May 16, 2022
McDonald's to leave Russia for good after 30 years
The Ukraine war means operating in Russia is no longer "consistent with McDonald's values", the firm says.
May 16, 2022
Twitter boss hits back on Musk doubts over fake accounts
The head of Twitter has hit back after billionaire Elon Musk said his $44bn deal to buy the platform was "On hold" while he sought more details about fake accounts. Analysts have speculated that Mr Musk may be looking for ways to renegotiate the price of the deal or walk away. On Friday, Mr Musk said he had put the deal on hold pending information "Supporting [the] calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed represent less than 5% of users". Twitter's board approved the takeover last month,...
May 15, 2022
Young, Famous & African's Peace Hyde: From teacher to Netflix hitmaker
The British-Ghanaian creator behind the show spoke to the BBC's Cecilia Macaulay about her previous life as a teacher, struggles as a single woman working in African media and defended Young, Famous & African as an authentic and vital piece of content for the continent today. Now dubbed an African media mogul, Peace Hyde started off her career in a different field. Hyde insists the show's line-up were "Superstars", including the likes of South African and Nigerian actresses Khanyi Mbau and...
May 13, 2022
Elon Musk puts Twitter deal on hold over fake account details
Elon Musk has said his $44bn deal to buy Twitter is temporarily on hold after he queried the number of fake or spam accounts on the social media platform. Mr Musk has been vocal on cleaning up spam accounts. Twitter reported nearly two weeks ago that fake accounts accounted for less than 5% of its daily active users during the first three months of this year. Under the terms of the deal, if either Twitter or Mr Musk walk away they must pay the other side a termination fee of $1bn.Twitter has...
May 12, 2022
Apple loses position as most valuable firm amid tech sell-off
Apple has lost its position as the world's most valuable company amid a broad sell-off of technology stocks. Saudi Arabian oil and gas producer Aramco has reclaimed the top spot from the iPhone maker for the first time in almost two years. Shares in Apple fell by more than 5% in New York on Wednesday to end the trading day with a stock market valuation of $2.37tn.That meant it lost its position as the most valuable company in the world to oil and gas producer Aramco, which was valued at...
May 11, 2022
Ukraine war: Putin preparing for long haul, US intelligence says
Image source, EPA. Vladimir Putin is preparing for a long war in Ukraine, with even victory in the east potentially not ending the conflict, US intelligence has warned. Moscow refocussed its troops on capturing the Donbas region after Ukraine resisted attempts to take its capital Kyiv.But despite this, its forces remain in a stalemate, US intelligence said. The Russian president could turn to "More drastic means" as the war continues - although Moscow would only use nuclear weapons if Mr...
May 11, 2022
James Cromwell glues hand to Starbucks counter in protest
The actor glued his hand to a Manhattan Starbucks counter over a surcharge on vegan milk.
May 10, 2022
Apple to discontinue the iPod after 21 years
Apple has announced that it is discontinuing its original music player, the iPod touch. Today there are more than 90 million songs available via Apple's streaming service Apple Music. Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight, told the BBC it was always inevitable that the iPhone would one day replace the iPod. Carolina Milanesi from Creative Strategies agreed that the decline of iPod sales was interconnected with the rise of iPhone sales - like the move from digital downloads to streaming. "The...
May 10, 2022
Elon Musk would reverse Donald Trump's Twitter ban
Elon Musk says if his bid to buy Twitter is successful he will reverse Donald Trump's ban from the platform. The richest man in the world agreed a $44bn takeover bid with the Twitter board last month. Twitter's decision to ban the former US president was "Morally wrong and flat-out stupid", Mr Musk told the Financial Times Future of the Car summit. The Tesla owner told the Financial Times: "I would reverse the permanent ban but I don't own Twitter yet." "Banning Donald Trump didn't end...
May 6, 2022
Facebook accused of deliberately disrupting Australia emergency services
Facebook deliberately used an over-zealous blocking system that took down the pages of Australian emergency services last year as a negotiating tactic, whistleblowers claim. The day after the first vote, Facebook took down all news pages in Australia - and many that had nothing to do with news. Facebook parent company Meta denies the substance of the whistleblowers' claims. Whistleblower Aid's chief executive, Libby Liu, said that Facebook has "Enormous power" over information. A partnership...
