Author: DW

European Union regulators have opened a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram over child protection concerns, the European Commission said on Thursday. The Commission said in a statementthat systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including the algorithms, may “exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of minors and cause addictive behaviour.” It also noted concerns over so-called “rabbit-hole” effect which it said “draw you in to more and more disturbing content,” according to the statement. The bloc is also looking into potential privacy concerns and also minors’ potential access to inappropriate content. The European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said the bloc was not convinced Meta had done enough to…

The ruling ANC is projected to lose its majority in the May 29 elections. For many voters, the polls offer another shot at restoring hope in South Africa’s democracy. Source link

A Turkish court on Thursday sentenced Selahattin Demirtas, the former leader of the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, to 42 years in prison for his alleged role in deadly protests in 2014 that were triggered by an Islamic State attack on the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani. Another leading pro-Kurdish politician, Figen Yuksekdag, was sentenced to just over 30 years. Many other senior HDP figures were convicted among a total of 108 defendants charged with 29 offenses, including murder and harming the unity of the Turkish state. At least 10 other defendants were acquitted of the charges against them.…

China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have met in Beijing – promoting their alliance and their new ‘world order’ away from the West. On the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by Sky’s Asia correspondent Nicole Johnston in Beijing and Sky’s Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett to discuss the highlights of the summit so far. Plus, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer made a key speech to lay out six pledges ahead of his election campaign. Sky’s deputy political editor Sam Coates joins Niall to unpick the key moments.👉 Listen above then tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever…

People in Sudan are “trapped in an inferno of brutal violence,” the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, said on Wednesday.  “Famine is closing in. Diseases are closing in. The fighting is closing in and there’s no end in sight,” she said, adding that “horrific atrocities are being committed with reckless abandon, reports of rape, torture and ethnically motivated violence are streaming in.” She warned more than 4 million people were at great risk of famine due to the upcoming rainy season and the blocking of aid. Conflict in Sudan In April 2023, conflict broke out between the Sudanese army and…

A glance at current OECD labor figures can be startling. In 2022, the average American worked over 1,800 hours per year, while the average German worked only 1,340 hours. However, labor market researcher Enzo Weber from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) in Nuremberg, Germany, dismisses suggestions of the once-industrious Germans now only wanting to enjoy their sweet lives. “Germany has a very high female labor force participation rate compared to most other countries,” Weber told DW, noting that the main difference to other countries was that about every second woman works part-time, which mathematically lowers the average annual working…

Over 100 crew members of the Air India’s budget subsidiary called in sick at the last minute earlier this month, forcing the airline to delay or cancel at least 175 flights during the strike action. Dozens of disgruntled cabin crew workers said they walked out to show their objection to changes in Air India Express’ human resources policies after the carrier was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022 as part of efforts by India’s government to privatize the debt-ridden airline. The absence of senior cabin crew led to commotion across the carrier’s network, resulting in chaos at several airports as hundreds…

When Yoav Gallant recorded a televised statement criticising Israel’s judicial reforms in March 2023, Benjamin Netanyahu sacked him. A few days later, after massive street protests, the defence minister was reinstated.Mr Gallant has again taken to the television to criticise the Israel Prime Minister, this time over the lack of a ‘day-after plan’ for Gaza. He implied that Mr Netanyahu’s indecision was harming the country’s security and leading to a de-facto military control of Gaza.The bad blood between prime minister and defence minister is no secret, but thrusting it into the open in this way was a dramatic move.Israel-Gaza latest:…

Germany’s Euro 2024 squad has been announced, with uncapped Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, Hoffenheim’s forward Maximilian Beier and Stuttgart forward Chris Führich the big surprise inclusions. Alongside veterans Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos and captain Ilkay Gündogan, the preliminary squad also included Führich’s Stuttgart teammates striker Deniz Undav and defenders Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Mittelstädt. Leon Goretzka, Mats Hummels and Julian Brandt were surprise omissions, with head coach Julian Nagelsmann preferring the aforementioned Pavlovic and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Robin Koch. The 27-man squad will be reduced to the tournament maximum of 26 by June 7 at the latest, when Germany play their final friendly…

Activists in Pakistan-administered Kashmir say the recent protests over soaring food and energy costs reflect larger problems involving the semi-autonomous region’s local government and the central government in Islamabad. On Monday evening, four people, including one police officer, were killed after paramilitary forces, called rangers, responded to the protests in the regional capital, Muzaffarabad. An estimated 100 people have been injured. Authorities also shut off internet services and closed schools in response to the unrest.  In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved $82 million (€75 million) worth of subsidies on Tuesday in a bid to defuse the situation by…