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Death of an Indian tech worker

27 January 2026 at 06:00
On a warm night last May, Nikhil Somwanshi sent his roommate a WhatsApp message asking him to tell his family that what was about to happen next was an accident....

© Sameer Raichur for Rest of World

Nikhil Somwanshi's parents home on 30th October, 2025 in Balad, Maharashtra, India. Photographer : Sameer Raichur for Rest of World

Is AI a bubble? Davos leaders say no

23 January 2026 at 06:34
More than 84 world leaders, 800 CEOs, and thousands others gathered amid the Alps this week to attend the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Artificial intelligence —...

© Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Elon Musk, chief executive officer of Tesla Inc., during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. The annual Davos gathering of political leaders, top executives and celebrities runs from Jan. 19-23. Photographer: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Iran’s internet blackout may become permanent, with access for elites only

23 January 2026 at 01:45
Iran’s near-total communications blackout has entered its 16th day, but that’s just a live test. Following a repressive crackdown on protests, the government is now building a system that grants...

© Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images

An Iranian flag hangs on a wall of the Aqsa Mosque, which burns during anti-government protests in eastern Tehran, Iran, on January 21, 2026. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Data workers are being forced to work on-site during earthquakes and typhoons

21 January 2026 at 06:00
Kyle Enero, a call-center employee, was at work one night on the 11th floor of an office tower in the Philippine city of Cebu, when the building began to shake...

© Jam Sta Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

TOPSHOT - People walk along a flooded street in Manila on July 24, 2024 amid heavy rains brought by Typhoon Gaemi. Relentless rain drenched the northern Philippines on July 24, triggering flooding in Manila and landslides in mountainous regions as Typhoon Gaemi intensified the seasonal monsoon. (Photo by Jam Sta Rosa / AFP) (Photo by JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Big Tech is racing to own Africa’s internet

21 January 2026 at 05:07
American big tech companies want to become Africa’s next internet providers. Earlier this month, Amazon acquired an operating license to roll out its low-Earth orbit satellite broadband service, Amazon Leo...

© Ernest Ankomah/Bloomberg via Getty Images

A technician installs a Starlink Inc satellite-internet communication system antenna on the roof of a home in Accra, Ghana.

Is a billion dollars still cool?

15 January 2026 at 09:20
In the 2010 film “The Social Network,” early Facebook employees discuss the money-making potential of their new site. “A million dollars isn’t cool,” someone says to Mark Zuckerberg (played by...

© Nicolas Ortega for Rest of World

Uganda shuts down internet two days before election

14 January 2026 at 04:54
Two days before its general elections, Uganda has turned off the internet across the country. The measure is necessary to mitigate the rapid spread of “misinformation, disinformation, electoral fraud, and...

© Luis Tato/AFP/Getty Images

TOPSHOT - Residents travel past an electoral billboard supporting Uganda's incumbent president and National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate Yoweri Museveni, ahead of the 2026 Ugandan general elections, in Kampala on January 10, 2026. (Photo by Luis TATO / AFP via Getty Images)
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