The World in Brief from The Economist

Donald Trump deleted a video from his social-media account that depicted Barack Obama, a former president, and his wife, Michelle, as apes

Donald Trump deleted a video from his social-media account that depicted Barack Obama, a former president, and his wife, Michelle, as apes

Donald Trump deleted a video from his social-media account that depicted former president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle as apes

America’s stock market rebounded on Friday after a run of sell-offs.

Big tech stocks were dumped by investors as they reacted to the sector’s plans to spend a combined $660bn this year on artificial intelligence. Also, Novo Nordisk said it would take legal action against Hims & Hers, a telehealth company, for selling a “knock-off” version of its Wegovy weight-loss pill.

Shares in Amazon fell by as much as 10% after the tech giant said it planned to spend $200bn this year on capital expenditure, which includes data centres and other AI-related projects.

Sir Keir Starmer, Britain’s prime minister, said he did not know “the depth and darkness” of Peter Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a dead sex offender.

Sir Keir Starmer’s position as Britain’s prime minister looked increasingly insecure as a scandal grew over what he knew about Peter Mandelson’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. Also, tech stocks fell for a second consecutive day, amid concerns about software firms’ vulnerability to AI and worries about chipmakers.