COMPANIES

The annual results sparked fresh fury from the green lobby but herald a new era under new chief executive Murray Auchincloss, following the dramatic sacking of his predecessor Bernard Looney.

Sales grew in the first three quarters for major releases including the new Zelda game, the company said, while the Super Mario movie helped sell games from the Mario franchise.

UBS chief Sergio Ermotti hailed the group's position nearly a year after it was strongarmed by Swiss authorities into a takeover aimed at averting a wider financial crisis.

Yonhap news agency reported that the court said it did "not recognise intention to harm shareholders" through the merger, which critics had claimed was bad value and done mostly to ensure a smooth third-generational power transfer to Lee, a scion of Samsung's founding family.

Meta and Amazon on Thursday blew through expectations in their latest quarterly results as Big Tech continued to impress Wall Street.

The iPhone maker reported revenue was up slightly from the same quarter a year earlier, as money brought in from services and digital content set a new record.

Post-tax profit slumped 54 percent after reaching an all-time high of $42.3 billion in 2022, when energy producer Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent oil and gas prices soaring, boosting earnings across the industry.

Deutsche said it plans to cut around 3,500 jobs over the next two years, "mainly in non-client-facing areas". The bank employed around 85,000 people globally in 2022.

The judge in Delaware Chancery Court ruled that the plaintiff, a Tesla shareholder named Richard Tornetta, was "entitled to rescission," approving the annulment of Musk's 2018 humongous compensation agreement worth as much as $55.8 billion.

Spanish banking giant Santander posted a record 11.1-billion-euro ($12 billion) net profit for 2023 on Wednesday as higher interest rates and a rise in global clients helped to cushion the impact of a windfall tax.

H&M chief executive Helena Helmersson announced Wednesday she was stepping down, sending shares in the fashion retailer tumbling as the Swedish company reported lower-than-expected profits in the fourth quarter.

Both Alaska and United Airlines resumed service on the MAX 9 over the weekend following a three-week grounding after a panel blowout necessitated an emergency landing. The incident has heaped scrutiny on Boeing and CEO David Calhoun.

Tesla reported lower fourth-quarter operating profits despite higher revenues Wednesday, following a series of auto price cuts as Elon Musk's electric vehicle giant warned of slower volume growth in 2024.

Finnish telecommunications equipment maker Nokia warned Thursday that it expects another tough economic environment in the first half of this year after its net profit sank in 2023.

Netflix finished 2023 with slightly more than 260 million subscribers worldwide, with a profit of $938 million in the final quarter versus just $55 million in the same period a year earlier.

South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon's Terraform Labs, whose cryptocurrencies crashed dramatically in 2022, is seeking bankruptcy protection in the United States, according to court documents filed Sunday.

Sony "terminated" on Monday the $10-billion merger of its Indian operations with local rival Zee Entertainment that would have created a new streaming giant in the world's most populous nation.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday said his company is joining the pursuit of creating super artificial intelligence, putting it in a race with Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google.

After a years-long legal battle, Apple says it will begin allowing iPhone app developers to use alternative payment systems -- but they will still have to pay fees and meet various conditions.

The deal is a shot in the arm for US aviation giant Boeing, which is under intense global scrutiny over its 737 MAX 9 jet, after a scare on an Alaska Airlines jet in early January when a panel came off mid-flight and forced an emergency landing.

Meta's former chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, announced that she is leaving the company's board after more than a decade.

The job cuts to its "large customer" sales team are intended to result in better support for small and medium size businesses advertising on Google's platform, according to the internet giant.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella on Tuesday defended his company's multi-billion-dollar investment in ChatGPT developer OpenAI after the EU and Britain launched probes into whether it resembles a merger.

The online shopping giant also said it was slashing hundreds of staff in its entertainment division, targeting both movie streaming service Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studio, the home of James Bond.

Advocate General Juliane Kokott recommended the Court of Justice's judges "dismiss the appeal and thus confirm the fine imposed on Google".

China's BYD has overtaken US electric vehicle giant Tesla as the world's leading EV deliverer, according to recent sales figures.

A federal court handed Apple a victory on Wednesday by suspending a ban on the US sale of its latest watch models in a feud over patents with health company Masimo.

Japanese car maker Daihatsu has suspended all its domestic production as the Toyota-owned company faces a massive safety testing scandal.

The search for the new Eskom CEO started last year when former CEO Andre de Ruyter resigned abruptly from his post in February 2022 and alleged that members of the energy company were involved in corruption.