Exclusive: World Service director Fiona Crack says platform pursues stories ignored by the Gulf’s state-owned mediaA senior BBC executive has defended BBC Arabic as a lone voice in the region covering the “Israeli perspective”, as she warned its critics that it pursued stories ignored by the Gulf’s state-owned media.The corporation’s Arabic service has come under sustained criticism in recent years, for its selection of coverage and for featuring some guests that had expressed antisemitic views on social media. There have even been calls for the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/bbc-no-longer-needs-to-reform-its-arabic-channel-it-needs-shutting-down/">service to be closed down</a>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/28/bbc-arabic-defended-lone-voice-region-israeli-perspective">Continue reading...</a>

Exclusive: World Service director Fiona Crack says platform pursues stories ignored by the Gulf’s state-owned media

BBC Arabic defended as lone voice in region for giving ‘Israeli perspective’

Israeli military says primary target, killed in a missile strike far from the frontlines, was a Hezbollah ‘terrorist’<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/mar/28/middle-east-crisis-live-iran-war-updates-trump-us-negotiations-israel-strikes-lebanon-tehran-syria-explosions">Middle East crisis – live updates</a></li></ul>Israel killed three journalists in south Lebanon on Saturday, their TV channels and authorities said, prompting condemnation from the Lebanese government who called the killings a “blatant war crime”.Ali Shoeib, from the Hezbollah-owned al-Manar television station, Fatima Ftouni and her brother and cameraman Mohammed Ftouni from the pro-Hezbollah outlet al-Mayadeen, were killed in the strike targeting their car. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/28/lebanon-condemns-blatant-war-crime-israel-kills-three-journalists">Continue reading...</a>

Israeli military says primary target, killed in a missile strike far from the frontlines, was a Hezbollah ‘terrorist’

Lebanon condemns ‘blatant war crime’ after Israel kills three journalists

Ruling that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed addictive products marks possible watershed moment for social mediaThe young woman at the heart of what has been called the tech industry’s “big tobacco” moment was on YouTube at six and Instagram by nine. More than a decade later, she says, she still can’t live without the social media she became addicted to.“I can’t, it’s too hard to be without it,” Kaley, now 20, told a jury at Los Angeles’ superior court. This week, five men and seven women <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/25/jury-verdict-us-first-social-media-addiction-trial-meta-youtube">handed down a verdict</a> on the design of two of the world’s most popular apps that vindicated Kaley’s position. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/mar/28/week-that-brought-big-tech-to-heel-meta-youtube-google-instagram-facebook">Continue reading...</a>

Ruling that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed addictive products marks possible watershed moment for social media

‘The era of invincibility is over’: the week big tech was brought to heel

AI images of people – such as women in military contexts – are making money and serving as propaganda, researchers sayOnline content creators are not just building fake images and videos of prominent public figures, they are also fabricating people and using them in military contexts, which can make them money and even serve as effective propaganda, according to artificial intelligence researchers.Some of these online avatars are sexualized images of women wearing camouflage garb that have generated a significant audience and helped create an idealized image of political figures like Donald Trump, even if the viewer knows the content is not real, according to experts. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/28/military-deepfakes-ai-propaganda-money">Continue reading...</a>

AI images of people – such as women in military contexts – are making money and serving as propaganda, researchers say

‘They feel true’: political deepfakes are growing in influence – even if people know they aren’t real

Claimants say lost documents hide scale of alleged unlawful information gathering at publisher of the Daily MailThe amount of lost or destroyed documents relating to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/dailymail">Daily Mail</a> publisher’s use of private investigators is “stark in the extreme”, the high court has heard.However, the thin surviving evidence of payments to private investigators contains “conspicuous and often shocking evidence”, according to lawyers for a group of claimants accusing the publisher of using unlawful techniques. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/27/missing-private-investigator-evidence-in-daily-mails-case-stark-high-court-told">Continue reading...</a>

Claimants say lost documents hide scale of alleged unlawful information gathering at publisher of the Daily Mail

Missing private investigator evidence in Daily Mail’s case ‘stark’, high court told

As the new Bluey album, Up Here, arrives – complete with chamber orchestra – Joff Bush describes how he ‘seeds’ musical elements to draw out powerful emotionsThere’s a new Bluey album out.<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.bluey.tv/blog/announcing-up-here-the-new-bluey-album/">Up Here</a> is the fourth album from the team behind the beloved Australian TV show, and the first to feature a chamber orchestra. It’s something composer Joff Bush didn’t think would fly when they first started making the show. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/27/bluey-new-album-music-emotions-joff-bush-chamber-orchestra">Continue reading...</a>

As the new Bluey album, Up Here, arrives – complete with chamber orchestra – Joff Bush describes how he ‘seeds’ musical elements to draw out powerful emo...

