(Brands & Consumers)
Meta is scaling back a portion of its metaverse spending to increase investment in artificial intelligence glasses and wearables, the company has confirmed. The move comes as the tech giant faces ongoing pressure to justify the billions it has poured into virtual-reality development, a long-term bet that has yet to win over many investors. Reports…
Gary Lineker is laughing – the kind of deep, familiar laugh that has become a signature of The Rest Is Football. Moments earlier, Micah Richards had cheekily crowned him “top dog,” and Alan Shearer played along before all three dissolved into giggles. Their banter is effortless, and it is this chemistry that has helped turn…
President Donald Trump has introduced a new fast-track immigration programme that offers wealthy foreign nationals a pathway to live – and potentially become citizens – in the United States, provided they can pay a minimum of $1 million. Announced formally on Wednesday, the initiative – branded the Trump Gold Card – is described by the…
A major transatlantic row erupted on Friday after the European Union imposed a €120m (£105m) penalty on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, for what regulators described as misleading verification practices and a lack of transparency. The European Commission concluded that X’s paid-for blue checkmarks mislead users because the platform does not…
Netflix has reached a $72bn (£54bn) agreement to purchase the film and streaming divisions of Warner Bros Discovery, marking one of the most consequential mergers in modern Hollywood. The streaming giant outbid Comcast and Paramount’s Skydance for control of Warner Bros’ entertainment assets, which include blockbuster franchises such as Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and…
Thailand has suspended its long-running prohibition on afternoon alcohol sales as part of a six-month experiment aimed at reviving tourism and stimulating the economy. Under the temporary measure, licensed stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues are permitted to sell alcoholic beverages between 2pm and 5pm. This marks the first relaxation of a rule introduced in 1972…
Taiwan has announced a one-year ban on access to RedNote – also known as Xiaohongshu – following a surge in online shopping scams linked to the Chinese social media platform. According to reports from local media, Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau has recorded more than 1,700 fraud cases tied to the app since 2023, with losses…
A US appeals court has ruled in favour of adidas, rejecting a claim by investors who accused the company of concealing Kanye West’s misconduct before their high-profile partnership collapsed in 2022. The decision, handed down by the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, upholds an earlier dismissal of a class action brought…
Meta has begun removing Australian users under the age of 16 from Instagram, Facebook and Threads, days before the country’s groundbreaking social media age ban takes effect. The tech company started notifying affected users last month, warning that accounts belonging to 13- to 15-year-olds would be deactivated from 4 December. Government estimates suggest around 150,000…
A rare Fabergé egg crafted for Russia’s imperial family has sold for a record £22.9m ($30.2m) at a London auction, marking the highest price ever paid for a work by the famed jeweller. Christie’s confirmed on Tuesday that the Winter Egg, considered one of the most exquisite pieces produced by the House of Fabergé, was…
Prada has officially taken ownership of Versace, sealing a $1.38bn (£1.04bn) deal that brings two of Italy’s most recognisable luxury labels under the same corporate umbrella. The price represents a steep drop from the nearly $2bn Capri Holdings paid when it bought Versace in 2018. The acquisition strengthens Prada Group’s roster – which already includes…
Starbucks has agreed to pay more than $35 million to thousands of its New York City workers following a major settlement over claims that the company repeatedly violated local labour laws by cutting hours and failing to provide predictable schedules. City officials said over 15,000 hourly employees will receive $50 for every week worked between…
British TV personality Jamie Laing’s vegan confectionery brand, Candy Kittens, is poised to take over UK snack company Graze in a new deal involving its parent company and Unilever. The transaction, led by German consumer goods firm Katjes International, is expected to be finalised in the first half of 2026. Financial details have not been…
Police in northern France are investigating a major theft after a farm specialising in gourmet escargots reported that thieves made off with its entire stock – worth an estimated €90,000. L’Escargot des Grands Crus, located in Bouzy near Reims, said the burglars struck overnight between Sunday and Monday, cutting through a perimeter fence before breaking…
South Korean e-commerce giant Coupang has confirmed a massive data breach that may have exposed personal details from almost 34 million customer accounts, prompting a national investigation and renewed scrutiny of corporate data security practices. The Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) said it is examining the incident, describing the breach as one of the…
HP Inc. has announced plans to eliminate between 4,000 and 6,000 jobs worldwide by fiscal 2028 as part of a broad restructuring strategy aimed at reducing costs and deepening its adoption of artificial intelligence across core operations. Chief Executive Enrique Lores said the reductions will affect teams involved in product development, internal operations and customer…
The boxes are stacked neatly, row after row: Gucci heels in bright reds, handbags in supple leather, designer labels peeking from every corner. It looks like the back room of a luxury boutique – until Detective Chief Inspector Paul Curtis explains where it all came from. “They don’t keep money,” he says, surveying the shelves….
