World News

France is on course to follow Australia in banning social media to younger teenagers, as debate on a new law opens in the National Assembly.The law would block access for under 15-year-olds to networks such as Snapchat, Instagram and Tiktok. President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants the ban in place by the start of the school year in September.The French move is part of a worldwide trend towards restricting social networks for children, triggered by growing evidence…

A private jet carrying eight people has crashed while taking off from Bangor International Airport in the US state of Maine, aviation authorities have said.The Bombardier Challenger 600 went down at around 19:45 local time (00:45 GMT on Monday), the Federal Aviation Administration said, but the fate and identities of those on board were not immediately clear.The incident came as a dangerous winter storm barrelled across a large swathe of the US, killing several people and leaving hundreds…

At least four people have been killed after a fire broke out at a food factory near the central Greek city of Trikala, the country's fire service says. The blaze began early on Monday at a Violanta biscuit factory, where 13 workers were on site, local media reported. Eight managed to escape. One person remains missing, but the city's deputy mayor for civil protection, Giorgos Katavoutas, told the BBC that "there is no hope of finding any of…

At least 15 people have died after a ferry carrying more than 350 passengers and crew members onboard sank in the waters off Philippines' southern coast.Search crews have rescued 316 people on board the MV Trisha Kerstin 3, but at least 28 people are still missing. The ship, which was both a cargo and passenger ferry, was on its way from the country's southern mainland, Mindanao, to Jolo island further south-west when it issued a distress call at…