Bloomberg Facebook parent company Meta Platforms Inc is building a digital voice assistant to help people interact hands-free with physical devices, such as the company’s Portal video-calling device and, eventually, augmented-reality glasses. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg said the company is building the assistant in preparation for the so-called metaverse, a more immersive version of the internet that will let ...

Bloomberg Mykhailo Fedorov, who serves as Ukraine’s vice prime minister and oversees digital operations, urged Apple Inc to halt product sales in Russia and shut down its App Store in the country. The government official made the request in a letter to Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook that he posted on Twitter. Fedorov also said Apple should support the ...

Bloomberg Twitter Inc said it suspended all advertising in Russia and Ukraine, seeking to ensure that promotional posts don’t detract from public safety information sent via the social network. The San Francisco-based company won’t show advertising in those markets, and also will curb tweet recommendations that appear in users’ timelines from accounts that they don’t already follow in an effort ...

  Bloomberg Oil extended its retreat from a seven-year high, slipping back below $100 a barrel in London, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced traders to grapple with a fluid market environment. Brent futures rallied above $105 a barrel as Russia launched an attack on its neighbour, though prices subsequently retreated as it emerged that Western governments wouldn’t impose sanctions ...

  Bloomberg Tencent Holdings Ltd is stepping up the use of renewable energy with a goal of zeroing out emissions by 2030, acknowledging the damage wrought by its data centers while heeding Beijing’s call to protect the environment. The Chinese social media and gaming giant plans to use all but renewable energy by the same timeframe and has already purchased ...

Bloomberg British Airways owner IAG SA said it should turn profitable from the second quarter, joining other European carriers in predicting a travel rebound in coming months. While IAG, which also owns Spain’s Iberia and Aer Lingus of Ireland, sees a “significant” loss this quarter, bookings are now running at 85% of pre-pandemic levels as concerns about the omicron variant ...

  Bloomberg Qantas Airways Ltd said Omicron is delaying the airline’s recovery and eating into earnings, with international travel wallowing at less than half normal volumes for months to come. While demand has picked up since Australia’s border reopened this month, the impact of the fast-spreading Covid variant will cost Qantas A$650 million ($470 million) of operating profit in the ...

  Bloomberg Air Canada is in talks with Airbus SE about adding longer-distance A321neo jets alongside its fleet of Boeing Co 737 narrowbodies as travel demand rebounds, people with knowledge of the matter said. The carrier is looking at ordering 10 to 20 aircraft, one of the people said. The negotiations are preliminary and may not lead to a deal, ...

  Bloomberg Home Depot Inc shares fell the most in almost two years after fourth-quarter profitability missed Wall Street’s expectations amid supply-chain investments and higher costs. While sales remained robust for the home-improvement retailer, much of the growth appeared to be driven by higher prices as customer transactions declined and the cost of sales increased. Gross margin, a closely watched ...

Bloomberg Rolls-Royce Holdings CEO Warren East will step down at the end of this year, after leading the engine maker through a punishing period capped by the Covid-19 pandemic. The board will conduct a search for a successor for East, a former technology executive who struggled to make Rolls a more efficient operation even before the virus hit in 2020. The ...