EU to fine e-commerce platforms importing harmful items

AFP|Published

The EU says an estimated 5.9 billion low-value retail packages entered the EU in 2025, more than 90 percent originating from China. Some 4.6 billion cheap parcels ...

Exotic pet trade thrives in China despite welfare concerns

AFP|Published

Throngs of people from across China packed into the cavernous exhibition halls for the annual pet fair, where exotic animals are a more common sight than cats or ...

Trump bars firms with pro-diversity policies from govt contracts

AFP|Published

Companies now hoping for government contracts will have to include on their contracts a seven-paragraph clause pledging that " The contractor will not engage in ...

Iran war speeds tie-up between tech start-ups and US military

AFP|Published

The ongoing Mideast war has catalysed a transformative alliance between the tech sector and the US military, marking a significant shift in defence strategies that ...

US jury finds Meta, YouTube liable in social media addiction trial

AFP|Published

The jury answered yes to all seven questions on verdict forms for both companies, finding that Meta and YouTube were negligent in the design and operation of their ...

Musk's SpaceX looking to raise $75 bn in June IPO: report

AFP|Published

SpaceX, which is also developing a spacecraft for reaching Mars, was valued at $1.25 trillion in early February, when it merged with Musk's artificial intelligence ...

War-linked power crunch pushes Sri Lanka to four-day week

AFP|Published

Banks operated on shorter hours, while many private firms introduced work-from-home arrangements, industry bodies said, urging members to help curb energy use.

New Mexico jury finds Meta liable for endangering children

AFP|Published

The verdict came after roughly a day of deliberations following a six-week trial in which the state accused Facebook and Instagram's parent company of failing to ...

With Middle East in flames, Texan bunker maker sees business boom

AFP|Published

Foreign and US clients are rushing to buy his bunkers, seeking refuge in case of air raids, nuclear fallout or apocalypse.

Nigeria's 'Mothers of Chibok' go from farm to factory

AFP|Published

Beaming with pride and dressed in colourful traditional gowns, they donned hairnets before entering the production area, where peanuts they cultivate at home are ...

Meta sues Brazil, China advertisers over celebrity deepfake scams

AFP|Published

AI technology is allowing criminals around the world to create sophisticated voice and video copies of well-known figures to endorse scam investments, and helping ...

Warner Bros. board gives Netflix four days to improve merger offer

AFP|Published

Warner Bros. said Wednesday its board had concluded that the Paramount offer constitutes a " Company Superior Proposal" under the terms of its Netflix merger agreement. ...

Laser-written glass can store data for millennia, Microsoft says

AFP|Published

Since 2019, Microsoft's Silica project has been trying to encode data on glass plates, in a throwback to the early days of photography, when negatives were also ...

Fans flock to Japan zoo to see viral baby monkey Punch

AFP|Published

Punch's predicament sparked sympathy online, spawning a devoted Punch fanbase who began posting updates on the monkey under the hashtag #HangInTherePunch.

'Artists of steel': Japanese swords forge new fanbase

AFP|Published

Despite the rapidly greying, shrinking population of blademakers in Japan, their fine steel swords known as katana are amassing a new generation of fans, particularly ...

Struggling brewer Heineken to cut up to 6 000 jobs

AFP|Published

Heineken is set to cut up to 6,000 jobs as it grapples with challenging market conditions, with CEO Dolf van den Brink emphasising the need for productivity improvements ...

EU tells TikTok to change 'addictive' design

AFP|Published

In preliminary conclusions of a probe opened two years ago, the European Commission said it found TikTok was not taking effective steps to address the app's negative ...

Stellantis takes massive hit for 'overestimation' of electric shift

AFP|Published

The colossal $26 billion write-down will likely dwarf any profits the automaker was set to book for 2025, to be announced on February 26, after it posted net profit ...

Launching the idea of data centers in space

AFP|Published

Elon Musk's decision to have his rocket company SpaceX take over his artificial intelligence outfit xAI has added fuel to the debate about whether orbiting data ...