The Democratic Republic of Congo says Apple is sourcing minerals from armed groups committing atrocities. Belgium has launched a criminal probe into the DRC’s allegation. Donald Trump is sworn in as US president. Davos leaders reject climate banking group. And Toyota struggles to jumpstart hydrogen car sales.

The UK’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into Apple and Google’s mobile platforms, just days after the government forced out its chair as part of a push to cut the regulatory burden on business.

The case, which was first launched in 2022, accuses Apple of abusing its market position by charging commissions up to 30% on App Store purchases.

Local smartphone makers Vivo and Huawei leapfrogged Apple to become the top two sellers in the Chinese market last year, dealing a blow to the iPhone maker as it struggles to introduce AI features on the mainland and fight competition from domestic rivals.

Belgium has started a criminal probe into allegations that Apple has knowingly sourced “blood minerals” from the Democratic Republic of Congo, in what lawyers for the central African country have called a “massive laundering and greenwashing operation”.

The European Commission is reevaluating its probes into companies including Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) and Alphabet's (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (GOOG) unit Google, the Financial Times reported.

Belgium is moving ahead with its probe into allegations by the Democratic Republic of Congo that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) uses conflict minerals from the African country in its supply chain, and has appointed an investigative magistrate to oversee the case,

Jan 14 (Reuters) - The European Commission is reevaluating its probes into tech giants including Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Meta (META.O), opens new tab and Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.

Donald Trump unveils aggressive new policy measures at his inauguration. The Democratic Republic of Congo puts pressure on Apple over critical minerals. David Pilling Apple says it has undertaken all the steps that it can to ensure that the minerals do not come from these conflict mines. The allegation is that it can’t possibly know.

The European Commission is reevaluating its probes into Apple, Meta, and Google's regulatory scrutiny under the Digital Markets Act. This review could alter the current probes, affecting decisions and potential fines.

Steven Cohen runs Point72 Asset Management, a hedge fund that has earned $38 billion in profits since its inception in 1992. That makes him the 12th-most successful hedge fund manager in history, according to LCH Investments.

The federal law banning TikTok has revealed a major schism among American tech companies: Some are willing to flout the law — and some, including Apple and Google, are not.