‘How can a TV show make you feel such emotions?’ The Bluey composer shares the trick to music that ‘hits you in the feels’

The Late Show host is co-writing a new JRR Tolkien adaptation to be produced by Peter JacksonTypically, when a famous comedian ventures into writing, it’s in service of a book of humorous essays or a screenplay for a starring vehicle. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/stephen-colbert">Stephen Colbert</a>, the comic actor turned beloved talkshow host, is preparing a more unusual pivot: he’ll be working on the screenplay for a new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/lord-of-the-rings">Lord of the Rings</a> movie, to be produced by franchise impresario <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/peterjackson">Peter Jackson</a>, who directed the original trilogy of films based on the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/jrrtolkien">JRR Tolkien</a> fantasy novels, as well as a trilogy based on Tolkien’s book The Hobbit. To casual viewers of his about-to-end Late Show on CBS, or those who remember his years as a contributor to Comedy Central’s irreverent The Daily Show, this might seem like an odd fit; Tolkien isn’t known for his satirical edge. Colbert, however, is known for his love of Tolkien – among other things.Befitting his eventual gig as a political satirist, Colbert was born in Washington DC, the youngest of 11 children in a Catholic family that subsequently lived in Maryland and South Carolina. The family suffered a major loss in 1974 when two of Colbert’s brothers and their father were killed in a plane crash. Colbert was only 10 and became withdrawn after the tragedy, retreating into books – especially fantasy books like the works of Tolkien – and games like Dungeons &amp; Dragons, which he played heavily for four years. This provided some early training in acting and improvisation without him entirely realizing it. “For somebody who eventually became an actor, it was interesting to have done that for so many years, because acting is role-playing,” he told the AV Club in 2006. “You assume a character, and you have to stay in them over years, and you create histories, and you apply your powers. It’s good improvisation with agreed rules before you go in.” <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/28/stephen-colbert-lord-of-the-rings">Continue reading...</a>

The Late Show host is co-writing a new JRR Tolkien adaptation to be produced by Peter Jackson

‘A full-circle moment’: why Stephen Colbert is an enticing fit for Lord of the Rings

Liz Kendall urged by online safety figures to give job to Jeremy Wright ahead of Labour peer Margaret HodgeMinisters are facing pressure to appoint a Conservative former cabinet minister as the new chair of the media regulator Ofcom, as he battles for the role against a Labour peer.The job of running the regulator has become a key post in public life amid concern over the rapid growth of online content and the rise of more <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/18/gb-news-faces-complaints-after-commentator-claims-genocide-against-white-people-in-uk">politically partisan broadcasting</a>. No successor has been named to replace Michael Grade, the former BBC chair who has just weeks left in the job. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/27/labour-pressure-appoint-tory-ex-minister-jeremy-wright-ofcom-chair">Continue reading...</a>

Liz Kendall urged by online safety figures to give job to Jeremy Wright ahead of Labour peer Margaret Hodge

Labour under pressure to appoint Tory ex-minister as next Ofcom chair

Experts recommend extremely limited use for children under-two amid ‘mounting evidence’ of harmful impactThe government has <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/27/starmer-vows-to-fight-social-media-firms-to-protect-children-from-addiction">issued new guidance</a> on <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/screen-time-under-5s/">how much time</a> children below the age of five should spend on screens.Children’s relationships with screens have become one of the key struggles of 21st-century parenting, along with the impact of the content that appears on those devices. The guidance has been developed by a panel led by the children’s commissioner for England, Rachel de Souza, and children’s health expert Prof Russell Viner. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/mar/27/what-new-screen-time-guidance-children-uk">Continue reading...</a>

Experts recommend extremely limited use for children under-two amid ‘mounting evidence’ of harmful impact

What does new guidance in the UK say about screen time for children?

