⢠Gli attivisti sostengono che l'uso di leggi per limitare le libertà di internet faccia parte di una storia ampiamente documentata di repressione del dissenso
⢠Quando l'ente regolatore dei media del Gabon ha sospeso a tempo indeterminato le principali piattaforme di social media a febbraio, citando motivi di sicurezza durante le proteste anti-governative, la notizia divenne l'argomento principale di conversazione â letteralmente.
⢠Nelle settimane successive all'annuncio, l'uso di Virtual Private Networks (VPN) per aggirare le restrizioni è aumentato drasticamente nel paese dell'Africa centrale. Quando la gendarmeria ha iniziato a fermare i giovani uomini ai posti di blocco stradali nella capitale Libreville e in altri centri urbani per confiscare i telefoni cellulari con VPN installate o per detenere i proprietari, gli avvertimenti si sono diffusi passaparola.
⢠Il PIL reale è cresciuto a un ritmo annualizzato del 2% nel Q1 2026, spinto dagli investimenti aziendali che hanno raggiunto il tasso di crescita piÚ rapido degli ultimi quasi tre anni grazie alla spesa in software e attrezzature per l'AI.
⢠La spesa dei consumatori è aumentata modestamente dell'1,6%, in calo rispetto all'1,9% del trimestre precedente, a causa del maltempo invernale e dei picchi dei prezzi dell'energia di marzo.
⢠L'ISM Manufacturing PMI ha raggiunto 52,7 e il Services PMI 53,6 in aprile, segnando una continua espansione, mentre il Prices Paid Index è rimasto stabile a 70,7, segnalando persistenti pressioni inflazionistiche.
Diversi membri del frontbench hanno dichiarato al Guardian di essere d'accordo sul fatto che il mandato del primo ministro non debba andare oltre la fine dell'anno
2026 elezioni mappate: come il Labour ha perso terreno in diverse direzioni
In seguito ai risultati delle elezioni locali, Keir Starmer ha dovuto affrontare richieste di dimissioni dopo che gli elettori hanno espresso un verdetto damnatore sul partito laburista.
Starmer si è assunto la responsabilità dopo che il Labour ha perso centinaia di consiglieri in Inghilterra e ha subito un'umiliazione in Galles, ma ha chiarito che non si dimetterà , affermando che "giornate difficili come questa non indeboliscono la mia determinazione". Continua a leggere...
German defence minister responds to US presidentâs announcement that 5,000 US troops will leave bases in GermanyHello and welcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, said that it was âforeseeableâ that the US would withdraw troops from Europe, after the Pentagon announced it would pull thousands of American soldiers from Germany.Trump said he is ânot satisfiedâ with a new proposal from Iran on ending the war, as peace talks remain stalled despite a weeks-long ceasefire. Iran delivered the proposal text to mediator Pakistan on Thursday evening, Iranian state news agency Irna reported, without detailing its contents.The US state department said it was approving military sales totalling more than $8.6bn to Middle Eastern allies Israel, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. It came as Washington warned European allies including the UK, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia to expect long delivery delays for US weapons as it scrambles to replenish stockpiles depleted by the Iran war, according to a report in the Fianancial Times citing multiple sources.In Lebanon, 12 people were killed in Israeli strikes in the south, Lebanonâs health ministry said, including in the town of Habboush, where the Israeli army had issued an evacuation order despite the continuing ceasefire. Israeli warplanes âlaunched a series of heavy strikes ⌠less than an hour afterâ the warning, the state-run National News Agency said.The US Treasury Office warned that any shipping companies that paid tolls to Iran for passage through the strait of Hormuz, including charitable donations to organisations such as the Iranian Red Crescent Society, would risk punitive sanctions. Tehran has proposed charging fees on vessels passing through the strait, as part of a deal to end the war.Trump wrote to US lawmakers on Friday declaring hostilities with Iran âterminatedâ, despite no change in the US military posture, as he faces continuing pressure at home to seek congressional authorisation for the war.The state departmentâs announcement on Friday included approving military sales to Qatar of Patriot air and missile defence replenishment services costing $4.01bn and of advanced precision kill weapon systems (APKWS) costing $992.4m. They also included approval of the sale to Kuwait of an integrated battle command system costing $2.5bn and to Israel of APKWS costing $992.4m.Iranâs supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged his people to wage economic battle and âdisappointâ its enemies, as the war and years of sanctions take a toll. In a written statement he also said âthe owners of damaged businesses should avoid, as much as possible, layoffs and separation of their workforceâ. Continue reading...
⢠US-Iran ceasefire talks collapsed in Pakistan, raising doubts over Army Chief Asim Munir's role as mediator despite Trump's prior praise.
⢠Concerns in US national security circles focus on Munir's alleged IRGC ties, questioning his neutrality.
⢠Tehran refuses further Islamabad-hosted talks, pressuring Pakistan's diplomatic standing.
PM said he was âstaggeredâ not to have been told that Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting before becoming ambassador to the USHello and welcome to the Guardianâs live coverage of UK politics on Saturday 18 April.Keir Starmer is facing âjudgment dayâ according to senior government figures over the failure in Peter Mandelsonâs vetting process. Continue reading...
Government, industry and opposition see growing public support for a new gas tax but the industry is fighting backGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe gas industry is mobilising in opposition to a potential new tax on the sector as political momentum builds â including among Labor MPs â for the government to use the May budget to prevent producers profiting from the Middle East war.The Australian Energy Producers (AEP) chief executive, Samantha McCulloch, claimed a new tax would punish the same Asian trading partners Australia was leaning on to supply more fuel amid the global energy crisis. Continue reading...
Proposal fails to advance in Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some airportsA bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security failed to advance on Friday in the Senate amid growing concerns about long lines to get through screening at some of the countryâs biggest airports.Democrats declined to provide the support needed to move the funding measure toward final passage. Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, said he would offer an alternative measure on Saturday to fund just the Transportation Security Administration, which screens passengers and luggage for hazardous items. That too is likely to fail as lawmakers hold a rare weekend session. Continue reading...
Emily Thornberry is the latest figure to call on the kingâs visit to the US to be delayed, citing the ongoing war against IranYesterday Donald Trump confirmed that he expects the kingâs state visit to the US to go ahead at the end of April. As the Mail reports, speaking about his plan to build a new, mega ballroom on the east wing of the White House, Trump said he needed a facility like this because of the weather in Washington. He explained:And you know the land in Washington was built on a swampy wetland.And when it rains, and you have the King of Saudi Arabia ... the King of the UK, I would say King of England, a great guy, heâs coming in very soon. And when it rains, you know what happened? And the rain would go over their feet. Continue reading...
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's daughter Sunday Rose, 18, debuted on the Miu Miu runway March 13, intensifying public frustration with Hollywood nepo babies dominating fashion and film. Bored Panda notes commenters decrying unequal opportunities as nepotism debates rage pre-Oscars. The event at Paris Fashion Week underscores intergenerational celebrity privilege in US entertainment discourse. Critics argue it disadvantages emerging talents without famous parents.