EUROPE

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The UK’s data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), has slapped Reddit with a £14.47 million fine for the unlawful processing of children’s personal data. An investigation revealed that the social media platform failed to implement adequate age-verification measures, potentially exposing underage users to harmful or inappropriate content. UK Information Commissioner John Edwards criticized the tech giant, stating it was "concerning" that a company of Reddit’s scale neglected its legal responsibility to safeguard the information of minors.

In a statement, Reddit said it "didn't require users to share information about their identities, regardless of age, because we are deeply committed to their privacy and safety.”

In July 2025, Reddit started verifying the age of users in order to comply with the requirements of the Online Safety Act (OSA). But the ICO said the platform relied on asking users to declare their age when opening an account - a technique it said was "easy to bypass".

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The central Italian town of Assisi is hosting hundreds of thousands of visitors following the public unveiling of St. Francis of Assisi’s remains. The exhibition, which commemorates the 800th anniversary of the patron saint’s death, is being held in the lower church of his namesake Basilica. Officials confirmed that 400,000 people have already secured places to view the 13th-century skeleton.

His remains have only been seen in public once before - for a single day in 1978 to a very limited group of people.

St Francis is one of the most venerated figures in Christianity and was born in the Italian city of Assisi in 1181 or 1182.

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Australia's prime minister has told Sir Keir Starmer his government would back plans to remove Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of royal succession.

Anthony Albanese expressed his support for such a proposal in a letter to the UK prime minister.

Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne despite being stripped of his titles, including "prince", in October amid pressure over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

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An advert for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has been banned by the UK’s advertising regulator for trivialising sexual violence. The commercial showed fake officers at an airport security check, suggesting the real officers were too busy playing the game. Viewers complained after a scene in which a man was told to strip while an officer put on gloves and said "time for the puppet show"; the regulator found the ad irresponsible and offensive.

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The new Dutch government has sworn in 38-year-old centrist Rob Jetten as the country's youngest-ever prime minister and the first openly gay one. 

Mr. Jetten pulled off a stunning election win in October, coming from behind to dethrone the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) led by firebrand politician Geert Wilders by a razor-thin margin

Jetten takes office 117 days after last year’s general election and is also the first openly gay Dutch leader.

He succeeds Dick Schoof, whose government collapsed in the summer of 2025, triggering snap elections. Jetten’s party scored a narrow victory over the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) led by Geert Wilders. 

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Russian and Ukrainian delegations wrapped up the opening day of US-brokered peace talks in Geneva, held just one week before the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Ukraine’s lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said discussions will continue Wednesday morning, yet the Kremlin’s continued insistence on maximal territorial terms casts doubt on any imminent agreement.

Russian strikes on Ukraine continue on a nightly basis, further damaging the country's already battered power grid as subzero temperatures continue.

Just hours before the delegations met in Geneva, Russia carried out a large combined aerial attack on Ukraine, hitting 12 regions with 400 drones and almost 30 missiles. At least three people were killed, Ukrainian officials said.

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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a stark warning that Russia's invasion is no longer just a regional struggle but a threat to global stability, arguing that Vladimir Putin's actions risk widening the war beyond Ukraine's borders.

Speaking in Kyiv, Zelensky said he believes the Kremlin has already set in motion dynamics resembling a broader world conflict. He insisted the response must be sustained military and economic pressure designed to force Moscow to retreat rather than rewarding aggression.

"I believe Putin has already started it," Zelensky said, describing Russia's campaign as an attempt to reshape international norms. "The question is how far he is prepared to go and how the world stops him."

His remarks come as diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire continue amid deep divisions. Russia has maintained that any settlement would require Ukraine to surrender occupied territories, including large parts of the eastern Donetsk region, as well as areas in the south.

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Berlin Brandenburg Airport faced significant congestion at passport control on the opening day of the Berlin Film Festival, creating frustration and disruption for many international arrivals heading to one of Europe’s most important cultural events.

Travelers landing at the airport throughout the day described long waits, slow moving lines, and confusion as hundreds of passengers queued to enter Germany. Among those affected were sales agents, financiers, producers, journalists, and talent arriving for both the Berlin Film Festival and the European Film Market. Several industry professionals reported waiting for hours, with some missing scheduled meetings as a result of the delays.

One traveler who arrived earlier in the day managed to pass through passport control after about an hour, having been seated near the front of the plane and joining what was then a relatively small queue. However, even at that point, hundreds of people were already lined up behind. As more flights landed, the lines grew significantly longer.

At one stage, the situation appeared particularly strained in the line designated for non European Union travelers. The entire rest of the world queue, which included families with young children as well as elderly and disabled passengers, was reportedly being handled by a single passport control officer. Passengers described the line as moving at a painfully slow pace, with little visible adjustment to staffing levels despite the growing crowd.