Photo: Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison/ Getty images

Oracle shed about 21,000 roles globally in the last year as the US technology giant reshapes its business around artificial intelligence (AI), the firm’s latest annual report shows.

The software and cloud computing firm says it had around 141,000 full-time employees as of 31 May 2026, down from about 162,000 workers at the same time last year.

The “deployment of AI technologies across our operations have resulted, and may continue to result, in reductions to our workforce,” the report says.

The cuts, which amount to about 13% of Oracle’s workforce, are part of a wider trend among tech firms as they spend hundreds of billions of dollars on building AI infrastructure like data centres.

British hygiene brand Dettol has apologised for an advert in China that it claims was meant to call out sexism, but has instead backfired.

The five-minute long advert for a multipurpose disinfectant, styled like a micro drama, starts out with a man looking for a partner who is “clean” and “not tainted by other men”.

A plot twist comes late in the advert when his new girlfriend calls him out for his misogyny and breaks up with him. Dettol is then presented as the solution against “toxic men [who] are just like bacteria”.

The advert sparked an uproar on the Chinese internet, with some users saying it objectifies women and others calling for a boycott of the brand.

Dettol said the advert, which has been removed following the backlash, was intended to criticise gender stereotypes, but that snippets of it that later circulated online distorted its core message.

“We recognise that it has offended many people, especially women. We take responsibility for any negligence in creating and reviewing the content of the advert,” Dettol said in a statement on Monday.

The company also said it would review its content moderation processes.

( BBC)

Photo: Okereke-Onyuike

Former Director-General of The Nigerian Stock Exchange (now NGX), Professor Ndi Okereke-Onyuike, has described the emergence of Dr Fiona Ahimie as the first female and 14th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS) as a historic breakthrough for gender inclusion and leadership within Nigeria’s capital market.

Professor Okereke-Onyuike made the remarks when she hosted Ahimie and a high-powered delegation from the Institute on a courtesy visit ahead of the President-Elect’s inauguration scheduled for June 25, 2026.

During the visit, Ahimie formally invited Professor Okereke-Onyuike to attend the historic event.

Welcoming the delegation, Professor Okereke-Onyuike expressed delight at the election of Dr Ahimie, noting that her emergence represents a defining moment in the 30-year history of the Institute and a significant milestone for women in the financial services sector.

Okereke-Onyuike commended the CIS for demonstrating confidence in the leadership capacity of women and for taking a bold step towards strengthening gender balance in the profession.