BREAKING Cuba's power grid fails, plunging country into darkness
Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed, Cuba's energy ministry said, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
A federal judge on Friday delayed an order requiring Google to open up its Android app store to more competition until an appeals court decides whether to block the shake-up because of legal questions surrounding a jury's verdict that branded Google as an illegal monopolist.
The delay granted during a court hearing in San Francisco comes less than two weeks after U.S. District Judge James Donato issued a decision that would have forced Google to make sweeping changes to its Play Store for Android smartphones starting Nov. 1.
The mandated changes included a provision that would have required Google to make its library of more than two million Android apps available to any rivals that wanted access to the inventory and also distribute the alternative options in its own Play Store.
Google requested Donato's order be stayed until the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could examine the handling of a month-long trial that led to the December 2023 verdict, which framed the Play Store as an illegal monopoly that stifles innovation and drives up consumer prices.
In Friday's hearing, Donato scoffed at the notion that Google could succeed in overturning the trial verdict. “The verdict in this case was amply supported by a mountain of evidence about Google’s anti-competitive conduct,†the judge said.
But he decided the Ninth Circuit should be given a chance to consider a postponement until a panel of judges can consider Google's appeal of the 2023 trial focused on antitrust claims lodged by video game maker Epic Games.
Donato said he wouldn't be surprised if the Ninth Circuit imposes an even longer delay on his ruling, “but that is for someone else to decide.â€
In a statement, Google said it was pleased Donato hit the pause button while it tries to extend the delay even further. “These remedies threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience and we look forward to continuing to make our case to protect 100 million U.S. Android users, over 500,000 U.S. developers and thousands of partners who have benefited from our platforms,†Google said.
Epic declined to comment.
It's unclear how long the Ninth Circuit will take to decide on Google's request for a permanent stay of Donato's ruling while its appeals unfold — a process that could take more than a year.
In 2021, the Ninth Circuit delayed a provision of another federal judge's order mandating that Apple allow links to alternative payment systems with apps made for the iPhone as part of another antitrust case brought by Epic.
Although Apple avoided being labelled an illegal monopolist in a trial involving the iPhone app store, it unsuccessfully fought the provision requiring the company to allow alternative payment links within apps. But delaying that requirement preserved Apple's exclusive control of a payment system that has generated commissions ranging from 15 per cent to 30 per cent on some e-commerce occurring within apps. Apple exhausted its avenue of appeals in the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year.
Google also pockets billions of dollars annually from a similar commission system within its Play Store for Android phones — a setup that is allowed to continue as long as Google can prevent Donato's ruling from taking effect.
In its arguments for delaying Donato's order, Google said it wasn't being given enough time to make the drastic changes it framed as “a Herculean task creating an unacceptable risk of safety and security failures within the Android ecosystem.â€
Google also argued the shake-up would saddle it with unreasonable costs, a contention Donato also brushed aside during Friday's hearing.
“I don’t want to be glib about it, but the expense that Google might incur appears to be a drop in the bucket compared to the profits it reaps annually from the Play Store," Donato said.
Cuba's national electrical grid shut down on Friday after one of the island's major power plants failed, Cuba's energy ministry said, plunging the entire country into a blackout.
One of four Canadian cabinet members who are stepping down said on Friday that he has confidence in Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and he played down polls predicting the Liberals will badly lose in the next election.
SaskPower was sentenced Friday morning in a Weyburn courtroom, receiving a record fine, after being found guilty of three workplace-safety related violations when two experienced employees were killed on the job in 2020.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Friday compared the people jailed on charges that they stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, to the more than 120,000 people of Japanese origin incarcerated on U.S. soil during World War II.
An increased risk of fire has prompted the recall of thousands of Honda hybrid vehicles in Canada.
The Canadian Cancer Society says a proposed settlement that may see tobacco companies pay out billions of dollars would do little to prevent future generations from becoming addicted to smoking.
Police were called to a frozen yogurt shop in Richmond, B.C., Wednesday after a man went behind the counter and scooped some of the product with his hand.
According to Google search data, the top Halloween costumes trending in Canada include everything from Taylor Swift for kids to the Joker and Harley Quinn for couples.
National Defence Minister Bill Blair says Canada is sending $64.8 million in military aid to Ukraine.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that – and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the ‘Fellow in Yellow.’
John Cantin vividly remembers opening day for his Victoria diner. Stress levels were high, tables were full, and one of the most popular menu items couldn’t be freed from the unyielding grip of the waffle maker.
A Manitoba professor is warning the public after a book on regional mushrooms that he suspects is AI-generated was delisted from Amazon.
A B.C. judge has issued a decision in a years-long dispute between neighbours that began with a noise complaint over barking dogs, crowing roosters and quacking ducks – awarding $15,000 in damages to the plaintiffs in the case.
An Ottawa man was arrested after taking a shower in a stranger's house, Ottawa police say.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) Chef Paul Natrall, the man behind Indigenous food truck Mr. Bannock, is bringing cooking classes on First Nations fare to schools and offices throughout Metro Vancouver.
The Celtic Colours Festival is taking place at venues around Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia from Oct. 11 to 19.