May 6, 2022
Amazon targets review firms with legal action
Amazon is taking legal action against four companies it has accused of deliberately flooding its shopping platform with fake reviews. The companies act as unofficial brokers between Amazon sellers and individuals who write reviews, the tech giant says. The reviewers get free products and a small fee in return for each review, and the firm charges the seller a fee for boosting its ratings on Amazon. On the website of one of the firms which is still in business, there is advice for customers...
May 5, 2022
Bill Gates on Elon Musk feud and Jeffrey Epstein meetings
Last week Mr Musk accused Mr Gates of "Shorting" Tesla stock - a way of making money by betting that a company will lose value. Mr Musk has argued that shorting Tesla, a company that makes electric cars, undermines Bill Gates' environmental philanthropy. Mr Gates has a particular interest in social media, not because that's how he made his billions, but because he has become a focus of conspiracy theories. In March Melinda Gates also said that she questioned why he had held meetings with...
May 5, 2022
Uber loses $5.9bn as Asia investment values fall
The firm said almost all of the loss was a result of the fall in the value of investments in businesses including two Asian ride-hailing giants - China's Didi and South East Asia's Grab.Shares in Didi and Grab have plunged since listing in New York last year. Despite the loss, Uber's boss highlighted its progress in recovering from the impact of the pandemic. In 2016, as it faced tough competition in China, Uber sold its business in the world's second largest economy to Didi in exchange for...
May 5, 2022
Elon Musk lines up $7bn backing for Twitter deal
Billionaire Elon Musk has lined up 19 new investors to help with his $44bn purchase of Twitter. Mr Musk, who has more than 80 million followers on Twitter, surprised many in April when he announced his interest in the site, taking a 10% stake in the platform and starting to push publicly for improvement. Qatar Holding, a sovereign wealth fund, is contributing $375m, while Saudi Arabian investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who had initially opposed the buyout, also confirmed he would retain his...
May 4, 2022
Musk says Twitter may see 'slight cost' for businesses and governments
Earlier, Mr Musk had tweeted a link to a CNN story which called for some of the US' biggest brands to boycott Twitter if Mr Musk rolls back content moderation policies limiting hate speech. Since agreeing to buy Twitter, Mr Musk has said he wanted to make improvements to help increase the attractiveness of what he describes as a "Niche" platform. On Monday at the annual Met Gala in New York, he said he would make Twitter transparent about how tweets are promoted or demoted and wanted its...
May 4, 2022
Dave Chappelle: US comedian attacked on stage in Los Angeles
US stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked on stage on Tuesday during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Chappelle faced criticism and protests last year when his Netflix special was accused of being transphobic. According to ABC journalist Stephanie Wash, fellow comic Chris Rock - who was slapped on stage by Will Smith at the Oscars in March - then came on stage with Chappelle. In one video, Chappelle could be seen thanking his famous friends for helping out, saying:...
May 2, 2022
Netflix cancels Meghan Markle animated series Pearl
Netflix has cancelled development of "Pearl," an animated series created by Meghan Markle, the latest in a series of cost-saving moves. Last month, Netflix revealed a sharp fall in subscribers and warned millions more are set to quit the service. The series will focus on athletes competing in the Invictus Games for injured veterans in The Hague in 2022.Archewell Productions did not immediately respond to a BBC request for comment. Netflix also said that it had decided not to move forward with...
May 2, 2022
EU accuses Apple of breaking competition law over contactless payments
The European Commission has accused Apple of abusing its market position for contactless smartphone payments. "We have indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple's devices," EU Vice-President Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. "We preliminarily found that Apple may have restricted competition, to the benefit of its own solution Apple Pay," the EU official who is in charge of competition policy said....
May 2, 2022
Amazon will pay US staff travel expenses for abortions and other treatments
Amazon will reimburse staff in the US who travel for a wide range of non-life threatening medical treatments including elective abortions. While the expansion of benefits by Amazon is not aimed specifically at allowing access to abortions, it comes at a time when several Republican state governments have passed laws restricting abortion access in their jurisdictions. Next month, the conservative-leaning Supreme Court will also rule on a case that could overturn Roe v Wade, a 1973 court ruling...
May 1, 2022
Defecting online: How Myanmar’s soldiers are deserting the army
"We advertise on Facebook that those who want to leave should contact us on Telegram," Mr Lay tells me, outlining the operation via an online link from an undisclosed location inside Myanmar. At the time, Mr Lay was a sergeant working an office job. Mr Lay is now a part of the organisation to which he once turned. The BBC contacted the Tatmadaw and put to them the allegations made by Mr Lay and others, but we did not receive a reply. Having helped many of them defect, Mr Lay feels like his...
