Briefly

UNITED STATES

AT&T reports breach of data, resets passcodes

AT&T said it has begun notifying millions of customers about the theft of personal data recently discovered online. The telecommunications company said on Saturday that a data set found on the "dark web" contains information such as social security numbers of about 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders. The company said it had reset the passcodes of current users and would be communicating with account holders whose sensitive personal information was compromised. It is not known if the data "originated from AT&T or one of its vendors", the company said.

THE NETHERLANDS

4 hostages freed in Dutch town, 1 held

A hostage situation in the central Dutch town of Ede on Saturday has ended after four hostages were freed and a suspect was arrested, the police said. Ede's Mayor Rene Verhulst told a news conference that the victims were physically unharmed, but "still completely distraught." The police said the suspect had previously been convicted of threatening behavior in 2023.They have started investigating the motive, but have so far excluded any terrorism angle, they said.

EUROPE

Romania and Bulgaria join Schengen zone

Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Europe's ID-check-free travel zone on Sunday, marking a new step in the two countries' integration with the European Union. After years of negotiations to join the Schengen Area, there is now free access for travelers arriving by air or sea from both countries. However, land border checks will remain in place due to opposition primarily from Austria, which has long blocked their application over illegal migration concerns.

Agencies - Xinhua