内容摘要：between a military helicopter and commercial jet near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.

between a military helicopter and commercial jet near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people.

that was filed by the Democratic-controlled FTC in January.Microsoft announced a $69 billion acquisition of Activision in January 2022. It’s one of the most expensive tech acquisitions in history and was designed to boost sales of Microsoft’s Xbox gaming console, which has lagged in sales behind Sony’s PlayStation and Nintendo.

In December 2022, the Federal Trade Commission – then led by Democratic Chairwoman Lina Khan -- sued to temporarily block the acquisition, saying it would let Microsoft suppress competitors who want access to Xbox and its subscription content.In July 2023, the U.S. District Court in Northern California denied the FTC’s request to pause the acquisition, but the FTC appealed. Earlier this month, a federal appeals court also denied the FTC’s request.In the meantime, Microsoft completed its purchase of Activision in October 2023 after it won approval from Britain’s

, which had also considered blocking the merger.Brad Smith, Microsoft’s vice chairman and president, said Thursday in a statement on X that the decision is a victory for video game players and for “common sense in Washington D.C.”

“We are grateful to the FTC for today’s announcement,” Smith said.

Khan stepped down from the FTC when President Donald Trump took office in January, and TrumpA diagram illustrating a project to add sodium hydroxide to the ocean is displayed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, in Hyannis, Mass. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

“It’s like the Wild West. Everybody is on the bandwagon, everybody wants to do something,” said Adina Paytan, who teaches earth and ocean science at the University of California, Santa Cruz.Planetary, like most of the ocean startups, is financing its work by selling carbon credits — or tokens representing one metric ton of carbon dioxide removed from the air. Largely unregulated and

, carbon credits have become popular this century as a way for companies to purchase offsets rather than reduce emissions themselves. Most credits are priced at several hundred dollars apiece.The industry sold more than 340,000 marine carbon credits last year, up from just 2,000 credits four years ago, according to the tracking site CDR.fyi. But that amount of carbon removal is a tiny fraction of what scientists say will be required to keep the planet livable for centuries to come.