Two court cases have shown how companies can be forced to take responsibility for their impact on public healthDebate about online harms has tended to focus on abusive and hateful content. But the form in which content is delivered is at least as important. That point is central to this week’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/25/jury-verdict-us-first-social-media-addiction-trial-meta-youtube">momentous decisions against Meta and YouTube</a>, by two US juries. It will take more than these cases to loosen big tech’s tight grip on much of the world’s attention. But the fact that both companies were found liable in California, for deliberately designing addictive products that harmed a child, is a massive win for the coalition of campaigners aiming to use the US courts to force the platforms to change their products.The second case against Meta, in New Mexico, found it liable over the use of Facebook and Instagram for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/24/meta-new-mexico-jury">child sex trafficking</a>, with a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/apr/27/how-facebook-and-instagram-became-marketplaces-for-child-sex-trafficking">Guardian investigation</a> cited in the complaint. The jury ordered it to pay $375m in civil liabilities; the state’s attorney general is seeking platform changes and financial penalties.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tone/letters"> letters</a> section, please <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="mailto:guardian.letters@theguardian.com?body=Please%20include%20your%20name,%20full%20postal%20address%20and%20phone%20number%20with%20your%20letter%20below.%20Letters%20are%20usually%20published%20with%20the%20author%27s%20name%20and%20city/town/village.%20The%20rest%20of%20the%20information%20is%20for%20verification%20only%20and%20to%20contact%20you%20where%20necessary.">click here</a>. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/27/the-guardian-view-on-social-media-in-the-dock-tech-bros-move-fast-society-is-trying-to-catch-up">Continue reading...</a>

Two court cases have shown how companies can be forced to take responsibility for their impact on public health

The Guardian view on social media in the dock: tech bros move fast – society is trying to catch up | Editorial

This HBO series about Italy’s top TV host (and his feathered friend) getting embroiled with the mob sounds genius … and yet it’s troublingly tediousHad a little wager with myself this week, regarding whether HBO Max’s new series is about the west London vintage market, a mushroom, or a coastal suburb of Edinburgh. Even spread-betting, I got cleaned out. Portobello is actually the true story of Enzo Tortora, former host of Italy’s top TV show, who was falsely accused of being a member of the Camorra. How was I supposed to guess that?At its height, Portobello the variety show had a staggering audience of 28 million, a national cross section from nuns to prison inmates. Among the latter, Giovanni Pandico: a froggy-looking Camorrist and clinical paranoid who becomes fixated, Stan-like, on Tortora. He believes he communicates with the presenter via telepathy, as well as mind control of a parrot which guest-stars on the show. Bizarrely, the mob criminal posts Tortora 20 lace doilies to sell on his show (in a segment actually called Portobello Market, which really spun me out). <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/28/portobello-how-can-this-tv-show-about-the-mafia-and-a-mind-controlled-parrot-be-so-wildly-dull">Continue reading...</a>

This HBO series about Italy’s top TV host (and his feathered friend) getting embroiled with the mob sounds genius … and yet it’s troublingly tedious

Portobello: how can this TV show about the mafia and a mind-controlled parrot be so wildly dull?

Don’t assume all Today listeners enjoy the same things, writes Eve Orange. Plus a letter from Henry FryerFor better or worse, Radio 4 has (unwittingly) served as the auditory backdrop to much of my existence, with the comforting journey through the headlines, the papers, thought for the day, weather and sport, and the enduring race against the pips characterising my mornings for as long as I can remember.While some argue that, at 27, I&nbsp;am&nbsp;far from a seasoned listener, I&nbsp;do think that this experience gives&nbsp;me some skin in the game when it comes to the BBC’s flagship&nbsp;Radio 4 show. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/mar/27/unserious-pop-music-is-also-worthy-of-radio-4-coverage">Continue reading...</a>

Don’t assume all Today listeners enjoy the same things, writes Eve Orange. Plus a letter from Henry Fryer

‘Unserious’ pop music is also worthy of Radio 4 coverage | Letters

With two unprecedented trial defeats, big tech firms face crisis akin to that faced by cigarette makers in the 1990sIn the span of just two days, the most powerful social media company in the world faced a more severe public reckoning than it has in years.Jurors in California and New Mexico gave back-to-back verdicts this week that for the first time ever found Meta liable for products that inflict harm on young people. For years, lawmakers, parents and advocates have raised red flags over how social media can hurt children, but now the tech firms are being held to account via court rulings that could set long-lasting precedents. <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/mar/26/us-court-social-media-meta-youtube">Continue reading...</a>

With two unprecedented trial defeats, big tech firms face crisis akin to that faced by cigarette makers in the 1990s

‘Accountability has arrived’: dual US court losses show shifting tide against Meta and co

End of News Feed

All but two of Musk's 11 xAI co-founders departed before this week.

Elon Musk’s last co-founder reportedly leaves xAI

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best iPad apps for creativity that are available on the App Store. 

