Global Pulse

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  • Musicians, creatives in Dubai to get support from Spotify with new agreement

    Musicians, creatives in Dubai to get support from Spotify with new agreement

    In a landmark move for Dubai’s creative sector, Spotify has entered into a strategic partnership with the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority to provide unprecedented support for local musicians and artists. The memorandum of understanding, signed on January 25, 2026, establishes a pioneering public-private collaboration model that marks a significant advancement in the emirate’s cultural development strategy.

    The innovative alliance focuses on creating substantial opportunities for emerging talent through multiple strategic initiatives. The partnership will facilitate knowledge exchange between the entities, enabling the development of cultural programs aligned with international standards and current global music trends. This collaboration represents a concerted effort to bolster the creative economy by providing artists with essential tools for professional advancement.

    A key component of the agreement involves the co-creation of specialized programs that enhance accessibility to critical resources and platforms for Emirati and UAE-based creatives. These initiatives will include comprehensive data analytics support, audience engagement insights, and practical career development resources designed to foster sustainable artistic careers.

    The partnership will launch joint programs encouraging artistic innovation and cultural exchange within Dubai’s music landscape. Additionally, the collaboration will feature curated music projects highlighting Dubai’s vibrant creative community, aligning with the emirate’s vision to establish itself as a global cultural destination and talent incubator.

    This unprecedented agreement signifies a major step in strengthening Dubai’s position in the global creative economy while providing local artists with the necessary infrastructure to compete on international platforms.

  • Defiance as a profession: Pakistan’s jailed lawyer Imaan Mazari

    Defiance as a profession: Pakistan’s jailed lawyer Imaan Mazari

    In a significant escalation of Pakistan’s crackdown on dissent, prominent human rights attorney Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha have been sentenced to ten years imprisonment for alleged anti-state activities through social media posts. The 32-year-old lawyer, who has gained international recognition for defending marginalized communities, received her sentence from an Islamabad court on Saturday following charges of cyber terrorism and hate speech.

    Mazari’s legal practice has focused on Pakistan’s most sensitive cases, including representing ethnic Baloch activists facing enforced disappearances, journalists targeted with defamation charges, and individuals accused of blasphemy—a particularly incendiary allegation in the conservative nation. Her work has drawn repeated comparisons to late human rights icon Asma Jahangir, whom Mazari describes as an inspiration and honor to be associated with.

    The sentencing represents the latest development in an ongoing confrontation between Mazari and Pakistani authorities. Just one day prior to the verdict, the couple was arrested while en route to a court hearing to address these same allegations. Court documents obtained by AFP indicate the prosecution accused Mazari of disseminating highly offensive content critical of Pakistan’s military establishment.

    Despite coming from privilege as the daughter of Pakistan’s former human rights minister Shireen Mazari and the country’s top pediatrician, the Oxford-educated lawyer has deliberately chosen to represent society’s most vulnerable. Her mother expressed both pride in her daughter’s work and concern for the family’s safety, noting that defending the dispossessed inevitably invites persecution in Pakistan’s current political climate.

    International organizations have condemned the legal proceedings against Mazari. The UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders previously stated that the cases appear to reflect arbitrary use of the legal system for harassment and intimidation. Mazari was honored in 2025 with the Young Inspiration Award by the World Expression Forum for her extraordinary courage and impact in the struggle for rule of law.

    Pakistan’s military spokesman directly targeted Mazari in a January 2026 news conference, characterizing her human rights advocacy as operating under democratic guise to promote terrorism. Despite these accusations and her imprisonment, Mazari remains defiant, vowing to continue her work and declaring that unlawful incarceration will not deter her commitment to justice.

  • Trump says US used secret weapon to disable Venezuelan equipment in Maduro raid

    Trump says US used secret weapon to disable Venezuelan equipment in Maduro raid

    In a revealing interview with the New York Post, former President Donald Trump disclosed previously classified details about U.S. military operations against Venezuela, including the use of an advanced pulsed energy weapon he referred to as “The Discombobulator.” Trump described how this secret technology effectively neutralized Venezuelan defense systems during the capture of Nicolás Maduro, preventing the launch of Russian and Chinese rockets despite their preparedness.

    The former president elaborated on the weapon’s capabilities, stating it rendered Venezuelan equipment inoperable. “They pressed buttons and nothing worked,” Trump recounted, explaining how the technology disabled critical infrastructure including power systems in Caracas during the operation.

