Digital World
YouTube rejects addiction claims in landmark social media trial
AFP - 2h ago
YouTube's legal team insisted Tuesday that the Google-owned video platform was not intentionally addictive or even …
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Google turns to century-long debt to build AI
AFP - 2h ago
Google-parent Alphabet will issue bonds maturing in 100 years as it continues to invest massively in infrastructure for …
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Latam-GPT: a Latin American AI to combat US-centric bias
AFP - 4h ago
Move over ChatGPT. Chile on Tuesday launched Latam-GPT, an open-source artificial intelligence model for the region, …
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Europe's Ariane 6 to launch Amazon constellation satellites into orbit
AFP - 6h ago
An enhanced version of Europe's Ariane 6 rocket will blast off Thursday to launch 32 satellites into orbit, forming part …
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Moscow chokes Telegram as it pushes state-backed rival app
AFP - 9h ago
Russia's internet watchdog on Tuesday announced it was throttling the Telegram messenger platform for alleged violations …
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OpenAI starts testing ads in ChatGPT
AFP - 12h ago
OpenAI has begun placing ads in the basic versions of its ChatGPT chatbot, a bet that users will not mind the …
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Jury told that Meta, Google 'engineered addiction' at landmark US trial
AFP - 20h ago
Meta and Google-owned YouTube were accused Monday of pushing highly addictive apps on children as a landmark social …
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AI chatbots give bad health advice, research finds
AFP - 21h ago
Next time you're considering consulting Dr ChatGPT, perhaps think again.
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YouTube star MrBeast buys youth-focused banking app
Feb 09 2026
MrBeast, the world's most popular YouTuber, has purchased a Gen Z-focused banking app, he said Monday, marking another …
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Meta, Google face jury in landmark US addiction trial
Feb 09 2026
Meta and Google-owned YouTube were vilified Monday for "engineering addiction" as a landmark social media trial began in …
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US trial lawyer says Meta, YouTube 'engineered addiction' in children
Feb 09 2026
Meta and Google-owned YouTube "engineered addiction" in children, a lawyer for the plaintiff said on Monday as a …
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Main trial begins in landmark US addiction case against Meta, YouTube
Feb 09 2026
A landmark social media trial began in earnest on Monday that could establish a legal precedent on whether Meta or …
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Discord adopts facial recognition in child safety crackdown
Feb 09 2026
Messaging platform Discord announced Monday it will implement enhanced safety features for teenage users globally, …
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Brazil seeks to restore block of Rumble video app
Feb 09 2026
Brazilian authorities were on Monday working to cut off access to the Rumble video app after it bypassed a ban imposed …
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EU warns Meta it must open up WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots
Feb 09 2026
The EU executive on Monday told Meta to give rival chatbots access to WhatsApp after an antitrust probe found the US …
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'Flood' of disinformation ahead of Bangladesh election
Feb 09 2026
Voters in Bangladesh elect a new government on February 12, but analysts warn their choice is threatened by a …
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Arguments to begin in key US social media addiction trial
Feb 09 2026
Arguments are set to begin Monday in a landmark US trial that could establish a legal precedent on whether social media …
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French police arrest six over crypto-linked magistrate kidnapping
Feb 08 2026
French authorities have arrested six suspects, including a minor, after a magistrate and her mother were held captive …
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French police arrest five over crypto-linked magistrate kidnapping
Feb 08 2026
French authorities have arrested five suspects after a magistrate and her mother were held captive last week for around …
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Opinions of Zuckerberg hang over social media addiction trial jury selection
Feb 07 2026
A jury has been confirmed in a landmark social media addiction trial in the US state of California, a process dominated …
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Crypto firm accidentally sends $40 bn in bitcoin to users
Feb 07 2026
A South Korean cryptocurrency exchange apologised on Saturday after mistakenly transferring more than $40 billion worth …
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EU tells TikTok to change 'addictive' design
Feb 06 2026
The EU said Friday that TikTok needs to change its "addictive design" or risk heavy fines under the bloc's digital …
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France detects Russia-linked Epstein smear attempt against Macron
Feb 06 2026
France has detected a Russia-linked disinformation effort alleging President Emmanuel Macron's involvement with …
