French court blocks Macron’s social media ban for under-15s

Constitutional council says curbs infringe freedom of expression and privacy as president vows to rework legislation

France’s top court has blocked a ban on social media access for under-15s, ruling that it infringed freedom of expression and privacy.

The decision is a blow to President Emmanuel Macron as momentum builds around the world for Australian-style restrictions on children’s use of social media.

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China & Taiwan Update, August 14, 2026 – Institute for the Study of War

  1. China & Taiwan Update, August 14, 2026  Institute for the Study of War
  2. Taiwan’s War Games Are Spilling Into Everyday Life  Bloomberg.com
  3. How a Drone ‘Hellscape’ Might Stop a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan  The New York Times
  4. China calls Taiwan's annual military drills a 'wasteful charade'  Reuters
  5. Taiwan is training its Abrams tank crews to hide and refuel inside its bustling urban sprawl  Business Insider
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France’s top court blocks social media ban for under-15s – Reuters

  1. France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s  Reuters
  2. France’s top court blocks bill banning social media for under-15s  CNN
  3. World in Brief: French court blocks social-media ban; Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to federal charges  The Economist
  4. France’s Top Court Strikes Down Ban on Social Media for Children  The New York Times
  5. Top French court upholds assisted dying law, rejects teen social media ban  Al Jazeera
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Hundreds arrested on suspicion of arson in France as wildfires rage across Europe

One person killed and hundreds evacuated in Croatia as blazes also hit Germany, Greece and Spain

Almost 500 people have been arrested on suspicion of starting wildfires in France since the start of the summer, authorities have said, as firefighters in half a dozen European countries tackle ferocious blazes amid a record-breaking heatwave.

A fire engulfed ⁠homes in a Croatian holiday resort on Friday, killing one person, injuring 40 and forcing 1,200 to evacuate, officials said, as the EU warned that pockets of “very extreme” wildfire conditions stretched across the continent.

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Russian Regions Face New Fuel Crunch as Kyiv Hits Refineries – Bloomberg.com

  1. Russian Regions Face New Fuel Crunch as Kyiv Hits Refineries  Bloomberg.com
  2. Ukrainian drone strikes push up Russian trucking costs, stoking inflation  Reuters
  3. Putin Faces Humiliating New Crisis After Shock Attack  The Daily Beast
  4. Russia's Diesel Exports Crash to Multiyear-Low amid Tight Global Market  Crude Oil Prices Today | OilPrice.com
  5. Fights break out at gas station queues in Moscow as Russia’s fuel crisis deepens  The New Voice of Ukraine
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Canadian plasma clinics pause collections after deaths of two donors

Grifols, which runs private chain of clinics, to temporarily stop taking donations after new government investigation

A chain of private plasma donation clinics in Canada has said it is pausing collections after the deaths of two donors and a new government investigation into potential unsafe practices.

Grifols, a Spanish healthcare company which runs 17 clinics in Canada and is the country’s only private clinic for plasma donation, said it informed Health Canada of its decision to temporarily pause collections on Wednesday.

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France’s social media ban for children under 15 struck down by top constitutional authority – CBS News

  1. France's social media ban for children under 15 struck down by top constitutional authority  CBS News
  2. World in Brief: Sharp decline in American violent crime; French court blocks social-media ban  The Economist
  3. France’s top court blocks bill banning social media for under-15s  CNN
  4. France's top court blocks social media ban for under-15s  BBC
  5. France’s Top Court Strikes Down Ban on Social Media for Children  The New York Times
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Colombia grapples with rebuilding a shattered nation after a deadly earthquake – AP News

  1. Colombia grapples with rebuilding a shattered nation after a deadly earthquake  AP News
  2. A big earthquake reveals two very different Colombias  The Economist
  3. Colombia hopes for miracles as search for quake victims goes on  Yahoo
  4. Colombia’s earthquake is déjà vu for Venezuelans. The government response is anything but  AP News
  5. Topos Azteca, a Mexican Volunteer Rescue Group, Helps With Rescue Efforts After Colombia Earthquake  The New York Times
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Iran War Updates: Iran strikes another ship in Strait of Hormuz as Israel steps up Lebanon attacks – CBS News

  1. Iran War Updates: Iran strikes another ship in Strait of Hormuz as Israel steps up Lebanon attacks  CBS News
  2. Iran targets tankers in ‘unprovoked attacks’ in Strait of Hormuz, UAE says  Fox News
  3. Iran attacks third UAE tanker within a week  The Hill
  4. UAE says Iran attacked ADNOC vessel in Hormuz, urges waterway's reopening  Reuters
  5. Oil Rises After Tanker Attack in Hormuz  wsj.com
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Belgian student strikes gold worth €9m while digging a new sewer

Kobe, 18, who made discovery on site of former brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, at first thought trove was €1 coins

For a student with a summer job working on a Belgian building site, “money down the drain” has taken on a whole new meaning: excavating the trenches for a sewage system, he stumbled across a hidden trove of gold worth an estimated €9m (£8m).

“We suddenly saw something lying there,” 18-year-old Kobe told the Belgian news network VTM. “At first I thought it was €1 coins. So we started digging them up. Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought.”

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What we know so far about the West Midlands fires – BBC

  1. What we know so far about the West Midlands fires  BBC
  2. Heatwave latest: Emergency alerts sent to millions across England and Wales over threat of wildfires  Sky News
  3. UK firefighters out in force to tackle fires on hottest day of the year  AP News
  4. ‘It’s due to climate’: the people of Stourbridge on the town’s wildfires  The Guardian
  5. UK houses caught up in wildfires during hottest day of the year  Financial Times
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Israel awaits US approval for operation to seize strategic ridge in southern Lebanon – report – The Jerusalem Post

  1. Israel awaits US approval for operation to seize strategic ridge in southern Lebanon - report  The Jerusalem Post
  2. Israeli strike kills 7 in Lebanon, a vessel attacked in Hormuz and other news from the Middle East  AP News
  3. Israel deliberately starting wildfires in southern Lebanon, firefighters say  The Guardian
  4. Heavy environmental toll of war in southern Lebanon  NPR
  5. Live updates • At least nine killed in overnight IDF strikes in southern Lebanon, reports say  Haaretz
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