World

Youth-led demonstrations calling for better hospitals and schools spread across Moroccan cities late on Monday. Dozens of people were detained in Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier, and Oujda, according to witnesses and rights groups. The demonstrations were reportedly coordinated online by “GenZ 212,” a loose group that has relied on TikTok, Instagram, and Discord to mobilize supporters. Another network, Morocco Youth …

TikTok is not just the most downloaded app in the world; it’s the most powerful information platform on the planet. The app is also a political flashpoint. TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company under the shadow of Beijing. For years, US lawmakers have tried to rein it in, either by banning it outright or forcing a sale to …

A two-year-old girl chosen as Nepal’s new living goddess was carried by family members from their home in an alley in Kathmandu to a temple palace on Tuesday during the country’s longest and most significant Hindu festival. Aryatara Shakya, at 2 years and 8 months, was chosen as the new Kumari or “virgin goddess,” replacing the incumbent who is considered …

Germany’s chancellor has warned that Europe and Russia are “no longer at peace” in a bombshell speech. Friedrich Merz was attending a media event in Düsseldorf, when he made his alarming comments. The German leader has been one of Europe’s most outspoken critics of Vladimir Putin since taking over the reigns of his country. He has constantly warned about the …

Madagascar’s president has admitted his administration’s failures on basic services amid unrest that has killed more than 20 Madagascar’s president, Andry Rajoelina, has dissolved his government after days of deadly youth-led protests sparked by prolonged power cuts and water shortages in the Indian Ocean nation. In a televised address late on Monday, Rajoelina acknowledged public anger over years of poor …

Afghanistan faced a second day without internet and mobile phone service on Tuesday, after Taliban authorities cut the fibre optic network. Taliban authorities began shutting down high-speed internet connections to some provinces earlier in the month to prevent “vice”. On Monday night, mobile phone signal and internet service gradually weakened until connectivity was less than 1 per cent of ordinary …

Russia is teetering on the edge of economic collapse as a result of systematic Ukrainian strikes on oil refineries, a Russian propagandist has warned. Meanwhile, the leader of the puppet regime installed by Vladimir Putin in Crimea has said fuel can no longer be sold in quantities of more than 30 litres per person as ordinary people feel the pinch. …

The bill seeks to ban glorifying the groups that massacred Polish civilians during World War II Polish President Karol Nawrocki has proposed banning the public glorification of Ukrainian nationalists who collaborated with Nazi Germany and committed atrocities during World War II. The bill, submitted on Monday, would expand Article 256 of the Polish Penal Code – which currently outlaws the dissemination …

FINE PRINT / OPINION — “In order to prevent the emergence of a new strategic arms race and to preserve an acceptable degree of predictability and restraint, we consider it reasonable to maintain at this turbulent time the status quo established under New START. Accordingly, Russia is prepared to continue observing the treaty’s central quantitative restrictions for one year after …

The mayor of a central Japanese city has defended an unusual new ordinance that urges residents to limit their personal smartphone use to just two hours per day, saying the guideline is intended to encourage better sleep and stronger family relationships, not to police private behaviour. Starting on Wednesday, residents of Toyoake in Aichi prefecture will be asked to limit …