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Google wins legal bid to overturn 1.5 billion euro antitrust fine in EU digital ad case

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LONDON (AP) — Google won a court challenge on Wednesday against a 1.49 billion euro ($1.66 billion) European Union antitrust fine imposed five years ago that targeted its online advertising business.

The EU’s General Court said it was throwing out the 2019 penalty imposed by the European Commission, which is the 27-nation bloc’s top antitrust enforcer.

“The General Court annuls the Commission’s decision in its entirety,” the court said in a press release.

The commission’s ruling applied to a narrow portion of Google’s ad business: ads that the U.S. tech giant sold next to Google search results on third-party websites.

Regulators had accused Google of inserting exclusivity clauses in its contracts that barred these websites from running similarly placed ads sold by Google’s rivals. The commission said when it issued the penalty that Google’s behavior resulted in advertisers and website owners having less choice and likely facing higher prices that would be passed on to consumers.

But the General Court said the commission “committed errors” when it assessed those clauses. The commission failed to demonstrate that Google’s contracts deterred innovation, harmed consumers or helped the company hold on to and strengthen its dominant position in national online search advertising markets, it said.

The ruling can be appealed, but only on points of law, to the Court of Justice, the bloc’s top court.

The commission said in a brief statement that it “will carefully study the judgment and reflect on possible next steps.”

Google did not respond immediately to a request for comment. The company’s legal victory comes a week after it lost a final challenge against a separate EU antitrust case for its shopping comparison service that also involved a hefty fine.

They were among three antitrust penalties totaling about 8 billion euros ($8.9 billion) that the commission punished Google with in the previous decade. The penalties marked the beginning of an era of intensifying scrutiny for Big Tech companies.

Since then, Google has faced escalating pressure on both sides of the Atlantic over its digital ad business. It’s currently battling the Justice Department in a U.S. federal court over allegations that its dominance over the technology that controls the sale of billions of internet display ads constitutes an illegal monopoly.

British competition regulators this month accused the company of abusing its dominance in the country’s digital ad market and giving preference to its own services.

EU antitrust enforcers carrying out their own investigation suggested last year that breaking up the company was the only way to satisfy competition concerns about its digital ad business.

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“Hope Our Money Is Safe” — Nigerians React As Access Bank Changes Their Logo Twice In Less Than 3 Hours.

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Nigerians are buzzing with concern after Access Bank changed its logo twice in under three hours, sparking worries about the safety of their money.

In 2019, Access Bank unveiled a new logo after merging with Diamond Bank, signaling the beginning of a new era for the enlarged banking entity ¹. This change was part of the bank’s expansion strategy, which aimed to make Access Bank the largest bank in Africa by customer base.

Regarding the recent logo change, it’s essential to note that logo updates are common in the banking industry, especially when companies undergo significant transformations or rebranding efforts ². However, the swift reversal of the logo change has understandably raised eyebrows.

To alleviate concerns, Access Bank has not announced any changes to its operations or services that would impact customers’ funds. If you’re an Access Bank customer, you can visit their official website or contact their customer support for the latest information.

*Key Takeaways:*

– _Logo Changes are Common_: Banks and financial institutions often update their logos to reflect changes in their business strategy or branding.
– _Access Bank’s History_: The bank has undergone significant expansions and mergers, including the 2019 merger with Diamond Bank.
– _Stay Informed_: For the latest updates on Access Bank’s logo change and its potential impact on customers, visit their official website or contact customer support.

Remember, it’s always a good idea to stay informed and verify information through official channels to ensure your money’s safety.

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iPhone Xs | Xr are now on their 6th year receiving iOS updates

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The iPhone XS and XR are indeed receiving their sixth round of iOS updates, which is a testament to Apple’s commitment to supporting their devices with the latest software.

This is great news for users who have stuck with these models, as they’ll continue to receive security patches, new features, and performance improvements.

Not on par with Samsung or Google, but still very impressive

Of course, the new features those devices actually get is a different story

 

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Enugu to Assemble 1,000 Tractors Locally by 2025, 300 Ready in 2024– Gov Mbah

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… as NECA lauds Mbah on economy, ease of doing business

As part of the effort of his administration to grow the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn and ensure food security, tractors needed for farming in Enugu State will be produced in the state before the end of the year, governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah has announced.

The governor stated this when he received the newly elected president of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, NECA, Dr. Ifeanyi Okoye, and other leaders of the association at the Government House, Enugu, at the weekend.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to creating a business-friendly environment and helping to de-risk investment in the state, calling on investors to key into the growing investment revolution in the state.

“We are ready for business and we are open for business. You could not make a better choice than Enugu when you are thinking about where to invest or where to grow your wealth because you are dealing with a government that is business-friendly and we do not only think about creating the environment for businesses to thrive, we are also interested in working with you collaboratively either as a Joint Venture (JV) or Private Public Sector Partnership (PPP) or even helping you to de-risk the investment flow. We are interested in listening to you, knowing what areas that would make it possible for you to invest.

“We have just signed an order with a Danish company that is coming here to manufacture their tractors. So, our target is that before the end of the year, we would have been able to assemble over 300 tractors. Our ultimate target in the medium term is to get up to 1,000 tractors before the end of next year.

“What this means is that you would not have to import the machinery and the implements you need to be able to farm in Enugu State.

“Again, we are interested in value addition and processing too. We are building a Special Processing Zone where we expect that as we plan to scale up our production in the agricultural space, we also have produce cities where those things can be processed. It is not just producing and exporting them raw. We are planning to add value, create and capture those values,” Mbah said.

He added that the government was taking measures to ensure the availability of the necessary infrastructure, ranging from urban roads to access roads to farm, power, and water, while also making huge investments in security and collaborating with security agencies to sustain and strengthen the relative security attained by the state in the last 15 months.

“In the area of roads, our target is to make sure that all our streets, all our roads in the city are paved and we are already achieving that. Just recently, we completed the 71 roads we awarded last October and we again awarded another 141 roads. We are also making sure that we also get our rural roads paved, most importantly the access road to the farmlands because we have some ambitious target in our agricultural sector where we now have over 300,000 hectares of land in our landbank,” he said.

Mbah congratulated Dr. Okoye, who is also the Managing Director of Juhel Nigeria Limited, on his emergence as NECA President, assuring of his administration’s readiness to collaborate with NECA to create more economic opportunities in the state.


Speaking earlier, the NECA leadership pledged unwavering commitment to fostering partnerships that will catalayse socio-economic development in Enugu State and the South East, having observed the governor’s vision and business-minded approach to governance.

“We have closely observed your outstanding leadership, coupled with your clear vision for the transformation of Enugu State. Your administration’s focus on economic diversification, infrastructure development, and human capital enhancement aligns perfectly with NECA’s objectives.


“We believe that through strong collaboration between the public and private sectors, we can collectively drive growth, create jobs, and improve the overall well-being of the citizens,” the NECA president stated.

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