Threads, the much-hyped social media app from Facebook-parent Meta, is taking heat for blocking searches for "coronavirus," "Covid," and other pandemic-related queries.

Disney will dramatically increase the price of its streaming service. Disney+ prices will rise by as much as 27 per cent, with the company saying that it is facing a challenging market. At the same time, the company will roll out an ad-supported tier in the UK, that will allow customers to subscribe for £4.99 per month. And its chief executive, Bob Iger, said that next year it would be looking to launch a password sharing crackdown to attempt to force different households to have their accounts. The moves follow similar changes at Netflix and other streaming services, many of which have recently launched price increases, ad-supported tiers and password sharing crackdowns of their own. The introduction of the new ad-supported tier in the UK means that the price of access to Disney+ has dropped. Prices previously started at £7.99. The new changes will also bring a new option, called Disney+ Standard, which will cost £7.99. That comes at the current price but removes options such as 4K streaming and the ability to stream on four devices at once. The existing tier will become Disney+ Premium and cost £10.99 per month. If users do not opt out of that change, they will face a £3 per month price increase. Similar price increases will go into effect elsewhere, across the US and Europe. In. the US, the price of Disney+ will rise up to 27 per cent, to $13.99 per month, and a similar rise will go into effect at Hulu. Disney’s announcements came as it revealed its recent quarterly results, doing which chief executive Bob Iger acknowledged that the entertainment company faces a “challenging environment” in the near term. But he emphasized progress in cutting costs and focusing on creativity, even as quarterly results showed Disney‘s soft spots. Disney’s stock rose nearly 3% in after-hours trading, as Iger touted $1 billion in operating-income improvement at the company’s streaming business over the last three quarters, which is aiming for profitability in 2024. He said Disney will reduce the number of titles it releases and also the cost per title. Disney said it cut losses at its streaming video services to $512 million in its fiscal third quarter from about $1.1 billion a year ago. It added 800,000 Disney+ subscribers, 100,000 subscribers shy of analyst estimates, and shed 12.5 million subscribers to the Disney Hotstar service in India, or nearly a quarter of its subscribers, as it gave up rights to Indian Premiere League cricket matches. “Disney will have to cut prices from current levels in an effort to stimulate demand and defend its market share in an increasingly competitive industry,” said Jesse Cohen, senior analyst at Investing.com. Additional reporting by agencies Read More How much of a threat does AI really pose? Get your ticket for our free event Elon Musk reveals more dramatic details of fight against Mark Zuckerberg Warning over ‘dangerous’ carbon monoxide alarms for sale on eBay and Amazon How much of a threat does AI really pose? Get your ticket for our free event Elon Musk reveals more dramatic details of fight against Mark Zuckerberg Warning over ‘dangerous’ carbon monoxide alarms for sale on eBay and Amazon

IShowSpeed's influence continues to grow, evident from his consistent position among the most searched people on Google in 2023

