RSF's 2026 index records the worst press freedom in 25 years. Over half of all countries are rated difficult or worse. The report names Meta, X, and AI-driven disinformation as structural causes.

A Dutch foundation is suing Netflix for up to €673M. Italy already ruled its price hikes unlawful. The legal target is the generic pricing clause every streaming service uses.

AI micro-dramas hit Douyin in one month. Production costs fell 90%. State subsidies fund the hubs. China's micro-drama industry is the first commercial-scale test of AI-generated content.

NYBCe and CZ Biohub will derive iPSC lines from cord blood's immune cells, creating shared, broadly compatible resources for cell therapy, disease modelling, and AI-driven drug development.

Mark Zuckerberg told Meta employees on Thursday that the May 20 layoffs are driven by AI capital spending rather than AI productivity gains.

McKinsey’s new report argues most companies are accelerating existing work rather than redesigning workflows around AI.

OpenAI-backed 1X has opened a factory in Hayward, California to produce 10,000 NEO home humanoid robots in year one, scaling to 100,000+ by the end of 2027.

US debt hits 100% of GDP for the first time since WWII. Interest payments top $1 trillion. Big Tech's AI capex tops $690B. Both are financed with debt from the same pool.

Sing Tao Daily reports that Uber has acquired Hong Kong’s Fly Taxi. The deal, if confirmed, removes the main alternative metered-taxi-hailing app from the market.

Kenyan workers lost their jobs after telling journalists they saw users having sex and undressing through Meta smart glasses footage. Regulators and lawyers responded.

Reddit reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $663m (+69% YoY), beat estimates across every line, raised Q2 guidance above consensus.

Twilio raised its full-year 2026 revenue forecast to 14–15% growth and reported Q1 revenue of $1.41bn, its fastest organic growth in three years.