Category: World

Spain’s government is preparing legislation that would bar children and teenagers under the age of 16 from accessing mainstream social media platforms, signalling one of Europe’s most far-reaching attempts to curb the digital exposure of minors as concerns over online harm intensify.Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the proposal would form part of a broader package of child-protection measures aimed at tackling cyberbullying, addictive design features and the spread of harmful content among young users. The plan, outlined during a public

French prosecutors have carried out a judicial operation targeting offices and data linked to Elon Musk’s social media platform X as part of an inquiry into how the company’s recommendation systems operate, widening the scope to include examination of its artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok. The move places one of the world’s most influential digital platforms under intensified regulatory and legal scrutiny in Europe at a time when authorities are tightening oversight of algorithm-driven services.The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed that the

South Africa’s flagship reform programme is moving into a broader and more complex phase as Operation Vulindlela expands beyond its initial focus on energy, logistics and telecommunications, signalling a renewed push to lift growth and attract investment at a time of fragile confidence.Launched in 2020 within the Presidency, Operation Vulindlela was designed to unblock structural constraints that had long weighed on the economy. Its early emphasis on electricity supply reform, port and rail efficiency, and opening up data and spectrum

Fashion has long crossed borders, but for Scotland-based Nigerian creative Esther Oladapo, clothing functions as a narrative device shaped by migration, memory and identity rather than mere aesthetics. Working between cultures, Oladapo has built a practice that draws on West African heritage while engaging directly with Scotland’s contemporary fashion and creative scenes, positioning her among a growing cohort of diasporic designers redefining how African stories are told in European spaces.Based in Scotland for several years, Oladapo’s work reflects a dialogue

Syrian authorities say security forces have dismantled an unconventional drug-smuggling operation that relied on hot-air balloons, seizing millions of Captagon pills and large quantities of narcotics in what officials described as a coordinated border and interior operation.A statement carried by state media said troops confiscated about two million Captagon tablets, 605 palm-sized packets of hashish weighing a combined 151kg, 610 helium cylinders and 75 hot-air balloons believed to have been prepared for cross-border launches. The haul also included 30 plastic

A plan by the Transportation Security Administration to charge passengers a $45 fee for travelling without acceptable identification has triggered a legal challenge in the United States, reopening a long-running debate over the limits of regulatory authority and the rights of air travellers at security checkpoints.The fee, announced as part of updated screening procedures, applies to passengers who arrive at airports without government-issued photo identification and are cleared through alternative identity-verification processes. The agency argues that the charge reflects the

Kenya is set to host its first public cloud region after iXAfrica Data Centres confirmed a partnership with Oracle, a move that places Nairobi at the centre of East Africa’s fast-expanding digital infrastructure map. The initiative, announced in January 2024, brings Oracle Cloud Infrastructure services to locally based facilities operated by iXAfrica, allowing businesses and public institutions to store and process data within the country rather than relying on offshore servers.The project marks a significant step for Kenya’s technology ecosystem,

Los Angeles — Fashion, rather than trophies alone, commanded attention at the 2026 Grammy Awards, as artists, influencers and designers turned the red carpet into a statement on evolving celebrity style, global luxury branding and the music industry’s widening cultural reach. From sculpted minimalism to revived classic tailoring, the evening underscored how awards-season fashion has become as closely scrutinised as the performances themselves.Sabrina Carpenter emerged as one of the night’s most talked-about figures, pairing her chart dominance with a carefully

Senior defence officials from Canada travelled to the United States for a formal ceremony marking progress on the F-35 fighter programme, underlining Ottawa’s commitment to the aircraft even as renewed trade and political frictions cloud the wider bilateral relationship and trigger fresh scrutiny of the country’s long-running CF-18 replacement plan.The event, hosted by Lockheed Martin at its Fort Worth, Texas facility, brought together representatives from the Royal Canadian Air Force, the manufacturer and programme partners to recognise milestones ahead of

Austria’s Supreme Court has ruled that loot boxes in the FIFA video game series do not constitute gambling under national law, holding that the mechanics require a degree of player skill and therefore fall outside the legal definition of games of chance.The judgment by the Oberster Gerichtshof, Austria’s highest civil court, addresses a long-running dispute over FIFA’s Ultimate Team mode, where players can acquire virtual packs containing randomly assorted digital items, including footballers used to build competitive squads. Claimants had

Federal immigration authorities have launched employment audits at multiple Minnesota businesses following their refusal to cooperate with workplace enforcement actions, triggering a sharp response from state and city officials who argue the move amounts to retaliation that could chill lawful commerce and labour compliance.The audits, confirmed by company executives and local authorities, are being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and its enforcement arm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and focus on I-9 employment eligibility records and payroll documentation. At

Donald Trump has chosen former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as chair of the US central bank when Powell’s term concludes in May, signalling a sharp shift in tone at the Fed and reviving a long-running debate over the institution’s independence and policy direction.The selection places a frequent critic of the Fed’s crisis-era interventions at the helm of the world’s most influential monetary authority. Warsh, who served as a Fed governor from 2006 to 2011, is

Pentagon negotiations with Anthropic have stalled amid a dispute over restrictions the company has embedded to prevent autonomous targeting and domestic surveillance, throwing uncertainty over a proposed defence AI contract valued at about $200 million and sharpening fault lines in Washington’s approach to military automation.Senior defence officials have pressed Anthropic to relax safeguards that block its models from selecting or engaging targets without human authorisation and from supporting surveillance activities inside the United States. Anthropic has resisted, arguing that the

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have unveiled a platform technology designed to strengthen the potency of RNA interference therapies, a field that has promised targeted gene silencing yet has struggled with delivery efficiency and durability inside cells. The work centres on improving how small interfering RNA molecules reach the cytoplasm, where they can shut down disease-driving genes with greater precision.RNA interference, or RNAi, works by harnessing a natural cellular process to degrade specific messenger RNA

Budapest’s mayor, Gergely Karácsony, now confronts formal charges from Hungarian prosecutors for organising and leading a Pride march that defied a government-imposed ban under new assembly laws last June, officials confirmed this week. Prosecutors have proposed fining Karácsony without a full court hearing, accusing him of violating the law on freedom of association and assembly by staging a public gathering despite an explicit police prohibition.The legal action centres on the June 28 event in the Hungarian capital that drew

Nairobi has been chosen to host the first Gulfood360 Africa in May 2027, marking a significant expansion of the global food and beverage platform into a continent whose food economy is valued at about $567 billion. The decision, announced on the sidelines of Gulfood 2026 in Dubai, formalises Kenya as the official African host and positions the East African hub at the centre of a strategy to link African producers, processors and traders more closely with international markets.Organisers said the

BBC leadership is entering a defined transition phase after the corporation’s Board confirmed that Director-General Tim Davie will step down on 2 April, bringing to a close a tenure that spanned a period of sharp political scrutiny, digital transformation pressures and financial constraint across public service media.The Board said Rhodri Talfan Davies will assume the role of Interim Director-General from 3 April, ensuring continuity at the top of the organisation while the search for a permanent successor continues. To support

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered an immediate halt to new H-1B visa petitions by all state agencies and public universities, a dramatic step aimed at prioritising jobs for local workers and intensifying scrutiny of foreign worker hiring practices in government-funded institutions. The directive, issued on 27 January, bars these bodies from initiating or filing for new H-1B visas without written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission and will remain in place through the next legislative session, ending 31 May