Facebook Inc.

Governments around the world are taking major steps to clamp down on the anti-competitive practices of large technology companies.

Amazon.com Inc., Facebook Inc. and Netflix Inc. were among companies that saw block trades of call contracts Thursday.

Applications are open from September 16 to 22.

SoftBank shares surged as much as 10% on news of the deal and renewed talks for the company going private.

The steps come as tensions continue to escalate between the US and China over a series of conflicts.

A growing list of Facebook Inc.’s advertisers is set to halt spending on social media, undermining the company’s sales outlook and putting its stock price under further pressure.

Mark Zuckerberg became US$7.2 billion ($10.03 billion) poorer after a flurry of companies pulled advertising from Facebook Inc.’s network.

SINGAPORE (April 2): Singapore plans to introduce tough new laws to hold online outlets accountable for the spread of fake news, joining countries around the world in putting pressure on companies like Facebook Inc. to address the issue.

(Apr 10): Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg, in prepared testimony for the US House of Representatives, said all of Facebook’s problems are his mistake.