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This is the world in brief from The Economist.

Our top stories.

Ukraine and Russia entered their second day of American-led peace negotiations in Geneva

after just two hours.

The talks have been very tense, said a source quoted by Russian media.

Volodymyr Zelensky called them difficult. Ukraine's president accused Russia of dragging out

negotiations instead of moving towards an agreement to end the four-year war.

Mark Zuckerberg defended Mehta's handling of child safety while testifying in a trial about his

company's effects on young users' mental health. The case is the first of more than 1,600

lawsuits alleging that social media platforms were designed to be addictive.

Meta denies wrongdoing.

A ruling against it could mean that tech firms lose protections that have shielded them from legal

liability.

Spain's economic ministry said it would strive to secure an, quote, influential position on the European

Central Bank's executive board. The Financial Times reported that the ECB's head, Christine Lagarde,

may depart before her term ends in October 27 so that France's president, Emmanuel Macron, is still in office to help pick her

successor. Pablo Hernandez de Coz, Spain's former Central Bank governor, is a possible contender.

...