Politics and society

A Moroccan man accused of criticising the country’s king on social media has been sentenced to five years in prison local media reported, citing his lawyer. Said Boukioud was charged with “undermining the monarchy” for comments he posted on Facebook in 2020 criticising Morocco’s normalisation of ties with Israel. He …

Kenya’s interior ministry said on Wednesday that it had suspended the local activities of cryptocurrency project Worldcoin while government agencies assess potential risks to public safety, Reuters reported. The project founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman launched last week. It requires users to give their iris scans in exchange for …

Meta Group began blocking Canadians’ access to media content on Facebook and Instagram on Tuesday (August 1) in response to a new law forcing digital giants to pay publishers. Links and content posted by Canadian and foreign media “will no longer be visible to people in Canada,” Meta said, stressing …

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has fleshed out the details of a raft of measures to tackle the rising cost of living, which has prompted civil unrest and looting. In a televised address to the nation, Mr Tinubu said he had ordered the release of 200,000 tonnes of grain from strategic …

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jim Obazee as a special investigator to investigate activities of the Central Bank of Nigeria and other related entities. In a letter dated July 28, Mr. Tinubu said the appointment of Mr. Obazee, based on the fundamental objective stated in Article 15 (5) of …

The governor of Adamawa state in Nigeria has declared a 24-hour curfew following the looting of food stores and warehouses in the state capital, Yola, local media reported. Hundreds of people were captured on video, breaking into warehouses, carrying off sacks of grain, cartons of pasta and other household items. …

The United Nations says it has suspended its humanitarian operations in Niger, after soldiers announced the overthrow of the country’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. It says more than four million people in the country are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded the immediate and unconditional …

Italians are divided over the issue of transgender women entering the Miss Italy pageant after authorities decided to ban transgender people from the competition. A foreign election has come to shake Italy. It is not political, but rather societal. This is the coronation of Rikkie Kollé, elected Miss Netherlands 2023 …

Doctors in Nigeria’s public hospitals have started a “total and indefinite strike” over what they described as the failure of government to address their grievances, the BBC reported. The striking medics make up the largest percentage of doctors in Nigeria’s hospitals. Their walk-outs usually severely disrupt healthcare services in government …

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a new law on Monday July 24 banning sex change operations, local media reported. The text prohibits “any medical intervention” for gender reassignments, including surgical operations and hormonal therapies. Changing the gender designation in identity documents will also be prohibited. The bill had passed …