One to charge them all: EU demands single plug for phones
CBSN
Imagine a simple, never-changing charger that can power all your portable electronics. The European Union moved a step closer to that happy day for consumers by unveiling plans Thursday to require smartphone makers to adopt a single charging method for mobile devices.
The European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, proposed legislation that would mandate USB-C cables for charging, technology that many device makers have already adopted. The main holdout? Apple, which said it was concerned the new rules would limit "innovation" that would end up hurting consumers. iPhones come with the company's own Lightning charging port, though the newest models now come with cables that can be plugged into a USB-C socket.
The push by the EU will certainly be cheered by the millions of people who have rummaged through a drawer full of cables for the right charger. But the EU also wants to cut down on the 11,000 metric tons of electronic waste thrown out every year by Europeans.
Berlin — A recent survey conducted for a sports program that airs on a regional public broadcaster in Germany revealed that one in five Germans (21% of respondents) would prefer to see more White players on the German national soccer team. The survey conducted for Western Germany's WDR network's "Sport Inside" show has drawn sharp criticism, with the national team's coach Julian Nagelsmann among those expressing shock.
Just hours after NASA was forced to scrap the Florida launch of the Boeing Starliner for the second time, a Chinese spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon Sunday to collect soil and rock samples that could provide insights into differences between the less-explored region and the better-known near side.