India's technology minister has warned US social media firms to abide by the country's laws, a day after a face-off between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration and Twitter over content regulation.
Speaking in Parliament on Thursday, Ravi Shankar Prasad called out Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and WhatsApp by name and said they were welcome to operate in India, but only if they play by India's rules.
"You will have to follow the Constitution of India, you will have to abide by the laws of India," he said.
India rebuked Twitter on Wednesday after the US social media giant refused to fully comply with a government order to take down over 1,100 accounts and posts which New Delhi claims spread misinformation about the farmer protests against new agriculture reforms.
Twitter said it had not blocked all of the content because it believed the directives were not in line with Indian laws.
That prompted censure from India's tech ministry and calls from politicians to urge their followers to join Twitter's home-grown local rival, Koo.
US Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the Catholic Church on Thursday, taking the name Leo XIV, becoming the first American pontiff.
White smoke appeared from a chimney atop the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on Thursday, signalling that the 133 Roman Catholic cardinals meeting in a secret conclave have elected a new pope.
Bill Gates has pledged to give away almost his entire personal wealth in the next two decades and said the world's poorest would receive some $200 billion via his foundation at a time when governments worldwide are slashing international aid.
Blasts rang out across the city of Jammu in Indian Kashmir late on Thursday during what Indian military sources said they suspected was a Pakistani drone attack on the second day of clashes between the two neighbours.
A three-day ceasefire declared by Russia came into effect on Thursday morning with skies over Ukraine's major cities quiet, in a change from successive nights of heavy attacks by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.
A series of major policy reforms have been approved in Dubai, aimed at improving quality of life in line with the Dubai Social Agenda 33 and the Dubai Economic Agenda D33.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and the UAE's Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, has attended the conclusion of the military exercise 'Desert Flag 10' involving multiple countries.
Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is set to begin an official visit to Kazakhstan this Sunday, at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.