Media

• 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 – 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.

• I giornali di Murdoch hanno affilato le falci e hanno massacrato il bilancio di Jim Chalmers per quella definita «la ridistribuzione della ricchezza più radicale dall'era Whitlam» • Seguite il nostro blog live sulle notizie dall'Australia per gli ultimi aggiornamenti • Iscrivetevi qui alla newsletter settimanale gratuita sui media di Guardian Australia

• Il Presidente ha pubblicato più di 50 post in tre ore, attaccando Obama, il NY Times e la Corte Suprema

• E.J. Antoni, candidato per una posizione di alto livello, deve affrontare potenziali complicazioni per la conferma a causa dei suoi estesi commenti in radio e podcast conservatori, tra cui la "War Room" di Steve Bannon. • Antoni ha costruito un profilo pubblico come frequente commentatore mediatico pro-Trump, sollevando preoccupazioni tra i senatori circa potenziali conflitti di interesse e partigianeria. • È probabile che i senatori democratici mettano in dubbio se le sue attività mediatiche dimostrino una sufficiente indipendenza per il ruolo governativo che ambisce a ricoprire.

• I ministri degli Esteri di Iran ed Egitto hanno avuto un colloquio telefonico domenica 10 maggio 2026 per affrontare gli ultimi sviluppi regionali e gli sforzi diplomatici in corso tra Teheran e Washington mediati dal Pakistan. • Le discussioni avvengono in un clima di crescente incertezza sulla diplomazia del cessate il fuoco, dopo che il Presidente degli Stati Uniti Donald Trump ha definito "totalmente inaccettabile" l'ultima risposta dell'Iran a una proposta statunitense. • Questo contatto segnala il potenziale ruolo dell'Egitto nel colmare le divergenze tra Iran e USA, in un contesto di crescenti tensioni in Medio Oriente che vede il Pakistan come intermediario chiave.

Stuart Prior, eletto nell'Essex la scorsa settimana, avrebbe celebrato lo stupro di una donna Sikh e dato dei “ratti” alle persone musulmane. • Un consigliere di Reform UK si è dimesso pochi giorni dopo l'elezione, dopo aver presuntamente celebrato sui social media lo stupro di una donna Sikh nelle Midlands, aver dichiarato le persone bianche come la “razza superiore” e aver definito le persone musulmane come “ratti”. • Stuart Prior è stato eletto consigliere del consiglio provinciale dell'Essex lo scorso giovedì, ottenendo 2.404 voti, il totale più alto tra tutti i candidati del collegio.

L'avvocato di Catalano afferma che l'attenzione della stampa è 'potenzialmente dannosa' per la salute mentale del co-proprietario di Australian Community Media Un magnate dei media accusato di aver aggredito la moglie ha evitato di comparire di persona in tribunale a causa dei timori che la crescente attenzione mediatica possa essere dannosa per la sua salute mentale. Antony Catalano, 59 anni, è stato accusato di aggressione, sequestro di persona e minacce di morte a seguito di un incidente avvenuto nelle prime ore del 13 marzo. Continua a leggere...

La società controllante della piattaforma Truth Social del presidente ha generato solo 870.000 dollari, nonostante l'aumento delle vendite nette del 6%. • La società controllante di Truth Social di Donald Trump – uno dei canali di comunicazione preferiti del presidente – ha perso quasi 406 milioni di dollari nei primi tre mesi dell'anno, generando un'entrata di poco superiore a 870.000 dollari, secondo i documenti finanziari. • Il rapporto trimestrale di Trump Media and Technology Group per il periodo da gennaio a marzo 2026 ha mostrato che, sebbene le vendite nette siano aumentate del 6% rispetto all'anno precedente, l'azienda ha subito perdite considerevoli legate ad altri investimenti.

Un gruppo di eminenti democratici del Senato ha inviato giovedì una lettera a Brendan Carr, presidente della Federal Communications Commission allineato con Trump, chiedendogli di revocare l'ordinanza emessa la scorsa settimana dal regolatore dei media statunitense, che impone ad ABC di richiedere anticipatamente il rinnovo delle sue licenze televisive. • Le otto licenze delle stazioni di proprietà di ABC non erano originariamente previste per il rinnovo prima del 2028 o, al più tardi, del 2031; ora, le richieste di rinnovo devono essere presentate entro la fine di maggio.

Editor-in-chief of Wall Street Journal says those with deep pockets launching legal challenges as a PR strategyPowerful figures are increasingly suing media outlets before they have even published a story, the editor of the Wall Street Journal has said.Emma Tucker, whose title is being sued by Donald Trump over its reporting of his relationship with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, said the act of reporting itself was now under threat from the use of “lawfare”. Continue reading...

Former leader says antisemitic comments by some election candidates are unacceptableUK politics live – latest updatesThe former Green leader Caroline Lucas has called for the party to take immediate action against candidates who have made antisemitic comments or posts, following a series of cases before Thursday’s elections.Lucas, who led or co-led the party for six years and served as its first MP, said that while the number of such cases was limited, they could not be ignored. Continue reading...

