Egypt Border Guard Releases British Robot Artist, Microsoft to Shut Down LinkedIn in China, and 45 Million Targeted by Scammers in UK

Africa

Egypt releases British robot artist

Egypt’s border guard has released a UK robot artist Ai-Da, after holding it for fear of carrying spy tools. The robot, named after mathematician, Ada Lovelace, creates abstract art using cameras and a robotic arm.

Smile Identity expands into Uganda

ID verifications company, Smile Identity, has announced that it has expanded its operations into Uganda. The expansion follows a $7 million funding it raised in July 2021.

Stanbic and GIZ launch NextGen Ghana Fintech Accelerator

Stanbic and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH have launched a new venture to help growth stage tech companies in market validation. The accelerator will start with a cohort of 20 startups in Ghana.

Europe

Facebook to employ 10,000 in the EU

Facebook has announced plans to hire some 10,000 people in the EU as part of plans to build a metaverse. The new metaverse would allow people to work, game, and communicate via VR headsets.

45 million people in the UK targeted by scammers

Up to 45 million people in the UK received scam calls or messages over the past three months. Of these, more than a million were eventually misled after the receiving the scam message.

Music streaming sites to face competition authority

YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, and Spotify will be investigated by the Competitions and Markets Authority to see if there’s enough competition in the industry. This follows an MP inquisition over the pittance given to artistes.

The Americas

Trump to launch social media platform

Former US President Donald Trump is in the process of launching a new social media platform dubbed, TRUTH Social. Trump hopes the new platform will stand up to big tech whom he accuses of silencing opposing voices.

Tesla registers record profits

Elon Musk’s Tesla has recorded record-breaking sales and profit figures in the third quarter, beating supply chain struggles. The company posted net profits of $1.6 billion after selling more than 240,000 cars.

Apple releases new computer chips despite shortages

Apple has released a new range of chips as it unveiled the new MacBook Pro laptops despite uncertainties in the chip industry. Apple claims the new chips match an 8-core PC laptop but with 30% less energy consumption.

Asia

Apple removes Quran app in China

Apple has removed a popular Quran app, Quran Majeed, from its China store after pressure from the Chinese government. Chinese authorities allege the app holds illegal religious texts.

Microsoft to shut down LinkedIn in China

Microsoft will close down LinkedIn in China, the tech company has announced. It said it was becoming increasingly difficult to comply with Chinese cyber laws. Microsoft will launch a InJobs, a jobs-only site, in its place.

UAE’s £400m deal with Cambridge stalled over spyware

The United Arab Emirates has seen its £400 million deal with the University of Cambridge paused after the ruler of Dubai was found guilty of hacking his ex-wife’s phone. The University will wait a few months before making a final decision.