JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN META'S LANDMARK FEDERAL TRIAL OVER YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH HARMS

Jury selection has begun in a landmark federal trial in Oakland, California, in which four US states are seeking to prove that Meta deliberately designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive for children and teenagers.

The states — California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey — are the first of 29 to go to trial in a case that could set a precedent for thousands of similar lawsuits across the country. Meta has strongly denied the allegations.

Ira Spitzer reports from San Francisco.

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Ira Spitzer, our reporter in San Francisco, says the Oakland trial could set a precedent for thousands of similar cases across the United States.

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MEDIA GROUPS SUE TRUMP OVER TRUTH SOCIAL'S PAID API SERVICE, CALLING IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL

Two media organisations have filed a federal lawsuit against US President Donald Trump and senior White House officials, challenging Truth Social's paid subscription service as unconstitutional.

The service, known as Truth API, charges up to a hundred thousand dollars a month for early access to the president's posts — many of which serve as the sole channel for official government announcements.

Trump Media is pushing back, accusing the plaintiffs of trying to weaponise the courts.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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Nick Harper in Washington says the lawsuit could prompt the White House to further restrict press access.

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WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY KAROLINE LEAVITT TO LEAVE ROLE AT END OF AUGUST, TRUMP ANNOUNCES

US President Donald Trump has announced that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt will step down at the end of August to spend more time with her two young children.

The 28-year-old, who made history as the youngest person ever to hold the role, confirmed the decision in a social media statement, saying she felt she could not devote the time the job required while being the mother she wanted to be.

President Trump said Leavitt would become one of his top outside advisers and play a prominent part in the Republican effort to win November's midterm elections.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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Reporter Nick Harper in Washington says the departure raises questions about who will front the White House press operation in the run-up to the midterms.

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Nick Harper, our reporter in Washington, says Leavitt's political career may be far from over, noting that a former Trump press secretary now serves as a state governor.

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JURY SELECTION BEGINS IN META'S LANDMARK CHILDREN'S HARM TRIAL IN OAKLAND

Jury selection has begun in a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, in what could become one of the most consequential technology trials in years — with four US states accusing Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to hook young users and harm their mental health.

The states of California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking up to one point four trillion dollars in penalties — a sum close to Meta's entire market value.

Meta says it strongly disagrees with the allegations and has taken steps to protect younger users on its platforms.

Ira Spitzer reports from San Francisco.

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Ira Spitzer, our reporter in San Francisco, says the potential financial penalties dwarf anything Meta has faced before.

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Ira Spitzer in San Francisco says both Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to give evidence during the seven-week trial.

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NATO condemn Russian airspace violations

NATO has condemned recent violations of Polish and Romanian airspace accusing Russia of dangerous actions. 

The North Atlantic Council convened following several recent incidents involving drones. 

William Denselow reports from Brussels.

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S&P 500 HITS RECORD HIGH AS US INFLATION COOLS TO 3.4%, BOOSTING EXPECTATIONS FED WILL HOLD RATES

The S&P 500 has hit a record high in New York after official figures showed US inflation fell slightly to an annual rate of three point four per cent in July.

The Consumer Price Index data matched market expectations, and core inflation — which strips out food and energy — came in at two point five per cent, slightly below forecasts.

Market pricing tools now suggest a roughly sixty-two per cent chance the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates unchanged at its next meeting in September.

Mitch Mccann reports from New York.

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Mitch Mccann in New York says market expectations for the Federal Reserve's next move are unusually uncertain compared with recent months.

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Mitch Mccann in New York says the headlight recall adds to a difficult period for Tesla, which is already facing a separate federal investigation into suspension problems.

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COLOMBIA EARTHQUAKE DEATH TOLL PASSES 200 AS RESCUERS RACE TO REACH EPICENTRE

The death toll from Monday's magnitude 7.4 earthquake in western Colombia has passed 200, as rescue teams race to reach survivors still trapped under collapsed buildings.

The disaster has heightened seismic anxiety across the region — Venezuela was struck by twin earthquakes in June that killed more than 6,000 people, and Monday's Colombian quake was felt across the border.

Andreina Fermin has more from Caracas.

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TRUMP INVOKES FEDERAL LAW AT WHITE HOUSE PRESS CONFERENCE AS VACCINE AND SECURITY CONTROVERSIES SWIRL

US President Donald Trump held a White House press conference on Tuesday and invoked a section of federal law, in the latest in a series of sweeping executive actions that have defined his second term.

Among the most controversial of those actions is an executive order reducing the number of recommended childhood vaccines from eighteen to eleven — a move backed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior that the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says is not supported by scientific evidence.

