Tuesday 10 April 2018

Mark Zuckerberg will testify at two congressional hearings today and tomorrow. The Facebook founder will be grilled on data privacy, election interference and the future of his social media giant. The BBC observes that "never have we had such unfiltered access to a man who is typically wrapped in cotton wool by his PR team and deputies". CNN says Zuckerberg "needs to friend 2 billion people – quickly".

Iceland says it will be the first chain to stop using palm oil in own-brand products by the end of 2018. The controversial ingredient, which is used in more than half of the supermarket’s products from biscuits to soap, is devastating tropical rainforests across southeast Asia. Oil palm cultivation has resulted in deforestation, leaving orangutans and other species that lived in virgin forest without a home.

Waitrose has vowed to remove all disposable coffee cups from its shops by this autumn. Amid increasing pressure on retailers to reduce plastics and packaging, the chain has announced that members of the loyalty scheme will be asked to use a reusable cup, to get their free hot drinks from self-service machines. Meanwhile, the government is considering a "latte levy" which would bring in a charge on disposable coffee cups.