Meanwhile, celebrity publicist Max Clifford told the BBC the episode was potentially damaging for Terry's commercial endorsements, but he believed football supporters would not object to his private conduct as long as he was playing well.

BBC: FA silent on John Terry's future as England captain

At the moment, international law permits only the launching nation or agency to touch an object in orbit, something that would prevent, for example, commercial debris removal activities.

BBC: 'Urgent need' to remove space debris

Further, competitors of merging firms are given plenty of opportunities to object to proposed deals, a process that has evolved into intense commercial lobbying as firms try to log objections whose resolution would directly benefit their own operations.

ECONOMIST: Europe��s merger morass