    Trump simultaneously escalated his rhetoric against international drug cartels, promising expanded military strikes targeting their operations across the Americas. “We know their routes. We know everything about them,” he declared, indicating potential operations in Mexico and Central America. This warning followed a confirmed U.S. strike on a drug-trafficking vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, continuing a campaign that has seen at least 36 maritime strikes resulting in 117 casualties since September.

    The interview also covered Venezuela’s oil resources, with Trump confirming the seizure of seven oil tankers connected to Venezuela. “They don’t have any oil. We take the oil,” he stated, while declining to disclose the current location of the confiscated vessels.

    In unrelated remarks, Trump discussed receiving Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s Nobel Peace Prize, which remains displayed in the Oval Office, and criticized musical choices for the upcoming Super Bowl. He also referenced ongoing Arctic security negotiations with NATO, though European leaders have contradicted his claims regarding sovereignty compromises.

  • Kenya’s ex-deputy president alleges assassination attempt in church attack

    Kenya’s ex-deputy president alleges assassination attempt in church attack

    In a dramatic escalation of Kenya’s political tensions, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed he survived an attempted assassination during a Sunday worship service in Othaya, Nyeri County. The prominent opposition figure alleged that rogue police officers stormed St Peters Anglican Church using live ammunition and tear gas, disrupting the religious gathering and damaging several vehicles within the church compound.

    Gachagua, who was removed from office through impeachment proceedings in 2024, directly accused President William Ruto—his former political ally—of orchestrating the attack. While providing no concrete evidence for his allegations, the wealthy businessman from Mount Kenya region dismissed suggestions from pro-government sources that the incident was staged, rhetorically questioning where opposition figures would access tear gas and AK-47 assault rifles.

    Kenya’s Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen condemned the violence as ‘unacceptable,’ particularly in a place of worship, and announced that police had launched a full investigation. Law enforcement authorities confirmed that a tear-gas canister had been thrown into the church at approximately 11:00 local time but reported no injuries from the incident.

    The political rift between Gachagua and Ruto represents a significant fracture in Kenya’s governing coalition. Their partnership proved instrumental in Ruto’s 2022 electoral victory, with Gachagua delivering crucial support from the Kikuyu heartland of Mount Kenya. Despite his impeachment conviction on five charges including inciting ethnic divisions and violating his oath of office, Gachagua maintains he will appear on next year’s presidential ballot as he appeals to the Supreme Court.

    Security personnel reportedly escorted Gachagua to safety during the disturbance, and the politician subsequently shared photographic evidence of the chaos on social media platform X before holding a press conference to elaborate on his allegations.

  • K-pop star Cha Eun Woo faces 20-billion won tax evasion allegation

    K-pop star Cha Eun Woo faces 20-billion won tax evasion allegation

    South Korea’s entertainment industry faces its most significant tax evasion scandal as K-pop sensation Cha Eun Woo stands accused of evading approximately 20 billion won ($14 million) in income taxes. The National Tax Service alleges the singer-actor orchestrated an elaborate tax avoidance scheme involving multiple entities, including his agency Fantagio and a company registered under his mother’s name.

    The investigation reveals Cha allegedly established what authorities term a ‘paper company’—a business entity with no substantial operations—registered at the same address as his parents’ eel restaurant. This arrangement purportedly enabled the transfer of income to benefit from lower corporate tax rates instead of higher personal income tax brackets.

    Following Thursday’s revelations, major brands including Shinhan Bank and skincare company Abib have discreetly removed Cha’s promotional content from their social media platforms. The swift corporate response highlights the seriousness with which advertisers view the allegations against one of Korea’s most recognizable celebrities, previously celebrated for his clean public image.

    Fantagio, Cha’s management label, issued a formal statement emphasizing that the tax status of the mother’s company remains officially unconfirmed. “We plan to actively clarify the matter in accordance with lawful procedures,” the agency stated, adding that Cha and his tax representatives would “cooperate diligently” to resolve the situation promptly.

    The scandal has divided fans, with some defending the celebrity while others await judicial determination. Online discussions reveal significant criticism toward brands for distancing themselves before a formal verdict, with many arguing the allegations shouldn’t have been publicized prior to official confirmation.

    Notably, Cha is currently fulfilling mandatory military service that began July 28, 2025, with completion expected in January 2027. The timing adds complexity to legal proceedings and public relations management surrounding the case.

