China Relaxes Approval Of Imported Games, Google Workers Dread Mass Layoffs, FDA Working On Regulating Pathways For Cannabis: Today's Top Stories

Reuters

Great News For Gaming Companies Eyeing China As It Relaxes Approval Of Imported Games

• China's online game regulator approved 45 foreign video game licenses, further easing regulatory curbs on the afflicted industry.
• The National Press and Publication Administration 45 imported online games, including Nintendo Co, Ltd's NTDOF NTDOY "Pokémon Unite" and CD Projekt SA's OTGLY OTGLF "Gwent: The Witcher Card Game."
• China approved 84 domestic games for December.

German Chipmaker Infineon Chief Eyes Takeovers Worth Billions Of Euros

• Infineon Technologies AG IFNNF IFNNY looks to spend several billion euros on the right takeover target as it hunted for acquisitions, CEO Jochen Hanebeck said in a newspaper interview.
• Infineon constantly looks for suitable companies in the range of up to a few billion (euros).

Wall Street Journal

FDA Developing Regulating Pathways For Cannabis-Derived Ingredients In Foods, Supplements; Oversight Plans Expected In Few Months

• In 2018, when Congress legalized cannabinoids, the FDA was put in charge of regulating the related products.
• Patrick Cournoyer, who heads the FDA office developing the agency's cannabis strategy, said the agency wants to know whether CBD can be safely eaten every day for an extended period or during pregnancy, for example.

US Customs Stops Imports From Three Companies Assuming Use of Forced Labor

• U.S. Customs and Border Protection has detained imports from North Korean companies after indications that these used forced labor.
• The companies included - Zhejiang Sunrise Garment Group Co, an essential supplier to Western apparel companies, Jingde Trading Ltd, and Rixin Foods Ltd.

New York Times

Google Workers Dread Mass Layoffs, Taking Cue From Meta And Amazon

• Alphabet Inc GOOG GOOGL Google workers in Switzerland shared concerns over a new employee evaluation system culling the workforce.
• The letter signaled how some Google employees increasingly interpret recent management decisions as warnings that the company may be flexing to conduct broader layoffs.

Bloomberg

DOJ Launches Criminal Investigation Into $372M FTX Hack: What Investors Need To Know

• The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a criminal investigation into the alleged hack that resulted in approximately $372 million being stolen from FTX-controlled wallets on the evening that the Bahamas-based exchange declared bankruptcy.
• Massive cryptocurrency outflows began on November 11 and continued into the early hours of November 12, moving funds out of FTX and FTX US's wallets.

KFC Closes Some South African Outlets As Power Outages Make Operations Difficult

• Yum! Brands Inc YUM unit KFC is temporarily closing a few South African outlets because of power outages.
• The brand would close some of its restaurants, with the others having limited availability,
• The move comes after the power outage reached 200 days in 2022.

Techcrunch

Uber, Amazon, And Other Gig Employers Face Flak For Inadequate Work Infrastructure For Employees In India

• Research firm Fairwork India slammed Ola, Uber Technologies Inc UBER, Dunzo, PharmEasy, and Amazon.Com Inc AMZN Amazon Flex in Fairwork's fourth annual study of the work conditions of platform workers on digital labor platforms in India.
• Fairwork India said the firms faired poorly in assessing the creation of fair conditions for their gig workers.

Benzinga

Argo Blockchain Divests Mining Facility Helios For $65M As It Battles Bankruptcy Concerns

• Argo Blockchain Plc ARBK subsidiary agreed to sell its Helios facility and real property in Dickens County, Texas, and related assets to Galaxy Digital Holdings, Ltd for $65 million (£54 million) and refinance its asset-backed loans.
• Galaxy agreed to host Argo's mining machines located at Helios. Galaxy will provide Argo with a new asset-backed loan of $35 million.

Apple Won't Replace iPad Mini With A Foldable Due To Price Conundrum, Says Analyst

• Apple Inc AAPL is unlikely to replace its iPad Mini tablet with a foldable in 2025, according to Ming-Chi Kuo — an analyst with TF International Securities.
• The noted Apple watcher said on Twitter that the foldable iPad won't be appearing in 2025 — contrary to what has been predicted on social media.

BOC Aviation Places Order For 40 More Boeing 737-8 Jets

• Airplane lessor BOC Aviation Limited has placed an order for an additional 40 Boeing Co BA 737-8 jets.
• The plan to expand BOC's 737 MAX portfolio is directed towards advancing its strategy of purchasing new, fuel-efficient, environmentally sustainable airplanes that are in demand with airline customers.
• The 737-8 is designed to offer more fuel efficiency, reliability, and flexibility in the single-aisle market.

Alibaba's Workplace App DingTalk Crosses 600M Users

• Alibaba Group Holding Limited BABA operated workplace app DingTalk President Jun Ye said the platform's users had exceeded 600 million, while the number of enterprises exceeded 23 million.
• Alibaba disclosed for the first time that the platform's paid daily active users (DAUs) had hit 15 million.
• Alibaba also released the 7.0 version of DingTalk, bringing comprehensive upgrades of core products like online documents, online conferences, low code development, and mini apps.