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  A group of 29 US states are claiming numerous violations by Meta of federal and state laws designed to protect children. That includes breaches of the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) - intended to protect children under 13 years old from being targeted by businesses operating online. The states allege Meta designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and teens, with features on the apps (such as video autoplay and Instagram Stories) made to keep them on there for as long as possible. They claim Meta makes it difficult for young people to use the platform less - through functions like frequent notifications intended to get young people back on the apps. The states allege the company has misled consumers about the safety of the platforms for young users. Meta is also accused of improperly collecting and using children’s personal data while they used the company’s platforms. Meta has consistently denied such claims. "We strongly disagree ...

 SEOUL, South Korea -- A group of eight South Korean students were detained Tuesday for allegedly breaking into a United States air base while shouting anti-U.S. slogans, South Korean authorities said. U.S. military personnel detained the four male and four female students after they allegedly entered Osan Air Base near the capital Seoul. They were later transferred to the custody of South Korean authorities, police said. The students were being investigated under a law protecting military installations in South Korea, according to police, who said they all had invoked their right to remain silent during questioning. Police said the students shouted slogans at the site including, “Let’s smash U.S. 7th Air Force.” A U.S. military statement said the group attempted to unlawfully enter the base through the main gate and that “unauthorized attempts to access a U.S. military installation are taken extremely seriously.” The incident will be addressed in accordance with applicable U.S. an...

 More than 4,200 Israeli settlers and members of far-right groups have stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem in one of the largest incursions this year as they mark a Jewish holiday, Palestinian officials say. Far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also entered the site under heavy police protection on Thursday for Tisha B’Av, a Jewish day of mourning that marks the destruction twice of an ancient Jewish temple believed to have stood at the site known to Muslims as Al-Aqsa and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The Palestinian administration of the Jerusalem governorate said 4,288 Israelis had so far entered the compound. This number was expected to keep rising until sundown, perhaps reaching 5,000, the governorate said, which would exceed the numbers recorded in previous years during the same Jewish holida y.

 Spain snuffed out France’s dream of a third World Cup triumph, taming their galaxy of forwards to win 2-0 and progress to a final against England or Argentina. Didier Deschamps’s men were hot favourites for the trophy after a string of breathtaking displays in the United States, but they met their match against the slick European champions at the semifinal stage on Tuesday. alty in the first half in Arlington, Texas, and Pedro Porro doubled their lead in the second half. Shell-shocked France could not find a way back into the match despite their wealth of attacking riches. The game at Dallas Stadium caught fire midway through the first half when Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed to the penalty spot after a reckless challenge by France left-back Lucas Digne on Spain winger Lamine Yamal. Oyarzabal hammered the ball past France goalkeeper Mike Maignan for his fifth goal of the World Cup to leave France trailing for the first time in the tournament. Minutes later, France suffered...

 Kylian Mbappe and France have not trailed at all in this year’s World Cup. Neither has Spain, with teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and clutch goal-scoring substitute Mikel Merino. Only one of those teams can make it to the final. France and Spain, both at their 17th World Cup, have met only once previously on football’s biggest stage. They play Tuesday’s match at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in the first of two powerhouse semifinal matches. After entering this tournament as FIFA’s top-ranked team, France have outscored their opponents 14-2. Mbappe, the 2022 Golden Boot winner, has eight goals to match Lionel Messi for the scoring lead this time, and is one behind the Argentina captain’s career record of 21 at the World Cup. “We are confident, of course, with the course we have done so far, and we have to be,” France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said. “But always with this humility that has characterised us since the beginning of the competition.” The 27-year-old Mbappe has 20 g...

  Oil prices have surged to their highest level in a month as renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran continued for a third consecutive day, dampening hopes for a return to normality in the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude, the primary international benchmark, rose as much as 3.8 percent on Tuesday, extending a 9.6 percent gain from the previous day. Brent futures for September delivery stood at $85.92 a barrel as of 08:00 GMT, the highest since June 15. After easing to pre-conflict levels following Washington and Tehran’s signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for peace last month, Brent has risen 19 percent from its price before the start of the US-Israel war on Iran in late February. The US Central Command on Monday announced strikes on Iran for a third day, saying its forces targeted Tehran’s ability to attack “innocent civilians and commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it hit two oil supertankers in the...