China has formally ordered Meta to unwind its $2 billion acquisition of AI company Manus, citing national security concerns over foreign investment. The directive, issued on April 27, came after Chinese regulators spent months scrutinizing the deal, which Meta had closed in December 2025. During the review, authorities told both Manus cofounders not to leave China. Manus is a Chinese-founded AI agent startup that went public in March 2025. Its product wraps around Anthropic's Claude 3.7 Sonnet model and uses multiple specialized sub-agents, one to plan tasks, another to execute them, letting users do things like search property listings or book travel without manual steps. Meta paid $2 billion for it just nine months after launch. Beijing's decision reflects a broader pattern: both the US and Chinese governments are tightening scrutiny of cross-border tech deals, especially in AI. China's move effectively bars foreign ownership of homegrown AI infrastructure it considers strategically sensitive. For Meta, the forced unwind erases a major agentic AI bet and raises real questions about whether US companies can acquire Chinese AI startups at all. Watch for how this shapes Meta's AI agent strategy and whether Washington responds with reciprocal restrictions.
Qatar's foreign ministry said mediators including Qatar, Pakistan, and Oman have reached "very progressive stages" in efforts to end the US-Iran war, pushing Brent crude down more than four percent.
Qatar confirmed it is mediating between the US and Iran but said no direct talks are currently planned. The clarification follows conflicting statements from President Trump, who claimed talks are under way, and Tehran, which denied any dialogue is happening.
Saudi Aramco reported sharply higher second-quarter 2026 profits as the Iran war restricts global oil supply and pushes crude prices up. Other oil supermajors also posted outsized earnings, raising concerns about sustained fuel cost pressure for importing economies.
President Trump called current Iran negotiations the "last chance" to end five months of conflict, pushing oil prices higher. Tehran denied formal talks are taking place, raising the risk of a diplomatic breakdown with direct consequences for global energy markets.
