Ecuador
Indigenous Ecuadorians have protested in the streets for a second day running, angry over a hike in fuel prices. Demonstrators blocked roads across the country, prompting President Guillermo Lasso to move security forces to highways in order to keep things moving. The protests are the latest in a series of recent crises. Ecuador is currently in a state of emergency over rampant crime and Lasso is being investigated by parliament after the Pandora Papers revealed allegations he had hidden millions of dollars overseas. About one third of Ecuadorians are unemployed.
More from Al Jazeera here.
Iran
Another major cyberattack; this time in Iran. Hackers disabled a system that allows Iranians to buy subsidized fuel at gas stations using smart cards. Huge queues snaked from stations as electronic billboards, apparently also hacked, displayed a message that said: “Khamenei, where is our fuel?" - a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian government blamed a "state actor," without specifying.
More from AP here.
Sudan
Repercussions for Sudan’s military coup leaders are mounting. The African Union today booted the country out, saying its membership would remain suspended until the toppled transitional government was restored. And the World Bank suspended aid in what could be a major shock to an already severely battered economy. Defiant anti-coup protests continued in the capital Khartoum, and protest organizers are reported to be planning huge demonstrations across the country this Saturday.
More from Africa News here.