“European Union regulators are investigating Snapchat over concerns the platform isn’t doing enough to protect kids and exposing them to risks such as increased vulnerability to child predators or recruitment by criminals. The 27-nation EU’s executive Commission said Thursday it was opening a formal investigation into Snapchat under the bloc’s sweeping rule book known as the Digital Services Act that’s designed to [censor the Internet]. The European Commission said that Snapchat requires users to be at least 13 to use the platform but it suspected that the company’s ‘age assurance’ system is ‘insufficient’ at keeping them off. Regulators said the platform is also exposing teens to inappropriate content because it’s not properly checking whether a user is under 17. And they worried that age checking systems aren’t preventing adults from posing as minors.” (03/26/26)
“A water-borne drone struck a Turkish-operated crude oil tanker that had departed Russia, causing an explosion in the Black Sea near Istanbul’s Bosphorus strait on Thursday, Turkey’s transportation minister said. The incident, one of several in recent months involving Western-sanctioned vessels heading to or from Russian ports, occurred in the early hours, minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu told broadcaster Kanal 24. … Other commercial tankers carrying crude oil from Russian ports have been targeted over the past year by what some experts suggest is a state-sponsored sabotage campaign using limpet mines and other explosives. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for these attacks. ” (03/26/26)
“U.S. Southern Command said it [murdered] four men in a strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean on Wednesday, the latest attack by the Trump administration in its aggressive crackdown on narcotics trafficking. The Trump administration has [murdered] at least 163 people and destroyed at least 47 vessels it accuses of trafficking drugs in international waters since Sept. 2, according to a Pentagon posture statement and subsequent SOUTHCOM releases. Wednesday’s strike was the third publicly reported since the U.S. military began its war with Iran.” (03/26/26)
“A court in Paris has sentenced prominent Islam scholar Tariq Ramadan to 18 years in jail for raping three women, two years after he was given a jail term for a separate rape offence in Switzerland. The French rape case unfolded in 2017, when two of the three women came forward during the Me Too campaign against sexual abuse and harassment. Ramadan, a 63-year-old former professor of Islamic studies at St Antony’s College in Oxford, did not attend the trial in Paris, although he has always denied the charges. His lawyers said he was being treated in the Swiss city of Geneva for multiple sclerosis and condemned the trial as a farce. Judge Corinne Goetzmann told the court that a warrant had been issued for Ramadan’s arrest, however Switzerland does not have an extradition treaty with its neighbour..” (03/26/26)
“Hungary’s pro-Russian government has launched criminal charges against a prominent investigative journalist whom it accuses of conducting spying activities in coordination with a foreign country, a minister said on Thursday. The journalist, Szabolcs Panyi, focuses on national security and intelligence reporting and has published extensive reports detailing Russian influence operations in Hungary as well as the relationship between Moscow and Hungary’s foreign minister. Panyi denies the allegations, and an outlet Panyi writes for has accused Hungary’s government of ‘resorting to authoritarian tactics’ to discredit the journalist and his findings.” (03/26/26)
“OpenAI has ‘indefinitely’ abandoned plans to release an a erotic chatbot for adults following concerns from employees and investors, the company confirmed to The Financial Times. Plans for such a feature, first announced in October 2025 for release in December last year, had already been delayed while company debated whether to release it all. It’s the second app OpenAI has decided to shelf this week, after announcing on Tuesday that it was shutting down its Sora video generator. The adult-oriented chatbot, reportedly called ‘Citron mode,’ is now on hold with no planned release date. The company reportedly had difficulty training models that previously avoided erotic content and also removing illegal behavior like bestiality or incest, two people familiar with the matter told the FT.” [editor’s note: An erotic chatbot engages in conversation, which by definition cannot (at least in the US) constitute “illegal behavior” – TLK] (03/26/26)
“Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife were back in a New York courtroom Thursday as they seek to have their drug trafficking indictments thrown out over a geopolitical dispute over legal fees. The hearing opened with the defense and prosecution arguing over whether Maduro should be allowed to use Venezuelan government funds to pay for his defense. The defense has insisted that the U.S. is violating the deposed leader’s constitutional rights by blocking government money from being used for his legal costs. Maduro lawyer Barry Pollack contended that if Maduro got public defenders, investigating and preparing his case would sap legal resources meant for people who can’t afford their own attorneys, and that doesn’t make sense in ‘a case where you have someone other than the U.S. taxpayer standing ready, willing and able to fund that defense.’ Prosecutor Kyle Wirshba argued against letting Maduro use Venezuelan government funds.” (03/26/26)
“The European Parliament supported two legal proposals Thursday to implement the trade agreement reached last year between the EU and the U.S. by a wide margin, with amendments aimed at ensuring the Trump administration stands by the deal. In a plenary vote, lawmakers backed the measures — to scrap EU duties on U.S. industrial products — with a wide majority. Parliament negotiators will likely meet as soon as April 13 with EU country representatives to start negotiating a final compromise that could then enter into force.” (03/26/26)
“The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a temporary 8% charge on certain popular products, including Priority Mail, to help blunt the impact of rising transportation costs. USPS filed notice on Wednesday with the Postal Regulatory Commission seeking the price increase, which would take effect on April 26 and remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027, pending final approval. … The notice comes as Postmaster General David Steiner has warned Congress that the Postal Service, which has seen letter volumes plummet, will run out of cash within a year unless lawmakers lift a decades-old cap and allow the independent agency to borrow more money.” (03/25/26)
“Days after Maine Gov. Janet Mills released her first attack ad against her rival in the Democratic Senate primary, Graham Platner, focusing on comments he made about sexual assault victims online 13 years ago, Emerson College Polling conducted the latest survey of likely primary voters regarding their support for the two candidates. Between March 21-23, the polling group surveyed 1,075 Maine Democrats and found that 55% expressed support for Platner, while just 28% supported Mills—giving the first-time political candidate, oyster farmer, and combat veteran nearly a 2-to-1 advantage. When asked about a hypothetical general election matchup with Republican Sen. Susan Collins, respondents gave both Democratic candidates an edge over her, but Platner had a more comfortable lead. Forty-eight percent supported him over Collins, while 41% backed Collins and 12% said they were undecided or supported another candidate. Mills had the backing of 46% of voters compared to Collins’ 43%, and 11% were undecided.” (03/26/26)
