ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok leading platform for fake Ukraine videos

TikTok has emerged as one of the leading platforms for snappy false videos about the war in Ukraine which are reaching millions. With a user base of more than one billion people - more than half of whom are under 30 - TikTok is where many young people have been getting updates about the conflict,…

ShinyShiny snippets: Elon Musk offers to buy Twitter for $41.39bn

Billionaire Elon Musk has offered to buy Twitter for $41.39bn, according to a regulatory filing. The Tesla chief executive's offer price of $54.20 per share was 38% higher than the closing price of Twitter's stock on 1 April, the last trading day before his investment of 9.2% in the company was publicly announced. "I invested…

Shinyshiny snippets: Elon Musk will not join Twitter board

Elon Musk has decided not to join the board of Twitter, the company's chief executive Parag Agrawal says. Mr Musk's appointment was due to become effective on Saturday after revealing last week that he had bought a 9.2% stake in the social media platform. However, Mr Agrawal tweeted: "Elon shared that same morning that he…

ShinyShiny snippets: Boston Dynamics scary robot dog to protect Pompeii

The ancient Italian city of Pompeii is to be guarded by a robot dog, say managers at the Archaeological Park. Mechanical dog Spot, created by Boston Dynamics, is being introduced as part of a wave of modernisation of the preserved Roman city. The yellow hound will patrol the site looking for cracks, damage and signs of erosion…

ShinyShiny snippets: Elon Musk spends $3 billion on 9.2% Twitter stake

Elon Musk has taken a 9.2% stake in Twitter, according to a US securities filing. The news sent Twitter shares soaring about 25% in pre-market trading. The Tesla founder bought 73,486,938 Twitter shares on 14 March, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The stake is worth $2.89bn (£2.20bn), based on Twitter's closing price on…

ShinyShiny snippets: Taxi driver files lawsuit against Tesla

A taxi driver has filed a legal complaint against Elon Musk's car company, his lawyer said on Sunday, just months after his Tesla Model 3 was involved in a crash in Paris that killed one person. In December 2021, the off-duty taxi driver's Tesla crashed through metal posts, a row of pay-to-ride bikes and a recycling…

Tech Digest daily roundup: TikTok ditches 3 minute video limit

TikTok is to ditch its three minute limit on videos and will soon allow all users to upload clips up to 10 minutes long, the Chinese social network has confirmed. It brought in the existing limit in July 2021, upping it from 60 seconds, having initially expanded it from the original 15 seconds. The app…

ShinyShiny snippets: Virgin Media O2 will not introduce EU roaming charges

Virgin Mobile and O2 phone users will not face roaming charges following announcements by other networks to reintroduce extra fees after Brexit. It means customers travelling to Europe will be able to use their mobile data and make calls and texts on the same deal as they have in the UK. Vodafone, EE and Three…

ShinyShiny tech roundup: Elon Musk sells $5 billion Tesla shares

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has sold around $5bn (£3.7bn) of shares in the electric carmaker. It comes days after he asked his 63 million Twitter followers whether he should sell 10% of his stake in Tesla. The company's shares fell by around 16% in the two days after the poll came out in favour…

ShinyShiny daily round up: Tesla opens up Supercharger network

CEO Elon Musk confirms plans on Twitter to begin allowing access to rival EV brands at its US supercharger network later this year, with global network to follow suit. Tesla plans to open up its global charging network to allow rival brands of electric vehicles to power up their batteries in future, the company's CEO…