Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among 6 nations set to join the BRICS economic bloc (apnews.com)
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Iran and Saudi Arabia are among six countries that will join the BRICS bloc of developing economies as new members from 2024, South Africa’s president said Thursday....
Ukraine ready to boycott Olympic Games if Russia and Belarus take part in competition- Ukrainian Prime Minister (www.pravda.com.ua)
Hawaiian Electric stock plunges 40% after lawsuit alleges it failed to shut power off ahead of the Maui wildfires (edition.cnn.com)
World race to the seventh continent: the Moon (english.elpais.com)
“Barbie” might be banned in Lebanon for ‘promoting homosexuality’ (www.france24.com)
The Ministry of Culture in Lebanon may decide to ban the film “Barbie” after it accused the film of “promoting homosexuality” on Wednesday. Lebanon, normally perceived as relatively open and free in the Middle East, has seen its ruling elites gather around hardcore conservative values.
Music labels sue Internet Archive over digitized record collection. (www.reuters.com)
Universal Music Group (UMG.AS), Sony Music Entertainment (6758.T) and other record labels on Friday sued the nonprofit Internet Archive for copyright infringement over its streaming collection of digitized music from vintage records.
Malaysia warns owners of LGBTQ-themed Swatch watches could face jail time (www.cbsnews.com)
ground.news/…/malaysia-makes-owning-an-lgbtq-swat…
Philippines says China fired water cannon at boats - BBC News (www.bbc.co.uk)
‘Word of God’: Why Muslims are opposed to the burning of the Quran (www.aljazeera.com)
Demonstrations have been held in several Muslim countries in recent weeks in response to the repeated desecration and burning of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark....
More Wagner fighters move closer to Polish border, Poland PM says (www.reuters.com)
A group of a hundred soldiers from the Russian Wagner group have moved closer to the Belarusian city of Grodno near the Polish border, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Saturday....
France cuts off aid to Niger amid growing Western condemnation of coup (www.france24.com)
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, receiving close to $2 billion a year in official development assistance, according to the World Bank....
Spain isn't bowing to the rise of the far-right in the EU. Why? (www.euronews.com)
Europe has seen an increasing trend of far-right parties surging in popularity and conservative parties rising to power. Why has Spain bucked this trend?...
Student in Mauritania charged with blasphemy over exam paper (www.bbc.com)
Mauritanian authorities have charged a high school student with blasphemy over a mock exam paper she submitted....
Far-right group burns Quran in Copenhagen (www.politico.eu)
India, Manipur genocide : 18-year-old gang-raped in Manipur, India after women vigilantes hand her over to armed men (www.thehindu.com)
FIR says Meira Paibis women’s group handed her over to four armed men; after a brutal assault, gangrape, murder threats, she arrived at Bishnupur police station but did not trust Meitei police to take her home
Over 1,000 Air Reservists Threaten to Stop Serving, as Israel’s Political Crisis Grows (www.nytimes.com)
In a move that experts say could significantly hurt Israel’s military readiness, pilots and other personnel issued a warning after Benjamin Netanyahu pressed ahead with a plan to limit judicial power....
Putin pulls out of South Africa summit amid arrest threat (www.newsweek.com)
Iran’s ‘morality police’ return as authorities enforce hijab rule (www.aljazeera.com)
Tehran, Iran – Iran has relaunched patrols by the so-called morality police as authorities escalate their efforts to enforce the country’s mandatory hijab rules....
NATO chief: Ukraine to join alliance when "conditions are met" (www.axios.com)
[India] News18 Mega UCC Poll: 76.5% Muslim Women Against Men Having the Right to Take 4 Wives - News18 (www.news18.com)
Twitter Blue accounts fuel Ukraine War misinformation (www.bbc.co.uk)
False and misleading posts about the Ukraine conflict continue to go viral on major social media platforms, as Russia’s invasion of the country extends beyond 500 days....