#the New Administrative Capital

[nando161mando]

The Supreme Court must love private prisons, making homelessness a crime will cost us more money than simply helping them. Senseless unnecessary and expensive cruelty

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

The Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the owner of Ticketmaster, whose sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets descended into chaos this week, said two people with knowledge of the matter. The investigation is focused on whether Live Nation Entertainment has abused its power over the multibillion-dollar live music industry.

That power has been in the spotlight after Ticketmaster’s systems crashed while Ms. Swift fans were trying to buy tickets in a presale for her tour, but the investigation predates the botched sale, the people said.

Members of the antitrust division’s staff at the Justice Department have in recent months contacted music venues and players in the ticket market, asking about Live Nation’s practices and the wider dynamics of the industry, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is sensitive. The inquiry appears to be broad, looking at whether the company maintains a monopoly over the industry, one of the people said.

Live Nation did not immediately comment. A spokeswoman for the Justice Department declined to comment.

Officials in the Biden administration have spent the last two years trying to push the boundaries of antitrust law. The Justice Department has mounted several challenges to major mergers, successfully persuading a judge to block Penguin Random House’s purchase of Simon & Schuster but losing some other cases. The Federal Trade Commission has sued to block Meta, Facebook’s parent company, from acquiring a small virtual reality start-up.

The new investigation is the latest scrutiny of Live Nation Entertainment, which is the product of a merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster that the Justice Department approved in 2010. That created a giant in the live entertainment business that still has no equals in its reach or power.

In 2019, its last year of business unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Live Nation put on 40,000 events around the world and sold 485 million tickets through Ticketmaster, according to the company’s annual report. Live Nation is one of the music industry’s biggest powers in the management of artists, meaning the personal representatives who negotiate business deals on behalf of artists. According its most recent annual report, Live Nation had 100 managers working with more than 450 artists. It does not manage Ms. Swift.

When the Justice Department approved the merger — over significant opposition from the music industry — it required the company to sell some parts of its business. It also reached a legal settlement with the company that forbade Live Nation to threaten concert venues with losing access to its tours if those venues decided to use ticketing providers other than Ticketmaster. Those terms were set to last for 10 years, until 2020.

In late 2019, after an investigation, the Justice Department found that Live Nation had repeatedly violated this provision of its decree. It extended the terms of the settlement by five years, to 2025, and adjusted some of the agreement’s language to clarify what the company was allowed to do when negotiating ticketing deals with venues.

Members of the Justice Department staff have asked whether Live Nation is complying with the agreement as part of their new inquiry, said one of the people with knowledge of the matter. Officials at the agency have grown increasingly wary of such settlements, believing the best way to settle antitrust concerns is through changes to a company’s structure.

The debacle involving Ms. Swift’s concert tickets this week has exacerbated complaints in the music business and in Washington that Live Nation’s power has constrained competition and harmed consumers. But it was also an example of extraordinary demand for a highly desired commodity in very limited supply.

The problems began Tuesday when Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system, which aims to weed out bots and professional scalpers from the process, began doling out access codes to fans who were interested in buying tickets to Ms. Swift’s Eras tour, scheduled to start in March.

According to a blog post by Ticketmaster, which was published on Thursday but deleted within hours, 3.5 million fans registered for the program. The company “invited” 1.5 million of those customers to the presale by sending them codes, and the remaining two million were placed on a waiting list.

That day, Ticketmaster received 3.5 billion system requests, causing its app to crash for many users; some who were in the process of buying tickets with their codes were unable to complete their transactions. According to Ticketmaster, two million tickets were sold on Tuesday alone. Another presale, for Capital One cardholders, was held on Wednesday.

But Thursday afternoon, Ticketmaster canceled its plans for a public ticket sale on Friday, when it would typically sell any tickets remaining after presales. It was unclear how many tickets had already been sold for Ms. Swift’s tour, and how many — if any — remained.

On Friday, in her first comments about the ticketing debacle, Ms. Swift posted a statement to social media saying she was looking into the situation to see how it could be improved. But she also expressed disappointment in Ticketmaster.

