(Brands & Consumers)
Target says it will stop selling breakfast cereals made with synthetic food colours by the end of May, becoming the latest major retailer to respond to growing criticism of ultra-processed foods. The US retail giant announced the move on Friday, citing changing consumer preferences and rising demand for products with simpler ingredient lists. The decision…
For millions of Indians, WhatsApp is more than a messaging service. It is how families talk, businesses operate and communities organise. That ubiquity is precisely why a legal challenge to the platform’s privacy policy has become one of India’s most closely watched technology cases, raising fundamental questions about data rights, consumer choice and the power…
Champion Breweries Plc has completed the acquisition of the Bullet brand portfolio from Sun Mark, a move the company says will accelerate its expansion beyond Nigeria into multiple African markets. The transaction, first announced in August 2025, transfers ownership of Bullet’s trademarks, formulations and global commercial rights to Champion through an asset carve-out. The brands…
GameStop is planning a Mario-themed celebration in New York City as it attempts to break the world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as the iconic video game character Mario. The event is scheduled for March 10, widely known among fans as Mario Day because of the “Mar 10” date format. Organisers say…
OpenAI has signed a deal with the United States Department of Defense to deploy its artificial intelligence tools within classified military systems, just hours after the administration of Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to stop using products from rival AI firm Anthropic. The agreement was confirmed late Friday by OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, who…
Hollywood has seen no shortage of mergers, but the proposed takeover of Warner Bros by Paramount Skydance stands out for the scale of its potential impact. If approved by regulators, the deal could alter how audiences stream films and TV shows, how movies reach cinemas, and even how major news outlets operate. For now, the…
Instagram and its parent company Meta have launched an investigation into AI-generated profiles on the platform that appear to sexualise disabled people. The move follows an investigation by the BBC, which identified dozens of accounts posting artificial images and videos of women portrayed with disabilities, including Down’s syndrome and vitiligo. Many of the images depict…
Jack Dorsey has announced sweeping job cuts at his financial technology company Block, saying advances in artificial intelligence are reshaping how businesses are built and run. In a letter to shareholders, Dorsey said Block plans to reduce its workforce from about 10,000 employees to fewer than 6,000, arguing that AI has “fundamentally changed” the structure…
Anthropic has said it will not relax safeguards on how its artificial intelligence tools are used, even if that means losing US defense contracts, as tensions escalate with the Pentagon. The company’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, said on Thursday that Anthropic would rather walk away from working with the US Department of Defense than agree…
Aston Martin has announced plans to reduce its workforce by about 20% after reporting a sharp increase in annual losses, underscoring the pressures facing the luxury carmaker. The company said net losses widened by 52% last year to £493.2m, prompting a restructuring that will affect roughly 600 jobs. Aston Martin employs around 3,000 people globally,…
Manchester United has reported a return to operating profit in its latest financial results, even as the club’s overall debt burden climbed to almost £1.3bn. The Premier League side posted an operating profit of £32.6m for the six months ending 31 December 2025, a marked turnaround from a £3.9m loss recorded over the same period…
Nvidia has reported record annual revenue of $215.9bn (£159.1bn), easing concerns among some investors that heavy spending on artificial intelligence could be losing momentum. The chipmaker said revenue for the final three months of its financial year surged 73% compared with the same period a year earlier, comfortably beating market expectations. The results underscore Nvidia’s…
Apple has announced plans to manufacture some of its Mac Mini desktop computers in the United States for the first time, marking a shift toward greater domestic production as pressure mounts from the administration of Donald Trump. The technology giant said on Tuesday that it will significantly expand operations at its facility in Houston, Texas,…
Discord has postponed plans to introduce mandatory age verification for all users following widespread criticism from its community. The platform’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Stanislav Vishnevskiy, said the global rollout – initially scheduled for March – has been pushed to the second half of the year. The proposed system is aimed at identifying users…
Google has issued an apology after a news alert linked to this year’s BAFTA ceremony included a “see more” prompt that referenced a racial slur. The notification, sent via Google News, related to reports on fallout from the awards ceremony, during which a member of the audience with Tourette’s syndrome uttered the slur as an…
