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Tech giant Meta said Thursday it is starting to remove under-16s in Australia from Instagram, Threads and Facebook ahead of the country’s world-first youth social media ban. Australia is requiring major online platforms, also including TikTok and YouTube, to block underage users by December 10, when the new law comes into force. Companies face fines of Aus$49.5 million (US$32 million) if they fail to take “reasonable steps” to comply. “While we are working hard to remove all users who we unde

The US Department of Justice has dismissed eight immigration judges in New York City, the association representing them said Tuesday, amid tensions with the courts as President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on undocumented migrants. According to the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ), which confirmed media reports, the eight judges all worked at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. The address houses a court that reviews cases of migrants attempting to regularize their stat

US President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the airspace above and near Venezuela should be considered closed, the latest escalation in a standoff with leftist leader Nicolas Maduro. “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network, “please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” The US president did not elaborate. Trump’s administration is piling pressure on Venezuela, with a major milit

A visit to the Louvre museum in Paris is set to become significantly more expensive for travelers from outside Europe, with officials announcing plans to hike the price of tickets by 45%. From January 14, 2026, an individual ticket for visitors from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) — a grouping of nations that comprises the European Union member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway — will cost 32 euros ($37), a spokesperson for the Louvre told CNN on Friday. Those visiting as

Families of the scores still missing after Hong Kong‘s worst blaze in decades scoured hospitals Friday as firefighting operations ended, with the death toll at least 94. Flames had moved quickly through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, spreading through the eight high-rises and transforming the densely packed complex into an inferno. A new time-lapse video shows just how dramatic and intense the fire was. The death toll is 83, with many still missin

A couple who decided to save their local church took just two days to raise the money to make the purchase thanks to donations from well-wishers around the world.  Andrew and Kirsteen Michell crowd-funded £70,000 to buy Applegarth Church near Lockerbie following an appeal to members of Clan Jardine, whose ancient family seat lies within the tiny hamlet.  Descendants from the United States, South Africa and Canada put their hands in their pockets to help secure the future of the building.  The

Jimmy Cliff, one of reggae’s most transformative figures, has died at 81. His wife, Latifa Chambers, shared the news on his official Instagram page. She said he passed away after complications from a seizure and pneumonia. Her announcement marked the end of a career that helped carry Jamaican music from Kingston dancehalls to stages across the world. Chambers thanked fans, family, and colleagues who supported Cliff throughout his life. “I want to thank everyone who has shared in his legacy. To

During a brief exchange with reporters, Donald Trump chose unusually cautious phrasing when recalling a 2022 dinner with Kanye West. He referred to him only as “somebody” before eventually naming him. His response came as journalists pressed him about Tucker Carlson’s recent interview with Nick Fuentes. This renewed attention to Trump’s past encounters with the far-right commentator. Trump revisited the Mar-a-Lago dinner with characteristic brevity. “I didn’t know he was coming, and he was with

South Korean conglomerate Samsung unveiled on Sunday a plan to invest $310 billion over the next five years mostly in technology powering artificial intelligence, aiming to meet growing demand driven by a global boom. The business group’s flagship Samsung Electronics is already one of the world’s top memory-chip makers, providing crucial components for the AI industry and the infrastructure it relies on. South Korea is also home to SK hynix, another key player in the global semiconductor market

It's a Veterans Day they won't soon forget.  On a balmy 70-degree day in the nation's capital this past weekend, former President Barack Obama boarded an Honor Flight filled with veterans of the Korean and Vietnam wars that had just touched down from Madison, Wisconsin.  "Hello, everybody," his voiced boomed over the loud speaker. "What!" exclaimed one person. Another veteran gasped, his mouth wide open. The Honor Flight Networks "I just wanted to say thank you," the former president contin

Syria will join the international coalition to combat the Islamic State group, marking a shift in US foreign policy in the Middle East, a senior Trump administration official has confirmed.  The announcement came as President Donald Trump met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the White House - the first such visit from a Syrian leader in the country's history. In an interview with Special Report on Fox News, al-Sharaa said the visit was part of a "new era" in which the country would co-opera

The director general of the British Broadcasting Corporation announced his resignation Sunday following a row over the editing of a documentary about US President Donald Trump. Tim Davie and the BBC’s head of news, Deborah Turness, resigned after accusations that a documentary by its flagship Panorama programme edited a speech by Trump in a misleading way. “Like all public organisations, the BBC is not perfect, and we must always be open, transparent and accountable,” Davie said in a statement

A children’s cancer charity has thanked comedian Alan Carr for his “commitment, compassion and drive” after he donated the £87,500 prize pot from his Celebrity Traitors victory. View this post on Instagram A post shared by New Dope (@newdopehq) Neuroblastoma UK told the Chatty Man star “we can’t tell you how grateful we are” after he was crowned the winner of the hit BBC spin-off series during Thursday night’s tense final. Carr, who has been patron of the charity since 2016, said it was

Dick Cheney, who became one of the most powerful vice presidents in US history as George W. Bush’s number two during 9/11 and catastrophic wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, died Monday. He was 84. Cheney forged an unusually muscular job in the traditionally inconsequential role and was seen by many as a major power behind the throne, as Bush thrust America into the so-called war on terror, with a dark underbelly of renditions, torture and the controversial Guantanamo prison site. A hate-figure to

Former US president Barack Obama hit the campaign trail Saturday for fellow Democrats ahead of closely-watched state elections, laying into Donald Trump over his “shambolic” policies and warning of the dangers facing American democracy. Obama, who remains a powerful figure in today’s Democratic Party, took the stage to robust applause in Virginia and then New Jersey to stump for two candidates in gubernatorial elections seen as critical bellwethers ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The 64-ye