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France detects Russia-linked Epstein smear attempt against Macron: govt source
Feb 06 2026
France has detected a Russia-linked disinformation effort alleging President Emmanuel Macron's involvement with …
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Japan taps Meta to help search for abuse of Olympic athletes
Feb 06 2026
Japan's Olympic committee said on Friday it was working with tech giant Meta to monitor social media around the clock to …
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AI tools fabricate Epstein images 'in seconds,' study says
Feb 06 2026
AI tools can easily fabricate convincing images of Jeffrey Epstein with world leaders, a study showed Thursday, …
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Diplomatic shift and elections see Armenia battle Russian disinformation
Feb 06 2026
Armenia is facing an intensifying wave of disinformation and hybrid attacks from abroad ahead of parliamentary elections …
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Argentina govt launches account to debunk 'lies' about Milei
Feb 05 2026
Argentina's right-wing government stepped up its standoff with the media on Thursday by launching a social media account …
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Stocks fall as tech valuation fears stoke volatility
Feb 05 2026
Stocks fell broadly on Thursday, pulled down again by growing worries that hefty AI investments by tech heavyweights may …
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EU defends Spain after Telegram founder criticism
Feb 05 2026
The EU executive on Thursday expressed support for Spain after Telegram founder Pavel Durov slammed Spanish Prime …
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Sony hikes forecasts even as PlayStation falters
Feb 05 2026
Japanese giant Sony hiked its full-year forecasts on Thursday, as a weaker yen compensates for its ageing PlayStation …
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Trump fuels EU push to cut cord with US tech
Feb 05 2026
Until President Donald Trump's return a year ago, when the EU talked about cutting economic dependency on foreign powers …
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Countries using internet blackouts to boost censorship: Proton
Feb 05 2026
As countries step up their use of internet shutdowns to muzzle dissent, some are also taking advantage of the blackouts …
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Google's annual revenue tops $400 bn for first time, AI investments rise
Feb 05 2026
Google parent Alphabet on Wednesday reported blockbuster earnings, its revenue climbing as it invests massively in cloud …
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Telegram founder slams Spain PM over under-16s social media ban
Feb 04 2026
Telegram founder Pavel Durov on Wednesday joined fellow tech tycoon Elon Musk in slamming Spanish Prime Minister Pedro …
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Whack-a-mole: US academic fights to purge his AI deepfakes
Feb 04 2026
As deepfake videos of John Mearsheimer multiplied across YouTube, the American academic rushed to have them taken down, …
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'Unprecedented mass killing': NGOs battle to quantify Iran crackdown scale
Feb 04 2026
When the first pieces of information circumvented a near-total blackout during Iran's protests last month, rights …
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AI, manipulated images falsely link some US politicians with Epstein
Feb 04 2026
Using AI-created or manipulated images, social media users have sought to falsely associate prominent US politicians …
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Spain to seek social media ban for under-16s
Feb 03 2026
Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, …
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France summons Musk for 'voluntary interview', raids X offices
Feb 03 2026
France summoned billionaire Elon Musk to a "voluntary interview" as cybercrime authorities on Tuesday searched the …
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French summons Musk for 'voluntary interview' as authorities raid X offices
Feb 03 2026
France summoned billionaire Elon Musk to a "voluntary interview" as cybercrime authorities on Tuesday searched the …
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Waymo raises $16 bn to fuel global robotaxi expansion
Feb 03 2026
Self-driving car star Waymo on Monday said it raised $16 billion in a funding round that valued the Alphabet subsidiary …
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Rural India powers global AI models
Feb 03 2026
Tending crops by day and then logging on for a night shift of data labelling, 27-year-old Chandmani Kerketta is part of …
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Musk merges xAI into SpaceX in bid to build space data centers
Feb 02 2026
Elon Musk's SpaceX has taken over his artificial intelligence company xAI in a merger aimed at deploying space-based …
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Snapchat blocks 415,000 underage accounts in Australia
Feb 02 2026
Snapchat has blocked 415,000 accounts under Australia's social media ban for under-16s, the company said Monday, but …
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Level playing field? Tech at forefront of US immigration fight
Feb 02 2026
Technology has become a key battleground in the confrontation between US authorities and migrants along with their …
