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EU: Amazon’s iRobot buy could hurt competition

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

European regulators said Monday that Amazon’s proposed acquisition of robot vacuum maker iRobot may harm competition.The European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm and top antitrust enforcer, said it has informed Amazon of its “preliminary view” regarding the deal following an investigation that began in July.The news raised investors’ concerns about the acquisition, sending shares in Bedford, Massachusetts-based iRobot Corp., most famous for the circular-shaped Roomba vacuum, down more than 17% Monday.The European regulators raised concerns that the buyout may hinder iRobot’s rivals from effectively competing on Amazon’s marketplace, which they said is an important platform for sales of robot vacuum cleaners in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.If the deal goes through, the commission said Amazon may be incentivized to prevent competitors from selling their products on its marketplace or making it difficult for them to do so.Amo...

Regulators skeptical of low underage betting reports

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission seems unconvinced by the numbers they are getting from sportsbook operators on how frequently underage gamblers access their platforms and place bets.The Commission met Monday to receive third-quarter reports from representatives of sportsbook operators Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, Penn Sports Interactive, and WynnBet, when regulators wondered if the single digit instances of illegal gambling they were being shown were an accurate representation of reality.Caesars Sportsbook representatives told the commission they had detected and suspended exactly zero accounts for underage betting from July through September; WynnBet officials told them the same. DraftKings reps said there was one instance resulting in an account suspension in July and four in August, down from six the previous quarter. Penn Sports Interactive reported three underage use suspensions, down from five and six the previous quarters.The commission wasn’t buying it, and for good r...

How Joe Mazzulla, Celtics are approaching complicated In-Season Tournament game vs. Bulls

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

The scenarios are complicated, but there are several paths for the Celtics in their pursuit of making the quarterfinals of the In-Season Tournament.The Celtics hold a 2-1 record in Group C of the tournament entering Tuesday’s final group play game against the Bulls at TD Garden. The winners of all six groups plus two wild card teams (one per conference) will advance to next week’s quarterfinals.The C’s, depending on results around the league, can advance as the Group C winner or the Eastern Conference’s wild card team. Here are all the scenarios in play:Celtics clinch Group C if:– Celtics win + Nets win + Celtics win tiebreaker over Magic and Nets.In this scenario, the Celtics, Magic and Nets would be in a three-way tie for first place in Group C with 3-1 records. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, and all three teams are 1-1 against each other. The second tiebreaker is points differential. Entering Tuesday, the Magic have a plus-22 differential, the Nets are plus-8 and th...

MLB insider considers Red Sox reunion with LHP Eduardo Rodriguez unlikely

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

The Red Sox are expected to be active players in the market for starting pitching this offseason, but according to one well-connected insider fans shouldn’t expect a reunion with old friend Eduardo Rodriguez.Speaking on The Baseball Insiders podcast Monday, FanSided’s Robert Murray said he doesn’t believe Rodriguez is a likely target for the Red Sox this winter.“At this point I don’t think E-Rod is a strong possibility there, things could change but I don’t think E-Rod is going to end up in Boston,” Murray said. “One phone call could change everything, but as of right now I don’t see that happening.”Rodriguez, who spent his first seven years in the majors with the Red Sox before signing with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent ahead of the 2022 season, is on the open market again after opting out of his previous five-year, $77 million deal. Rodriguez had three years and $49 million remaining on that deal but can likely land ...

Padres to honor Peter Seidler with jersey patch, legacy fund

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres have announced plans to honor former chairman and owner, Peter Seidler, who died earlier this month.The Padres will honor Seidler by wearing a patch on their jerseys during the 2024 season. The Padres Foundation will also be launching the Peter Seidler Legacy Fund to raise money for charitable projects. Padres owner Peter Seidler dies at 63 Those wanting to help celebrate the life of Seidler can do so the weekend of March 22, 2024 during a public "Celebration of Life for Peter" event at Petco Park. Additional details will be announced at a later time, the announcement states. Seidler died on Nov. 14 at the age of 63. Fans laid out flowers in front of a portrait of Seidler at Petco Park in the days following his death. San Diego remembers Padres owner Peter Seidler In downtown San Diego, Ground Floor Murals honored Seidler with a black and white mural at 1202 Kettner Blvd. that reads, “Thank you Peter Seidler 1960-2023.”The design of ...