The president has said the order was motivated by concerns about a link between vaccines and autism, a claim repeatedly debunked by multiple studies.

James Gooderson reports from Washington.

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James Gooderson, our reporter in Washington, says health professionals fear the president's unfounded claims about a link between vaccines and autism could discourage parents from vaccinating their children.

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James Gooderson in Washington says the Secret Service acted on intelligence suggesting Iran was planning to fire a missile at the presidential aircraft as it returned from a NATO summit in Turkey.

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FORMER US MARINE ROBERT GILMAN FREED FROM RUSSIAN DETENTION, DUE AT JOINT BASE ANDREWS TUESDAY EVENING

Former US Marine Robert Gilman is on his way back to the United States after Russia agreed to release him from detention, with US President Donald Trump saying he spoke to Gilman on Tuesday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pardon decree on what officials described as humanitarian grounds, following weekend negotiations — with no prisoner swap or concessions made by Washington.

Gilman had been held for more than four years after an incident on a train to Moscow.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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Reporter Nick Harper in Washington says the State Department is now pressing for the release of other Americans it says are wrongfully held in Russia.

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CONGO DRAMATICALLY EXPANDS SEARCH FOR HIDDEN EBOLA INFECTIONS AS CASE COUNT SET TO RISE

Congolese health officials are dramatically widening their search for undetected Ebola infections, a move they say will push the already alarming case count higher in the weeks ahead.

The World Health Organization's emergency committee is due to meet next Monday to assess the crisis, which involves the rare Bundibugyo strain — a variant for which no vaccine currently exists.

The international community has called for more funding as the outbreak outpaces the response.

From Kinshasa, Chris Ocamringa reports.

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Chris Ocamringa in Kinshasa says the end of a six-week doctors' strike has brought relief to millions who depend on public health facilities, though the union has warned the action could resume if the government fails to meet all its demands.

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HUNGARIAN PARLIAMENT SET TO ELECT FORMER SUPREME COURT CHIEF ANDRAS BAKA AS PRESIDENT

Hungary's parliament is voting on Tuesday to elect Andras Baka as the country's next president — a former supreme court chief who was fired by the government of ex-premier Viktor Orban after criticising its judicial reforms.

The European Court of Human Rights later ruled that Baka's dismissal had violated his right to a fair trial and his freedom of expression.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party has made restoring the rule of law a central pledge, and holds a two-thirds supermajority in parliament.

Pablo Gutierrez has the story from Budapest.

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Pablo Gutierrez in Budapest says Tisza's commanding parliamentary majority makes the outcome all but assured.

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BJP CALLS STATEWIDE SHUTDOWN IN JHARKHAND OVER POLICE CRACKDOWN ON STUDENT PROTESTERS

India's main opposition party in Jharkhand state, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has called a statewide shutdown on Tuesday after police used batons, water cannon and tear gas against thousands of students marching on the state legislature in the city of Ranchi.

At least six protesters are on hunger strike, and the students say they will not end their demonstrations until the government cancels state-level recruitment examinations and orders a federal investigation into alleged irregularities.

Ishan Garg in New Delhi says the most prominent of the hunger strikers is student activist Devendra Nath Mahto.

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Ishan Garg in New Delhi says the students are holding out for a federal investigation, even as a separate national agency has begun looking into the case from a money-laundering perspective.

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REPUBLICAN SENATOR CASSIDY TELLS TRUMP HIS CHILDHOOD VACCINE ORDER IS 'WRONG' AND WILL MAKE CHILDREN LESS SAFE

Republican Senator Bill Cassidy — a physician who chairs the Senate health committee — has publicly broken with US President Donald Trump over a new executive order on childhood vaccinations, writing on X that the order is wrong and will make children less safe.

The order, signed on Monday, would cut the recommended childhood vaccine schedule from eighteen jabs to eleven and proposes splitting the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three separate shots — a move that goes against broad scientific consensus.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has also condemned the order, calling it dangerous.

James Gooderson reports from Washington.

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Reporter James Gooderson in Washington says the real concern among medical professionals is that the order could undermine public confidence in childhood vaccinations, even though the federal government cannot impose the changes on individual states.

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OUT: “...diseases like measles.”
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James Gooderson, our reporter in Washington, says the executive order could sow doubt among parents about childhood vaccinations for years to come, even though it cannot be directly enforced at state level.

