BUSINESS

The European Commission designated Apple's iPadOS system as a "core" service under the landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA), which forces companies to modify their business ways to encourage competition between online platforms.

The announcement is the latest twist in a bidding war which last week saw US music group Concord ramp up its offer to beyond Blackstone's previous bid for Hipgnosis, whose catalogue includes Justin Bieber, Shakira and Neil Young.

The tech billionaire arrived on Sunday for his second trip to China in less than a year, meeting top officials including Premier Li Qiang as he worked to boost his electric car company's fortunes in the face of intense competition from local challengers such as BYD.

The overnight success of OpenAI's ChatGPT thrust generative AI as Silicon Valley's latest tech revolution, lifting Microsoft, OpenAI's main backer, to become the world's most valuable company.

US lawmakers set the nine-month deadline on national security grounds, alleging that TikTok can be used by the Chinese government for espionage and propaganda as long as it is owned by ByteDance.

The snub came one day after BHP formally announced its colossal bid, which aims to create the world's biggest-listed copper producer and reshape the global mining sector.

Darktrace chief executive Poppy Gustafsson said the group's "technology has never been more relevant in a world increasingly threatened by AI-powered cyberattacks".

The company joins Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube in a list of 23 "very large online platforms", which have more than 45 million monthly active users in the European Union.

CODI is like an insurance plan created for people who keep their money in banks, allowing them to get the money back in case the bank ever has problems in returning the cash.

The company founded by Mark Zuckerberg said that net profit in the January to March period rose to $12.4 billion with total revenue, mainly from selling ads, up an impressive 27 percent, at $36.5 billion.

Both companies have been wrestling with the transition away from traditional money makers such as gas and coal, increasingly eyeing opportunities to mine metals and critical minerals.

The award, to be announced by President Joe Biden as he travels to Syracuse, New York, is the latest in a series of efforts by Washington to bring semiconductor production back to the country.

Tesla reported profits of $1.1 billion, down 55 percent from the year-ago quarter on revenues of $21.3 billion, down nine percent as the company described EV sales as "under pressure."

The measure was part of a $95 billion foreign aid package, including military assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, which has now cleared Congress and heads to President Joe Biden's desk.

Improvements in key indicators, from industrial output to business activity, in recent months suggest that a hoped-for recovery may be slowly under way.

Brussels fears China is favoring its own suppliers when it comes to the procurement of medical devices. The EU's official administrative journal, announcing the probe, set out ways that could be happening, including through a "Buy China" policy.

In a statement, the AGCM said the option to set up regular purchases was "pre-selected by default" on a wide selection of products listed on Amazon's Italian website.

The federal government as well as the province of Ontario, where the plant will be built, will both provide some financial incentives for the deal, according to the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

TikTok Lite arrived in France and Spain in March allowing users aged 18 and over to earn points that can be exchanged for goods like vouchers or gift cards through the app's rewards program.

The HCOB Flash Eurozone purchasing managers' index (PMI) published by S&P Global registered a figure of 51.4 in April from 50.3 in March. It was the highest in 11 months. Any reading above 50 indicates growth, while a figure below 50 shows contraction.

The new entity, Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends, will manage the group's most well-known and big budget game studios -- such as Crystal Dynamics, Dambuster Studio and Eidos-Montreal -- representing net sales of 14.1 billion kronor ($1.3 billion).

A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch.

Netflix topped expectations Thursday as it reported 9.3 million new subscribers and profits of $2.3 billion in the first three months of the year.

Mainland China has some of the world's most extensive internet censorship, with web users unable to access everything from Google to many foreign apps without workarounds such as a virtual private network (VPN).

Another Musk-owned business, satellite internet operator Starlink, is set to receive initial approvals to operate in India, a government source told AFP.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company -- whose clients include Apple and Nvidia -- controls more than half the world's output of silicon chips, which have been called the "lifeblood" of the modern world.

Speaking in Washington on the sidelines of spring meetings at the International Monetary Fund, Lagarde said Europe was seeing a "disinflationary process" -- with observers betting on the first rate cut to take place in June.

Volkswagen employees in Tennessee will begin casting ballots Wednesday in a vote that could make theirs the first foreign carmaker to unionize in the American South, expanding gains made by organized labor in the auto heartland of Detroit.

ASML is one of the leading manufacturers of equipment to make state-of-the-art semiconductor chips, which power everything from mobile phones to cars.