- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
- DR Congo to begin mpox vaccination campaign Saturday in east
- Meta must limit data use for targeted ads: EU court
- Oil extends gains, jobs report lifts Wall Street
- US hiring soars past expectations in sign of resilient market
- As EU targets Chinese cars, European rivals sputter
- Top EU court finds against FIFA in key transfer market ruling
- Oil extends gains, Hong Kong stocks resume rally
- 'A man provides': Ukrainian miners send families away as Russia advances
- EU states greenlight extra tariffs on EVs from China
- Hong Kong stocks resume rally, oil dips after Middle East-fuelled surge
- Crude stable after Israel-Iran surge, Hong Kong stocks resume gains
- Hera spacecraft to probe asteroid deflected by defence test
- US dockworkers to head back to work after tentative deal
- After Helene's destruction, North Carolina starts to rebuild
- Dockers end three-day strike at Montreal port
- What next for OpenAI after $157 billion bonanza?
- Israel-Hamas war causes 86-percent dive in Gaza GDP: IMF
- Milan's Morata moves house after Inter-fan town mayor 'violates' privacy
- 'Devastating' storm hits Augusta National but Masters will go on
- Relief in Brazil, Asia over delay to EU deforestation rules
- Oil prices jump, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Biden says 'discussing' possible Israeli strikes on Iran oil facilities
- Oil prices rise, stocks fall on Middle East tensions
- Oil rallies, stocks mostly retreat on Middle East tensions
- Phasing out teen smoking could save 1.2 mn lives: study
- 'Welcome relief': Asia producers hail EU deforestation law delay
- Japan PM slated to announce plans for 'happiness index'
- Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4%
- Easing inflation lifts profit at UK supermarket Tesco
- Skiing calls on UN climate science to combat melting future
- China wine industry looks to breed climate resilience
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong drops after surge
- Dutch airline KLM unveils 'firm' cost-cutting measures
- Carpe diem: the Costa Rican women turning fish into fashion
- Senegal looks to aquaculture as fish stocks dwindle
- Will AI one day win a Nobel Prize?
- Climate change, economics muddy West's drive to curb Chinese EVs
- Argentina's Milei vetoes university budget after huge protests
- TotalEnergies plans to grow oil and gas production until 2030
- 2024 Nobels offer glimmer of hope as global crises mount
- Tokyo rallies on weak yen, Hong Kong reverses after surge
- Tunisia readies for vote as incumbent Saied eyes victory
- High childcare costs in US weigh on women's employment
Musk-Twitter deal: a roller-coaster saga
Elon Musk's pursuit of Twitter was a melodrama from the beginning -- a mercurial billionaire locked in a bitter fight with his favorite social media platform.
After months of recriminations and attempts to cancel his attempt to buy, Musk on Tuesday called a truce and agreed to honor his initial offer.
Here are the main ups and downs of the saga:
- 'Passionate believer' -
Musk is a long-time Twitter user with more than 100 million followers, using the platform as a megaphone for his corporate and personal ambitions.
In an April 4 regulatory filing, he revealed he had splashed out nearly $2.9 billion on a 9.2 percent stake in the company.
Twitter shares soared, Musk got a seat on the board, and CEO Parag Agrawal called him "a passionate believer and intense critic of the service", saying it was "exactly what we need".
Both sides appeared to be getting along famously.
- 'Poison pill' -
But it took less than a week for things to fall apart.
Musk decided against joining the board, and Agrawal said it was "for the best".
Musk then launched a hostile takeover bid, an April 13 filing showed, and Twitter adopted a "poison pill" defense that would allow shareholders to buy additional stock.
- Deal back on -
Then Twitter reversed course and on April 25 revealed that it would sell after all in a deal that valued the firm at $44 billion.
Musk parted with $8.4 billion in shares in Tesla, pledged up to $21 billion from his personal fortune and got some friends to stake him a few billion.
The billionaire mogul, known for his provocative messages, set out plans to allow former US president Donald Trump back on to the platform.
- See you in court -
Then it was Musk's turn to get cold feet. He said on May 13 the deal was "temporarily on hold" while he sought details of spam and fake accounts on the platform.
After two months of very public fighting over the issue, he called off the deal and accused Twitter of making "misleading" statements.
The company quickly launched legal action to enforce the deal.
- Rapprochement -
Both sides had been gearing up for a lengthy and hugely expensive showdown at the Delaware Chancery Court.
Musk had been buoyed by whistleblower revelations that portrayed the company as cavalier with its bot counting and lax on security.
Twitter, however, believed the agreement it had with Musk was watertight.
Then, on Tuesday, Musk revealed -- on Twitter, of course -- that he had agreed to close the deal at the price he had initially offered.
"I think that Musk realized he was not going to win that trial," said law professor Carl Tobias.
- The future is 'X' -
In his tweet on Tuesday, Musk said the acquisition would be an "accelerant" towards creating "X", which he said would be "the everything app".
He offered no further detail.
He had previously told Twitter staff that he envisaged a platform with one billion users, but he was hazy on issues like potential staff layoffs and free-speech limits.
Text messages revealed during the legal process showed how he briefly considered making a blockchain-based social media app.
But before the future of Twitter can even be discussed, either side could still quibble over the details of the sale.
The potential of a courtroom showdown has receded but remains a possibility.
H.Cho--CPN