“I’m not going to make excuses for anyone,” Ms. Swift wrote, “because we asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand, and we were assured that they could.”

[nnctales]

The Ambitious Central Vista Project: Transforming India's Administrative Heart

The Central Vista Project is an ongoing initiative by the Government of India to revamp the central administrative area of New Delhi, originally designed by architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker during British colonial rule. This ambitious project aims to transform the heart of the nation’s capital, creating a modern and efficient workspace while preserving the historic character of the…

[ynwa-chiesa]

What is sb from zagorje doing in cairo 😭

[onenettvchannel]

BAN Toxics lauds FDA for issuing public health warning against unauthorized Lato-Lato Toys

(with a Press Release reports from Thony Dizon / Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics and a Chief News Intern for OneNETnews)

MUNTILUPA, NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION -- Toxic watchdog group BAN Toxics lauds the Food and Drug Administration-Philippines (FDA-PH) for issuing numerous FDA Advisories Nos. 2023-1299, 2023-1300 & 2023-1301 – a Public Health Warning against the physical or online purchases and use of unauthorized Toy and Childcare Article (TCCA) LATO-LATO TOYS.

Citing the aforesaid advisories, the unnotified toy and childcare article product has not gone through the notification process of the FDA-PH, the agency cannot assure their quality and safety. The use of such violative products may pose health risks to consumers.

Just to recall, BAN Toxics issued a public health alert last Tuesday (May 23, 2023 -- Manila local time) against the selling of the popular lato-lato toys both in local and online markets. The group reported its findings to the FDA-PH for appropriate regulatory action.

For those wondering about a children's toy called Lato-Lato, it is a toy that makes clacking sounds. It has 2 plastic balls on a string that you swing to hit each other. People in Southeast Asia including the Philippines like it, but it actually started in the United States of America (U.S.A.) in the late 1960s as an educational toy called Issac Newton's Yo-Yo. This was named after his formal role of mathematician and physicist. The balls were originally made of glass, but they would break into tiny pieces during play.

According to the group, “All the lato-lato toys samples purchased and screened had no proper markings, which failed the labeling requirements under Republic Act 10620 also known as the Toy and Game Safety Labeling Act of 2013. We laud the Food and Drug Administration for issuing public health warnings against lato-lato toys that will prevent potential danger among children”, said Thony Dizon, whose a Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics.

“We strongly urge regulatory agencies, including local government officials, to strictly implement the advisories and conduct monitoring and confiscation of unnotified and unregistered lato-lato Toys to ensure that the products are not sold or made available in the market or areas of their jurisdiction. We appeal to all toy stores to stop selling unauthorized lato-lato toys especially to children. We need to protect our kids from potential hazards and injuries”, the group added.

Criminal penalties under Republic Act #10620 includes imprisonment of not less than 3 months but not more than two 2 years and a fine of not less than PHP10,000 (roughly U$D180) but not more than PHP50,000 (almost U$D900), or both imprisonment and fine at the discretion of the Philippine court.

PHOTO COURTESY: Thony Dizon via E-Mail Correspondent BACKGROUND PROVIDED BY: Tegna

SOURCE: *https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FDA-Advisory-No.2023-1300.pdf *https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FDA-Advisory-No.2023-1299.pdf *https://www.fda.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/FDA-Advisory-No.2023-1301.pdf and *https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/trending/105200/lato-lato-craze-in-the-philippines-a5229-20230615 [Referenced Editorial News Article via Spot PH]

-- OneNETnews Team

[reasonandempathy]

Walz has served as Minnesota’s governor since 2019 after 12 years in the House of Representatives and now chairs the Democratic Governors Association. He has built a reputation as a folksy politician who can get things done, as Minnesota has adopted a number of progressive laws during his tenure. According to a poll conducted earlier this year, Walz enjoys an approval rating of 55% among Minnesotans. Since Minnesota Democrats achieved a legislative trifecta in the 2022 elections, Walz and his allies have used their power to push a slate of progressive policies. The governor has signed bills protecting abortion access, expanding background checks for prospective gun owners and legalizing recreational marijuana. “Right now, Minnesota is showing the country you don’t win elections to bank political capital,” Walz said last year. “You win elections to burn political capital and improve lives.” That philosophy has endeared him to progressives, who threw their support behind him as the veepstakes kicked into high gear over the past two weeks. They reshared clips of Walz lovingly mocking his daughter’s vegetarianism and tinkering with his car to paint him as the dad that America needs right now.

