Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter released their earnings for the latest quarter on Thursday. Apple's performance was the most disappointing in the group as earnings dipped on weakness in iPhone sales.

It has been a mixed trading week at Nigeria’s equities market as investors continue to monitor the influx of company earnings. Onyeka Ijeoma, Analyst at Vetiva joins CNBC Africa to take stock of this week’s activities at the Lagos bourse.

As major companies on the BRVM publish their 9-months earnings, Stéphane Hié, Head of Asset Management at Hudson and Co speaks to CNBC Africa’s Esther Awoniyi to review the earnings performance.

Crowds flock to Taipei's annual Christmas Land lights festival, featuring Disney-themed 3D mapping projections and colourful lighting installations. Taiwan is one of the few places in the world that has not imposed lockdowns during the pandemic. Now in its 10th year, Christmas Land is Taiwan's largest Christmas lights festival, attracting more than 6 million visitors last year.

Disney's shares have rallied after the company reported better than expected results for its latest quarter. Sales came in at €16.2 billion, down 22 percent from the previous year, amid a continuing hit from the pandemic. But its streaming business Disney+ is continuing to grow as people stay home for longer, offsetting losses made at its theme parks that have suffered months of shutdown. Plus, as dining out is not an option for many couples this Valentine's Day, a handful of hotels in Brussels are offering quality time and fancy dinners for two – in guest rooms.

Zoom shares jumped 9% in pre-market trading on Tuesday, after the video-conferencing platform posted better-than-expected 4th-quarter earnings on Monday and said it expected strong growth to continue in 2021. Zoom was up 8.6% as of 5.45 a.m. ET, taking shares to $444.88 in the pre-market.

"Black Widow" star Scarlett Johansson has sued Disney over its streaming release of the film, which she claimed deprived her of potential earnings and breached her contract. Disney say she pocketed $20 million to date.

A three-part documentary plunges viewers into the creative process as The Beatles record their final studio album and prepare for an iconic rooftop performance. "Get Back" has seen director Peter Jackson applauded for handling the sort of archive material that has gone down in pop history.

Disney's earnings jumped above pre-pandemic levels in its latest financial results, boosted by the return of visitors to the company's theme parks. The streaming service Disney+ also added almost 12 million subscribers in the last three months of 2021, more than expected, thanks to popular additions including the Beatles documentary "Get Back". Also today, we look ahead to French President Emmanuel Macron's announcements on nuclear power, which is becoming a major issue in April's presidential election.

A member of the jihadist "Islamic State's" (IS) notorious four-member "Beatles" cell stands accused of kidnapping and murder. Two other members are in US and Turkish prisons, the fourth was killed by a US drone.

Amid surging inflation, the two remaining French presidential candidates are promising to help voters make a better living. Incumbent Emmanuel Macron is promising to triple the amount of a special tax-free bonus that employers can give workers. Meanwhile, far-right hopeful Marine Le Pen wants to give tax incentives to companies to raise the basic salary. Both proposals would come at a cost; we take a closer look. Plus, Elon Musk is offering to buy up all of the remaining shares in Twitter at a premium, saying the social media giant needs to go private to see effective changes.

The US President and his wife reported having paid $150,439 in taxes for 2021. This is equivalent to a tax rate of 24.6%. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband earned over $1.6 million during the same period.