Briefly

CHINA

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister to pay visit

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud will make an official visit to China from Tuesday to Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun announced on Monday.

AUSTRALIA

Nation plans to tighten social media bans

Australia plans to double potential fines for social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, that fail to prevent Australian children from holding accounts, as critics argue the world-first ban on under-16s was failing. Communications Minister Anika Wells on Monday blamed the platforms' resistance to the age restrictions for the need to toughen the laws that came into force on Dec 10. "We can all agree we would like the scheme to work better than it is currently, but that is on Big Tech taking the Mickey," Wells told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, using an Australian slang term for deceiving, teasing or mocking. The government announced on Sunday it would introduce draft legislation into Parliament this week that would double the maximum fine to A $99 million ($68 million) for platforms that fail to take reasonable steps to prevent children from holding accounts.

UNITED STATES

1 killed in shooting at World Cup fan zone

One person was killed and another seriously injured on Sunday in a shooting at a popular entertainment spot in San Jose, California, that has been hosting a World Cup "fan zone" screening matches, police said. There were no World Cup games being screened at the time of the shooting."One victim was pronounced deceased on scene. The second victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries," San Jose police said in a post on X.

CHINA DAILY-AGENCIES