Andrew seemed keen for Epstein to do business with David Rowland, but Epstein was wary, emails suggest. Read...

Benjamin Wegg-Prosser concluded his association with Lord Mandelson - and references to them both in the Epstein files - was doing the business Global Counsel harm. Read...

Michael Dickson always had a booming right foot, going back to his junior days playing AFL, but on Monday his punt to play American football reaps its ultimate reward when he takes to the field in the NFL Super Bowl. Read...

Google Search is an illegal monopoly. That’s not just me stirring the pot, it’s the official determination of the US Department of Justice, following an case that finished up in 2024. The DoJ had hoped to force Google to sell or split off the Chrome browser, a remedy the federal judge in the case passed on. But at both the federal and state level, the push to force Google to sell Chrome is continuing. According to a report from Reuters, both federal prosecutors and state attorneys general are appealing the final punishment put in place by Judge Amit Mehta. They want harsher penalties than being forced to provide search data to competitors. Exactly what remedies the Department of Justice would prefer haven’t been spelled out…but since prosecutors wanted Google to be forced to break off the Chrome browser, Google Search, Android, or some combination thereof, it seems like one of those eventualities is the goal. It should be pointed out that Google has its own, separate appeal, hoping for an even more lenient sentence. Which seems like a hell of an ask, since the company had avoided the biggest monopoly breakup in the United States since AT&T in the 1980s. Precisely which states joined in the appeal, and which attorneys general, was not spelled out. That might be a crucial factor. While the prosecution of Google’s search monopoly started under President Biden in 2021 and concluded in his term, the final stages and appeals are occurring under President Trump, who has expressed animosity towards Google in particular, and isn’t afraid to bend the full might of the federal government’s power to personally benefit himself and further his political goals. A particularly relevant example is the Paramount-Skydance merger, which only proceeded with FCC approval after Paramount paid $16 million to Trump personally in a lawsuit settlement. Michael Crider / Foundry Google has made various payments and concessions to the Trump administration, in the form of similar lawsuits like a $24.5 million payout over YouTube and donations to Trump’s inauguration fund and White House ballroom construction project. This kind of payola has benefited dozens of other donors, who have seen their federal enforcement problems disappear and their economic options broaden. Nvidia has opened up new avenues for lucrative GPU sales to China by cutting the federal government a slice. But Google’s generous donations to Trump, both personal and governmental, don’t seem to be solving its regulatory issues. One deputy attorney general told reporters that “Google has deplatformed conservative speech,” and another said Google is a threat to “our freedom of speech, our freedom of thought.” As Newsweek notes, neither of these complaints has actual bearing on the business and monopoly issues that began the investigation and prosecution years ago…but the goals seem to have shifted quite a lot in a new administration. The appeals from Google and the federal government, the final decision on monopoly enforcement, and exactly how much money and control Google has to give up for Search, Chrome, and Android, will have huge effects on the web as we know it. And that’s without bringing in the second monopoly suit over web advertising, which Google also lost. Read...

