A 16.68 billion-dollar fine and fundamental changes to youth protection: this is the settlement reached by Meta and the US states that brought the lawsuit. The plaintiffs had accused the company of deliberately designing its Facebook and Instagram platforms to be addictive to young users. The settlement, reached in Oakland, California, is also making waves in Europe.
Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb former general nicknamed the "Butcher of Bosnia", died on Thursday in the United Nations Detention Unit in The Hague aged 83. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 2017 for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the Bosnian War (1992–1995).
At least 472 people have died in a flash flood in the mountainous region between China and Nepal. The flood, which was apparently triggered by the collapse of a glacier, swept almost 170 kilometres along two rivers through Tibet and Nepal on Wednesday, destroying entire villages along the way. More than 1,400 people are still missing. Commentators see the disaster as a result of climate change.
Slovenia has vetoed a joint statement by the EU and its 27 Member States condemning Israel's decision to build new settlements in the West Bank. As a result the document could only be issued as a communiqué from the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. The Foreign Ministry of the new centre-right government in Ljubljana explained the veto saying that the statement "would not bring added value at this moment".
This Saturday, the people of Iceland will vote on whether the country should begin accession talks with the EU. Iceland had already entered negotiations with the EU in 2010 but the government in Reykjavík suspended them in 2013, mainly due to differences over fisheries policy. Commentators look to the north - and to the future.
The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe was in Moscow on Tuesday for talks. The visit was unofficial and unannounced, but a large US military cargo aircraft flying from Washington to Moscow did not escape public attention. The Kremlin later confirmed the visit, saying there had been "talks between the intelligence services". Most media outlets see a connection with the war in Ukraine.
In the US and around the world fans are mourning the loss of country singer and entertainer Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80. Parton epitomised the American dream: born into extreme poverty, she rose to superstardom in the 1970s. Beyond her musical career, the star was active as an entrepreneur and supporter of research and social projects.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman have signed a memorandum of understanding on the financing of three new theme parks in the Paris region. Six billion euros are to be used to build among other things a theme park based on the manga series Dragon Ball Z, of which both leaders are fans.
The US administration is upping the economic pressure in the conflict with Iran. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reiterated on Monday President Trump's "economic D-Day" threat, stressing that the goal is to cut Iran off from all sources of income, and called on countries that maintain trade ties with Iran to immediately suspend them.
There has been a surge in the number of serious accidents in the UK and Ireland involving teenagers who steal cars and post videos of their joyrides on social media. After twelve people were recently killed in two accidents involving cars driving in the wrong direction on the motorway, the British press examines how to end the joyriding trend.
Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day on Monday, five years into the Russian war of aggression. The leaders of numerous supporting countries travelled to Kyiv for the occasion, with the EU pledging further financial aid running into the billions. Commentators describe a country that has not given up hope of a free and peaceful future.