International

Musk ‘kills’ new Twitter label, hours after launch

Photo: Richard Drew / AP

| By AFP | Julie Jammot |

Twitter launched two new verification tools Wednesday but “killed” one of them hours later in a messy start to owner Elon Musk’s campaign to revamp the influential platform following his $44 billion buyout.

The social media platform unveiled its long-awaited Twitter Blue subscription service, which allows users to pay $7.99 per month for a coveted blue tick, as well as a separate gray “official” badge for some high-profile accounts.

But the new gray label was almost immediately scrapped, overshadowing the launch of Twitter Blue, which is currently only available on the mobile app on iPhones and in the United States.

“I just killed it,” Musk tweeted hours after the new tag was added to government accounts, big companies and major media outlets.

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“Please note that Twitter will do lots of dumb things in coming months. We will keep what works & change what doesn’t,” the world’s richest man added.

The U-turn invited further scrutiny of Musk’s plans for Twitter a week after he laid off thousands of workers and drew a massive drop in spending by advertisers, who are wary of the site’s direction.

The blue tick has been a mark of an account’s authenticity and doubts emerged that public figures or media outlets would pay for it. The official gray tag was seen by observers as a workaround to solve that problem.

The launch of the new official label began Wednesday and was on the accounts of companies such as Apple and BMW, as well as public ones such as the White House and major media outlets.

But only hours later, it was gone for many of them.

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Accounts that had received the “official” badge — including Agence France-Presse, BBC News, Pope Francis and Kanye West — saw the mention disappear.

‘A lot of work’

Esther Crawford, an executive who announced the gray tick on Tuesday, insisted that the official label was still going to be part of the relaunch, but that “we are just focusing on government and commercial entities to begin with.”

“There are no sacred cows in product at Twitter anymore. Elon is willing to try lots of things — many will fail, some will succeed,” she tweeted Wednesday.

“The goal is to find the right mix of successful changes to ensure the long-term health and growth of the business.”

During a panel for advertisers broadcast on Twitter, Musk exercised some damage control, admitting that a lot of work lay ahead to get the site to the place he wished to reach.

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“We’ve got a lot to do on the software side. I can’t emphasize that enough,” he said.

Musk took control of Twitter after a drawn-out legal battle in which the mercurial tycoon tried to renege on a deal that many believe he overpaid for.

It emerged on Tuesday that Musk sold $4 billion worth of shares in Tesla to help pay for a transaction in which he took on billions of dollars in debt.

Twitter Blue is seen as one way to overcome the loss in advertisers since Musk took over.

Twitter last week fired half of its 7,500 employees, which Musk said was necessary as the company was losing $4 million a day.

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International

Trump Delays Potential Iran Strikes as Regional Peace Talks Continue

Donald Trump announced a new deadline for potential military action against Iran, saying he would temporarily delay planned strikes while regional negotiators continue efforts to secure a peace agreement.

Speaking at the White House, Trump said he decided to postpone the operation after receiving requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

The U.S. president explained that the pause would remain in place for only a limited period, adding that discussions could continue through the end of the week or early next week.

Trump also warned that military action remained a possibility if negotiations fail to produce results, stressing that the United States could not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.

“Maybe we’ll have to hit them again,” Trump said, referring to Iran while reiterating his willingness to resume military operations if necessary.

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International

FAO Urges Urgent Action as Hormuz Disruption Threatens Global Food Supply

A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a “systemic agri-food shock” capable of causing a major global food price crisis within six to twelve months, the Food and Agriculture Organization warned on Wednesday.

Before the recent attacks launched by United States and Israel against Iran, roughly one-fifth of the world’s seaborne oil shipments passed through the strategic waterway.

The UN agency said the disruption should not be viewed as a temporary shipping issue, but rather as the beginning of a broader global agro-food crisis with potential long-term economic consequences.

The FAO urged governments to establish alternative trade routes, avoid export restrictions, protect humanitarian supply chains and build reserves to absorb rising transportation costs.

Máximo Torero said countries must urgently strengthen their resilience and prepare for the potential impact of disruptions linked to the maritime bottleneck.

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According to the organization, the window for preventive action is rapidly closing.

International

U.S. Sanctions Alleged Sinaloa Cartel Money Launderers Linked to Fentanyl Trade

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions on Wednesday against more than a dozen individuals and companies allegedly linked to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, accusing them of laundering money connected to fentanyl trafficking operations.

Among those targeted are Armando Ojeda Avilés, identified by U.S. authorities as a leading money laundering operator for the cartel, and Jesús “Chuy” González Peñuela, who has been subject to a $5 million reward since January 2024.

According to the sanctions list released by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), other individuals sanctioned include Jesús Alonso Aispuro, described as the network’s financial chief, and Rodrigo Alarcón Palomares, accused of overseeing cash collection operations in the United States.

Relatives of the alleged cartel figures were also sanctioned for managing businesses reportedly tied to the network, including the security company Grupo Especial Mamba Negra and the restaurant Gorditas Chiwas in Chihuahua, Mexico.

The Sinaloa Cartel was designated a narcoterrorist organization last year under an order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump and has since become a major focus of U.S. law enforcement efforts.

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Two weeks ago, prosecutors in New York’s Southern District accused Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya and several associates of collaborating with the cartel, a development that increased tensions with the administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.