Lebashe’s plans for Tiso Blackstar

Social media posts may seem insignificant when compared with the brutality on the ground in Ukraine, but what goes viral is directly affecting the war and Russia knows this. This Friday, the chairman of the Russian parliament Vyacheslav Volodin railed against foreign social media, calling it a "weapon" that Russia "must oppose". This comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky secured a series of victories against Russia on the international stage, thanks in no small part to his internet star power.

We bring you the front pages, which focus on the victims of Vladimir Putin's brutal war in Ukraine. Also, we look at the origins of the "Z" symbol, which has become a way to express support for Putin and the invasion. Papers dedicate their editions to the women of Ukraine, whether they are fighting on the frontlines or giving birth in basements. Finally, we look at how Ukraine's first lady has emerged from the shadows to rally Ukrainians and boost morale.

State media have published a series of critical articles against Chinese journalists, accusing them of helping foreign media with "anti-China reports."

We look at the Russian commander dubbed the "butcher of Mariupol" by the Times of London. We also discover a photo from a paediatric hospital that has come to define the war in Ukraine. Plus, Prince William and Kate are accused of colonial overtones in their official tour of the Caribbean, Italy crashes and burns in its World Cup qualifier and the founder of modern Internet culture, the GIF, passes away.

Sri Lanka's government said restrictions on access to social media platforms came a day after protesters defied a nationwide curfew to demand government accountability.

In places such as Cameroon, Guinea Bissau, Rwanda or post-coup Mali, the media's vigilance extends well beyond issues that matter to the public. Journalists are forced to watch their own backs — and data, too.

Egyptian influencers, especially women, have become the target of a crackdown by authorities. At least a dozen women have been prosecuted since 2020 for ''attacking family values''. Two of them, Haneen Hossam and Mawada al-Adham, were sentenced to three and six years in jail on charges of "attacking society's values" and "inciting human trafficking". Like many TikTokers, they made videos of themselves dancing and lip-synching to music. For more on the crackdown, we speak to Souleimene Benghazi, an Egypt and Tunisia campaigner at Amnesty International.

A new bill, if approved, is expected to bring further restrictions on online freedom of expression and media freedom in Turkey.

Disney's upcoming animated adventure film "Strange World" will go straight to Disney+ in France, while it will debut on the big screen elsewhere. The entertainment giant is protesting against the country's strict rules that require theatrically-released films to wait 17 months before going to streaming platforms. But first, European lawmakers take a step closer to meeting the bloc's target of making all new cars emissions-free by 2035, by endorsing a proposed ban on new fuel-powered cars.

Nigerian stakeholder discuss the potential effects of a draft regulation that requires online platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Tiktok to register and open offices in Nigeria and appoint contact persons with the government's information technology development agency.

This news report published on June 15th by IRIB, a state-run TV news channel from Iran, is a compilation of at least seven false claims, in a total of two minutes, alleging Cristiano Ronaldo's support for Palestine and 'hatred' towards Israel. We debunk some of the most outrageous claims in this edition of Truth or Fake.

British media reported on Monday (August 8) that Manchester United are in advanced talks to sign Adrien Rabiot from Juventus. The 27-year-old French international has fallen out of favour in Turin and has just a year left on his contract.