Elon Musk pleaded with X users on Sunday to try and stick to the facts, as the site and its billionaire owner come under heavy criticism for the spread of false information regarding the Israel-Hamas war. “As always, please try stay as close to the truth as possible, even for stuff you don’t like,” Mr Musk wrote on X. “This platform aspires to maximize signal/noise of the human collective.” Critics have been hammering Mr Musk for the proliferation of fake news on the site, arguing his attempts to loosen the reins on its content moderation have allowed bad actors and dubious sources to flourish. “This site is a cesspool of disinformation,” former Obama administration official and podcaster Tommy Vietor wrote on X in response to Mr Musk’s plea. “You have made it exponentially worse, and just this morning you recommended an account known to spread lies and antisemitism. Other than that, great job.” “This site is worse than useless during a breaking news story,” Aaron Kleinman, of the States Project political advocacy group, wrote recently in response to a thread collecting false information about the war in Israel and Gaza. “Actively harmful. Don’t log in if you want to be informed.” Dubious news stories have spread far and wide on the site formerly known as Twitter since the outbreak of war in Israel yesterday. A widely seen video, purporting to show a Hamas militant shooting down an Israeli helicopter, was really a clip from a video game, BBC Verify’s Shayan Sardarizadeh reports. A Taliban spokesperson had to set the record straight after a false claim spread on social media that the group was seeking to join in the conflict, Pakistan bureau chief for WIONews Anas Mallick reports. And a widely shared clip of Israel reportedly bombing a Gazan office tower really was from fighting that occured in 2021. Critics of X allege that policy changes under Mr Musk have allowed such false information to spread more easily. Since taking over, Mr Musk has disbanded Twitter’s trust and safety team, reinstated (and at times vocally endorsed the content of) known extremists and far-right commentators, removed labels noting accounts associated with foreign governments, and allowed paid access to the verification feature, a designation on Twitter previously reserved for heads of states, celebrities, journalists, and other high-profile individuals who could see their credibility abused by imitators. The Independent has contacted X for comment. Read More Israel-Palestine conflict live: Fierce gun battles rage with Hamas militants as ‘over 700 Israelis killed’ Israel suffers bloodiest day in decades as fierce gunfights rage in streets against Hamas militants US regulators seek to compel Elon Musk to testify in their investigation of his Twitter acquisition

All-star board member Ann Mather has worked with many of the most iconic media and tech companies.

You may be wondering, “How do I watch the Microsoft Surface event?” After all, the

TL;DR: Google has released a range of artificial intelligence courses that you can take for

Adobe have unveiled a mind-blowing 'quick change' dress at their recent Adobe Max conference, and no one can quite believe how the future of fashion could look. Christine Dierk, a researcher, unveiled the seemingly ordinary dress, before showing how it can transform colour and pattern within a split second, with limitless options. "We’re excited for a future where there’s more ways to express yourself", she told the audience, as she demonstrated the product known as 'Project Primrose'. The company is reportedly hoping to replicate the technology onto other items. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Proposals for a digital European currency are taking shape

If you liked the chip maker in January, you should like it now. The stock hasn't had such a low forward price/earnings ratio since the price was a lot lower.

Apple has issued an urgent update for millions of iPhone users after two critical security flaws were discovered. The tech giant warned that the latest version of iOS 16, called iOS 16.5.1, was required in order to protect against two vulnerabilities that hackers already know how to exploit. One of the bugs involves a “malicious attachment” sent through iMessage, that allows cyber criminals to gain access to an iPhone’s audio recordings, photos and location data. Security researchers said the security flaw, dubbed TriangleDB, has already been exploited through a campaign called Operation Triangulation, which targeted employees of the cyber firm Kaspersky. “The deployment of the spyware is completely hidden and requires no action from the user,” Kaspersky wrote in a blog post earlier this month. “The spyware then quietly transmits private user information to remote servers: microphone recordings, photos from instant messengers, geolocation, and data about a number of other activities of the owner of the infected device.” The second bug affected Apple’s browser engine WebKit, which leaves users exposed to something known as arbitrary code execution. This could result in malicious third parties stealing data or hacking a device. Both exploits could also impact iPad and Mac users, with Apple issuing security fixes for all of these devices. Apple also released a software update for Apple Watch, which brings new features to its smartwatch. The Cupertino company unveiled its latest mobile operating system iOS 17 earlier this month, though it is not yet widely available. A full public release date of iOS 17 will take place when the new iPhone is announced in September. The iOS 16 update covers more than a decade’s worth of devices, going back to the iPhone 6s and Apple Watch Series 3. “This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users,” Apple wrote in the release notes for iOS 16.5.1. Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad and Mac users can update their devices by going to the Settings app and selecting ‘General’ > ‘Software update’, and then following the instructions. Read More Apple seeks trademark of ‘actual apple’, Swiss fruit association says Apple Watch 7 pre-order: How to buy the new smartwatch in the UK Apple introduces new version of Watch with complete redesign iPhone 13 - live: UK contract deals and prices for Apple, EE and O2

Young students who were hit hardest by the pandemic are entering the upper grades of elementary school