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BBC News with Neil Nunes.
The boss of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, has been giving evidence in a landmark trial on the question of whether social media causes addiction among young people. The multi-billionaire, whose firm owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, stopped short of using the word "addiction" but, faced with stinging criticism, said he regretted Meta's slow progress in identifying underage users. Peter Bowes is outside of the court in Los Angeles. Mark Zuckerberg has really been grilled on some of the, I suppose you could call them, tactics the company has been using over the years to, in particular, get users of Instagram to spend more time on the platform and he was asked to talk about an internal goal that was revealed through internal Meta emails, referring to time spent increases by 12 percent. Now, in response to that, he said that the company used to give company executives that goal to aim for but he said that's not how we run the company now. Democratic lawmakers in the U.S. have criticized the billionaire businessman Les Wexner after he tried to distance himself from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He issued the statement as he appeared in front of the House Oversight Committee. Mr. Wexner is thought to have played a key role in helping Epstein acquire his wealth. Helena Humphrey reports. He described Epstein as a "master manipulator" and accused him of stealing funds, prompting him to cut off contact. But Democratic Party members of Congress were critical. One of them, Stephen Lynch, accused Mr. Wexner of knowing about the crimes but failing to stop them. Another, Robert Garcia, alleged that Epstein would not have been able to carry out his crimes without the financial backing of Mr. Wexner. An FBI document released in the Epstein files described Les Wexner as the sex offender's "co-conspirator" but he's never been charged with a crime. Being named in the files is not in itself indicative of wrongdoing and he has denied any knowledge of Epstein's abuse. A top United Nations official has warned that Israel's plans to tighten control of parts of the occupied West Bank amount to "de facto annexation." Since last week, Israel's approved a series of reforms to property laws, making it easier for Jewish settlements to expand. Such settlements are considered illegal under international law. Rosemary DiCarlo was addressing the U.N. Security Council. "If implemented, these measures will constitute a dangerous expansion of Israeli civil authority in the occupied West Bank, including in sensitive areas like Hebron. The moves could lead to settlement expansion by removing bureaucratic barriers and easing land purchases and building permits." World news from the BBC. U.S. officials say some American troops are leaving Syria. They said a large-scale presence was no longer required because Damascus was ready to tackle what was described as the "terrorist threat" in the country. Britain is to call for accountability for atrocities being committed in Sudan at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday. The U.K. is using its presidency of the Council to put the spotlight on the devastating civil war. The Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to push for a humanitarian truce and highlight sexual violence, which the U.N. says is being used as a weapon of war. Fiji's former military leader Frank Bainimarama and a former police commissioner have both been arrested and charged with inciting mutiny. The former commissioner, Sitiveni Qiliho, is a long-term ally of the former prime minister. Katy Watson reports. Frank Bainimarama, along with his long-term ally and former police chief, have been questioned over their attempts to overthrow the government that was elected in 2022 and ended his time as prime minister. At the time of the elections, Sitiveni Qiliho had issued a statement saying police needed the support of the military to maintain law and order amid rising racial tensions. Prosecutors allege that the two men encouraged senior officers to overthrow the current military commander after the elections in 2022. They're expected to face court later on Thursday. If convicted, they could face up to 15 years in prison. Denmark's King Frederik has said the well-being of the people of Greenland was very close to his heart as he concluded the first day of a visit there. He's spending three days in Greenland after President Trump repeatedly threatened to take over the self-governing Danish territory. On Saturday, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Mr. Trump still wanted Greenland. That's the latest BBC World News. |