Bamber, 65, has long used press interviews to campaign against convictions for murder of five family membersJeremy Bamber, who has served more than 40 years in prison for murdering five members of his family, has been banned from communicating with the media.Bamber was convicted in 1986 by a 10-2 majority of shooting his adoptive mother and father, his sister and her six-year-old twins at the parents’ family farmhouse in Essex a year earlier. He has always protested his innocence. Continue reading...

Jimmy Wales remembers a toxic internet even before social media and says AI is ‘not a disaster’ for the free – and freely edited - online encyclopaediaFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastWikipedia’s founder, Jimmy Wales, has branded the Australian social media ban an “unmitigated disaster” and an “embarrassment” that is teaching kids to accept surveillance from tech companies when they go online.The online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit was born in a world before social media, in 2001. But Wales told Guardian Australia that many of the ills of social media existed even in the earlier stages of the internet. Continue reading...

From legitimate scrutiny to lurid scare stories, the Green party’s rise has brought a sudden spike in attentionIt is the lot of smaller parties that grow rapidly that they tend to endure something of a trial by the media in the UK. The attention from some of the newspapers and broadcasters to the Green party before this week’s elections has occasionally borne an unlikely resemblance to the height of Clegg-mania in the spring of 2010, when the Liberal Democrat leader, Nick Clegg, was rewarded for his positive polling with the unlikely Daily Mail headline “Clegg in Nazi slur on Britain”.All manner of colourful tales have emerged about Green policies and personnel as the party has risen up the national opinion polls, making them something of a target for news editors and reporters. That attention has ranged from legitimate questions over the views of members to more eccentric warnings of a dire future for everyone in Britain from exotic animals to members of the clergy. Continue reading...

• Pakistan has received an amended peace proposal from Iran as it serves as a crucial backchannel mediator in ongoing US-Iran negotiations, reflecting diplomatic efforts to resolve escalating tensions. • The development indicates continued high-level diplomatic engagement despite stalled formal negotiations and previous ceasefire attempts, with Pakistan playing a strategic intermediary role in the Middle East crisis. • Successful mediation efforts could have significant implications for global markets, crude oil prices, and regional stability, directly affecting India's energy security and economic growth prospects.

• A bipartisan advisory panel convened under President Biden’s tech‑regulation agenda delivered a draft report recommending that Congress ban politically targeted digital ads that spread “clearly false or misleading information” about voting procedures, candidates, or ballot access. • The panel, whose members include former FEC commissioners and civil‑rights leaders, argues that such ads undermine trust in elections and disproportionately affect voters of color, urging platforms to adopt stricter labeling and ad‑library rules. • The proposal sparks backlash from free‑speech advocates, who warn that any government‑defined standard for political misinformation could chill legitimate debate and benefit incumbent parties.

Albanese defends plan forcing Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers through a levy The Trump administration has described Australia’s moves to make big tech companies pay for news online as “extortion” but Anthony Albanese defended the plan by saying it was about protecting and rewarding media outlets for the work they produce.Labor’s plan to encourage Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers, or face a 2.25% levy, is likely to be supported by the Coalition and Greens in parliament. But a bigger problem may be the ire of Donald Trump, who has strongly opposed extra regulation being imposed on US-based tech companies. A major tech industry lobby group on Wednesday urged the White House to consider retaliatory trade measures. Continue reading...

Education secretary says children will face restrictions and government will consider range of views on their formChildren in the UK will face restrictions on their use of social media but the government remains open-minded about what form the limits will take, Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, has said.Phillipson told broadcasters on Tuesday she had concerns about the content that under-16s were exposed to online and the length of time they spent staring at screens. Continue reading...

Journalists face rising threats while media ownership is concentrated in fewer hands, leading civil liberties group warnsJournalists in the EU face increasing levels of harassment, threats and violence, while news outlets are owned by a shrinking number of proprietors and public trust in the media has plummeted, a report has found.The Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) said the findings of its fifth annual media freedom report, released on Tuesday, should place EU officials “on high alert”, with media freedom and pluralism “under sustained attack” across mainland Europe. Continue reading...

Government’s draft news bargaining incentive scheme includes 2.25% levy on local revenues of digital giantsAnthony Albanese has urged Google, Meta and TikTok to make deals with Australian media outlets to avoid a dedicated 2.25% levy on local revenues, warning digital giants should not be able to exploit the work of journalists to boost profits.Releasing an exposure draft for the government’s news bargaining incentive (NBI) scheme on Tuesday, the prime minister said platforms who sign new deals with publishers to pay for news content would receive offsets of between 150% to 170% from the new levy. Continue reading...

• President Trump ends 24-hour media truce sparked by White House Correspondents' Dinner incident with renewed criticisms. • Hostilities resume after one uncomfortable press question, highlighting ongoing tensions. • Occurs amid White House defenses against Democrats on political violence claims.

