Burkina Faso's junta announced a ban on all political parties, a move seen as tightening control after the military seized power in 2022. The announcement, made by Interior Minister Emile Zerbo, is part of plans to "rebuild the state" after what he described as "numerous abuses" in the country's multiparty system, according to BBC World.
The ban follows the suspension of political activities that had been in place since the coup. Zerbo stated that the multiparty system had been "promoting division among citizens and weakening the social fabric," BBC World reported. Prior to the 2022 coup, Burkina Faso had more than 100 registered political parties, according to BBC World. Junta leader Captain Ibrahim Traoré has faced criticism for suppressing dissent.
In other news, former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested after entering a Minnesota church and filming anti-immigration enforcement protesters disrupting a service. Lemon was taken into custody by federal agents on Thursday night in Los Angeles while covering the Grammy Awards, according to a statement from his lawyer Abbe Lowell, as reported by BBC World. "Don will fight these charges vigorously and thoroughly in court," Lowell said. Lemon, according to BBC World, entered the Cities Church in St Paul on January 19 with a group of protesters who claimed one of the pastors was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.
Meanwhile, Panama's Supreme Court annulled contracts allowing a Hong Kong-based company, CK Hutchison Holding, to operate container ports on the Panama Canal. The ruling, reported by BBC World, comes a year after former US President Donald Trump claimed China was "operating the Panama Canal" in his inaugural speech. CK Hutchison Holding, through its subsidiary the Panama Ports Company (PPC), had operated two of the five ports since the 1990s. The court found that laws allowing the firm to operate the ports were "unconstitutional," according to BBC World.
In the United States, YouTube is rolling out new parental controls designed to give families more control over how much time teens spend on Shorts. Parents can now set daily time limits or block Shorts entirely, depending on what works best for their household, according to Fox News. YouTube says these tools are meant to support healthier viewing habits while still allowing young users access.
Finally, President Trump was presented with an expanded list of potential military options against Iran aimed at further damaging the country's nuclear and missile facilities or weakening Iran's supreme leader, according to multiple U.S. officials, as reported by the NY Times. The options go beyond proposals Trump was considering weeks ago as a means of stopping the killing of protesters by Iranian government security forces. The current set of options includes the potential for American forces to carry out raids on sites inside Iran, the NY Times reported.
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