Paramount Skydance has emerged as the frontrunner to acquire Warner Bros Discovery after Netflix formally withdrew from the bidding process, ending months of competition for the Hollywood studio. Warner Bros said on Thursday that Paramount’s revised offer, valued at about $111bn (£82.2bn), represented a superior proposal and provided greater certainty than Netflix’s bid. Netflix, which…
The chief executive of Netflix has defended the company’s takeover proposal for Warner Bros, arguing that the deal would grow both the business and the wider entertainment industry as a rival bid from Paramount approaches a critical deadline. Speaking in a broadcast interview, Netflix co-chief executive Ted Sarandos said the company’s offer is designed to…
The Trump Organization has unveiled plans to develop a landmark skyscraper on Australia’s Gold Coast, a project it says would become the tallest building in the country once completed. The proposed Trump International Hotel & Tower will rise to about 335 metres and feature 91 storeys, according to details released by the company. The development…
Global logistics firm FedEx has filed a lawsuit seeking a full refund of import duties paid under emergency tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, following a recent ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States that found the levies unlawful. In a filing at the US Court of International Trade, FedEx said it…
Apple has announced a special, invitation-only showcase scheduled for March 4, 2026, to be held simultaneously in New York, London and Shanghai. In invitations sent to select members of the media, the company described the gathering as a “special Apple Experience,” offering few details about what attendees should expect. The event is set to begin…
WhatsApp has begun rolling out a new feature that allows users joining a group chat to view selected messages shared before they were added, addressing a long-standing request from users. The update, known as Group Message History, enables group admins and members to share between 25 and 100 of the most recent messages with newly…
A newly released video game is drawing attention for placing players in the role of African characters tasked with retrieving looted cultural treasures from Western museum collections. Titled Relooted, the game was developed by South Africa-based studio Nyamakop and launched last week on PC and consoles. It arrives amid renewed global debate over the return…
Tesla has rolled out a cheaper version of its futuristic Cybertruck, offering buyers a lower entry point into the electric pickup lineup – though the price still falls well above the $40,000 target once touted by chief executive Elon Musk. The newly introduced dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Cybertruck is priced at $59,990 and comes with an estimated…
The newly appointed head of Microsoft’s gaming division has acknowledged growing calls from fans for a renewed focus on Xbox console exclusives, hinting at a possible shift in strategy for the brand. Asha Sharma, who was named chief executive of Microsoft Gaming last week, responded on social media to a fan asking for the return…
Baby Hope Cyprian has emerged winner of the ninth season of the Cussons Baby Moments competition, taking home the top prize of ₦5 million at the grand finale held recently. The competition, organised by Cussons Baby, drew more than 2,000 entries from families across Nigeria. After several stages that included video submissions, shortlisting and nationwide…
Amazon has overtaken Walmart to become the world’s largest company by sales, ending Walmart’s 13-year run at the top. The technology and retail giant reported $717bn in revenue for 2025, edging past Walmart’s $713bn, according to figures released by the US retailer on Thursday. While both companies compete heavily in consumer retail, Amazon’s faster growth…
The head of Google DeepMind, Sir Demis Hassabis, has called for urgent research into the risks posed by artificial intelligence, warning that safeguards must keep pace with rapidly advancing technology. Speaking in an interview on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, Hassabis said the industry supported “smart regulation” that focuses on…
Send App by Flutterwave has launched a new campaign designed to highlight the personal stories behind cross-border money transfers, introducing a year-in-review feature called Send App Postcards. The initiative turns users’ 2025 remittance activity into personalised digital summaries that can be viewed and shared within the app. Rather than focusing on transaction volumes, the campaign…
Technology companies could be legally required to remove intimate images shared without consent within 48 hours under new proposals announced by the UK government. The measures, set out as an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill currently before the House of Lords, would place intimate image abuse on the same regulatory footing as child…
When a handful of slick, cinematic clips began circulating online, many viewers assumed they were watching trailers from upcoming blockbuster films. Instead, the videos – complete with polished visuals, sound effects and dialogue – were the work of a new artificial intelligence model from ByteDance, the firm behind TikTok. The tool, known as Seedance 2.0,…
The Japanese city of Osaka has received an unusual multi-million-dollar donation to help overhaul its ageing water infrastructure: 21 kilograms of gold bars. The gift, valued at about 560 million yen ($3.6m), was made last November by a donor who has chosen to remain anonymous, Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said at a news conference on Thursday….
