WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020 06 Microsoft ends game streaming, teams up with FB The move to shut- of people who play and watch Microsoft Mixer will games online. • ter Mixer would But the service, renamed be shuttered on July 22 Mixer in 2017, struggled to gain allow Microsoft to traction against Twitch, Goog- The gamers will be le-owned YouTube and Face- encouraged• to transition focus on its other book Gaming. to Facebook Gaming gaming efforts in- Spencer said the move to shut- ter Mixer would allow Microsoft cluding “the world- to focus on its other gaming ef- AFP | San Francisco forts including “the world-class class content content being made by our 15 icrosoft said Monday being made by Xbox Game Studios, the evo - it was throwing in the lution of Xbox Game Pass, the Mtowel on its livestream our 15 Xbox Game launch of Xbox Series X, and the gaming platform and teaming up global opportunity to play any- with Facebook to better compete Studios, the evolu- where with Project xCloud,” re- with rivals like Amazon-owned ferring to the cloud-based game Twitch. tion of Xbox Game service. Microsoft Mixer will be shut- Pass, the launch of “Bringing that vision to life, tered on July 22, the tech giant for as many people as possible, said in a statement. Picture courtesy of Ars Technica Xbox Series X, and will see us working with dif - “It became clear that the time ferent partners, platforms, and needed to grow our own lives- Mixer and help the community play or watch games every ing,” said by Phil Spencer, head the global oppor- communities for years to come,” treaming community to scale transition to a new platform,” month. of Xbox, the gaming division of tunity to play any- Spencer added. was out of measure with the the Mixer team said. “We will work to transition Microsoft, “It will also see us adjusting vision and experiences that Mi- The gamers will be encour- the Mixer community over the Microsoft announced it was where with Project our strategy to best serve play- crosoft and Xbox want to deliver aged to transition to Face - next few weeks. Starting on July buying the livestream service ers wherever they gather daily, for gamers now, so we’ve decid- book Gaming, which has 22, all Mixer sites and apps will Beam in August 2016 to bol - xCloud which includes the category of ed to close the operations side of some 700 million people who redirect users to Facebook Gam- ster its effort to boost its ranks livestreaming.”

Europe 2020 auto sales to plunge record 25pc: industry group Global trade set to shrink 18.5 per cent in Q2: WTO AFP | Geneva Paris issued in April, the WTO forecast that volumes would contract by uto sales in Europe this lobal trade is expected to between 13 per cent at best and Ayear will tumble a record Gdrop around 18.5 per cent 32 percent at worst in 2020. 25 percent due to the corona- year-on-year in the second “As things currently stand, virus pandemic which has left quarter of this year in a huge trade would only need to grow manufacturers facing a “major coronavirus-driven plunge by 2.5 pc per quarter for the economic crisis”, a top indus- which nonetheless could have remainder of the year to meet try group said Tuesday. been much worse, the World the optimistic projection,” it The European Automobile Trade Organization said yes- said. EU car sales will “tumble by more The WTO said the outlook for the global economy over the next two years Manufacturers’ Association(A- terday. remained “highly uncertain” “However, looking ahead to CEA) also urged the Europe- than three million units this year”, The WTO said that in the first 2021, adverse developments, ACEA said an Union and member state quarter, the volume of mer - body said in a statement. steepest on record. But there is including a second wave of COV- governments to help the in- due to the impact of coronavi- chandise trade shrank by three However, it said the expect- an important silver lining here: ID-19 outbreaks, weaker than dustry recover and safeguard rus lockdowns but ACEA said percent compared to the same ed plunge was better than the it could have been much worse,” expected economic growth, or jobs. the situation should improve three months in 2019. WTO’s worst-case scenario for said outgoing WTO director-gen- widespread recourse to trade EU car sales will “tumble by somewhat as restrictions are “Initial estimates for the sec- the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact eral Roberto Azevedo. restrictions, could see trade more than three million from eased. ond quarter, when the virus and on global trade -- and that the “This is genuinely positive expansion fall short of earlier 12.8 m units in 2019 to some 9.6 “In terms of percentage associated lockdown measures world economy may have bot- news but we cannot afford to be projections.” m units this year”, ACEA said in change, the bleak outlook rep- affected a large share of the tomed out in the second quarter complacent.” The WTO said the outlook for a statement. resents the sharpest drop ever global population, indicate a of the year. “The fall in trade we the global economy over the So far this year, the auto mar- witnessed by Europe’s auto- year-on-year drop of around are now seeing is historically Outlook ‘highly uncertain’ next two years remained “highly ket has shrank 41.5 per cent mobile sector,” it said. 18.5 percent,” the global trade large -- in fact, it would be the In its annual trade forecast uncertain”. Amazon pledges $2 billion investment to fight climate change AFP | Washington vehicles for its logistics opera- to the European climate moni- world, and stepped up efforts mazon yesterday pledged to tions. The first will hit the road toring network. to reduce its use of packaging Ainvest $2 billion in projects in 2021, with the fleet to be fully Amazon has faced criticism, materials. aimed at combatting climate operational in 2030. including from some of The company, which has change, stepping up efforts to The new fund will invest in its own employees, that expanded its workforce reduce the carbon footprint of companies in multiple indus- it has failed to move to meet consumer de- the tech giant and others. tries, including transportation quickly enough on cli- mands during the The Climate Pledge Fund will and logistics, energy generation, mate change. coronavirus pandem- back efforts by startups and oth- storage and utilization, man- The company, which ic, is also being scru- er firms in multiple sectors to ufacturing and materials, cir- is a major cloud com- tinized for its grow- “facilitate the transition to a zero cular economy, and food and puting service provider, ing power in retail by carbon economy,” Amazon said agriculture. says it has invested in 91 lawmakers and anti- in a statement. Amazon will also seek oth - renewable energy projects trust enforcers. The initiative “will look to er investors to add to the fund around the globe. invest in the visionary entre - which is aimed at efforts to “de- It has also made in- preneurs and innovators who carbonize the economy and pro- vestments in re- are building products and ser- tect the planet.” forestation vices to help companies reduce projects their carbon impact and operate Sense of urgency around more sustainably,” said Amazon The news comes the founder and chief executive Jeff amid growing con- Bezos. cerns on cli- “Companies from around the mate change world of all sizes and stages will and with the US be considered, from pre-prod- Amazon Employees for Climate Justice walked out and rallied at the company’s administration uct startups to well-established headquarters in September 2019 to demand that leaders take action on climate on course to enterprises. Each prospective change withdraw from investment will be judged on its the global agree- potential to accelerate the path ers to join his “Climate Pledge” and India-based tech giant In- ment aimed at curbing to zero carbon and help protect aimed at meeting goals of the fosys. emissions. the planet for future genera - Paris accord on climate ahead Amazon has said it is on track Some scientists have warned tions.” of schedule. to run on 100 percent renewa- that climate change is acceler- The move follows an an- Since then, the pledge has ble energy by 2025 and would ating, making mitigation efforts nouncement by Bezos last year been joined by other companies become carbon neutral by 2040. more urgent. that Amazon would accelerate including US-based telecom gi- It also will deploy more than The last five years have been its own efforts to cut its carbon ant Verizon, British consumer 100,000 electric delivery vans the hottest on record, as has footprint while encouraging oth- goods firm Reckitt Benckiser to replace gasoline-powered been the last decade, according