Mining magnate also claims children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in a speech to 4,000 people on the Sydney Opera House stepsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s richest person, Gina Rinehart, called for immigrants’ social media to be screened and said children are being taught to be ashamed of the Australian flag in untelevised remarks before an Anzac memorial service on the steps of Sydney Opera House on Friday.Rinehart’s public appearance was attended by about 4,000 people and sponsored by her company, Hancock Prospecting, and RSL New South Wales. Continue reading...

Peers and campaigners say proposal for three-year window to impose controls breaks promise of quick actionPeers will vote on Monday on a government move that could delay action on children’s access to social media for up to three years, which has triggered a backlash from campaigners and senior figures in the Lords.Ministers tabled an amendment to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill that would allow them to wait before introducing new restrictions, Critics warn it risks watering down earlier commitments to act within months and could result in only limited interventions such as parental controls rather than sweeping measures on access. Continue reading...

Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was hit at about 4.30am six days ago in Soho in incident that left 58-year-man with life-changing injuriesA social media influencer has died six days after a car hit her and other pedestrians outside a nightclub in London, police said.Klaudia Zakrzewska, 32, was injured in Argyll Street, Soho, at about 4.30am on 19 April and was pronounced dead on Saturday. Continue reading...

White House says Tehran in ‘very weak position’; Iran says two seized ships transferred to its coast; US navy secretary exiting post ‘effective immediately’, says Pentagon‘Impossible’ to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ‘flagrant’ ceasefire breaches, Iran saysWelcome to our live coverage of events in the Middle East.Iran has seized two ships in the strait of Hormuz a day after Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off US attacks, while there is no sign of peace talks restarting.Trump was “satisfied” with the US naval blockade and “understands Iran is in a very weak position”, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. The US president had not set a deadline on Iran submitting a peace proposal, she said, after Trump on Tuesday said he was indefinitely extending the ceasefire at the request of mediator Pakistan until Tehran responded to the US’s negotiating positions or until talks were concluded “one way or the other”.The Pentagon announced that the US secretary of the navy, John Phelan, would depart the office “effective immediately”, without providing an explanation for his sudden exit. The US army’s top officer, Gen Randy George, and two other senior officers were removed earlier this month amid the continuing war with Iran.The US-Israeli war against Iran is “starting to weaken Europe”, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his German counterpart. Erdoğan said: “If we do not address this situation with an approach that prioritises peace, the damage caused by the conflict will be far greater.”Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed a Lebanese journalist, Amal Khalil, and wounded a photographer accompanying her, a senior Lebanese military official and Khalil’s employer said. The death of Khalil, 43, brought the death toll to five people on Wednesday – the deadliest day since a 10-day truce between Israel and Hezbollah was announced on 16 April. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on Khalil’s death.Khalil and freelance photographer Zeinab Faraj were covering developments near the town of al-Tayri when an Israeli strike hit the vehicle in front of them, Reuters reported. They ran into a nearby house that was then also targeted by an Israeli strike, said Lebanon’s health ministry. Lebanese prime minister Nawaf Salam said Israeli targeting of journalists and obstructing relief effort constituted war crimes.Oil prices leapt 4% on Thursday after Iran vowed not to reopen the Hormuz strait amid the US naval blockade despite the truce extension. Around 0025 GMT, the benchmark US oil contract West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 4.06% to $96.73 a barrel, while the international oil benchmark Brent North Sea crude climbed 3.62% to $105.63. Both eased back minutes after.Two Palestinians, including a 14-year-old schoolboy, were killed in the occupied West Bank after Israeli settlers opened fire near a school amid mounting assaults on education in the territory, witnesses and local officials have said.United Airlines implemented broad-based rises of 15-20% on fares as it sought to offset the surge in petrol prices while protecting profits, executives said. The big US carrier has also cut its 2026 flying capacity by 5%. Continue reading...

• Turkey and Greece opened fresh talks on maritime boundaries in the Eastern Mediterranean, with NATO officials mediating discussions aimed at resolving long-standing territorial disputes. • Both nations agreed to establish a permanent dialogue mechanism and conduct joint scientific surveys of disputed seabed areas, marking the most substantive progress in five years. • The US views the agreement as critical to regional stability, particularly given strategic concerns about Russian naval activity in the Mediterranean and the need for unified NATO positioning.

In a letter to the Guardian, Uran Ferizi criticises ‘obsession’ with demonising AlbaniansAlbanians in Britain are paying the price in schools and workplaces of being scapegoated by rightwing media and politicians, the Albanian ambassador has said.Uran Ferizi also criticised Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, for comments in parliament where she singled out Albanians when discussing problems with immigration. Continue reading...

UK representatives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok also tell MPs they believe under-16 ban would be ‘unenforceable’Executives from three social media companies have denied their platforms are inherently addictive to children and young people in a combative appearance before MPs in Westminster.Representatives from Meta, Roblox and TikTok faced robust questioning from the cross-party education select committee about the impact of screen time and social media on children. Continue reading...