(Brands & Consumers)
China has launched a sweeping two-month campaign to curb online expressions of pessimism, targeting social media content that authorities say “excessively exaggerates negative and gloomy sentiments.” The initiative, announced this week by the Cyberspace Administration of China, seeks to “rectify negative emotions” and foster a “civilized and rational online environment.” Officials say the move is…
Amazon has agreed to pay $2.5 billion to settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which accused the tech giant of tricking millions of customers into enrolling in its Prime membership program and making cancellations unnecessarily difficult. Under the proposed agreement, $1.5 billion will be set aside for refunds to customers…
Starbucks has announced plans to eliminate around 900 jobs in the United States and shut down a number of its worst-performing stores, including some in the UK, as part of a major cost-cutting and restructuring initiative aimed at boosting sales and improving customer experience. The Seattle-based coffee giant said most closures will take place in…
YouTube has announced plans to reinstate certain accounts previously banned for repeatedly sharing false information about Covid-19 and the 2020 US presidential election. The decision was revealed in a letter sent by Alphabet, YouTube’s parent company, to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan. The correspondence came in response to an ongoing Republican-led investigation into…
The White House has confirmed that Oracle will oversee TikTok’s algorithm in the United States as part of a landmark deal that will transfer the popular social media app’s US operations to a majority American-owned company. A senior White House official revealed on Monday that under the agreement, TikTok’s content recommendation algorithm – a key…
The UK government is considering emergency measures to support Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) suppliers after a major cyber-attack forced the carmaker to suspend production at its factories. The attack, which occurred at the end of August and was first reported on September 1, disrupted JLR’s IT systems, bringing operations at its three UK plants in…
YouTube content creators generated £2.2 billion for the UK economy last year and supported 45,000 jobs, according to a new report by Oxford Economics. The findings were released alongside the launch of an all-party parliamentary group (APPG) aimed at representing UK creators and influencers, who campaigners say have long been overlooked by policymakers. Feryal Clark,…
TikTok has been accused of failing to effectively prevent children under 13 from using its platform and of collecting sensitive personal data from young users, according to a new investigation by Canadian privacy authorities. The report, released on Thursday by Canada’s privacy commissioner Philippe Dufresne and regional privacy protection officials, found that hundreds of thousands…
Michelob Ultra has claimed the title of the best-selling beer in the United States, dethroning Modelo Especial after two years at the top. Parent company Anheuser-Busch announced the milestone on Monday, citing data from Circana showing that Michelob Ultra led US retail beer sales by volume in the 12 months ending September 14. The shift…
Nvidia has announced plans to invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, in what both firms describe as a strategic partnership aimed at building the next wave of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The deal will see Nvidia provide high-performance chips essential for training and operating large-scale AI models, alongside funding for data…
Google is turning its popular Chrome browser into an AI-powered tool, introducing its Gemini AI assistant directly into the platform as part of a major update. The move comes as the tech giant ramps up competition with Microsoft’s Copilot and OpenAI’s ChatGPT in the rapidly growing AI space. The rollout, which began this week for…
Samsung is under fire after beginning a pilot program that places advertisements on the screens of its Family Hub smart refrigerators in the United States. The move, which turns the company’s high-end appliances into digital ad platforms, has sparked frustration among customers who say it undermines the premium experience they paid for. The program quietly…
Valve has announced it will end support for 32-bit operating systems on its Steam platform starting January 1, 2026. After this date, Steam will only run on 64-bit versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, marking a significant shift as the company phases out older technology. According to Valve’s statement on the Steam website, the…
Microsoft has announced another round of price increases for its Xbox consoles in the United States, marking the second hike in just four months. The company attributed the move to “changes in the macroeconomic environment,” though the decision comes on the heels of a strong earnings report showing significant revenue growth. The new pricing will…
Apple has pushed the price of its flagship smartphone to new heights with the launch of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which now comes with an unprecedented 2 terabytes (TB) of storage, making it one of the most expensive mainstream phones ever released. The premium version of the Pro Max, unveiled at Apple’s Cupertino campus…
Tesla is exploring a redesign of its car door mechanisms following multiple incidents where passengers were reportedly trapped inside vehicles during emergencies, including fires, due to rescuers being unable to open the doors. The move comes after a Bloomberg investigation uncovered 140 reported cases of people being trapped inside Teslas because of door handle malfunctions,…
US chip giant Nvidia has announced plans to acquire a $5 billion stake in Intel, a move aimed at boosting the struggling semiconductor company while strengthening collaboration on next-generation chip development. The deal, unveiled on Thursday, will see Nvidia take roughly a 4% stake in Intel, making it one of Intel’s largest shareholders. The partnership…
