Meta Platforms has suspended a network of over 400 accounts, pages and groups ahead of general elections in the Philippines as the Facebook parent moves to crack down hate speech and misinformation.
The accounts included Facebook Pages and groups linked to Philippines' New People's Army, a banned organization, the social media company said.
Concerns about online hate speech have increased as candidates and supporters increasingly turn to social media for the May 9 election against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic disrupting traditional campaign methods.
Last month, the country's presidential candidates had pressed on the need to hold social media companies liable for the spread of misinformation.
Meta said in a blog post on Wednesday that advertisers in the Philippines will have to complete its ad authorisations process and include 'Paid for by' disclaimers on ads about elections, politics and certain categories of social issues.
The move by Meta comes after it last month changed its stance in Ukraine that temporarily allowed calls for violence and narrowed its content moderation policy to prohibit calls for the death of a head of state.
China on Friday launched an uncrewed spacecraft on a nearly two-month mission to retrieve rocks and soil from the far side of the moon, the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.
Police forcibly removed scores of defiant pro-Palestinian protesters at several colleges on Thursday, including taking down an encampment at UCLA in a jarring scene that underscored the heightened chaos that has erupted at universities this week.
The Indonesian government will permanently relocate almost 10,000 residents after a series of explosive eruptions of the Ruang volcano has raised concerns about the dangers of residing on the island in future, a minister said on Friday.
A magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck off the island province of Leyte in central Philippines on Friday, with damage and aftershocks expected, its seismology agency said.
Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi will contest the general election from the family bastion in the north, his Congress party announced on Friday, a move that will challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a region he dominates.