Facebook rejects Aussie call to share ad revenue

SYDNEY • Facebook yesterday rejected calls from the Australian government and news companies that it share advertising revenue with the media, suggesting it would rather cut news content from its platform.

It said in a submission to Australia's competition watchdog that news represents a "very small fraction" of the content in an average user's news feed.

"If there were no news content available on Facebook in Australia, we are confident the impact on Facebook's community metrics and revenues in Australia would not be significant," it said, in a thinly veiled threat to boycott local news companies.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

S. Korea urges North to return to dialogue

SEOUL • South Korea's President Moon Jae-in yesterday urged North Korea to refrain from raising tension and return to dialogue.

"The promises of peace on the Korean peninsula that Chairman Kim Jong Un made before our 80 million people cannot be turned back," Mr Moon said, referring to pacts struck at a summit of the two leaders in 2018.

"North Korea should not cut communications, raise tension and try to go back to the past era of confrontation," he added.

Mr Moon's remarks came as South Korea yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the first summit between the two nations.

REUTERS

Thai PM warns activists not to criticise monarchy

BANGKOK • Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday warned political activists not to criticise the monarchy.

Mr Prayut said doing so could damage their job prospects, even though the King had asked him not to make prosecutions under a law protecting the royal family.

Insulting the monarchy is a crime under the country's criminal code, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

The suspected kidnapping of a Thai pro-democracy activist in Cambodia this month ignited small protests by university students, with some questioning in online comments the lese majeste law.

REUTERS