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Nvidia boss insists 'huge' investment in OpenAI on track
Feb 01 2026
Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang has insisted the US tech giant will make a "huge" investment in OpenAI and dismissed …
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Montreal studio rises from dark basement office to 'Stranger Things'
Jan 31 2026
The visual effects studio that worked on the hit Netflix show "Stranger Things" was born 20 years ago in a dim basement …
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'Misrepresent reality': AI-altered shooting image surfaces in US Senate
Jan 30 2026
An AI-enhanced image depicting the moments before immigration agents shot an American nurse ricocheted across the …
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Social media fuels surge in UK men seeking testosterone jabs
Jan 30 2026
Social media claims by clinics promoting testosterone treatment for men to improve their physique and mood are driving …
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UK schoolgirl game character Amelia co-opted by far right
Jan 30 2026
A purple-haired anti-migrant cartoon character featured in a UK government anti-extremism programme has been co-opted by …
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Artist chains up thrashing robot dog to expose AI fears
Jan 30 2026
The agile robot dog springs up on all fours, takes a step forward and charges at the tense crowd at a Tokyo exhibit, …
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Dutch watchdog launches Roblox probe over 'risks to children'
Jan 30 2026
The Dutch consumer watchdog Friday launched an investigation into Roblox to see if the popular gaming platform was doing …
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AI helps doctors spot breast cancer in scans: world-first trial
Jan 30 2026
Artificial intelligence helps doctors spot more cases of breast cancer when reading routine scans, a world-first trial …
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Apple earnings soar as China iPhone sales surge
Jan 30 2026
Apple on Thursday said it saw record-high earnings in the final three months of last year, with iPhone sales surging in …
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Waymo gears up to launch robotaxis in London this year
Jan 29 2026
US self-driving car company Waymo said Thursday it is working with UK partners to launch driverless robotaxis in London, …
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China executes 11 linked to Myanmar scam compounds
Jan 29 2026
China executed 11 people linked to Myanmar criminal gangs, including "key members" of telecom scam operations, state …
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Chinese quadriplegic runs farm with just one finger
Jan 29 2026
Quadriplegic and bedridden in a prefabricated home, 36-year-old Li Xia can only move one finger and one toe -- yet he …
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Samsung logs best-ever profit on AI chip demand
Jan 29 2026
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted record quarterly profits Thursday, riding massive market demand for …
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As US tensions churn, new generation of protest singers meet the moment
Jan 29 2026
American singer-songwriters are taking up the protest torch like their forebears Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Joan …
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Online platforms offer filtering to fight AI slop
Jan 29 2026
As "AI slop" floods the internet, efforts are mounting to stem an online deluge of shoddy images and videos made using …
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Springsteen releases fiery ode to Minneapolis shooting victims
Jan 29 2026
American rock hero Bruce Springsteen dived into the outrage over the Trump administration's immigration crackdown with a …
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Samsung Electronics posts record profit on AI demand
Jan 29 2026
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics posted record quarterly profits on Thursday, riding strong market demand for …
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Meta shares jump on strong earnings report
Jan 28 2026
Meta on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings that topped market expectations, as revenue grew along with investments in …
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Google unveils AI tool probing mysteries of human genome
Jan 28 2026
Google unveiled an artificial intelligence tool Wednesday that its scientists said would help unravel the mysteries of …
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UK proposes to let websites refuse Google AI search
Jan 28 2026
Britain's competition watchdog proposed Wednesday that websites be allowed to opt out of having content used by Google's …
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US YouTuber IShowSpeed gains Ghanaian nationality at end of Africa tour
Jan 28 2026
Ghana has granted citizenship to US YouTuber IShowSpeed, the country's foreign minister announced, as the influencer …
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Sweden plans to ban mobile phones in schools
Jan 28 2026
Sweden plans to ban mobile phones from primary and middle schools in order to ensure that children can focus on learning …
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Will the EU ban social media for children in 2026?
