Glencore Posts Strong H1 2026 Earnings, Announces ASX Secondary Listing 
Oil Prices Surge as Iran Hormuz Restrictions Renew Supply Fears 
Gold Price Hits Seven-Week High as Fed Rate Hike Bets Fade and Hormuz Deal Hopes Grow 
Asian Currencies Hold Steady as US Dollar Nears Seven-Week Low Ahead of Key Jobs Data 
Daimler Truck Q2 Profit Falls 18%, 2026 Outlook Raised 
BOJ Rate Hike Expectations Rise Ahead of September Meeting 
DBS Raises 2025 Outlook After Record Q2 Profit Driven by Wealth Management 
Asian Stocks Cautious Ahead of US Jobs Data as Oil Rises 
Berkshire Hathaway Cash Falls as Abel Boosts Stock Buybacks 
SoftBank Q1 Profit Beats Forecast as Intel Rally and OpenAI Investments Boost Returns 
Trump Unveils $3 Billion U.S. Critical Minerals Push 
Qantas Shares Climb as Long-Haul Pilot Deal Eases Strike Concerns 
SK Hynix, Samsung Lead Asian Chip Stock Selloff After Sandisk, Western Digital Outlook 
Airbnb Stock Jumps After Q2 Earnings Beat, Strong 2026 Outlook 
Cloudflare Stock Jumps 15% as Earnings Beat Estimates, 2026 Outlook Raised 
Asian Stocks Slip as AI Rally Fades, Oil Holds Steady on Iran Peace Deal Hopes 
Alphabet Stock Slides as Google AI Pioneer Jeff Dean Exits to Launch Discovery Loop 
Google was fined $123 million or €102 million by Italy's anti-trust authority and this was reported on Thursday, May 13. The penalty was said to be for alleged abuse of market position after it shut out its rival's smartphone app that provides recharging service of EVs.
Why Google was fined
Reuters reported that the anti-trust regulators ordered Google to be penalized after it excluded the Enel X app from its Android system. The Italian authority finds this move to have violated an anti-trust law since the Enel X app rivals Google’s own application that provides the same function or service.
Since the Enel X app called the JuicePass is not in Google’s Android system, Italians then have no choice but to use Google Maps, as per the report. This app was developed by Italy-based Enel that was formerly known as EnerNOC, LLC. It offers users assistance for finding and booking EV charging stations found on its maps, complete with details.
In any case, the regulators said that this is an unfair practice because Google is stopping its Italian users from favoring other applications. Instead, users will rely on what’s available and it turned out that only Google Maps is there to use.
It has been over two years since Enel X’s JuicePass was not allowed on Android Auto, a network that allows apps to be utilized safely in vehicles. This behavior is considered anti-competitive so the authorities have stepped in.
"The contested behavior can influence the development of e-mobility in a crucial phase, with possible negative spill-over effects on the growth of electric vehicles (EV)," the Italian anti-trust regulator said.
Google’s response to Italy’s decision
With Italy’s announcement about the fine on Google, it also asked the American tech firm to include JuicePass in its Android Auto. News18 reported that Google has responded and it "respectfully disagreed” with the antitrust authorities’ decision.
The company’s spokesperson said that Google will check all the documents to decide on the appropriate step it should take. "There are thousands of apps compatible with Android Auto, and our goal is to enable even more developers to make their apps available over time," the spokesman simply explained.