Women falls to death down a well shaft hidden below rotting floorboards in a South Carolina home

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

SALEM, S.C. (AP) — An 83-year-old woman who died when she fell through rotting floorboards in a century-old South Carolina house and down a well shaft the owner didn’t know was there, authorities said.It took rescuers nearly four hours Sunday to get the women’s body out of the nearly 50-foot (15-meter) deep hole, Oconee County Coroner Karl Addis said in a statement.The woman was helping her daughter pack up and move from the house in Salem, which according to property records was built in 1920, Addis said.As she walked across the kitchen floor, part of it collapsed. The woman’s daughter searched for her in the crawlspace under the house and couldn’t find her, according to a police report.Firefighters finally were able to find the woman and bring her bock back to the surface, said the coroner, who determined she died from injuries from the fall.Addis declared the death an accident and said he has never seen a death like this in his 31 years as coroner in Ocone...

Nikki Haley draws the largest crowd of her campaign in her home state of South Carolina

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

BLUFFTON, S.C. (AP) — Nikki Haley drew the largest crowd of her campaign Monday at an event in her home state of South Carolina, as she tries to close the gap with GOP front-runner and former President Donald Trump just weeks from the start of the primary season. Around 2,500 people gathered to hear Haley, the former governor and United Nations ambassador, according to officials at a satellite campus of the University of South Carolina along the state’s southern coast. Half that number watched her event from video screens outside the venue after it reached capacity.That’s significantly higher than the 2,000 people who attended her February launch event in Charleston, according to Haley’s campaign. Hours ahead of Monday’s start time, the line for attendees wrapped around the venue, which had to be changed from its original location due to demand.Haley’s staff have cast her campaign as being on a rising trajectory. She often hits on this theme herself, noting h...

Paramount Plus Canada developing comedies about prime minister, widowed limo driver

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

TORONTO — Paramount Plus Canada says it’s developing two more homegrown comedies, one centred on a widowed limo driver trying to raise his kids, the other on an A-list actor who gets the chance to become prime minister. The streamer announced in June it would begin developing Canadian projects, and is now adding two more to its slate from production company Boat Rocker.“Bensen,” from creator Clara Altimas, follows a limo driver who tries to keep his “fun dad” status following the death of his wife. Altimas was previously a writer on CBC’s “Kim’s Convenience” and its spinoff “Strays.”Paramount Plus is also developing “Elected,” a comedy series from Michael McGowan, whose feature film credits include writing and directing “All My Puny Sorrows” and “Score: A Hockey Musical.”Paramount Plus Canada also says its first original documentary, “500 Days in the Wild,” will premiere...

Celebrities, politicians among those named in sex abuse suits filed under NY’s Adult Survivors Act

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For a year, New York’s Adult Survivors Act suspended the usual legal deadlines to give sexual assault victims one last chance to file lawsuits over misconduct that occurred years or decades ago.By the time the law expired last week, more than 3,700 legal claims had been filed, with many of the last few coming against big-name celebrities and a handful of politicians.The list of the accused contained many familiar names from past #MeToo scandals and a few new ones. A huge number of claims were also made by former prisoners over alleged assaults in jails and prisons.Here’s a guide to some of the more noteworthy lawsuits:Donald TrumpFormer president Donald Trump was one of the first to be sued under the law when it took effect last November, by a writer who said he had raped her in a department store dressing room.E. Jean Carroll, a columnist, had written of the alleged assault in a 2019 book. He rebuffed the accusation, saying it never happened. She initial...

US Navy to discuss removing plane from environmentally sensitive Hawaii bay after it overshot runway

Published Tue, 18 Feb 2025 09:11:44 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — U.S. Navy officials said Monday they would discuss how they plan to remove a large aircraft from an environmentally sensitive Hawaii bay after it overshot a runway last week. The Navy placed two temporary floating barriers around the P-8A aircraft at its resting spot in the shallow waters of Kaneohe Bay to prevent any potential fuel spill or other contaminants from polluting the ocean. Navy officials scheduled a news conference for Monday to provide an update.On Thursday, sailors retrieved the data recorder and conducted a hydrographic survey to assess the plane’s structural integrity. The Navy has not said whether the plane is sitting on sand or coral in the water. State environmental officials expect to conduct a damage assessment once the plane is removed. Kaneohe Bay is home to coral reefs, an ancient Hawaiian fishpond and a breeding ground for hammerhead sharks.In addition to the floating barriers, the Navy has placed material around the plane to help absorb any...