With Spring Training just a couple weeks away, baseball fans have something new to get excited about: They won’t have to deal with FanDuel Sports Network anymore. Sinclair’s Main Street Sports Group, which operates 16 regional sports networks under the FanDuel brand, is potentially facing liquidation after failing to find a buyer. Instead of taking chances, nine Major League Baseball teams have walked away, and most are now turning to the league for distribution. This won’t change much for cable and satellite TV subscribers, who will still get the games on TV if their package included them already. But for cord-cutters, the collapse of FanDuel Sports Network will result in a better experience and lower prices. It’s about time. Which teams are leaving FanDuel Sports Network? As of now, nine MLB teams are leaving FanDuel Sports Network in 2026: The Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, and Atlanta Braves. All but the Braves are likely to partner with MLB to distribute their games this season, Sports Business Journal reports, though the Tigers and Angels haven’t made it official yet. (The Braves reportedly plan to launch their own network instead.) The eight ex-FanDuel teams partnering with MLB will join seven others distributing games through the league this year: The Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and Washington Nationals. At least 15 teams will offer in-market streaming through the MLB app with no blackouts.Jared Newman / Foundry In each of these markets, MLB offers the same streaming plans: For $20 per month or $100 for the season, you get all in-market games for your local team with no blackouts. The only missing games will be the nationally televised ones on ESPN, NBC, Peacock, Apple TV, or Netflix. (FanDuel Sports Network didn’t carry any of those games either.) In previous years, MLB has also offered a bundle with MLB.TV, which includes out-of-market games and radio streams. The price last year was $200, versus $150 for MLB.TV alone, effectively cutting the cost of local games in half. A similar package will be available in 2026, though the league hasn’t announced pricing. Meanwhile, pay TV packages that carried FanDuel Sports Network will almost certainly pick up MLB’s channels instead. That means the games will remain on any cable and satellite packages that included them previously. What this means for you For the teams abandoning FanDuel Sports Network, the breakup is not ideal in the short-term, as they’re likely to lose millions in broadcast revenue per year. But for baseball fans, the move to MLB will be a vast improvement. Streaming in-market games will be cheaper with MLB at $100 per season, including Spring Training, versus $123 last year with FanDuel. If you subscribe to MLB.TV for out-of-market games, the cost for local team coverage will be even cheaper through bundling. The MLB app experience is also miles ahead of what FanDuel offered, with more reliable video, more detailed stat overlays, condensed game replays, and a better video player that marks up scoring plays on the timeline. You can even swap the local TV broadcast audio for the radio feed, and there’s a multi-view feature for MLB.TV subscribers that lets you watch four games simultaneously. Swapping TV audio for the radio feed is sneakily the MLB app’s best feature.Jared Newman / Foundry What about cable and satellite customers? If you previously watched the games on TV through FanDuel Sports Network, you’ll still be able to do that (though you’ll also get access through the excellent MLB app at no extra charge). The only difference will be the channel name. If you’re not in a market served by FanDuel Sports Network, fret not. I’ll soon have an update to my baseball streaming guide with all the in-market viewing options for each team. Meanwhile, the rest of us can look forward to a better year of baseball viewing ahead. Let’s just hope ESPN doesn’t find a way to ruin it when it starts distributing games through its own app in 2027. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV advice. Read...

TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac or PC gives you the latest Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook in a one-time purchase you can use offline forever. Subscriptions are everywhere, but productivity software doesn’t have to be one of them. Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business brings the classic Office experience back to a one-time purchase, with modern upgrades that actually make day-to-day work easier. This version includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote—installed directly on your Mac or PC so you can work online or offline. Office 2024 builds on what people already like, with noticeable improvements. Excel handles larger datasets faster and adds smarter data insights. PowerPoint now supports recording presentations with voice and video, making it easier to create polished remote presentations. Outlook includes better search and accessibility tools, while the refreshed Fluent Design keeps everything consistent and easy to navigate. There’s also deeper collaboration, from real-time co-authoring to built-in comments and Teams integration—helpful whether you’re running a small business, managing family logistics, or juggling school and work projects. If you want dependable productivity tools that don’t lock you into a subscription cycle, Office 2024 Home & Business delivers familiar apps and modern features. Get a Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 lifetime license for just $99.97 (MSRP $249.99) for a limited time. Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

Some businesses along the Welington`s South Coast say the major sewage spill is a `kick in the teeth` and they are already losing business. Read...

When the meeting commenced, the bar operator informed the committee that he’d fired staff, adding he was serious about bringing change to the business. Read...

The former Labour minister faces allegations of misconduct in public office when he was business secretary. Read...

After nearly 30 years of loyal service in one form or another, Adobe announced today that it will discontinue Animate, one of the company’s oldest 2D animation programs. Adobe says that new customers will no longer be able to download Adobe Animate starting March 1st, 2026. Regular users who already have a license for Animate will continue to have access to download the program and receive technical support until March 1st, 2027. Business customers will have support until March 1st, 2029. Adobe says Animate is being discontinued because there are now other platforms that better meet users’ needs. The company itself recommends Adobe After Effects and Adobe Express. Adobe Animate was originally launched in 1996 by Futurewave Software under the name Futuresplash Animator. The program was later acquired by Macromedia that same year and renamed to Macromedia Flash. When Macromedia was acquired by Adobe in 2005, the name was changed to Adobe Flash Professional. The final name change to Adobe Animate took place in 2015 when Adobe began phasing out Flash. The discontinuation of the program has been met with criticism from animators and game designers, reports PC Gamer. Adobe Animate was used, among other things, to create the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks and is still used to animate many ongoing television series. Read...