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TODD BLANCHE SWORN IN AS 88TH US ATTORNEY GENERAL AT WHITE HOUSE CEREMONY

Todd Blanche has been formally sworn in as the 88th United States Attorney General at a White House ceremony on Monday, taking permanent charge of a Justice Department he has been running in an acting capacity since US President Donald Trump fired his predecessor Pam Bondi in April.

The Senate confirmed Blanche on Saturday in a razor-thin 50-49 vote, with two Republican senators — Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski — joining all Democrats in opposing the nomination.

Democrats and some Republicans have raised concerns that President Trump's former defence lawyer could act as a political instrument for the White House rather than an independent law enforcement chief.

James Gooderson reports from Washington.

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James Gooderson, our reporter in Washington, says the new attorney general faces a daunting workload — from the administration's crackdown on fraud to its push against illegal immigration.

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COLOMBIA'S NEW PRESIDENT CONFIRMS 111 DEAD AFTER 7.4-MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE STRIKES WESTERN COLOMBIA

At least one hundred and eleven people have been killed after a powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, prompting the country's new president, Abelardo de la Espriella, to declare a national disaster.

Colombia's Geological Service says the quake — centred in the department of Choco, roughly 150 miles west of Bogota — was the strongest recorded in the country in a decade. In the city of Cali, at least twenty buildings have collapsed, with people still trapped under the rubble.

Seven airports across western Colombia have suspended services, and the army has deployed five platoons of rescue soldiers to the worst-hit areas.

Nick Harper reports from Washington.

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Reporter Nick Harper in Washington says the tremor was felt well beyond Colombia's borders, and that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington stands ready to help.

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INTEL ANNOUNCES FIRST PUBLIC SHARE SALE SINCE 1971 AS WALL STREET DIPS ON MIDDLE EAST UNCERTAINTY

Intel has announced a fifteen-billion-dollar stock offering — reported to be the chipmaker's first public share sale since it listed in 1971 — sending its shares down four per cent in Monday trading on Wall Street.

The broader market also dipped, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both falling amid uncertainty over whether the United States and Iran can reach a lasting resolution to their conflict, while technology stocks including Nvidia and Apple were among the biggest losers.

The moves come as major technology companies face growing investor scrutiny over whether their massive spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure will deliver returns — and Meta has now launched a new downloadable AI model called MuseGlimmer.

Mitch Mccann reports from New York.

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Mitch Mccann, reporting from New York, says Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has warned that the United States faces a significant disadvantage in its AI competition with China when it comes to building infrastructure.

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TYPHOON KUJIRA TRACKS TOWARD EASTERN CHINA WITH 130 KM/H WINDS AS HONG KONG ESCAPES DIRECT THREAT

Typhoon Kujira is bearing down on eastern China with maximum sustained winds of 130 kilometres per hour, though Hong Kong has escaped a direct hit with no tropical cyclone warning signal currently in force.

The Hong Kong Observatory expects Kujira to weaken to a tropical storm by Tuesday and a tropical depression by Wednesday as it moves inland.

The territory is still dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Noul, which made landfall in southern Guangdong province in late July as the most powerful storm to hit China this year.

Laura Westbrook has more from Hong Kong.

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IRAN SAYS US HAS ACCEPTED STRAIT OF HORMUZ REOPENING HAS NO MILITARY SOLUTION AS OIL PRICES CLIMB

Iran's deputy parliament speaker said on Monday that the United States has accepted there is no military solution to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, as oil prices rose above eighty-four dollars a barrel.

US President Donald Trump told the website Axios on Sunday that Washington is now only "semi-negotiating" with Tehran, describing the stand-off as a chess game.

Nick Harper has more from Washington.

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EU COMMISSION FOLLOWS UP WITH META AND TIKTOK OVER CEUTA DISINFORMATION CRISIS

The European Commission is following up with Meta and TikTok on Monday over the role social media disinformation played in the Ceuta migrant crisis, after EU tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen demanded both platforms take decisive action.

More than seventy thousand people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave at the end of July, with authorities blaming false rumours spread online for fuelling the surge. Eighty people died in the crossings.

Brussels has identified what it calls Russian-linked manipulation channels among those spreading the disinformation.

William Denselow reports from Brussels.

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William Denselow in Brussels says European officials are also looking beyond social media, seeking stronger cooperation with countries such as Morocco to prevent a repeat of the crisis — though the response has exposed divisions within the EU itself.

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Ukraine strikes kill 12 in Russian city of Nizhnekamsk

Officials in the Russian Tartarsta region say Ukrainian drone strikes killed at least 12 people and injured 39. 

It comes as the World Health Organization says one of its warehouses was hit in a recent Russian strike in Ukraine.

William Denselow reports from Brussels.

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