AFP
13876 articles published since 08 Mar 2022
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Tainted love: Misinformation drives 'vaccine-free' dating
In a private dating group on Facebook, Renee flaunts herself to like-minded singles as a fit, adventurous Kizomba dancer who at 35 exudes "inner child vibes." A prospective match's vaccination status determines compatibility not just for Renee, a self-employed Australian, but for many posting in "unvaxed singles" groups that have cropped up on Facebook.
Ford raises 2023 profit outlook but sees bigger EV loss
Ford lifted its full-year forecast Thursday after quarterly earnings nearly tripled on strong vehicle pricing in conventional autos that offset losses in electric vehicles (EV). Ford also announced price cuts of as much as $10,000 on the vehicle, following several similar pricing actions at Tesla.
Former Twitter exec says a mercurial Musk rules by 'gut'
A fired Twitter product manager said Elon Musk ran the company newly renamed X by instinct not data, surrounded by sycophants with his mood changing unpredictably. Since Musk bought Twitter last October, the platform's advertising business has collapsed as marketers soured on Musk's management style and mass firings at the company that gutted content moderation.
EU opens antitrust probe into Microsoft over Teams
The European Commission on Thursday announced an antitrust probe into Microsoft bundling its Teams communications app with its popular Office suite, on concerns the firm could be cutting out competitors. Microsoft bundles Teams with its cloud-based Office 365 and Microsoft 365 suites, which offer its popular Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Excel programmes.
Facebook's algorithm doesn't alter people's beliefs: research
Do social media echo chambers deepen political polarization, or simply reflect existing social divisions? Nevertheless, "these findings challenge popular narratives blaming social media echo chambers for the problems of contemporary American democracy," wrote the authors of one of the papers, published in Nature.
L'Oreal boosts sales despite Asia disappointment
French beauty products giant L'Oreal said Thursday it managed double-digit revenue growth in the first half of the year although sales stagnated in Asia. L'Oreal avoided a slowdown in sales in North America that hit luxury groups LVMH and Richemont, with revenues rising by 14.7 percent thanks to both price rises and the product mix.
US Fed's inflation fight enters new phase
The US Federal Reserve's united front against inflation could be harder to hold together going into the next hike in September, with strong economic data and falling inflation figures fueling disagreement over the best path forward.
Farage row takes down another top exec at UK bank group
The head of NatWest's private banking arm Coutts resigned on Thursday, the second top executive to quit the group following a row over the closure of the account of arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage. Peter Flavel, chief executive of Coutts since March 2016, quit the upmarket bank "by mutual consent with immediate effect", NatWest's interim CEO Paul Thwaite said in a statement.
US economy picks up steam despite expectations of slowdown
The US economy defied expectations to see growth pick up in the second quarter, according to government data released Thursday, supported by business investment and resilient consumer spending. On Thursday, the rise in GDP "reflected increases in consumer spending, nonresidential fixed investment, state and local government spending" and other areas, said the Commerce Department in a statement.
AFP
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