Uber rival Bolt raises cash, hits $8 bln value

Turkey's Finance Minister, Lutfi Elvan, has resigned amid another plunge in the value of the country's currency, the lira. He is being replaced by his deputy, Nureddin Nebati, who supports President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's controversial economic policies. The lira has lost almost half of its value this year as Erdogan has pushed for low interest rates, despite rising inflation. Also today, we look at how some French parents are choosing to rent toys for their children, instead of buying new ones.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended his "economic vision", even as the lira continues to hover near record lows. The plunge in the value of the currency has left many families struggling to make ends meet. Also in the show: the EU outlines a new trade strategy to give it more leverage against countries that try to coerce the bloc for economic or political gain.

Apple on Monday became the first company to hit a $3 trillion (roughly Rs. 2,23,75,950 crore) stock market value, before ending the day a hair below that milestone, as investors bet the iPhone maker will keep launching best-selling products as it explores new markets such as automated cars and virtual reality.

Uber rival Bolt says it has raised $711 in new funding from investors, with its value now put at over $8 billion.

Papers focus on Vladimir Putin as the US moves to put troops on standby in Ukraine. Also, a new study in the US finds that giving cash aids to parents increases babies' brain activity. A Dutch university is accused of pandering to China after one of its Chinese-funded research institutes denied human rights abuses in a recent visit. Finally, French scientists set a world record for the longest floating gas bubble!

For the first time since inception in 2004, Facebook lost about 5 lakh users on a daily basis during Oct-Dec 2021. That saw the shares of its parent company, Meta, plunge 20 percent on the exchanges, wiping off $200 bn in market capitalisation.

A decade of currency stability has come to an end with the rising cost of necessities and dear luxuries. But the central bank seems to be determined to keep its weak yen policy.

Carsharing giant Uber used aggressive techniques to push into global markets, according to a new report. The company allegedly considered how to frame violence against its drivers in a bid for public sympathy.

The French president's name appeared in an investigative report on the US ride-hailing service's rapacious global lobbying efforts. Macron says he helped create thousands of jobs.

It is a common sight in Addis Ababa these days to see men, women and even children moving around the city with huge bags of plastic waste. Their hauls mostly contain plastic bottles, but any plastic waste they come across will fetch cash according to its weight.

North Dakota is a hub of the US hydraulic fracturing industry and the country's second-biggest oil producer. Surging demand for fracked oil and gas amid the Ukraine war means booming business, sidelining green energy.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday.⁣