  • After Gaza, ‘no place feels like home’, says Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad

    After Gaza, ‘no place feels like home’, says Palestinian journalist Plestia Alaqad

    At the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Palestinian journalist and author Plestia Alaqad delivered a poignant testimony on the profound personal toll of displacement and the complex burden of public visibility. Having fled Gaza with her family in November 2023 with merely five minutes to gather her belongings, Alaqad articulated a fractured sense of identity, moving between Australia and Lebanon without permanent residency in either nation.

    Alaqad described the perpetual instability of life in exile, a reality defined by constantly renewing visas and justifying her right to exist in a place. ‘You’re always renewing visas, proving yourself, explaining where you belong,’ she stated. ‘And no place ever fully feels like home again.’ This relentless transience has reshaped her understanding of belonging, reducing personal possessions until ‘all that remained was your truth and your words.’

    The journalist, who garnered a global following of over four million for her reporting from Gaza, revealed the immense pressure that accompanies such visibility. She noted that even a single day of social media silence triggers panic among her audience, with many fearing she had been killed. ‘The more visible you become, the more targeted you are,’ Alaqad explained, detailing how this surveillance seeped into her most private spaces, even causing her to censor her own diary entries for her book, ‘The Eyes of Gaza’.

    This work, a blend of diary entries, reflections, and poetry written between October 2023 and January 2025, documents her life under bombardment and exile. The publishing process itself became a battleground for narrative control. Alaqad disclosed intense scrutiny from publishers and lawyers in the United States who debated politically charged language, often seeking to soften her account. She firmly resisted, asserting, ‘You can’t censor someone’s lived experience.’

    Reflecting on her career choice, Alaqad framed journalism not as a mere profession but as a mission born from the Palestinian experience of being dehumanized. ‘I saw how dehumanised we were. I wanted to reclaim the narrative,’ she told the audience, adding that Palestinians often grow up with missions rather than dreams. Without occupation, she mused, she might have pursued her passion for theater and comedy.

    Despite the weight of her testimony, Alaqad emphasized the importance of recognizing human limits and mental health, rejecting the notion that witnesses must be superheroes. She concluded by looking forward, revealing plans to explore storytelling through acting, including a role in an upcoming film centered on Palestine.

  • Famed journalist Mark Tully passes away at 90 in Delhi

    Famed journalist Mark Tully passes away at 90 in Delhi

    Renowned British journalist Sir Mark Tully, whose distinctive voice became synonymous with authoritative reporting from the Indian subcontinent for decades, passed away at age 90 in New Delhi on Sunday. The legendary broadcaster died at 2:35 PM on January 25th at Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket, where he had been receiving treatment for the past week.

    Hospital authorities confirmed the celebrated correspondent succumbed to multi-organ failure following a stroke, extending heartfelt condolences to his family and countless admirers worldwide.

    Born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1935 to affluent British settlers, Tully’s extraordinary journey saw him evolve from theology student at Cambridge University to becoming the BBC’s definitive chronicler of South Asia. His professional connection with India formally began in 1965 when he joined the BBC’s New Delhi office as an administrator, marking his return to the nation of his birth after being sent to UK boarding schools post-World War II.

    Tully’s remarkable career spanned three tumultuous decades that defined modern India. His incisive reporting covered watershed moments including the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, Indira Gandhi’s 1975 Emergency declaration, Operation Blue Star (1984), the assassinations of both Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, economic liberalization reforms, and the Ayodhya dispute resolution.

    His uncompromising journalistic integrity famously led to his expulsion from India during the Emergency for refusing to sign a censorship agreement—though he returned immediately after democratic norms were restored. Despite resigning from BBC in 1994 citing a ‘culture of fear’ under then Director-General John Birt, Tully continued contributing to BBC programming until 2019 while maintaining his Delhi residence in Nizamuddin West.

    The Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri recipient, knighted by Britain in 2002, authored several critically acclaimed books including ‘No Full Stops in India’ and ‘India in Slow Motion.’ UNESCO’s Courier publication celebrated him as a ‘radio legend’ who mastered the medium during an era when magnetic tapes and unreliable telecommunications demanded extraordinary resourcefulness from foreign correspondents.

    Indian political figures including Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera joined global voices in mourning his passing, recalling how generations ‘grew up listening to his voice’ and reading his nuanced accounts of India’s complex socio-political landscape.

