Afghanistan
The Taliban has been accused of beating, detaining and torturing journalists who were covering a protest by women in the capital Kabul. Seven journalists were detained in a police station and two who were being held in a separate room, Taqi Daryabi and Nematullah Naqdi, were brutally whipped with cables, documented in disturbing photos their newspaper shared of their wounds. The journalists in detention said they also heard the cries of women in pain. The incident will raise serious questions about the Taliban’s earlier pledge to respect the freedom of the press.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Morocco
Morocco’s longtime Islamist ruling party has suffered a crushing defeat in parliamentary elections, reducing its number of seats from 125 to 12. Its liberal opponents, the National Rally of Independents and the Authenticity and Modernity Party, captured the most seats at 97 and 82 respectively. Morocco is a monarchy in which the king appoints the prime minister from the largest party in parliament.
More from the New Arab here.
North Korea
North Korea has held a spectacular military parade to mark the 73rd anniversary of its founding. Soldiers marching in hazmat suits and gas masks, perhaps indicating a unit devoted to fighting COVID-19, caught the attention as did a slimmed down Kim Jong-un. The country is suffering a food crisis due to UN sanctions and the pandemic.
More from the South China Morning Post here.