Facebook to shut news section entirely, new Macbook Air models promised for March

Facebook will stop paying newspaper publishers and will shut down its news section entirely, saying that people do not come to the social network for news or political content. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said it would wind down deals with US and Australian publishers and remove a news tab that had served users a feed of articles next month. It said people would still be able to read news on Facebook posted by their friends and by accounts they follow, including those of news publishers. Telegraph 

British telecommunications giant BT says it expects to launch its first so-called stand-alone 5G network in 2024.Howard Watson, BT’s chief technology officer, told CNBC that the telco group plans to switch on its stand-alone 5G network, which is often referred to in the industry as “true” 5G, later this year. “Others are talking about it. They’re talking about it. But we are working to get the right ecosystem in place, which means the right set of devices,” Watson said in an interview with CNBC at the Mobile World Congress tech trade show in Barcelona, Spain. CNBC

Back in mid-February, Apple announced that iOS 17.4 would remove support for progressive web apps in the EU. The company blamed this on the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which goes into effect next week and is the reason why iOS 17.4 will come with support for alternative app stores. Following a huge amount of online backlash, today Apple has changed its mind and revealed that progressive web apps will still be supported even in iOS 17.4 in the EU. So, like before, you’ll be able to add a progressive web app to your home screen. GSM Arena

The price of Bitcoin is close to its all-time high, thanks in large part to US finance giants. Investment firms like Grayscale, BlackRock and Fidelity, are pouring billions of dollars into buying the volatile digital asset. In the last few weeks, these powerful institutions have become so called ‘Bitcoin whales’. Because of Bitcoin’s system there will only ever be 21 million bitcoins. 19 million have been created, but many are already accounted for and probably off the market. BBC 

The existing 15-inch MacBook Air arrived in June 2023, which is not that long ago in terms of Mac update cycles. However, Apple released the current 13-inch ‌MacBook Air back in June 2022. It is now the oldest Mac in Apple’s current crop, having not been updated in 600 days. But rumors suggest that is unlikely to be the case for much longer.

According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, Apple has new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air models in development, and  both are said to be scheduled for release in late March. Here are five new features that we expect both models to include. MacRumors

The lawyers who successfully argued that Elon Musk’s $56bn pay package was excessive are seeking a record legal fee worth $6bn, payable in the electric car maker’s stock, according to a court filing. “We recognise that the requested fee is unprecedented in terms of absolute size,” Friday’s filing by the three law firms with the court of chancery in Delaware said. The fee works out to an hourly rate of $288,888, according to the filing. The Guardian