Apr 27, 2022
Tesla shares slide could put Musk's Twitter takeover at risk
Tesla shares have fallen after investor concerns that boss Elon Musk may have to sell shares in the electric car maker to help pay for the takeover of Twitter. Tesla's share price has taken a hammering, with some investors wondering whether Mr Musk's Twitter purchase is bad for Tesla. Some are now asking whether Elon Musk, by trying to buy Twitter, may have bitten off more than he can chew. Twitter's most followed global leader by a country mile is India's prime minister, Narendra Modi.But...
Apr 26, 2022
Musk buys Twitter: What's changing?
Elon Musk has struck a deal to buy Twitter with a promise to reduce censorship on the platform, raising questions about what his approach will mean for the "Digital town square". In a Twitter thread, Amnesty International said: "We are concerned with any steps that Twitter might take to erode enforcement of the policies and mechanisms designed to protect users."The last thing we need is a Twitter that wilfully turns a blind eye to violent and abusive speech against users, particularly those...
Apr 26, 2022
How Elon Musk might change Twitter
Twitter is usually awash with topics for discussion, but over the past couple of days one has stood out on the platform above others - what does the future hold for Twitter itself? Image source, EPA. After becoming Twitter's largest shareholder earlier in April, Mr Musk posted in a series of now-deleted tweets that he'd like to get rid of adverts on Twitter's premium subscription service Twitter Blue."The power of corporations to dictate policy is greatly enhanced if Twitter depends on...
Apr 25, 2022
Nissan signals the end of the road for Datsun cars
Car maker Nissan is to stop producing vehicles under the Datsun name, which has a more than century-long history. The company revived the brand three decades later, describing the new range of vehicles as "An important part of Nissan's DNA".On Monday, Nissan spokesperson Azusa Momose told the BBC that the firm will continue to sell its stock of Datsun cars and provide aftersales services to their owners. Before the Datsun brand name came into being, a car named the DAT was built in 1914 by...
Apr 25, 2022
Elon Musk strikes deal to buy Twitter for $44bn
The board of Twitter has agreed to a $44bn takeover offer from the billionaire Elon Musk.Mr Musk, who made the shock bid less than two weeks ago, said Twitter had "Tremendous potential" that he would unlock. "Twitter has tremendous potential - I look forward to working with the company and the community of users to unlock it." Bret Taylor, chair of Twitter's board, said it had full assessed Mr Musk's offer and it was "The best path forward for Twitter's stockholders". Under the deal, which is...
Apr 22, 2022
Have we had enough of Netflix?
People have begun to ask whether Netflix's star, as the world's largest streaming service, is beginning to fade. Since then many other streaming services have followed Netflix's lead, including HBO, Disney, Apple and Amazon, making it an increasingly crowded market. "With companies now taking their shows off the service and putting them on their own streaming platforms, Netflix faces the problem of having to fill the gap." "If Netflix is going to go after people who have a subscription,...
Apr 20, 2022
French election: Far-right Le Pen's long quest for power in France
Marine Le Pen has been on a journey, taking France's far right to within touching distance of the presidency. Le Pen goes into Sunday's run-off vote with a genuine chance of victory. Her father's fate was sealed when he only secured 10% of the vote in 2007 and within four years Marine Le Pen was in charge. Le Pen focused on perceived threats against French life: "Islamification", globalisation, the EU and the euro. Le Pen may no longer advocate leaving the EU, but her programme would put...
Apr 20, 2022
Netflix hints at password sharing crackdown as subscribers fall
Image source, LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX. The number of Netflix subscribers has fallen for the first time in more than a decade. The streaming company lost 200,000 members in the first three months of the year, the company said on Tuesday. It said it expected to shed two million subscribers in the three months to July."Our revenue growth has slowed considerably as our results and forecast below show," the company said in a letter to shareholders as it released its quarterly results. The last time...
Apr 18, 2022
Apple staff make bid for first union at a US store
Workers at Apple's Grand Central Station store in New York have announced a plan to start a union. The group of staff known as Fruit Stand Workers United must get signatures of support from 30% of colleagues at the store to qualify for a union election. A statement on a campaign website for the prospective union said: "Grand Central is an extraordinary store with unique working conditions that make a union necessary to ensure our team has the best possible standards of living.The group...
Apr 16, 2022
US zoo celebrates 50 years of giant pandas
The tradition of gifted pandas to the US from China hits a 50-year mark at Washington DC's National Zoo.