Google and AI startup to settle lawsuits alleging chatbots led to teen suicide

Lawsuit accuses AI chatbots of harming minors and includes case of Sewell Setzer III, who killed himself in 2024

Google and Character.AI, a startup, have settled lawsuits filed by families accusing artificial intelligence chatbots of harming minors, including contributing to a Florida teenager’s suicide, according to court filings on Wednesday.

The settlements cover lawsuits filed in Florida, Colorado, New York and Texas, according to the legal filings, though they still require finalization and court approval.

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Bowen: Trump risks pushing world back to age of empires

Donald Trump wants and needs quick victories. Taking Maduro is the decisive win he has craved, writes Jeremy Bowen.

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One Battle After Another and The Studio lead Actor awards nominations

Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic thriller and Apple’s comedy series lead nominations for the renamed Sag awards with an impressive showing for Sinners and Adolescence

One Battle After Another and The Studio lead the nominations for this year’s Actor awards.

The Actor awards were previously known as the Screen Actors Guild (Sag) awards but were renamed last year. The name change was to provide “clearer recognition in terms of what the show is about”, according to those involved.

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UN rights chief says Israeli policy in West Bank 'resembles apartheid system'

Israel says Volker Türk's office makes "absurd" accusations in a report that details what the UN calls "systemic discrimination" against Palestinians.

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Cambodia extradites alleged scam mastermind to China after arrest

Chen Zhi is charged with turning his business into a front for fraud hubs that stole from people around the world.

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Pesticide industry ‘immunity shield’ stripped from US appropriations bill

Democrats and ‘make America healthy again’ movement pushed back on the rider in a funding bill led by Bayer

In a setback for the pesticide industry, Democrats have succeeded in removing a rider from a congressional appropriations bill that would have helped protect pesticide makers from being sued and could have hindered state efforts to warn about pesticide risks.

Chellie Pingree, a Democratic representative from Maine and ranking member of the House appropriations interior, environment, and related agencies subcommittee, said Monday that the controversial measure pushed by the agrochemical giant Bayer and industry allies has been stripped from the 2026 funding bill.

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Macron hosts Ukraine and allies to try to cement security guarantees

The talks are held as Russia continues attacking Ukraine's energy sector and under the shadow of US threats to annex Greenland.

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Watch: What it was like in the courtroom at Maduro's hearing

The BBC's Madeline Halpert was inside the room as the former Venezuelan president addressed the judge.

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Can Maduro's trusted lieutenant now work for Trump?

Delcy Rodríguez, a close ally of captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, has been named interim president.

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From the AI bubble to Fed fears: the global economic outlook for 2026

Analysts and investors voice caution about tech valuations and Trump’s influence on the US central bank

Investors expect global stock markets to keep rising in 2026, despite fears that the AI bubble could burst, and anxiety about chaos engulfing the US central bank.

Wall Street strategists broadly expect the S&P 500 share index of US-listed companies to continue to rise over the next 12 months, but said it could be a volatile year if geopolitical tensions increase and inflation fails to fall.

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