Twitter has rebranded as X after owner Elon Musk unveiled its new logo on Monday, a day after he said that the microblogging platform's bird would soon be replaced.
The billionaire tweeted an X symbol and also posted a video showing it on Monday morning.
He also replaced his profile picture with the X symbol. The official Twitter account did the same.
The move comes after Mr Musk announced through the platform that “if a good enough X logo is posted tonight, we'll make go live worldwide tomorrow”.
“And soon we shall bid adieu to the Twitter brand and, gradually, all the birds,” he said.
The billionaire has made a series of changes since his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter in October.
In April, Twitter was merged with Mr Musk’s firm X Corp.
In the past, he has indicated that acquiring Twitter would be an “accelerant” for creating X, an “everything app”. He said he intended to make X similar to WeChat, China's most popular messaging service.
The logo change led to a spate of memes on Twitter, as users questioned the rationale behind replacing the bird.
Some users also suggested “restarting” Twitter all over again following Mr Musk's actions.
The changes to the platform are part of efforts aimed at boosting user experience and diversifying Twitter's revenue sources, according to Mr Musk.
Mr Musk told the BBC in April that Twitter was roughly breaking even and would become cash-flow positive in the coming quarters as advertisers return.
As part of the revamp following his takeover, Mr Musk said in May that video and voice calls were “coming soon” to the platform.
With the move, Twitter would take on other established apps that offer the same feature, most notably those from Meta Platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp.
Twitter also said it was also moving forward with plans to introduce a payments feature, steering it towards Mr Musk's goal of tapping into new revenue streams, the Financial Times reported in January.
In December, Twitter also relaunched Twitter Blue, the platform's top-tier account, which indicates that a user is verified, as a paid subscription service.
The premium feature’s fees start at $8 a month for individuals, with joiners getting subscriber-only features including Edit Tweet, 1080p video uploads, reader mode, the coveted blue check mark and longer tweets.
The costs of keeping the ticks start at $1,000 a month for organisations, plus $50 monthly for each affiliate or employee account.
The social media platform also now also requires users to have an account and be logged in to view user profiles and tweets, a move Mr Musk claims will prevent data from being “pillaged so much”.
Meanwhile, this month, he announced that Twitter would be temporarily limiting the number of tweets people can read in a day.
The limits are at 10,000 posts per day for verified users, 1,000 posts per day for unverified users and 500 posts per day for new unverified users, Mr Musk said.
He followed that up with a Tweet encouraging users to “step away from the phone”.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
