2026-07-25
4 分钟This is The World in Brief from The Economist.
Our top stories.
Paramount agreed to delay the $111 billion merger with Warner Brothers Discovery until June 2027 at the latest,
while a judge considers the legal merits of an antitrust lawsuit against the tie-up.
Twelve American states have sued to halt the mega-deal,
alleging it would give the combined company greater leverage over cinemas and cable distributors.
Paramount said these claims, quote, cannot withstand scrutiny.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, said he would meet Donald Trump at the White House next week,
as America's president weighs escalation in Iran.
Earlier, America launched strikes across Iran after Mr. Trump warned of, quote,
major military punishment on the Iranian regime and its Yemeni proxy militia, the Houthis.
Iran targeted American military facilities across the Gulf in response.
Mr. Trump threatened Europe with another, quote, substantial tariff
and said he would launch an investigation into the bloc's penalising of America's tech companies.
This week, the European Commission fined Google 890 million euros, $1 billion,
for allegedly prioritising its own search and app store services over smaller competitors.
Other American tech giants, including Apple and Meta, have been hit with similar penalties,
which Mr Trump called, quote, illegal.
Member states of the International Criminal Court voted to fire Karim Khan,
its chief prosecutor, over allegations of sexual misconduct, which he denies.