These iPad apps will make you wish you had more free time

Estimates for total Claude consumer users are all over the map (we've seen figures ranging from 18 million to 30 million). Anthropic hasn't disclosed this data, but a spokesperson did tell TechCrunch that Claude paid subscriptions have more than doubled this year.

Estimates for total Claude consumer users are all over the map (we've seen figures ranging from 18 million to 30 million). Anthropic hasn't disclosed thi...

Anthropic’s Claude popularity with paying consumers is skyrocketing

Fusion, fission, and even natural gas are appeared tied in the race to deliver new power to the grid in the early 2030s.

What will power the grid in 2035? The race is wide open

Boomboxes, instant cameras, and even landlines are making a comeback. Here are the coolest retro-inspired devices available. 

Let’s take a look at the retro tech making a comeback

We polled nearly a dozen VCs to find out which W26 startups are the sought after in the batch.

From Moon hotels to cattle herding: 8 startups investors chased at YC Demo Day

Whoop founder Will Ahmed has spent 14 years building a health wearable beloved by elite athletes, and is now racing Oura — and the FDA, and the limits of consumer medicine — to turn it into something that could one day save your life.

Whoop founder Will Ahmed has spent 14 years building a health wearable beloved by elite athletes, and is now racing Oura — and the FDA, and the limits of...

Whoop has LeBron – now it wants your mom

The deal would effectively double the company's $5.6 billion valuation in just four months.

Physical Intelligence is reportedly in talks to raise $1 billion, again

Wall Street giants JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs are extending a 12-month, unsecured loan to the Japanese conglomerate. 

Why SoftBank’s new $40B loan points to a 2026 OpenAI IPO

SK hynix’s potential U.S. listing could raise $10-$14 billion to help it build more capacity, encourage others to follow, and end the 'RAMmageddon' memory shortage.  

SK hynix’s potential U.S. listing could raise $10-$14 billion to help it build more capacity, encourage others to follow, and end the 'RAMmageddon' memor...

Memory chip giant SK hynix could help end ‘RAMmageddon’ with blockbuster US IPO

Waymo's weekly paid robotaxi trips have increased tenfold in less than two years. 

Waymo’s skyrocketing ridership in one chart

The European Union's top executive body has confirmed a cyberattack after hackers reportedly stole reams of data from the European Commission's cloud storage.

The European Union's top executive body has confirmed a cyberattack after hackers reportedly stole reams of data from the European Commission's cloud sto...

European Commission confirms cyberattack after hackers claim data breach 

Index Ventures is said to be leading a $250 million to $350 million round. 

Aetherflux reportedly raising Series B at $2 billion valuation

The two companies have been collaborating on a joint venture that would see Rivian tech go in VW's EVs.

Rivian gets another $1B from Volkswagen

Handala, a pro-Iranian hacking group allegedly working for Iran’s government, published emails it said were taken from the Gmail account of FBI director Kash Patel. 

Handala, a pro-Iranian hacking group allegedly working for Iran’s government, published emails it said were taken from the Gmail account of FBI director ...

Iranian hackers claim breach of FBI director Kash Patel’s personal email account

The tech giant's claim that it has not seen any successful spyware attacks targeting Apple devices with Lockdown Mode enabled comes amid a leak of hacking tools targeting users running devices with older software.

The tech giant's claim that it has not seen any successful spyware attacks targeting Apple devices with Lockdown Mode enabled comes amid a leak of hackin...

Apple says no one using Lockdown Mode has been hacked with spyware

When an 82-year-old Kentucky woman was&#160;offered $26 million&#160;from an AI company that wanted to build a data center on her land, she said no. Sure, that same company can try to rezone&#160;2,000 acres&#160;nearby anyway, but as AI infrastructure stretches further into the real world,&#160;the real world is starting to push back.&#160; That tension is everywhere [&#8230;]

When an 82-year-old Kentucky woman was&#160;offered $26 million&#160;from an AI company that wanted to build a data center on her land, she said no. Sure...

OpenAI shuts down Sora while Meta gets shut out in court

Sacks will be much further from the power center in Washington than since the outset of this second Trump administration.

David Sacks is done as AI czar — here’s what he’s doing instead

A federal judge has ordered that the Trump administration rescind recent restrictions it placed on the AI company. 

Anthropic wins injunction against Trump administration over Defense Department saga

Google is launching "switching tools" that, just as it sounds, will make it easier for users of other chatbots to switch to Gemini. 

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