Here’s what you need to know about the US bird flu outbreak

Bird flu, officially called highly pathogenic avian influenza, has increasingly spread to mammals, raising concern of human transmission

Tesla

Tesla promises ‘more affordable’ cars but India, Mexico plants on hold

The automaker said its plan for new models would let it better control capital expenditures during “uncertain times”

WhatsApp

Apple pulls plug on WhatsApp, Threads in China

Telegram and Signal — two other foreign messaging apps — were also removed from the store on Friday

bitcoin

What is Bitcoin halving and when will it take place?

Bitcoin halving is a technical event that occurs approximately every four years, reducing the reward for mining new Bitcoin by half

Apple

Apple loses top phonemaker spot to Samsung as iPhone shipments drop

The drop underscores the challenges facing the US firm in China, its third biggest market

Bill Gates, UAE President discuss humanitarian cooperation

Bill Gates also congratulated the UAE President on Eid Al-Fitr and thanked the Emirates for its positive outcomes at COP28

Gold

Gold price drifts higher as inflation remains hot

Spot gold was up 0.6 per cent at $2,345.56 per ounce, in early trade on Thursday

Google - browsers

EU’s new tech laws are working as small browsers gain market share

Browser companies criticised how Apple and Google rolled out the new features which they described as slow and clunky

All you need to know about partial solar eclipse in UAE today

Solar eclipse time: Watch live stream

The exact timing of the eclipse varies by state and time zone across the North American continent, with visibility contingent upon weather conditions

solar eclipse

Total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024: Time, path and how to watch

The upcoming total solar eclipse slated for April 8 is set to be one of the most significant astronomical occurrences of the year.

Instagram , Facebook - META -AI

Meta to start labelling all AI-generated content on Facebook, Instagram

The new labeling approach would apply to content posted on Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and Threads services

Gold

Gold shatters record highs, heads for third straight weekly gain

US gold futures settled 1.6 per cent higher to $2,345.4

samsung

Samsung reports 900% rise in Q1 2024 profit as chip prices recover

The better performance came as its chip division, is expected to report its first quarterly profit in five quarters, as memory chip prices bounce back from a deep trough

BlackBerry cyber

BlackBerry reports profit on demand for cybersecurity services

BlackBerry expects first-quarter revenue in the range of $130m to $138m, below analysts’ estimate of $151.12m.

HUALIEN, TAIWAN - APRIL 04: An area of a damaged building is cordoned off following the earthquake on April 04, 2024 in Hualien, Taiwan. A 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit eastern Taiwan on Wednesday, triggering a tsunami warning for the coastline in Taiwan, the Philippines and Japan. (Photo by Annabelle Chih/Getty Images)

Nvidia says it expects no impact to chip supply from Taiwan earthquake

Taiwan weather officials ranked Wednesday’s quake in Hualien as “Upper 6”, or the second-highest level of intensity on a scale ranging from 1 to 7

Gold bars

Gold continues record rally after US Fed comments

Bullion has hit record highs in each session for over a week over data from the US economy

earthquake

Over-7 magnitude earthquake hits Taiwan, Japan with tsunami warnings issued

The 7.5 magnitude earthquake impacted Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, and China with tsunami warnings issued

Egypt raises $800m from hotels in divestment drive

IMF ties Egypt loan disbursements to currency flexibility

The IMF forecasts that Egypt’s inflation will remain high in the near term, with average inflation for the coming fiscal year, expected at 25.5%

Xiaomi SU7-scaled

Xiaomi’s EV buyers face up to seven-month wait for the SU7

Xiaomi built a Beijing factory capable of producing 200,000 cars annually before it had regulatory approval to start manufacturing in China

Gold

Gold regains its allure with record high prices on safe-haven demand

Gold logged its best month since July 2020, at a 9 per cent increase, and a second straight quarterly rise

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

FTX’s Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years for multi-billion dollar fraud

The judge called Bankman-Fried’s efforts to present himself as a “good guy” an act, adding, “The goal was power and influence”

Boeing 737 max- boeing

Moody’s places Boeing ratings on review for downgrade

The US planemaker has been wrestling with a growing crisis following a January mid-air panel blowout

onion ban - India

India extends ban on onion exports indefinitely ahead of general election

Traders estimate that India accounts for more than half of all onion imports by Asian countries

Google - Big Tech

Why is the EU probing Big Tech under the Digital Markets Act?

The law requires platforms to gain explicit consent from users when they intend to combine a person’s data across different sources, such as Meta’s Facebook and Instagram

Dave Calhoun, chief executive officer of Boeing

Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun to step down in shakeup amid safety crisis

Analysts and investors called the shakeup positive for Boeing, but stressed that much depends on Calhoun’s successor

Eid Al Fitr holiday dates Saudi Arabia

Eid al Fitr 2024: Saudi Arabia announces holiday dates for public and private sector

The holiday will begin at the end of the work day on Sunday, April 7, with most employees getting four days off to mark the festival

TURKEY

Turkey’s central bank stuns with interest rate at 50%

The bank has now raised its key one-week repo rate by 4,150 basis points from 8.5 per cent since last June

Apple shelves electric car plans after decadelong odyssey

Apple sued by US government for ‘monopolising’ smartphone markets

Apple has long argued that it restricts access to some user data and some of the iPhone’s hardware by third-party developers for privacy reasons

antony blinken in jeddah

Blinken meets Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid ceasefire negotiations

The US Secretary of State is on his sixth visit to the region since the October 7 crisis broke out

Saudi Aramco lines up banks for potential share sale

CERAWeek: Saudi Aramco gas output to rise 60% by 2030

Speaking at one of the biggest energy conferences in the world, Aramco has backed forecasts of continued demand for traditional fossil fuels