US regulators have filed a lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, accusing them of working with ticket brokers to inflate prices and reap billions of dollars in illegal profits from concertgoers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), joined by seven states, alleges that the entertainment giant conspired with brokers to acquire tickets for…
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has expressed disappointment over reports that China has ordered its leading tech companies to stop purchasing the firm’s artificial intelligence (AI) chips, escalating tensions in the global tech industry. Speaking to BBC News, Huang urged the US to ensure open access to technology worldwide, including China.“The advance of human society is…
The families of four victims of the Air India Flight 171 crash have filed a lawsuit in the United States against aerospace giants Boeing and Honeywell, alleging that faulty aircraft components led to the deadly accident. The case, filed on Tuesday and obtained by the BBC, claims that defective fuel switches caused the crash and…
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has unveiled a new line of AI-driven smart glasses, strengthening its push to make wearable technology a key part of everyday life. At its annual Meta Connect conference held in Silicon Valley, CEO Mark Zuckerberg introduced a series of products developed in partnership with Ray-Ban and…
Sky has announced plans to cut 600 jobs across the UK as part of a major shift toward strengthening its streaming and digital services. The broadcaster confirmed on Tuesday that a consultation process has been launched affecting 900 positions, with around two-thirds of the cuts expected to hit its Leeds, London, and Livingston, West Lothian…
U.S. safety regulators have launched an investigation into Tesla’s 2021 Model Y after receiving reports that malfunctioning electric door handles left children trapped inside the vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on Tuesday that it had received nine complaints about the issue, with four incidents escalating to the point where parents had…
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has purchased approximately $1 billion (£735 million) worth of Tesla shares, marking his first open-market stock purchase since 2020. The move, disclosed in a regulatory filing on Monday, sent Tesla’s stock soaring over 6% in early trading, signaling renewed investor confidence in the electric carmaker. The buy involves roughly 2.5 million…
Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has unveiled a £5 billion ($6.8 billion) investment in the United Kingdom’s artificial intelligence sector, marking one of the largest technology commitments by a U.S. company in recent years. The announcement comes just days before U.S. President Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK. The funding will be spread…
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to sue The New York Times for $15 billion over what he describes as defamation and libel, escalating his long-running feud with the publication. Trump made the declaration on Monday in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, accusing the newspaper of spreading falsehoods and…
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order imposing a $100,000 annual fee on companies sponsoring foreign workers under the H-1B visa program, a move that could significantly impact the US tech industry and global talent recruitment. The order, which takes effect on September 21, will apply only to new visa applications. Under the…
Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company, xAI, has carried out a sweeping overnight restructuring of its data annotation division, resulting in the layoff of about 500 employees. The affected team had been instrumental in training Grok, xAI’s chatbot competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. According to an internal email obtained by Business Insider, xAI announced plans to shift…
Activision has announced changes to the pre-order bonus operator skins for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 following widespread community feedback. The move comes after the initial reveal of the Vault Edition operators last month sparked criticism from fans who felt the designs lacked authenticity. In a statement, Activision said the adjustments reflect its commitment…
Penske Media, the parent company of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Variety, has filed a landmark lawsuit against Google, accusing the tech giant of using its journalism without permission through AI-generated summaries that appear at the top of search results. The suit, filed Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., is the first by a major…
The long-rumored sale of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is gaining momentum after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that Paramount’s new leadership is preparing a bid to acquire the media giant. The news sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, with analysts warning that the move could spark a fierce bidding war involving multiple tech and…
Adidas is bringing a touch of elegance to its classic Gazelle silhouette with the upcoming release of the women’s Gazelle Indoor “Pearl.” The new design blends sporty streetwear with refined details, offering a unique alternative to traditional footwear or even jewelry gifts. The standout feature of the sneaker is a delicate pearl bracelet detail attached…
Microsoft and OpenAI have signed a non-binding agreement to redefine the terms of their partnership, a move that could allow OpenAI to transition into a for-profit company and eventually pursue an initial public offering (IPO). The announcement, made on Thursday, signals a new chapter in one of the most high-profile collaborations in the artificial intelligence…
