Twitter owner Elon Musk on Friday said he had begun to reinstate some banned accounts on the social media platform, although former US president Donald Trump remains frozen out for now.
At the end of a difficult week for Mr Musk, he asked whether Twitter's most famous enfant terrible should be allowed back on.
"Reinstate former President Trump?" Mr Musk asked in a Twitter poll about the polarising politician who once had more than 88 million followers.
As of Friday evening, 56.5 per cent of respondents said Mr Trump, who was banned following the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol "due to the risk of further incitement of violence", should be allowed back on Twitter.
Mr Musk is at risk of losing his ranking as the world's richest person as Tesla bulls dump their stock in the electric car maker, while he struggles at the helm of Twitter, which he bought last month for $44 billion.
Mr Trump, who continues to attract a large following despite arguably costing the Republican Party election victories in 2018, 2020 and 2022, was famous for his controversial tweets.
Whether he would even choose to return to Twitter is an open question, as Mr Trump has created his own social media platform called Truth Social, where he remains active.
Meanwhile, comedienne Kathy Griffin, whom Mr Musk banned after she impersonated him, and psychologist Jordan Peterson have been allowed back on to the platform, as was conservative satirical website Babylon Bee.
Mr Musk said in late October that a council would be formed at Twitter to address content decisions and account reinstatements.
He said no decisions “will happen before that council convenes” but no details have been released, suggesting Mr Musk is making these decisions himself as Twitter staff continue to quit en masse.
“Trump decision has not yet been made,” Mr Musk tweeted on Friday.
Griffin was suspended for impersonating Mr Musk, while Dr Peterson was kicked off the platform for calling actor Elliot Page's gender transition a sin. The Babylon Bee account was suspended for posting hateful content.
This comes after another chaotic day at the social media platform, where hundreds of staff reportedly left after Mr Musk issued an ultimatum to work “hardcore” for a so-called Twitter 2.0 under his leadership.
Meanwhile, a visual artist in San Francisco projected unflattering descriptions of Mr Musk on to the company's headquarters, including “Space Karen” and “Bankruptcy Baby”.
In the US, a “Karen” is a derogatory name for a white woman who makes a scene at a shop or restaurant, demanding to “speak to the manager”.
Many Twitter users pointed out that Mr Musk is the manager and many other executives have quit or been sacked.
A look at former president Donald Trump's Truth Social feed - in pictures
Maestro
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Scoreline
UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia
UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’
Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’
Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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