Jan 28 2026
As France moves one step closer to banning social media for children, the European Union is seriously considering …
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Amazon closing Fresh and Go stores in Whole Foods push
Jan 27 2026
Amazon on Tuesday said it is closing its Go and Fresh real-world stores to focus on its Whole Foods markets and online …
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US banks fight crypto's push into Main Street
Jan 27 2026
The banking industry is pushing back against White House-aligned crypto companies seeking to expand their business to …
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TikTok settles hours before landmark social media addiction trial
Jan 27 2026
Video sharing app TikTok has made an eleventh-hour deal to avoid a landmark US trial accusing it, along with Meta and …
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Teens underwhelmed by France's social media ban
Jan 27 2026
Teens and tweens were split Tuesday over a looming ban on social media for under-15s in France, with some admitting the …
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French lawmakers pass bill banning social media for under-15s
Jan 27 2026
French lawmakers have passed a bill that would ban social media use by under-15s, a move championed by President …
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Jury selection begins in landmark social media addiction trial
Jan 27 2026
Jury selection begins Tuesday for a landmark trial that could establish a legal precedent on whether social media …
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American influencer shares 'another' Africa on tour
Jan 27 2026
IShowSpeed, a 21-year-old African American influencer, has raced a cheetah, leapt with Maasai warriors and drawn huge …
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EU to show Google how to open up to rival AI services
Jan 27 2026
Google must provide rival AI services equal access to its features and other search engine platforms access to data, the …
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Clickbait and 'AI slop' distort memory of Holocaust
Jan 27 2026
An emaciated and apparently blind man stands in the snow at the Nazi concentration camp of Flossenbuerg: the image seems …
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Stricken games giant Ubisoft seeks rare French job cuts
Jan 26 2026
French video games giant Ubisoft said Monday it aims to shed up to 200 staff at its Paris headquarters, days after …
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EU says WhatsApp to face stricter content rules
Jan 26 2026
WhatsApp is set to face greater EU scrutiny after the European Commission on Monday added the platform to its list of …
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EU opens probe into Musk's Grok over sexual AI deepfakes
Jan 26 2026
The EU on Monday hit Elon Musk's X with an investigation over AI chatbot Grok's generation of sexualised deepfake images …
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Social media giants face landmark trial over addiction claims
Jan 26 2026
A landmark trial beginning this week in Los Angeles could establish a legal precedent on whether social media companies …
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Iranians struggle as internet shutdown hits livelihoods
Jan 24 2026
Cut off from the global internet for more than two weeks, online content creator Amir spends his days scanning the few …
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TikTok in the US goes American, but questions remain
Jan 23 2026
After a long legal saga, TikTok has established a majority American-owned joint venture to operate its US business, …
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France trolls US, Russia misinformation on X
Jan 23 2026
When top US diplomat Marco Rubio criticised European culture on X this week, a team at the French foreign ministry was …
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UK woman felt 'violated, assaulted' by deepfake Grok images
Jan 23 2026
British academic Daisy Dixon felt "violated" after the Grok chatbot on Elon Musk's X social media platform allowed users …
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TikTok establishes joint venture to end US ban threat
Jan 23 2026
TikTok announced Thursday it has established a majority American-owned joint venture to operate its US business, …
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TikTok: key things to know
Jan 23 2026
Video-sharing platform TikTok has over a billion users worldwide, including more than 170 million in the United States, …
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Intel shares plunge on earnings expectations
Jan 22 2026
Intel shares dove more than 10 percent Thursday despite the struggling US chip maker doing better than expected in the …
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White House X account alters protester photo to add tears
Jan 22 2026
The White House's X account on Thursday posted a doctored photo of a protester arrested in Minnesota, showing her face …
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Musk's Grok created three million sexualized images, research says
Jan 22 2026
Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok generated an estimated three million sexualized images of women and children in a matter of …
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Games giant Ubisoft suffers share price collapse
Jan 22 2026
Trading in French video game giant Ubisoft was briefly suspended Thursday following a dramatic fall in its share price, …
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Snapchat settles to avoid social media addiction trial
Jan 21 2026
Snapchat on Wednesday confirmed it made a deal to avoid a US civil trial accusing it, along with Meta, TikTok, and …
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EU won't ask Big Tech to pay for telecoms overhaul
Jan 21 2026
The EU will not force the world's biggest tech companies to pay for the overhaul of Europe's telecoms infrastructure …
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Philippines to end short-lived ban on Musk's Grok chatbot
Jan 21 2026
The Philippines said Wednesday it will end its ban on Elon Musk's Grok, less than a week after blocking the AI chatbot …
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Dazzling Chinese AI debuts mask growing pains
Jan 21 2026
Investor confidence in Chinese AI startups is riding high, but obstacles to their long-term success range from US export …
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US regulator appeals Meta's court victory in monopoly case
Jan 20 2026
The US Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it was appealing a court ruling that dismissed its antitrust case against …
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AI reshaping the battle over the narrative of Maduro's US capture
Jan 20 2026
Since the US captured Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in early January, pictures and videos chronicling the events have …
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Inside China's buzzing AI scene year after DeepSeek shock
Jan 20 2026
Before DeepSeek shook up the tech world and put Chinese artificial intelligence on the map, Wu Chenglin's own startup …
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Public media in Europe under unprecedented strain
Jan 19 2026
Public media in Europe is facing a series of new threats including scrutiny by a resurgent far right, budget cuts, and …
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Over 400 Indonesians 'released' by Cambodian scam networks: ambassador
Jan 19 2026
Cyberscam networks in Cambodia have freed more than 400 Indonesians this month, Jakarta said on Monday, after Phnom Penh …
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UK, France mull social media bans for youth as debate rages
Jan 19 2026
Countries including France and Britain are considering following Australia's lead by banning children and some teenagers …
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