US messenger app WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, has been completely blocked in Russia for failing to comply with local law, the Kremlin said on Thursday, suggesting Russians turn to a state-backed “national messenger” instead. “Due to Meta’s unwillingness to comply with Russian law, such a decision was indeed made and implemented,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry…
Following the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco earlier this month, which saw Senegal walk off the field after Morocco were given a late penalty moments after Senegal had a goal disallowed, Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has been banned for five Confederation of African Football matches and fined $100,000. The Moroccan side also faces…
Of Africa’s 54 countries, 36 are now subject to either travel bans or visa bonds by the United States. African states are the prime target of President Donald Trump’s latest round of travel restrictions, which he says are aimed at protecting national security and preventing visitors overstaying. The US State Department this week added several…
A former EU commissioner has hit back after receiving a U.S. visa ban for alleged censorship. The Trump administration imposed visa bans on Thierry Breton, a former European Union commissioner behind the Digital Services Act (DSA), and four anti-disinformation campaigners, accusing them of censoring U.S. social media platforms. “The State Department is taking decisive action…
Getty Images The Maldives has banned young people born on or after 1 January 2007 from smoking tobacco, becoming the only country in the world to enforce a nationwide generational tobacco prohibition. The archipelago’s health ministry announced on Saturday that it would be illegal for younger generations to use, buy or sell tobacco within the…
Operation Dudula leader Zandile Dabula has hit back at Zanu PF spokesperson Farai Marapira’s remarks that the movement betrays ubuntu, insisting that no foreigner will dictate how South Africa runs its affairs. Marapira, the ruling party Zanu PF’s information director, told IOL News that the ongoing campaigns against undocumented migrants were a betrayal of ubuntu…
North Korea has announced that its newly opened seaside resort will not be receiving foreign tourists. The Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Zone, opened on 1 July, has been touted as a key part of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s ambitions to boost tourism. In the lead-up to its opening, the resort was promoted as…
