Top World News

Jun 14, 2026 - World

Government wants to back parents against tech companies though some feel the process has been rushedKeir Starmer is expected to announce sweeping “Australia-plus” restrictions on under-16s accessing harmful social media apps, a move the government has framed as taking the side of parents against the big technology companies.A consultation on online safety closed on 26 May, giving ministers just weeks to come up with policies after receiving more than 116,000 responses. Industry sources and child safety advocates have described the process as “rushed” and driven by a political timeline. It is not clear when the ban could come into force. Continue reading...

Jun 14, 2026 - World

Sources say hardline measures will also prevent young users from being able to talk to strangers on gaming appsWhy is the UK launching an ‘Australia plus’ social media ban and how will it work?Keir Starmer is to ban under-16s from major social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and X in sweeping restrictions described as “Australia plus”, the Guardian understands.In a major policy shift far tougher than previously briefed, the prime minister will announce that teenagers will be banned from all the main social platforms. Online products that are not covered by the ban – such as gaming apps – will face new restrictions such as having the option to chat to strangers removed. Continue reading...

Jun 14, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump publicly chided Israel on Sunday over a morning airstrike on Beirut, warning that the attack threatened to derail the Iran peace deal he is trying to sign on his 80th birthday."This morning's attack on Beirut should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post at 10:46 a.m. Eastern.While allowing that "Israel has the right to defend itself against threats," Trump played down the provocation Israel said it was answering, calling it "very small and meaningless" and noting that "nobody was hurt, injured, or killed." The strike, he wrote, "should not disrupt this important process."He then urged all sides to back off. "We are very close to a Deal that will bring peace to the region, including to Lebanon, and all sides should stand down," Trump wrote. "There should be no more attacks by Israel anywhere in Lebanon, but there should also be no more attacks by any other party, including Hezbollah, against Israel."Trump closed on a familiar mix of optimism and warning: "This could be the beginning of a long and beautiful peace — Let's not blow it!"The post came hours after the Israeli military said it had struck Hezbollah "infrastructure" in Beirut's southern suburbs — and on the same day Trump has insisted a U.S.-Iran agreement to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz could be signed. Iranian officials have been more cautious about the timing, and warned that the Beirut strike would not go unanswered.

Jun 14, 2026 - World

Platner’s long road ahead shows how Democrats may have fumbled the bag in MaineThe Democratic establishment’s early bet on Janet Mills, as its best hope to pick up a coveted Senate seat in Maine, now looks like a clear miscalculation – one that has left the party boxed into a far riskier general election fight than it ever anticipated. By rallying behind the septuagenarian governor, and sidelining Graham Platner for months, party leaders helped create the very predicament they face.Platner’s primary victory on Tuesday now means the closely-watched race will be a test of fortitude for Democrats in the long road to November. One where either outcome has wide-ranging implications for the party. Continue reading...

Jun 14, 2026 - World

A powerful earthquake that killed at least 61 people in the Philippines this week raised the seabed by as much as two metres (6.6 feet), exposing coral and harming...