  • Pick your own cherished flowers in downtown Shanghai

    Pick your own cherished flowers in downtown Shanghai

    Shanghai residents and visitors now have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a vibrant floral spectacle at the heart of the metropolis. A special flower market launched on January 23rd at Sinan Mansions and Fuxing Park, creating an urban agricultural experience that will continue for ten days. The centerpiece of this botanical event is a spectacular 600-square-meter tulip field established within Fuxing Park, allowing attendees to personally select and harvest their favorite blossoms.

    This innovative urban gardening initiative transforms conventional park visitation into an interactive floral engagement. Unlike traditional flower markets where purchases are made from pre-cut arrangements, this event enables participants to directly connect with nature by choosing and gathering their preferred tulips firsthand. The experience combines horticultural appreciation with recreational activity, offering city dwellers a rare chance to engage in agricultural practices within Shanghai’s urban landscape.

    The strategic location at Sinan Mansions and Fuxing Park places this floral extravaganza in one of Shanghai’s most prestigious historical and cultural districts, creating a striking contrast between cultivated nature and urban architecture. The event timing coincides with the approach of spring, providing an early colorful bloom spectacle that brightens the winter landscape. This flower-picking concept represents a growing trend in urban environmental design that brings agricultural experiences directly into metropolitan centers, allowing citizens to temporarily escape urban routines and enjoy nature’s beauty without leaving the city limits.

  • Chongqing Liangjiang New Area inaugurated as administrative entity

    Chongqing Liangjiang New Area inaugurated as administrative entity

    In a landmark administrative transformation, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area has been formally inaugurated as a fully-fledged administrative entity, marking a significant milestone in China’s regional development strategy. This establishment on January 25, 2026, represents the first national-level new area in central and western China to achieve this elevated administrative status.

    The restructuring follows a major governmental overhaul implemented in November 2025, which dissolved the former Jiangbei and Yubei districts of Chongqing municipality. These territories have now been comprehensively integrated into the newly formed Liangjiang New Area, creating an expansive administrative region covering approximately 1,360 square kilometers with a population of 3.52 million residents.

    Strategic positioning designates Liangjiang New Area as the primary hub for Chongqing to execute major national initiatives, foster innovative productive capacities, deepen institutional reforms, and expand high-level international openness. The area is poised to serve as a critical testing ground for governance innovation and economic modernization, potentially establishing new benchmarks for regional development models across China’s western regions.

    This administrative evolution reflects China’s continuing efforts to optimize territorial governance structures while enhancing economic coordination mechanisms. The consolidation aims to eliminate previous administrative barriers, creating more efficient resource allocation and policy implementation frameworks that could accelerate regional development and improve public service delivery across the newly unified jurisdiction.

  • Hundreds of thousands without power as winter storm hits US

    Hundreds of thousands without power as winter storm hits US

    A catastrophic winter storm of historic proportions continues to wreak havoc across the United States, creating life-threatening conditions from the Southern Plains to New England. The powerful weather system, driven by an destabilized polar vortex, has plunged temperatures 15-20°C below seasonal averages in typically mild Southern states, catching millions of Americans unprepared.

    The human toll is mounting with at least four confirmed storm-related fatalities—two from hypothermia in Louisiana’s Caddo Parish, one exposure-related death in Texas, and multiple fatalities in New York City under investigation. Power infrastructure has suffered catastrophic failure with over 1 million households experiencing outages according to poweroutage.us, particularly severe in Tennessee where Nashville Electric Service warns restoration could take several days.

    Transportation networks face unprecedented disruption with more than 10,000 flight cancellations reported by FlightAware and dangerous road conditions prompting over 200 crash reports in Virginia alone. The storm’s unique characteristic of producing significant ice accumulation—up to one inch in some areas—has proven particularly destructive, weighing down power lines and creating treacherously slick surfaces that refreeze daily.

    Meteorologist Allison Santorelli of the National Weather Service emphasized the prolonged nature of the crisis: “The snow and ice will be very slow to melt, hindering recovery efforts for the foreseeable future.” Nearly half of U.S. states have declared emergencies, with Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser noting this constitutes “the biggest snowstorm in a decade” for the capital region.

    Tennessee Emergency Management Director Patrick Sheehan expressed particular concern about “ice accumulation’s impact on roadway safety and power infrastructure.” The storm continues its eastward trajectory, with forecasts predicting dangerously cold conditions persisting into early February, while climate scientists debate potential connections between such extreme weather events and changing sea surface temperatures in a warming world.