Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals

Today’s horoscope

MOON ALERT: Caution. Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions from 3 a.m. until 10:55 p.m. After that, the moon moves from Aquarius into Pisces.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

There’s a moon alert all day so restrict spending to food and gas, and postpone important decisions. However, you are the artisan of the zodiac, and a moon alert is an excellent time for socializing and making art.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Manitoba budget reveals province underspent on crucial departments related to justice, public safety

While concerns about homelessness and public safety continue to make headlines in Manitoba, the two government departments mainly responsible for addressing them came in under budget last year.

The 2025-26 public accounts, released Monday, show Housing, Addictions and Homelessness underspent its budget of $869 million by $18 million. Manitoba Justice underspent its budget of $994 million by $34 million.

The 247-page public accounts report attributes the underspending in justice mainly to “reduced impacts of contingency liabilities,” such as a court ruling or legal settlement.

The report did not explain how and why Housing, Addictions and Homelessness underspent its budget last year as the province addresses those critical issues.

Revealing statements by Trump about courts

Analyzing the utterances of U.S. President Donald Trump may seem like the ultimate sort of mug’s game — they are varied, contradictory, rambling, pugilistic, sometimes wheedling and the list goes on.

Microsoft and Amazon face scrutiny from UK competition watchdog over recent AI deals

LONDON (AP) — British competition regulators said Wednesday they'll scrutinize recent artificial intelligence deals by Microsoft and Amazon over concerns that the moves could thwart competition in the AI industry.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it's looking into Microsoft's partnership with France's Mistral AI and the company's hiring of key staff from another startup, Inflection AI. The watchdog also separately announced that it's investigating Amazon's $4 billion investment in San Francisco-based Anthropic.

Big Tech companies have been pouring money into generative AI startups amid growing public and business interest in the technology, but the investments have also drawn attention from antitrust authorities.

The U.K. watchdog said it was seeking comments from “interested third parties," before deciding whether to carry out an in-depth antitrust investigation.

‘Extremely disappointed’: hunters being turned away near Bloodvein First Nation, Manitoba Wildlife Federation says

The Manitoba Wildlife Federation says hunters are again being refused access to land near Bloodvein River First Nation, a year after leadership told court it would let them through.

The senior policy adviser for the Manitoba Wildlife Federation said he’s had five reports of hunters being turned away at a checkstop the First Nation set up last year to stop the flow of drugs and alcohol into the community.

“(Checkstop officers) said they’re not allowing hunters through,” Chris Heald said. “They made that clear, and that was the end of it. This is just a rinse and repeat of last year.”

The wildlife federation took the First Nation to court last year after several hunters were refused access to Crown land during hunting season. The federation argued the checkpoint was unlawful and impedes access to hunters, who have the right to be there under the province’s Wildlife Act.