Etsy has agreed to sell second-hand fashion app Depop to eBay for $1.2bn (£890m), five years after acquiring the platform for $1.6bn. The all-cash deal, which is expected to close by mid-year, will see Depop continue to operate under its existing name and brand. Founded in the UK, Depop has grown rapidly among younger shoppers,…
Zenith Bank has warned the public to ignore videos circulating online that falsely link its Group Chairman, Jim Ovia, to an investment scheme known as Wealth Bridge. In a statement posted on its official X account on Tuesday in Abuja, the bank said the videos were fraudulent and had no connection to the institution or…
Microsoft has pledged to invest $50bn by the end of the decade to expand access to artificial intelligence in lower-income countries, warning that uneven adoption of the technology risks deepening global inequality. The commitment was announced on Wednesday at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where technology leaders, policymakers and researchers are meeting to…
Bayer has offered to pay $7.25bn (£5.35bn) to settle thousands of lawsuits in the United States alleging that its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer, as the company seeks to bring long-running litigation to an end. The proposed settlement targets claims linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma and forms part of Bayer’s broader effort to draw a line under…
In a packed courtroom in Los Angeles, Mark Zuckerberg took the witness stand this week to confront one of the most consequential questions facing the tech industry: did social media platforms knowingly design products that harm children? For the first time, the chief executive of Meta testified before a jury on claims that Instagram’s features…
ByteDance has said it will tighten controls on its artificial intelligence video generator after facing legal threats from Disney and criticism from other major entertainment groups. The response follows a surge of highly realistic videos created with the latest version of ByteDance’s AI tool, Seedance 2.0, which launched earlier this month. Clips produced using the…
Logan Paul has sold an ultra-rare Pokémon trading card for a record-breaking $16.5m (£12m), making it the most expensive trading card ever sold at auction. The sale was confirmed by auction house Goldin, which said the final price – including buyer’s premium – reached $16.492m. A Guinness World Records adjudicator later verified the sale as…
Pharmacists in Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to impose a complete ban on sachet and small-volume alcoholic beverages, warning that the products pose a serious threat to public health. The appeal was made by the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria, which said stronger action was needed to curb alcohol abuse, particularly among…
Chinese-made vehicles may begin appearing in U.S. showrooms sooner than many consumers expect, as automakers from the world’s largest car-producing nation increasingly signal interest in manufacturing inside the United States. Industry analysts say Chinese brands could enter the U.S. market within the next five to ten years, despite long-standing trade barriers and strained relations between…
Spotify has revealed that some of its most senior engineers have not written code in months, as artificial intelligence increasingly takes on core development work across the company. The disclosure came during Spotify’s fourth-quarter earnings call, where co-CEO Gustav Söderström highlighted how AI tools are reshaping the company’s engineering workflows. Söderström said the company’s top…
Ubisoft has confirmed the cancellation of six game projects as it continues a broader restructuring effort across its studios, shedding light on titles that had been in development for several years. The cancellations came to light following Ubisoft’s decision to halt development on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake, a long-delayed project first…
Affordable cosmetics brand e.l.f. Beauty has spent years figuring out what many retailers still struggle to master: how to consistently capture the attention – and loyalty – of Gen Z consumers. Now, its chief executive says the company is aiming far beyond viral makeup moments. Under CEO Tarang Amin, e.l.f. has built momentum through low-priced…
Wendy’s will continue trimming its U.S. footprint through the first half of 2026, with the company confirming plans to close between 5% and 6% of its restaurants as part of an ongoing turnaround effort. The fast-food chain reiterated that the closures stem from a restructuring plan outlined late last year, which calls for shutting down…
ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, is nearing a major divestment that could reshape the global mobile gaming landscape. The tech giant is reportedly in advanced discussions to sell its gaming subsidiary Moonton to Savvy Games Group in a deal valued between $6 billion and $7 billion. If completed, the acquisition would hand Savvy control of…
A Malaysia-based artist has taken legal action against AirAsia and its parent company Capital A Berhad, accusing the airline of using his artwork on an aircraft without permission. Ernest Zacharevic, a Lithuanian-born artist who has lived in Penang for more than a decade, alleges that one of his best-known works was reproduced as part of…
Amazon’s smart doorbell subsidiary Ring has ended a planned partnership with U.S. surveillance firm Flock Safety, following mounting criticism over privacy and surveillance concerns. The agreement, announced in October, would have enabled law enforcement agencies using Flock’s camera network to request access to video footage captured by Ring devices, provided customers gave permission. The collaboration…
Sony has officially announced the titles joining its PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for February, confirming that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will lead this month’s lineup. The hit sequel from Insomniac Games headlines a selection of nine titles available to PlayStation Plus Extra subscribers, with an additional classic title offered to Premium and Deluxe members. The new…
A senior artificial intelligence safety researcher has resigned from leading AI firm Anthropic, issuing a stark warning about the direction of the world and the technology he once worked to safeguard. Mrinank Sharma, who led a team focused on AI safety at the company, announced his departure in a resignation letter posted on social media…
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has taken steps to block a US company’s attempt to trademark the phrase “Swift Home,” arguing that the branding could mislead consumers into believing she is associated with the products. In a filing lodged with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the singer’s representatives formally opposed an application by New…
