Softbank's baseball team in Japan replaced fans with robots in the stands as the season starts without crowds

* Japan delayed its Nippon Professional Baseball season because of the coronavirus. * After the state of emergency was lifted in the country, games began again on June 19. * Without fans in the stadium, one team put Pepper robots in the stands instead. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The coronavirus has put most public events, including sports and concerts, on hold around the world. As many countries see declining cases and hospitalizations, public life is slowly starting to reopen. In Japan, which has had a low number of cases, the Nippon Professional Baseball league was allowed to start its delayed season in June. Fans aren't allowed to watch games in person until at least July 10, so teams have been putting different symbols in the stands instead. For the SoftBank Hawks, owned by Japanese tech giant SoftBank, Pepper robot seems like the obvious choice. The robots wore team jerseys and looked like cheering fans. Here's what it looked like. SEE ALSO: The maker of this 3D-printed smart tiny home claims its 'zombie-proof' and able to eliminate 99.9% of bacteria and viruses — see inside As the coronavirus spread in February, Japanese teams started holding closed spring training sessions. The season was planned for a March 20 start, which was then postponed, along with all team activities for the SoftBank Hawks. SoftBank, the Japanese tech giant with billions invested in companies including WeWork, Boston Dynamics, Slack, and others, bought the Hawks in 2005. See more SoftBank-backed companies here. On opening day, the SoftBank Hawks' home field at PayPay Dome was closed to spectators. Photos of empty stadiums looked almost eerie. The stadium in Fukuoka, Japan, can hold over 40,000 fans. Instead, Pepper humanoid robots were the only faces in the stands. Pepper is one of SoftBank's most recognizable creations. The robot has been used in efforts to fight the coronavirus around Japan, reducing staff and potential infections at hotels housing coronavirus patients. At the game, Pepper robots were dressed the part, with SoftBank Hawks jerseys. They even appeared to be cheering for the home team throughout the game. Though they weren't allowed to attend the game, fans could leave messages on boards around the stadium. Some fans of the Rakuten Eagles, the opposing team, watched the game on a big screen while socially distancing outdoors. Some stadiums are allowing fans in on a trial basis, along with mandatory masks and temperature checks, before fans are officially allowed back July 10. Other teams, like the Orix Buffaloes in Osaka, are experimenting with filling seats with stuffed animals.
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Apple has backed down in its latest developer fight, apologizing to WordPress after it pressured the website-builder to add in-app payments

* Apple has apologized after it tried to force WordPress to add in-app payment options to a free app. * WordPress' founder said on Friday that Apple was refusing to allow any updates to the WordPress iOS app until the website builder added in-app purchases, from which Apple takes a 15-30% commission. * Apple is in a fierce fight with developers including "Fortnite" maker Epic Games and Spotify over its rules on in-app purchases. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Apple has backed down in its latest skirmish with a developer over its App Store rules. The tech giant on Sunday issued a rare apology to WordPress after it pressured the website builder to add payment options to its free iOS app, or else be blocked from updating. "We believe the issue with the WordPress app has been resolved," an Apple spokesman told The Verge. "Since the developer removed the display of their service payment options from the app, it is now a free st...

SpaceX has a 'go' from NASA to return 2 astronauts to Earth on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias threatens several Florida splashdown locations

* NASA on Saturday gave SpaceX a "go" to undock the company's first crewed space mission, called Demo-2, and land it on Sunday evening. * Hurricane Isaias complicated original plans to return two astronauts to Earth aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spaceship in the Atlantic Ocean. * Elon Musk's aerospace company may now try to splash down NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley in the Gulf of Mexico. * Two out of seven total landing sites near Florida must have good weather conditions, and NASA has until about 5 p.m. ET on Saturday to call off the undocking. * Should the weather worsen, NASA and SpaceX can try again a day later or some other date over the next two months. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have a "go" to return to Earth this weekend and wrap up an historic space mission for both NASA and SpaceX. Behnken and Hurley launched to orbit aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon vehic...

What an independent contractor actually is and how it's classified under California's Assembly Bill 5, the gig worker law Uber, Lyft, and others are fighting with a November ballot measure

* California's Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) went into effect in January, adopting a narrow definition of independent contractor that forces Uber and other gig economy businesses to choose between reclassifying workers as employees or risking significant liability for misclassification. * The law serves as a reminder to California businesses to be careful when classifying workers as contractors. * Classifying independent contractors falls into two main categories: the "right to control" test (often called the "IRS test") and the tougher "ABC test" recently adopted in AB5. * Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash have recently poured $30 million into Proposition 22 — a ballot measure intended to exempt major ridesharing and food delivery companies from AB5. If California residents vote the measure into effect in November, Uber and Lyft can continue classifying drivers as contractors. * Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. In September 2019, Californ...

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