European Union (EU) leaders are meeting in Slovenia today (AP) with the leaders of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia, which all hope to join the bloc (BBC). Although European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said “we want them in the European Union,” several EU members have opposed Slovenia’s proposal for all six countries to join by 2030.

Last week, von der Leyen said she hoped accession talks would begin (AFP) with Albania and North Macedonia following Bulgarian elections this year. Meanwhile, the EU has become wary of Chinese and Russian investments in the Western Balkans and said it could provide up to $35 billion to the region.

In testimony to a U.S. Senate committee, former Facebook employee Frances Haugen said the company’s engagement-based systems are “fanning ethnic violence” (NYT) in places such as Ethiopia and Myanmar and urged Congress to step in to better regulate Facebook.

This In Brief examines how companies and governments regulate social media content.

A group of French senators will meet (DW) with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei today. Beijing protested the visit, while Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it showed a “commitment to the spirit of freedom and democracy.”

Philippines: Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, announced that he will run for president (Rappler) in the 2022 elections.

The talks in Kabul were the first such meetings (BBC) between British and Taliban officials. They addressed humanitarian needs, safe passage for those leaving Afghanistan, and terrorism prevention.
 
For Foreign Affairs, Anders Fogh Rasmussen argues that the United States and its allies should isolate the Taliban.
 
India: Police in India-administered Kashmir said gunmen killed three civilians (AFP) in separate shootings and that they suspected anti-India groups were to blame.

The elections will now take place (AP) a month after their originally scheduled date in December, a spokesperson for the legislature said.
 
Iran/Russia: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian is in Moscow today (Al Jazeera) for talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Amirabdollahian has said Tehran seeks “a big jump in relations” with Moscow.

The country’s three main opposition parties agreed to form a coalition (Bloomberg) in an effort to unseat the party that has ruled Angola for forty-six years in next year’s elections.
 
Somalia: Officials denounced forced evictions (AFP) of hundreds of people that were carried out by authorities in the breakaway region of Somaliland.

The center-right governing coalition fell apart (Politico) after losing a confidence vote less than a year after it was formed. The collapse could trigger new elections.

Peruvian officials reached a deal (Reuters) with protesters threatening to block access to the Las Bambas copper mine. The parties agreed that local residents will be hired to provide services to the mine.
 
Mexico: A surge in Haitian migrants is straining Mexico’s asylum system (Reuters), with asylum applications expected to jump as much as 70 percent this year compared to 2019.
 
CFR’s Edward Alden and Alex Tippett explain why migrants are leaving Haiti.