International
Snapchat begins age verification for australian teens ahead of strict social media ban
Snapchat has started requiring Australian teenagers to verify their age, weeks before Canberra enforces new laws banning social media use for anyone under 16, a company spokesperson said on Monday.
“Starting this week, many users will be asked to verify their age to continue accessing Snapchat,” the company said in a statement. Users will be able to confirm their age using an Australian bank account or a government-issued ID.
Snapchat, like other platforms, urged its teenage users to download their data as soon as possible, noting that it may become harder to do so once the ban takes effect.
The messaging app stated that it “strongly disagrees” with being included in the government restriction but added that it “will comply, as we do with all local laws in the countries where we operate.”
“Disconnecting teenagers from their friends and families does not make them safer and could push them toward messaging apps that are less safe and less private,” the company warned.
So far, 10 platforms—including Discord, WhatsApp, Lego Play, and Pinterest—have avoided being included in the restrictions.
However, Australian authorities have reserved the right to update the list of platforms subject to the ban.
Australia’s new law is considered one of the strictest in the world, though experts warn it may be largely symbolic due to the challenges of enforcing it and monitoring age-verification measures.
International
Tatiana Schlossberg reveals aggressive leukemia diagnosis in personal New Yorker essay
In a deeply personal essay published in The New Yorker, Tatiana Schlossberg revealed her diagnosis: acute myeloid leukemia with a rare genetic mutation known as Inversion 3, a variant that responds poorly to standard treatments.
The 35-year-old journalist explained that the disease was discovered shortly after the birth of her second daughter in May 2024, when doctors detected an extremely high white blood cell count. Schlossberg said she was in complete shock upon receiving the diagnosis, noting that she “didn’t feel sick” and had experienced a healthy pregnancy.
Her treatment since then has been intense. She has undergone chemotherapy, at least two bone marrow transplants, and is participating in clinical trials involving CAR-T therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy. In one of these trials, her doctors told her they might be able to “keep [her] alive for a year, maybe less.”
Schlossberg reflected on her fears for her children, her husband, George Moran, and her parents, and on the emotional weight of becoming part of the Kennedy family’s long history of tragedy. She also criticized her cousin, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., for political decisions that she argues have harmed medical research that could benefit cancer patients like her.
International
Zelensky hails ‘important steps’ in Geneva talks but says more needed for real peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday praised the “important steps” made during the summit with the United States in Geneva but warned that much more is needed to stop the war with Russia, now nearing its fourth year.
Senior Ukrainian, U.S., and European officials met Sunday in Switzerland after news emerged of a U.S. proposal to end Russia’s invasion—one widely criticized for conceding too much to Moscow’s demands. All sides said progress had been made in the Geneva talks, calling them “constructive” in a joint statement.
European leaders are expected to hold urgent discussions on Ukraine on the sidelines of a summit in Angola on Monday.
“In the steps we coordinated with the U.S. side, we managed to include extremely sensitive points,” Zelensky said via video link during a talk in Sweden.
These points include “the full release of all Ukrainian prisoners of war under the ‘all for all’ exchange formula, the release of civilians, and the complete return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia,” he added.
Kyiv says Moscow illegally took Ukrainian minors from occupied territories to Russia during the war and continues to demand their return.
“These are important steps, but to achieve real peace, more is needed,” Zelensky stressed.
He said Ukraine is at a “critical moment” and vowed to seek compromises that strengthen the country.
The 28-point plan submitted by the United States last week alarmed European governments, as it envisions Russia gaining even more territory than it currently occupies—an idea many in Ukraine and the EU view as a capitulation.
International
Peru’s president says he is open to entering mexican embassy to arrest Betssy Chávez
Peruvian President José Jerí said he is open to entering the Mexican Embassy to arrest former Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is being prosecuted for an attempted coup, according to an interview published Sunday by El Comercio.
On Friday, Peru’s Judiciary issued an international arrest warrant and ordered five months of pretrial detention for Chávez, who is currently taking refuge inside the Mexican Embassy in Lima.
Jerí stated that neither he nor his cabinet has reached a definitive decision, but he did not rule out the possibility of authorizing an entry into the diplomatic mission.
“There is a judicial mandate today, and I am a person open to all kinds of possibilities and decisions. I do not limit myself, and if entering the Mexican Embassy must be done, it will be done,” Jerí said in the interview.
The president’s remarks, made on Friday, contrast with a statement issued that same day by his prime minister, Ernesto Álvarez.
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