The EU ratchets up pressure on TikTok's new rewards app over risks to kids, warns of suspension
The European Union is demanding TikTok provide more information about a new app that pays users to watch videos and warned that it could order the video sharing platform to suspend addictive features that pose a risk to kids.
Future of โSpaceport Camdenโ in limbo after referendum passes blocking land sale
A decisive 72-percent of Camden County voters who went to the polls Tuesday told the county commission that it no longer has the power to buy a 4,000-acre patch of land outside Woodbine for the planned Spaceport Camden project.
Florida Senate seeks to end Constitution Revision Commission
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ Florida voters would be asked to abolish a commission that recommends changes to the state constitution every 20 years under a bill passed by the state Senate on Thursday. The chamber voted 27-12 to place a measure on the 2022 ballot seeking to repeal the Constitution Revision Commission. Lawmakers have criticized the last meeting of the commission, which placed seven items on the 2018 ballot. Voters approved all of them. Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson, who sat on the last commission, acknowledged that it isn't perfect, but voted against the bill.
EU hails deals to get more vaccine shots, tackle variants
The news came only hours after Pfizer and BioNTech said they had signed a deal to deliver an additional 200 million vaccine doses to the bloc. Von der Leyen also unveiled EU plans to better detect virus variants and to speed up the approval of adapted vaccines capable of countering them. Authorities in Germany's most populous state, North Rhine-Westphalia, expressed concerns that some people appeared less willing to take the AstraZeneca vaccine than those made by Moderna or Pfizer. AdโThe authorized AstraZeneca vaccine isn't a second-class vaccine,โ the state's health ministry said. Pfizer and German partner BioNTech confirmed that they, too, have finalized an agreement to supply the EU with another 200 million vaccine doses.
Like fishing in The Keys? Might want to weigh in on FWCโs virtual meeting
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ If you like fishing in The Keys, you may want to join a virtual meeting with FWC. The first of three online workshops to gather public input on a seasonal fishing closure in a 1-square-mile area near Western Dry Rocks will be tonight starting at 6 p.m. Instructions on how to join the meeting will be posted online at MyFWC.com/Marine. The protection of spawning aggregations, in combination with traditional management approaches (e.g., size limits, bag limits and vessel limits), represents a comprehensive conservation strategy aimed at sustaining and enhancing fish populations. Learn more at MyFWC.com/Marine by clicking on โRulemaking: Submit a Comment/Attend a Workshopโ and โUpcoming Public Workshops.โ
EU opens antitrust probes into Apple Pay and App Store
LONDON European Union authorities have opened antitrust investigations into Apple's App Store and its payments platform over concerns that its practices stifle competition. The Commission opened a second investigation into the mobile App Store over concerns that Apple restricts developers from letting iPhone and iPad users know about ways to make purchases outside of apps. EU Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said it appears that Apple obtained a gatekeeper' role when it comes to the distribution of apps and content to users of Apples popular devices." It also appeared that Apple set conditions on how Apple Pay should be used in merchants apps and websites, she said. It is important that Apples measures do not deny consumers the benefits of new payment technologies," she said.
Florida House moves closer to abolishing constributional panel
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. โ An effort to jettison the Florida Constitution Revision Commission, which drew controversy last year as it successfully proposed a series of ballot measures, continued to move forward Monday in the state House. โIt has no guardrails,โ Rich Templin, a lobbyist for the Florida AFL-CIO, who said the commission failed to follow its own rules. Such rule changes would require voter approval because the commission is in the Florida Constitution. The Constitution Revision Commission was set up by voters as part of the 1968 Florida Constitution. Drakeโs proposals must get through the House Judiciary Committee before having a chance to go before the full House.