This is fucking awesome! Honestly, sincerely good news and a very promising pick for the potential Harris Administration. An aggressive, unabashed, popular, populist left-winger with a track record of enacting real, substantive help for people is capital-G Great.

What has he done, specifically?

Abortion rights

In a 1995 ruling, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld abortion rights in Minnesota. In January 2023, Walz signed the PRO Act (Protect Reproductive Options Act) into law, making abortion a "fundamental right," as well as access to contraception, fertility treatments, sterilization and other reproductive health care.

The law made Minnesota the first state to codify abortion rights in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which nullified Roe. v. Wade after nearly 50 years of precedent. In April 2023, Walz signed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act into law, shielding women and providers from any legal action originating from the patient's state.

Pro-LGBTQIA+ legislation

In March 2023, Walz signed an executive order to protect the right of residents to have access to gender-affirming health care. Weeks later, he signed the "Trans Refuge" bill, banning the enforcement of arrest warrants, extradition requests and out-of-state subpoenas for those who traveled to Minnesota for care.

"When someone else is given basic rights, others don't lose theirs," Walz said. "We aren't cutting a pie here. We're giving basic rights to every single Minnesotan."

Paid family, medical and sick leave

In May 2023, Walz signed a law creating a state-run program to provide paid family and medical leave for Minnesota workers, funded by a 0.7% payroll tax on employers, by 2026.

Legalization of recreational marijuana

In May 2023, Minnesota became the 23rd state in the nation to legalize recreational cannabis use. Three months later, people 21 and older could start to possess certain amounts of marijuana at home and on their person, in addition to legally growing up to eight plants at a time.

Restoration of voting rights for former felons

In March 2023, Walz signed a bill that restored the right to vote to more than 50,000 convicted felons who had already served their time.

Universal school meals

Amid the increase in food insecurity for many Minnesotans during the pandemic, and the subsequent strain on the state's food shelves that remains to this day, Walz signed a bill in March 2023 that ensures all K-12 students in the state have access to free breakfast and lunch on school days.

Do you know what makes this even better?

Fuck 'Em. I know negative partisanship is important and can help motivate right-wingers to vote, but they're going to vote anyway. And him being afraid of Walz is just a sign that he's a good pick, in policy and politics.

[worldspotlightnews]

Uganda parliament passes bill criminalizing identifying as LGBTQ, imposes death penalty for some offenses | CNN

CNN  —  Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday approved some of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws, making some crimes punishable by death and imposing up to 20 years in prison for people identifying as LGBTQ+. The new legislation constitutes a further crackdown on LGBTQ+ people in a country where same-sex relations were already illegal – punishable by life imprisonment. It targets an array of…

[nando161mando]

Why are you waging a war on your own children for the sake of another 'country'?

[carlocarrasco]

Lounge for OFWs at NAIA Terminal 3 will be built

For the many Filipinos working overseas and supporting their families back home, a lounge at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 will be built and eventually opened specifically benefiting the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), the Manila Bulletin reported. To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news article. Some parts in…

[telugutimesdigimedia]

Visakhapatnam to be administrative capital in two months: Minister Gudivada

State IT Minister Gudivada Amarnath said that Visakhapatnam will become the administrative capital of Andhra Pradesh in two months. Infinity Vizag conference was held in Visakha. Speaking on the occasion, the minister said that Visakhapatnam will be developed as an IT hub. It has been revealed that the Infosys center will be opened soon. He said that Visakhapatnam is at the ninth position among the richest cities in the country. Adani data center will be opened soon. It was announced that our goal is to make Visakhapatnam an IT hub.