Meta and Google returned to Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday for the second day of a landmark trial over claims their platforms were designed to addict young users — a closely watched case that could carry major consequences for hundreds of similar lawsuits nationwide. The outcome could put the social media giants on the hook for significant damages in this case and others, should a Los Angeles jury side with the plaintiffs. The lawsuit...
MOSCOW — A group of weary-looking Indian men carrying sports bags queued at passport control at a busy Moscow airport one recent evening after flying over 2,700 miles — and via Uzbekistan — to get work. “I have a contract for one year. In the rubbish disposal business. The money is good,” said Ajit, one of the men, speaking in English. Faced with what the authorities say is an immediate shortage of at least 2.3...
Children are routinely exposed to adverts for weight-loss injections, diet products and cosmetic procedures online, according to a new report by Dame Rachel de Souza, who has called for tougher regulation of social media platforms. The report, based on a survey of 2,000 children aged 13 to 17 alongside focus groups, found that young people were being “bombarded” with content promoting body transformation, despite restrictions on certain types of advertising. Respondents reported seeing ads for...
Vice President JD Vance warned Iran that there is ‘another option on the table’ if the regime does not make a nuclear deal with the U.S. Vance made the statement while speaking to reporters before boarding Air Force Two on Tuesday. A reporter referenced President Donald Trump’s musings about potentially deploying a second aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East. ‘How confident are you in going the diplomatic route? Do you think that is...
Plant-based drinks maker Oatly has lost a long-running legal fight over its use of the word “milk” in marketing, after the UK Supreme Court ruled that it cannot trademark or use the slogan “post-milk generation” in connection with dairy alternatives. The case, brought by Dairy UK, centred on whether the term “milk”, which is protected under EU-derived food labelling rules still in force in the UK, can be used in a trade mark for plant-based...
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday in a visit expected to center on Iran, as Washington weighs diplomacy against the threat of military action and Israel pushes to shape the scope of negotiations. Trump has signaled the Iranian file will dominate the agenda. In a phone interview with Axios, the president said Tehran ‘very much wants to reach a deal,’ but warned, ‘Either we make a...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refused to consider Moderna’s application for a new flu vaccine using mRNA technology, the company announced Tuesday, a decision that could delay the introduction of a shot designed to offer stronger protection for older adults. Moderna said it received what’s known as a ‘refusal-to-file’ (RTF) letter from the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), citing the lack of an ‘adequate and well-controlled’ study with a comparator...
London-based Mozart AI has raised $6 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round led by Balderton Capital, as the startup looks to reshape how music is created in the age of artificial intelligence. The fundraise follows a $1.1 million pre-seed round completed last summer, taking Mozart AI’s total funding to more than $7 million. The latest investment coincides with the launch of the company’s long-awaited mobile app and comes amid rapid early traction for its...
Growing numbers of Scottish spirits producers are showing signs of financial strain as weakening export demand, rising costs and trade barriers squeeze margins across the sector. Research by restructuring specialist BTG Begbies Traynor found that 69 Scottish distillers were facing “significant” or “critical” financial distress at the end of the year, up from 49 in the previous quarter. According to the Scotch Whisky Association, Scotland is home to more than 150 whisky distilleries, alongside more...
Retail spending picked up sharply in January as consumers flocked to post-Christmas sales, offering some relief to a sector hit by a subdued festive period and rising employment costs. Figures from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG showed that retail sales increased by 2.7 per cent year-on-year last month, up from growth of just 1.2 per cent in December. The improvement suggests that many shoppers delayed spending before Christmas and instead waited for deeper...
