Business

Facebook became Meta Platforms on October 28 and subsequently announced its grand plans for bringing the virtual and physical worlds together in the metaverse. Since then, tech and entertainment giants have been jumping on the bandwagon and staking their own claims as builders of a new reality. But what exactly is the metaverse and what are the risks associated with it? Peter O'Brien takes a closer look in this week's Tech 24, the first in a new live format.

Google will spend A$1 billion ($736 million) in Australia over five years, the internet giant said on Tuesday, resetting ties months after a threat to pull its services to avoid tougher government regulation.

US President Joe Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law in a ceremony at the White House. The bill is a bipartisan compromise and a streamlined version of the original.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke to his Chinese counterpart amid rising international concern over Beijing's recent military incursions into Taiwan's air defense zone.

It is the first time India has opened its borders to foreign travelers since imposing a strict lockdown in March 2020 to curb the spread of COVID.

The billionaire CEO of the electric car maker has taken advantage of a nearly six-month meteoric rally in the stock price that vaulted the firm's value to over $1 trillion.

Taipei said it aims to build a "resilient defense" to cope with rising military threats made by China. The threats reportedly include overflights of Taiwanese airspace and cyber warfare.

Google suffered a resounding defeat in its appeal of a €2.4bn European Union competition fine in a judgment that bolsters the bloc's crackdown on the growing power of Silicon Valley.

Almost three months after the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan, the country's economy is imploding. Many NGOs and foreign companies have left, leaving thousands of Afghans suddenly unemployed. Some $9.5 billion of assets have been frozen abroad and banks are running out of money. The value of the local currency is plummeting and food prices have soared. This dire situation is pushing thousands of Afghans to flee the country. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois report.

Frances Haugen called on lawmakers in Brussels to seize the opportunity to create a "global gold standard" as they draft oversight regulation for tech giants.

Chinese property developers have met with a government think tank, amid increasing concern over the real estate sector's heavy debt burden. The liquidity crisis goes well beyond the high-profile firm Evergrande. Also, Australia unveils a €114 million investment aimed at boosting sales of electric vehicles, and Virgin Galactic sells another 100 tickets for sub-orbital space flights.