Apple was hit with an EU antitrust fine of over 1.8 billion euros ($1.95 billion) on Monday, its first ever, for preventing Spotify and other music streaming services from informing users of payment options outside its App Store.The European Commission's decision was triggered by a 2019 complaint by Swedish music streaming service Spotify over this restriction and Apple's 30% App Store fees.The European Union competition enforcer said Apple's restrictions constituted unfair trading conditions, a relatively novel argument in an antitrust case and also used by the Dutch antitrust agency in a decision against Apple in 2021 in a case brought by dating app providers.The EU competition enforcer said it added an additional lump sum of 1.8 billion euros to the basic amount as a deterrent to Apple and because a significant part of the harm caused by Apple's conduct was non-monetary. It did not say what the basic amount was."For a decade, Apple abused its dominant position in the market for the distribution of music streaming apps through the App Store," EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

The IDF, Israel Police, and Shin Bet held a situation assessment on Sunday to prepare for expected tensions during the month of Ramadan, set to begin next week.The security agencies held the meeting to improve coordination and operational preparedness among the agencies. The agencies noted that they would work to ensure the freedom of worship for Israeli Arabs and residents of the West Bank within security regulations.

US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Monday morning and was set to meet with Lebanese leaders in an attempt to avoid a further escalation of the clashes between Israel and Hezbollah, according to Lebanese reports.Hochstein met with the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri on Monday afternoon.U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein said on Monday that a limited war across Lebanon's southern border would not be containable.Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel have been locked in hostilities for months in parallel to the Gaza war. It has marked the worst conflict across Lebanon's southern border since a 2006 war, fuelling fears of a bigger confrontation.