A Chelsea Football Club employee has admitted to defrauding the organisation of more than £200,000 over a four-year period. Claire Walsh, 39, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to a charge of fraud by abuse of position. Prosecutors said Walsh, who served as an assistant treasury manager at the Premier League club, wrongfully obtained £208,520…
Two Australian teenagers are asking the nation’s High Court to overturn a new law that will block under-16s from using social media, arguing the government should target predators and harmful content instead of restricting young people’s access. Under rules taking effect on 10 December, platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube will be required to prevent…
Barcelona has moved to reassure supporters that it has no involvement in a new cryptocurrency launched by its latest commercial partner, after criticism that the deal could mislead fans into investing in an unfamiliar digital asset. The club signed a three-year sponsorship agreement in mid-November with Zero Knowledge Proof (ZKP), a little-known crypto project whose…
British singer Olivia Dean has won partial refunds for fans after publicly criticising Ticketmaster and AXS over soaring resale prices for her upcoming North American tour. Some fans discovered that tickets originally sold for modest face-value prices were being resold for more than 14 times the cost, with listings climbing past $1,000 (£750). The inflated…
Japanese beverage giant Asahi has confirmed that a major cyber-attack that struck its operations in September may have exposed the personal information of more than 1.5 million customers, along with data belonging to employees and business partners. In a newly released update on its investigation, the company said the ransomware attack severely disrupted operations at…
Binance and its founders – including billionaire Changpeng Zhao – are facing fresh legal trouble in the United States, where a new lawsuit accuses the global crypto giant of enabling the flow of millions of dollars to organisations designated by Washington as terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The complaint was filed in a federal…
Warner Music Group has reached a settlement with AI music start-up Suno and will jointly launch a new artificial intelligence music initiative with the company, a year after taking it to court in a closely watched copyright case. Under the agreement, Warner will allow Suno users to create AI-generated tracks using the voices, names and…
International tourists planning trips to major US national parks will soon face higher entry costs, the Trump administration announced on Tuesday. The Department of the Interior confirmed that foreign visitors will be required to pay an additional $100 on top of existing entrance fees at 11 of the country’s busiest parks, including destinations such as…
Ubisoft is preparing to release a remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag before the end of its current fiscal year, according to new information emerging alongside the company’s delayed financial update. Although the publisher has not yet formally confirmed the project, reporting from Insider Gaming – based on more than a year of internal…
The United States is urging the European Union to rethink its regulatory approach to major technology companies as negotiations continue over metal tariffs and broader trade terms between the two sides. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Washington wants the EU to “reconsider” its digital regulations if it expects lower tariffs on steel and aluminium…
Pinterest’s accelerating shift toward artificial intelligence is unsettling some of its most loyal users, who say the platform is becoming crowded with low-quality AI images and straying from its original purpose. Users told CNN they have increasingly encountered bizarre, AI-generated visuals – including a one-eyed cat appearing in a wallpaper search and an anatomically impossible…
London appears poised to join other major global cities in charging a tourist levy on overnight stays, as the UK government prepares to grant new powers to local leaders. Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously pushed for such authority, and the proposal is expected to feature in the upcoming English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill currently…
The publisher of the Daily Mail has reached an agreement to buy the Daily and Sunday Telegraph for £500m, marking a major shift in the UK media landscape. Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) confirmed it has entered formal discussions with RedBird IMI, the consortium that had previously sought to take control of the Telegraph…
A gold pocket watch recovered from the body of wealthy Titanic passenger Isidor Straus has sold for a record £1.78m at an auction in Wiltshire. Straus, a prominent American businessman and co-owner of Macy’s department store, died alongside his wife Ida when the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on 14 April 1912. His…
A rare Frida Kahlo self-portrait has sold for $54.7 million (£41.8 million), setting a new global auction record for an artwork by a woman. The painting, created in the 1940s and titled El sueño (La cama) – The Dream (The Bed) – was sold at Sotheby’s after an intense battle between two private collectors. The…
A long-forgotten box in a California attic has produced the most valuable comic book ever sold. A pristine copy of Superman #1, discovered by three brothers while clearing out their late mother’s home last Christmas, has fetched $9.12 million (£7 million) at auction. The June 1939 issue – one of the earliest standalone Superman comics…
Australia has expanded its upcoming under-16 social media ban to include Twitch, the Amazon-owned livestreaming platform widely used by gamers. The restriction, which takes effect on 10 December, requires platforms to prevent users under 16 from creating accounts and to close existing accounts belonging to minors. The eSafety Commissioner, which is enforcing the new rules,…
