News in brief

By The Associated Press

New Mexico attorney general sues company behind Snapchat

New Mexico’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against the company behind Snapchat, alleging that site’s design and policies foster the sharing of child sexual abuse material and facilitate child sexual exploitation.

Attorney General Raúl Torrez filed the lawsuit against Snap Inc. Thursday in state court in Santa Fe. In addition to sexual abuse, the lawsuit claims the company also openly promotes child trafficking, drugs and guns.

Last December, Torrez filed a similar lawsuit against Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, saying it allows predators to trade child pornography and solicit minors for sex on its platforms. That suit is pending.

Teen vaping

hits 10-year

low in the U.S.

WASHINGTON | Teen vaping in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest level in a decade. That’s according to new survey data reported Thursday. U.S. health officials say the drop in the number of teens using e-cigarettes has pushed the underage vaping rate to below 6%. They attributed the decline to fewer high school students using Elf Bar and other vapes that come in fruit and candy flavors.

The drop in vaping didn’t coincide with a rise in use of other products, such as nicotine pouches. Sales of small, flavored pouches like Zyn have surged among adults. But the survey shows their use remains rare among teens.

Ukraine gets new chief diplomat

KYIV, Ukraine | Ukraine’s parliament approved the appointment of a new foreign minister Thursday, two lawmakers said, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sought to breathe fresh life into his administration with the war against Russia poised for what could be a pivotal phase.

Andrii Sybiha, a former ambassador to Turkey, is the country’s new chief diplomat. He replaced Dmytro Kuleba, who became one of Ukraine’s most recognizable faces on the international stage as he petitioned and pleaded with Western countries to support Ukraine’s war effort.

Sybiha, 49, has been working as Kuleba’s deputy since April.

New England mosquito disease hotspots warn against going

out at night

Health officials warn that a rare but deadly mosquito-spread disease is posing a serious threat in parts of New England, prompting the cancellation of some events and changes to sports schedules to avoid bites by infected bugs.

Eastern equine encephalitis can cause symptoms including vomiting and seizures. Residents in hotspots for the disease are being warned to get indoors before dusk to avoid peak mosquito hours.

Last week, New Hampshire health officials reported that a resident infected with eastern equine encephalitis died. Two human cases have been reported in Massachusetts and one in Vermont this summer.

—From AP reports