Tech executives to testify before U.S. Senate about election threats
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Executives from major technology companies including Google, Adobe, Microsoft and Meta Platforms are due to testify next week at a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on election intimidation.
Kent Walker, president of global affairs at Google parent Alphabet, Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, Microsoft President Brad Smith and representatives from Adobe are scheduled to testify at the Sept. 18 hearing, a spokesman for the office of Senator Mark Warner, the committee’s chairman, confirmed.
US authorities are trying to crack down on the spread of fake news and misinformation online about the Nov. 5 election that pits Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris against Republican former President Donald Trump in a closely contested race in the polls.
Previous US intelligence assessments have suggested that Russia, Iran and China sought to interfere in the US elections, charges that the countries deny. They accuse Washington of meddling in their internal affairs, charges the US denies.
French man on trial for raping drugged wife hospitalised, lawyer says
AVIGNON, France (Reuters) – A 71-year-old man on trial in France for drugging his wife and inviting dozens of strangers to his home to rape her was hospitalized on Tuesday for a medical check-up and treatment, his lawyer told reporters.
Dominique Périco, the lead defendant in the trial that is stunning France because it is scheduled to last until December, was due to testify later in the day, but the judge first ordered him to undergo a medical test.
“Mr. Perricotto is not trying to evade responsibility and has no intention of evading it,” said his lawyer, Beatrice Zaballo, adding that her client began showing symptoms of what appeared to be cystitis or colic on Friday.
Prosecutors said Perricott had solicited sex with his wife on a website and filmed the encounters. Fifty other men are on trial for allegedly raping her while she was drugged and unconscious over a 10-year period.
Zaballo told French media that Perico had pleaded guilty to the crimes. The other defendants were from a range of age groups and professions, French media reported.
If convicted, both men face up to 20 years in prison each.
Delta plane crashes into another plane at Atlanta airport
(TNS) The wingtip of a Delta Air Lines jet struck the tail of a Delta Air Lines commuter jet while it was taxiing at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Tuesday morning, causing significant damage to the smaller plane.
There were passengers on board both planes, but no injuries were reported as of around 2 p.m., according to Hartsfield-Jackson Airlines and Delta Airlines.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Delta Air Lines Airbus A350 was taxiing for takeoff at Atlanta Airport when its wingtip struck the tail of a Delta Connection regional jet.
The CRJ-900 was on an adjacent taxiway when it collided with the A350. Delta said the collision damaged a wing of the A350 and the tail of the regional jet.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident, which occurred about 10:07 a.m.
Google and Apple face billions of dollars in fines after losing EU appeal
LONDON (NYT) — The European Union’s top court ruled against Apple Inc. and Google Inc. in two landmark cases on Tuesday, handing the 27-nation bloc a major victory in its years-long campaign to regulate the tech industry.
The ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union was seen as a key test of Europe’s efforts to crack down on the world’s largest technology companies. Apple and Google have been frequent targets of EU regulators and have fought the cases on appeal.
In the Apple case, the court upheld a 2016 European Union order ordering Ireland to collect 13 billion euros (about $14.4 billion in today’s value) in unpaid taxes from the company. Regulators found that Apple had made illegal deals with the Irish government to effectively pay zero tax on its European operations for several years.
Apple previously won a ruling to set aside the order, but the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, appealed the decision to the Court of Justice. The €13 billion was placed in an escrow account while the case went through the appeals process. The money will now be paid to Ireland, providing a significant injection of cash to the country’s coffers.
Apple said the decision effectively allows the European Union to impose additional taxes on corporate income already taxed in the United States.
Apple said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it expects to record a one-time income tax charge of nearly $10 billion in the fourth quarter ended Sept. 28.
In the Google case, the court agreed with the European Commission’s 2017 decision to fine the company 2.4 billion euros for favoring its price-comparison shopping service over rivals’ in search results. Google lost the appeal in 2021.
Google said in a statement on Tuesday that it was “disappointed” by the ruling but that it had already adjusted its products to comply with the 2017 ruling. Some rivals have complained that Google’s changes don’t go far enough.
Philippine president defends massive operation to arrest prominent pastor
MANILA (Reuters) – Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Tuesday defended the deployment of 2,000 police officers over the weekend to arrest a powerful pastor who is a longtime friend of the country’s former president and faces sex trafficking charges.
Police believe Apollo Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed “Owner of the Universe” and “God’s appointed son,” is hiding out in an underground bunker on a sprawling property owned by his church, Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), in the southern city of Davao.
Quiboloy is wanted on suspicion of child abuse, sexual abuse and related human trafficking charges. He denies any wrongdoing.
Marcos said the police deployment on Saturday was aimed at ensuring safety and security around the church compound.
“Considering that this is a 30-hectare (74-acre) site, we really need a lot more than just 12 officers,” Marcos told reporters.
His remarks came following criticism of the handling of the case by former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
Man suspected of killing Ugandan Olympic athlete in gasoline attack dies
(The New York Times) – A Ugandan man accused of killing his partner, Olympic distance runner Rebecca Cheptegei, by pouring gasoline on her and setting her on fire died Monday evening from burns he received in the same attack.
Dickson Ndiema Malangach, 32, was pronounced dead at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, Kenya, where Cheptegei died last week, according to a hospital statement. The hospital said he suffered severe airway burns and went into respiratory failure.
According to Kenyan police, Cheptegei, who placed 44th in the Paris Olympic marathon this summer, was in a relationship with Ndiema and the two had been arguing for an unknown reason. On September 1, Cheptegei broke into Ndiema’s Kenyan home, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire.
The fire consumed much of her body and she was hospitalized in critical condition where she died on Thursday. Ndiema sustained burns over about 40 percent of his body in the attack and was treated at the same hospital. Police investigating the attack planned to charge him with murder if he recovered.
