B211 Self-Test Week 2

Current Affairs Self-Test - Week 2

The following are excerpts from newpaper articles. Read the excerpts and answer the question below each excerpt.

Excerpt:
The cable, which provides high-speed internet and data connections between Australia and the United States, broke 20km off the NSW coast.
Southern Cross Asia-Pacific market director Ross Pfeffer said a vessel had been forced to anchor near the cable in rough weather conditions on the weekend. "The cable is in about 140 metres of water at that point, and is running over solid rock," he said.

What is believed to have caused the Southern Cross Cable above to break?

Excerpt:
In an unprecedented move, White House, FBI and Microsoft officials have jointly called for organisations to combat the threat. "Code Red is likely to start spreading again on July 31 at 8pm EDT (10am today), and has mutated so that it may be even more dangerous," warned Ron Dick, head of the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center.

What is "Code Red"?

Excerpt:
Stopping just short of accusing Microsoft of stalling, the Justice Department asked an appeals court to deny the company's request to re-examine whether the software maker illegally mixed software code for two products.
...
In response to the appeals courts' ruling, Microsoft changed its contracts with computer manufacturers to let them remove icons for its web browser, and let consumers remove the program altogether. During the antitrust trial, Microsoft claimed that couldn't be done.
Earlier this week, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Microsoft to do the same thing with the many other programs it is adding to the upcoming Windows XP operating system.

What software is Miscrosoft planning to include in the upcoming Windows XP operating system which could potentially violate US anti-competition laws?

Link to sample answers.

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