The rapid rise of artificial intelligence could reduce the number of entry-level graduates hired in the coming years, PwC’s global chairman Mohamed Kande has said. Speaking at a business summit in Singapore, Mr Kande acknowledged that automation is changing the firm’s workforce needs, though he stressed that AI was not behind the more than 5,600…
Instagram, Facebook and Threads have begun alerting young Australian users that their accounts will soon be deactivated, as the country prepares to enforce a sweeping ban on social media use for anyone under 16. Meta, the parent company of the three platforms, confirmed it has started sending texts, emails and in-app notifications to users it…
Major League Baseball (MLB) has secured a series of new broadcast and streaming partnerships with Netflix, ESPN and NBCUniversal, expanding how fans will watch games and marquee events over the next three seasons. The agreements will see Netflix carry several of the league’s most-watched specials, including Opening Night and the annual Home Run Derby, marking…
When Kim Min-seok approved the release of a short children’s video in June 2016, he had no idea it would reshape his company’s future. That 90-second clip – the now-iconic Baby Shark – went on to become the most-watched YouTube video in history, amassing more than 16 billion views and evolving into a global cultural…
Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE) is pursuing $1.7 billion from the estate of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch, claiming losses linked to its troubled 2011 acquisition of his software company, Autonomy. The demand – which includes more than $760 million in interest – was disclosed at a High Court hearing in London on Tuesday. Lynch, once hailed…
Sky Sports has shut down its newly launched TikTok channel aimed at young female sports fans just three days after it debuted, following widespread criticism that the content was “sexist,” “patronising,” and “condescending.” The account, branded “Halo,” was designed to sit alongside Sky’s existing social platforms and offer “sports content through a female lens.” But…
Google’s parent company, Alphabet, may be one of the world’s most powerful tech giants, but even it would feel the shockwaves if the booming artificial intelligence sector were to suffer a major downturn, CEO Sundar Pichai has warned. In an exclusive interview with the BBC at Google’s California headquarters, Pichai described the current rush of…
For more than two decades, the gaming industry has been built around a familiar trio: Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox. Each generation has reshuffled the pecking order, but the trio itself has felt unshakeable. Then Valve walked in with a shoebox-sized console and quietly asked a dangerous question: What if the living room doesn’t need Xbox…
Target and Starbucks are joining forces this holiday season in a bid to win back cautious consumers and revive slowing store traffic. Beginning Monday, shoppers will find a new Frozen Peppermint Hot Chocolate available only at Starbucks cafés located inside Target stores – the first holiday beverage collaboration between the two companies. Nearly all of…
For more than a decade, Stephen Curry and Under Armour looked inseparable – a superstar and a sportswear underdog rising together, rewriting basketball, culture, and commerce in real time. From the moment Curry laced up his first signature shoe with the Maryland-based brand, it felt like a partnership built to last a lifetime. But 13…
For more than a decade, smartphone brands have insisted that thinner is better. Slimmer silhouettes, lighter frames, and ultra-minimalist designs have dominated keynotes and marketing campaigns. But in 2025, something remarkable has happened: consumers seem to have finally lost patience with the trade-offs that come with that obsession. The clearest sign? Reports of sluggish sales…
Netflix is taking its boldest step yet into gaming as it works to transform itself from a streaming platform into a full-scale entertainment ecosystem. The company has unveiled a new suite of interactive games that can be played directly on televisions, using smartphones as controllers – a move executives say marks the beginning of a…
Disney and YouTube TV have reached a new multi-year carriage agreement, bringing an end to a two-week blackout that coincided with a major election night and left millions of subscribers without access to key channels. The deal restores Disney’s full suite of sports, entertainment and news networks – including ESPN, ABC, FX, National Geographic, and…
Rockstar Games’ Western blockbuster Red Dead Redemption appears to be heading to a new generation of consoles, after fresh ratings surfaced from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series consoles and Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2. While Rockstar has yet to make an official announcement, the new listings strongly suggest that…
Holidaymakers around the world have been ordered to leave their accommodation without notice after short-term rentals company Sonder abruptly filed for bankruptcy, triggering mass disruption across its global network of serviced apartments. The collapse follows Marriott International’s decision to terminate its leasing agreement with Sonder just one year after the partnership began. The deal allowed…
Apple is facing widespread ridicule after unveiling its latest accessory – a minimalist carrying case for its iPhone range that retails for £219.95. The product, named the iPhone Pocket, was announced on Tuesday as part of a limited-edition collaboration with Japanese fashion brand Issey Miyake. However, social media users quickly dismissed it as an overpriced…
