International
Zuckerberg’s Meta Faces Competition Lawsuit in U.S.
The trial will extend until July 2025. If the FTC wins this first phase, a second and even tougher stage would begin, aiming to argue that forcing Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp would directly benefit competition and consumers.
Zuckerberg is back in the news, this time not to announce the purchase of another company, but quite the opposite.
Union Rayo, reported that this time, Zuckerberg has had to defend himself in a trial that could redefine the history of digital business.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken Meta (the parent company led by the mogul) to court, accusing them of eliminating competition through “killer acquisitions” (buying the competition to shut it down).
That’s exactly the case here, and Zuckerberg might have to say goodbye to his last two purchases: WhatsApp and Instagram. How legal is it to buy your competitors so they won’t outshine you? That’s for a judge to decide.
This trial has been open since April 14, and it has revealed some incredible facts, such as that the purchase of those last two social networks, WhatsApp (one billion dollars) and Instagram (19 billion dollars), could be an illegal strategy.
On the stand, Zuckerberg himself admitted that Facebook is no longer used to connect with family and friends. Want to know more about what’s happening to Meta? We’ll tell you below.
“Facebook no longer serves its original purpose”
During his testimony, Zuckerberg admitted that the social network that made him a billionaire is no longer what it used to be.
Today, he explained, Meta is no longer about personal relationships.
Meta is focused on content, discovering viral trends, and following global conversations.
He said it himself: what used to be a platform to share pictures of your cat with distant relatives or childhood classmates is now a showcase where the algorithm is in charge.
Justifying the most controversial acquisitions
The trial also focused (a lot) on Meta’s two most controversial acquisitions: Instagram (in 2012) and WhatsApp (in 2014). Zuckerberg defended both decisions.
He said those platforms wouldn’t have survived without Meta’s investment, and now they’re essential tools for billions of people. Basically, his argument was: “We didn’t destroy them, we made them bigger”
The FTC’s accusations: a strategy to eliminate competition?
In search of a solo reign? Of course, the FTC didn’t see it that way at all.
During the trial, internal emails were shown where Zuckerberg described Instagram as a “terrifying threat” that had to be neutralized “at all costs”.
A rejected 6 billion dollar offer for Snap in 2013 was also revealed, which, according to prosecutors, proves a systematic policy of eliminating rivals.
Was it then a strategy to get rid of the competition? Naturally, the ghost of monopoly is hanging over them, since they have 2 billion direct users between WhatsApp and Instagram alone, with these two companies generating more than half of Meta’s advertising revenue.
“We are not a monopoly”
Meta insists it’s not acting alone. Platforms like TikTok, Reddit, YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) are cited as direct competition.
The company also reminds everyone that all of its acquisitions were legally approved at the time. And of course, undoing them now would just be changing the rules of the tech game.
What’s coming: a battle
The trial will extend until July 2025. If the FTC wins this first phase, a second and even tougher stage would begin, aiming to argue that forcing Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp would directly benefit competition and consumers.
What’s at stake?
Basically, the future of how large digital platforms work.
If Meta loses, it wouldn’t be surprising if other giants like Google or Amazon start facing similar lawsuits.
Pressure against big tech isn’t new, but this time, the one on the ropes is Zuckerberg. And this time, there’s no “like” button to save him
International
Middle East War: IEA recommends options to ease oil price pressures on consumers, Motorists
Work from home where possible. Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.
Image credit : Shutterstock
Immediate actions to reduce demand:
1. Work from home where possible. Displaces oil use from commuting, particularly where jobs are suitable for remote work.
2. Reduce highway speed limits by at least 10 km/h. Lower speeds reduce fuel use for passenger cars, vans and trucks.
3. Encourage public transport. A shift from private cars to buses and trains can quickly reduce oil demand.
4. Alternate private car access to roads in large cities on different days.
Number-plate rotation schemes can reduce congestion and fuel-intensive driving.
5. Increase car sharing and adopt efficient driving practices. Higher car occupancy and eco-driving can lower fuel consumption quickly.
6. Efficient driving for road commercial vehicles and delivery of goods
Better driving practices, vehicle maintenance and load optimisation can cut diesel use.
7. Divert LPG use from transport
Shifting bi-fuel and converted vehicles from LPG to gasoline can preserve LPG for cooking and other essential needs.
8. Avoid air travel where alternative options exist
Reducing business flights can quickly ease pressure on jet fuel markets.
9. Where possible, switch to other modern cooking solutions
Encouraging electric cooking and other modern options can reduce reliance on LPG.
10. Leverage flexibility with petrochemical feedstocks and implement short-term efficiency and maintenance measures
Industry can help free up LPG for essential uses while reducing oil consumption through quick operational improvements
International
Hong Kong police can now demand phone passwords under new national security rules
Those who refuse could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($12,700; £9,600), and individuals who provide “false or misleading information” could face up to three years in jail.
Image credit : Getty images
Hong Kong police can now demand phone or computer passwords from those who are suspected of breaching the wide-ranging National Security Law (NSL).
Those who refuse could face up to a year in jail and a fine of up to HK$100,000 ($12,700; £9,600), and individuals who provide “false or misleading information” could face up to three years in jail.
It comes as part of new amendments to a bylaw under the NSL that the government gazetted on Monday.
The NSL was introduced in Hong Kong in 2020, in wake of massive pro-democracy protests the year before.
Authorities say the laws, which target acts like terrorism and secession, are necessary for stability – but critics say they are tools to quash dissent.
The new amendments also give customs officials the power to seize items that they deem to “have seditious intention”.
Monday’s amendments ensure that “activities endangering national security can be effectively prevented, suppressed and punished, and at the same time the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organisations are adequately protected”, Hong Kong authorities said on Monday.
Changes to the bylaw was announced by the city’s leader, John Lee, bypassing the city’s legislative council
(BBC)
International
UN issues new climate warning as El Niño looms
“Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red.”
UN issues new climate warning as El Niño looms5 hours agoMark PoyntingClimate researcherShareSaveGetty Images A man cools himself at a water fountain. He is wearing a red T-shirt and blue shorts and has both hands over his face, from which water is dripping towards the ground.Getty ImagesThe Earth’s climate is further out of balance than at any time in recorded history, the UN’s weather agency has warned.
The World Meteorological Organization says that our planet is gaining much more heat energy than it can release, driven by emissions of warming gases such as carbon dioxide.
This record “energy imbalance” heated the ocean to new heights last year and continued to melt our planet’s ice caps.
And scientists fear that a natural warming phase called El Niño – expected to begin later this year – could soon bring further heat records.
In response to the report, UN Secretary General António Guterres reiterated his call for countries to move away from fossil fuels to renewable energy to “deliver climate security, energy security and national security.”
“Planet Earth is being pushed beyond its limits. Every key climate indicator is flashing red,” he warned, in a typically punchy video address.
The last 11 years were the Earth’s 11 warmest years in records stretching back to 1850, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says.
In 2025, global average air temperatures were about 1.43C above those of “pre-industrial” times – before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels.
A temporary cooling from the natural La Niña weather pattern meant that 2025 was not quite as hot as 2024, which was boosted by the opposite El Niño phase.
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