Meta is ending its fact-checking program

Meta will stop using third-party fact-checkers on Facebook, Threads and Instagram, a policy once introduced to curb the spread of misinformation on the tech company’s social media platforms. Meta instead relies on users adding notes to posts that may be false or misleading.

The about-face is a clear sign of how Meta is repositioning itself for the Trump presidency. The company recently informed Trump officials of the change, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, also said Monday that the company had appointed Dana White, the head of Ultimate Fighting Championship and a longtime friend of Trump, to the company’s board.

Zuckerberg said the change would begin in the US in the coming months. “It’s time to return to our roots of free speech,” he said. He acknowledged that the decision would lead to more “bad things” on the platforms, calling it a “tradeoff” for reducing the number of “posts and accounts of innocent people that we accidentally delete.”

Reactions: Several digital rights groups condemned the decision, even as Donald Trump and his conservative allies praised the change. The president-elect has acknowledged that the decision is “probably” related to threats he made against Meta and Zuckerberg.

Could the US take Greenland – or Canada?

In a wide-ranging news conference yesterday, Trump declined to rule out using military or economic coercion to force Panama to give up control of the canal built by the U.S. more than a century ago or to force Denmark to sell Greenland.

His desire to expand the U.S. footprint is consistent with his mindset of making everything he controls as big as possible, which dates back to his series of real estate purchases in the late 1980s, and he has hinted that Greenland “It may be necessary for you to do something,” he said.

It was not clear how serious the president-elect was about some of his comments. He once suggested that his administration would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reacted angrily to Trump’s threat to use “economic force” against Canada to acquire it, writing on social media: “There is no chance of Canada becoming part of the United States.”

Panama: Few appeared to take Trump’s threats very seriously, but Panama’s Foreign Minister Javier Martínez-Acha stressed that the canal’s sovereignty was “non-negotiable” and said: “Let me be clear: the canal belongs to Panamanians and will continue to be so.” .” in this way.”

Related: The second Trump presidency presents unprecedented potential for conflicts of interest in real estate, cryptocurrency and sports deals.

Numerous people have died in an earthquake in China

At least 126 people died and nearly 200 were injured in a magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Dingri county, near one of Tibet’s most historic cities in western China, state media said. The quake was the country’s worst since December 2023, when a magnitude 6.2 quake killed 151 people in the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Qinghai.

The Chinese state broadcaster said at least 1,000 homes had been damaged and rescue efforts were being hampered by logistical challenges. The remoteness of the area along the Himalayan border with Nepal made the delivery of resources difficult.

On site: With temperatures in the region reaching minus 15 degrees Celsius, rescue workers only had a short window of opportunity to locate survivors.

MORE TOP NEWS

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The problem was largely ignored until recently, but scientists are now trying to better quantify it. Read more.

Lives Lived: Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary, the folk trio behind gentle hits such as “Puff the Magic Dragon”, has died aged 86.

CONVERSATION STARTER

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• The one who got away: Fleeing allegations of fraud, Samuele Landi went to sea and evaded extradition treaties. He took advantage of everything the offshore world had to offer.

• A dangerous byproduct: Mining operations in the Roman Empire resulted in widespread lead exposure. It may have been the world’s first case of large-scale industrial pollution.

ARTS AND IDEAS

Where are you going this year?

England will honor author Jane Austen on the occasion of her 250th birthday. New York City is celebrating four major museum reopenings. In Koh Samui, Thailand, fans of “The White Lotus” can walk the sandy beaches and jungle where the upcoming season was filmed. And exploring Angola’s tropical beaches, waterfalls and national parks has never been easier.

All of these places are our travel agency’s “52 Places to Visit in 2025” this year. Read the list and mark the destinations you most want to visit.