency on March 7th, 2020, shortly after the first case was reported on March 1st, 2020 when a Manhattan woman was found to be infected with the coronavirus. The state of disaster emergency …

CNBC reports: Eccentric antivirus software company founder John McAfee was found dead in his prison cell in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, shortly after Spain’s National Court approved his extradition to the United States to face criminal tax evasion charges, Reuters and the Associated Press confirmed. The Spanish newspaper El Mundo first reported that the 75-year-old McAfee was dead, according to …