AstraZeneca has paused its planned £200 million investment to expand its Cambridge research site, dealing another setback to the UK’s pharmaceutical industry just days after US rival Merck scrapped a major London project. The Cambridge expansion, announced by the former government in March 2024, was expected to create 1,000 jobs and significantly boost the UK’s…
The John Lewis Partnership has reported a sharp rise in half-year losses, nearly tripling to £88 million as the company battles soaring costs and sluggish consumer spending. The employee-owned group, which operates John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, said pre-tax losses before exceptional items rose from £30 million a year earlier to £88 million…
The UK pharmaceutical sector has suffered a major setback after U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co., known as MSD in Europe, announced it is abandoning plans for a £1 billion expansion in London. The company will instead move its life sciences research to the U.S., citing what it described as years of insufficient government investment in…
Shares of Warner Bros Discovery surged on Thursday following reports that Paramount Skydance is considering a full buyout of the media giant, a move that could significantly reshape the U.S. entertainment industry. The potential acquisition, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, would include Warner Bros Discovery’s extensive portfolio, such as HBO, CNN, and Warner…
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical company behind blockbuster weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, has announced plans to cut 9,000 jobs, representing 11% of its global workforce. The move comes just weeks after the firm warned of slowing profit growth as cheaper rival products enter the booming weight-loss drug market. The layoffs mark the first major…
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison briefly overtook Elon Musk as the world’s richest individual on Wednesday after a dramatic surge in Oracle’s stock price pushed his net worth to $393 billion (£290 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Ellison’s wealth jump was driven by a more than 40% spike in Oracle’s shares, fueled by the…
Swedish buy-now, pay-later giant Klarna has made a strong debut on Wall Street, with its shares surging on the first day of trading to give the company a market value of over $19 billion (£14 billion). Klarna, founded in 2005, has built its reputation as a disruptor to traditional banking and credit card systems, allowing…
Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, Starlink, experienced a brief but significant global outage on Monday, disrupting connections for tens of thousands of users – including Ukrainian military units actively engaged on the frontline. According to outage-tracking website Downdetector.com, more than 37,000 U.S. users reported connectivity issues around 12:30 a.m. ET. Within an hour, the number…
Amazon is ending one of its long-standing perks that allowed users outside the same household to share Prime benefits for free, a move that could impact hundreds of thousands of subscribers. Starting October 1, the company will officially shut down its “Prime Invitee” program, which let Prime members extend their free shipping benefit to friends…
Cracker Barrel has announced it will pause planned restaurant renovations after facing intense backlash over a recent logo redesign that triggered a sharp drop in its stock price. The popular U.S. restaurant chain confirmed the decision in a post on X (formerly Twitter), telling customers, “If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to…
Two former Meta researchers have accused the tech giant of covering up evidence of potential harm to children from its virtual reality (VR) platforms, sparking intense scrutiny during a U.S. Senate hearing. Jason Sattizahn and Cayce Savage, who previously worked on youth safety research for Meta, alleged that the company pressured its teams to delete…
Reach Plc, the publisher behind the Daily Mirror, Daily Express, and several leading regional newspapers, has announced plans to cut 321 jobs as part of its largest-ever restructuring aimed at boosting digital growth and video content production. The move comes as the company looks to adapt to shifting media consumption habits, including the growing role…
John Elkann, chairman of Ferrari and Stellantis, has agreed to perform one year of community service and jointly pay €183 million (£159 million) to Italian tax authorities, bringing an end to a high-profile inheritance tax dispute involving one of Italy’s most influential families. The agreement, announced by prosecutors on Monday, resolves allegations that Elkann and…
The long-running power struggle over Rupert Murdoch’s vast media empire has come to an end, with his eldest son, Lachlan Murdoch, set to take full control of the family’s conservative-leaning news outlets, including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Post. The deal, announced on Monday, resolves years of internal disputes and…
Amazon’s Project Kuiper has reached a significant milestone in its mission to provide high-speed broadband from space, achieving download speeds of over 1.2 gigabits per second during a live demonstration. The test, conducted using Kuiper’s enterprise-grade customer terminal, recorded speeds of 1,289 megabits per second on Ookla’s Speedtest platform. Rajeev Badyal, head of Project Kuiper,…
Microsoft has confirmed that its Azure cloud services experienced disruptions over the weekend due to damage to undersea cables in the Red Sea, impacting internet traffic across parts of the Middle East, Asia, and beyond. The tech giant announced that users of Azure – one of the world’s most widely used cloud computing platforms –…
Jordan Brand is gearing up to kick off the 25th anniversary celebration of the Air Jordan 6 with a bold new twist on a classic design. The Air Jordan 6 “Reverse Infrared” is scheduled to launch on February 14, 2026, coinciding with NBA All-Star Weekend and Valentine’s Day. The upcoming release offers a fresh take…
