Media

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Alarm is growing over a string of social media posts by Somalia’s ports and maritime transport minister, Abdulqadir Mohamed Nur, with critics warning that the messages could deepen political tensions and even help trigger conflict in the Southwest state. Over the past several days, Nur has used Facebook to comment on the movement of national army units, including posts saying when troops would arrive in Baidoa and claiming that some areas had already been secured. The remarks have prompted sharp…

Austria has set its sights on social media use by young people, announcing plans to prohibit access for children up to the age of 14—arguing the platforms drive addiction, amplify violence, fuel misinformation and pressure children into unrealistic beauty ideals. Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler said it is “almost impossible for parents to control their children's consumption” on services that, he argued, are built to keep users “deliberately dependent.” Speaking at a press conference, he said the government’s approach focuses…

Kali Hays,Technology reporter, Nardine Saadand Regan Morris,Los AngelesFriday March 27, 2026 A Los Angeles jury delivered a landmark decision on Friday, finding that Meta and Google helped create social media platforms that harmed a woman’s mental health as a child—an outcome that parents and advocacy groups said signals a turning point for young users. Jurors concluded that Meta, which operates Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and Google, which owns YouTube, intentionally designed systems that fostered addiction and left…

The United States is weighing the potential deployment of 10,000 troops to the Middle East, according to media reports. The move, which has not been formally confirmed in the available information, comes as the region remains a focal point for U.S. planning and security assessments.

Emmet RyanTuesday March 24, 2026 Nadia Adan helms a business with two garages, more than 500,000 followers on social media and €9m in revenue Nadia Adan says selling a car on the basis of a TikTok video convinced her to set up a dealership. Photograph: Nick Bradshaw When Nadia Adan sits in a spotless Co Wicklow showroom next to a Ferrari 488 GTB, it’s a scene that underlines just how far she has come since arriving in Ireland almost three decades ago. Adan, founder and owner of Ashford Motors, came to Ireland…

North Western State of Somalia opposition Kulmiye alleges politically motivated arrests, targeting of journalists Party cites detention of Warrame Media founder and arrests of protesters in Burco; government has not commented HARGEISA — North Western State of Somalia’s main opposition party, Kulmiye, on Monday accused the government of conducting politically motivated arrests and targeting journalists and dissenting voices, warning the actions risk deepening social unrest. Speaking in Hargeisa, Kulmiye spokesperson…

BRUSSELS — An EU expert group will begin work this week on whether to restrict or ban social media access for children, aiming to deliver recommendations by summer, the European Commission said. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will attend the panel’s inaugural meeting on Thursday, underscoring the political weight behind the effort she launched in September. Brussels is weighing a minimum age to use social media across the 27-nation bloc, taking cues from Australia, which in December ordered TikTok, YouTube,…

Gabon Suspends Social Media Amid Rising Tensions Gabon’s media regulator has announced a sweeping suspension of all social media platforms, a drastic measure attributed to the escalating conflict and deepening societal divisions within the country. This decision reflects the government's increasing scrutiny of online content, deemed damaging to public order. In a televised statement, the High Authority for Communication highlighted several factors leading to the suspension, citing the pervasive spread of false…

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to act “within months, not years” to curb addictive social media features and protect children online, as the government prepares a three-month consultation in March on proposals that include banning under-16s from social media and restricting infinite scrolling. Framing the plans as a response to mounting parental concern, Starmer said the status quo is failing to safeguard children from online harms and signaled a swift legislative push. “I don’t think there’s a parent in the…

Barack Obama condemned what he called a collapse of “decorum” in American politics after a video posted to Donald Trump’s Truth Social account showed the former president and Michelle Obama with their faces superimposed on monkeys — a racist trope — at the end of a clip pushing false claims about the 2020 election. The one-minute video, shared Feb. 5, drew swift censure across the political spectrum. The post was later removed; a spokesperson blamed a staff error after allies initially brushed off the backlash as “fake…