Authorities in Madagascar have imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital, Antananarivo, following protests against frequent power outages and water shortages that turned violent.
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets on Thursday to voice their anger over persistent power cuts, which often leave homes and businesses without electricity for over 12 hours. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to quash the demonstrations.
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The protesters barricaded roads with rocks and burning tyres. By Thursday afternoon, there were reported incidents of looting at various retailers, appliance stores and banks across the 1.4-million-strong capital.
Several stations for the country’s new cable car system were also set on fire.
Local media reported on Thursday that three homes of politicians known to be close to President Andry Rajoelina were also attacked by protesters.
Authorities banned the demonstration on Wednesday, citing the risk of public disorder, and police patrolled the capital in large numbers from early Thursday.
Protesters walk during a demonstration to denounce frequent power outages and water shortages in Antananarivo, Madagascar [Zo Andrianjafy/Reuters]
“There are, unfortunately, individuals taking advantage of the situation to destroy other people’s property,” General Angelo Ravelonarivo, who heads a joint security body that includes the police and the military, said in a statement he read on privately owned Real TV late on Thursday.
To protect “the population and their belongings,” the security forces decided to impose a curfew from 7pm to 5am (16:00-02:00 GMT) “until public order is restored,” the statement said.
Madagascar, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, is mired in poverty, and some people blame the government of Rajoelina, who was reelected in 2023, for not improving conditions.
Some 75 percent of the country’s estimated 30 million population lived below the poverty line in 2022, according to the World Bank.
“Water and electricity are basic human needs.” “Let us speak out.” “Malagasy people, wake up.” These were some of the messages displayed on the protesters’ placards.
It was unclear how many people were injured during the rallies or whether there were any fatalities.
The protest movement, dominated mostly by the youth, started gaining traction a few days ago on social media platforms, mainly Facebook.
As CEO Brian Niccol works toward a company restructuring plan worth $1 billion to revive the company’s struggling sales, Starbucks announced it will close its underperforming stores in North America.
The coffee shop made the announcement on Thursday.
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By the end of the 2025 fiscal year, the iconic Seattle roastery is expected to experience a drop in store count in the United States and Canada, or a drop of several hundred.
After six straight quarters of declining US sales, Niccol is attempting to restore the chain’s “coffeehouse” feel to entice customers back.
900 employees are expected to be affected by the cuts, which come after 1,100 corporate employees were cut earlier this year. Niccol’s compensation package, which was $66.5 million last year, or 666 times more than the typical barista, highlights the cuts. According to the Institute for Policy Studies’ 2025 executive excess report, it is the largest CEO-to-worker pay gap of any S&, P 500 company.
Hit stores are unionized
Starbucks’s largest unionized location in Seattle, which had an in-house roastery, was one of the closed stores, the company confirmed.
More than 12, 000 baristas are represented by the Workers United union, which started negotiations last April, but they have since hit a halt.
In a strike that lasted for several days during the busiest holiday season in multiple US cities in December, some union members took their jobs.
Workers at the Seattle store, which is close to its headquarters, voted to unionize in 2022, and the union took control of the store on Monday due to dispute over contract terms.
Ridge Avenue, a unionized store in Chicago, was also shut down, the union confirmed. The union claimed that the store’s employees planned to pick up on Thursday morning as part of a strategy put forth prior to the store’s closure.
The Chicago area’s stores were the picket line’s source of the baristas. Diego Franco, a resident of a store in Des Plaines, said, “We’re here to remind the company that it’s the workers who actually bring the people into the stores.”
A Starbucks spokesman said that the store union status “did not play a role in the decision-making process.”
Starbucks Workers United criticized the closures in a statement. The union stated that it planned to bargain for the affected workers so they could be moved to other locations. “It has never been more clear why baristas at Starbucks need the backing of a union,” the union said.
According to TD Cowen’s analysts, the restructuring impacted about 500 of the company’s stores in North America.
The Workers’ Union, which represents over 12, 000 baristas, and Starbucks started talking about it in April, but negotiations have since broken down.
Attempts to change
In his first year at Starbucks, Niccol has focused on lowering management layers, reducing service times, and restoring a coffee-house atmosphere.
As demand for its pricey lattes declined as consumers began to become picky and competition was soaring, the company has experienced a string of quarterly sales declines in the US.
In a letter to employees, Niccol wrote, “We identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance.”
Nearly 18,300 Starbucks locations, both privately owned and licensed, would be present at the end of the fiscal year, according to the CEO, who stated that the business would have closed in the US and Canada. In contrast, the 18, 734 locations that were disclosed in a regulatory filing in July, are 18.
Since taking over as CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Niccol has gained the support of investors and is credited with leading the burrito chain’s turnaround.
“Starbucks is aggressively pursuing turnaround initiatives. We believe the store closures fall within management’s previously announced zero-based budgeting framework, according to TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles, while the store closures are more than we anticipated.
Starbucks added that many of its support teams would be closed as well as a number of other open positions as well as the company would make job cuts on Thursday.
As of September 29, 2024, the company had about 10,000 employees working outside the coffee industry.
According to Niccol, “This is a more significant action that we know will have an impact on customers and partners.”
Starbucks is also making investments in enhancing the staffing and incorporating technology to improve the efficiency of the ordering process and enhance the customer experience.
After defeating Bangladesh by 11 runs in a thrilling Super Fours match in Dubai, Pakistan have staged a blockbuster Asia Cup 2025 final against archrivals India.
Bangladesh’s batting, which was 136 for the winners-take-all match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday, completely failed in front of Pakistan’s pace bowling attack, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
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After registering a mediocre total of 1385-8 in 20 overs, Afridi put on a strong fast bowling display by taking two wickets in his first two overs and delivering 3-17 in four overs, winning the match.
Bangladesh’s innings was wrapped up by fellow pacer Haris Rauf’s three own wickets, two of which were bowled by left-armed slow bowler Saim Ayub, who also bowled a tidy 2-16 over four overs.
Saif Hasan (18), Mahedi Hasan (11) and Nurul Hasan (16), both started for Bangladesh, but none of the batting positions held up long enough to sustain the team.
Bangladeshi fans were briefly hoped by late-rounder Shamim Hossain (30), but Pakistan quickly emerged as clear favorites to win the match.
As Bangladesh’s innings came to a close with 124-9 in 20 overs, Rishad Hossain, who had a strong showing with the ball and in the field, hit two fours and a six in his 16-over innings but kept losing batting partners.
Before, Pakistan’s stand-in captain Jaker Ali had already drafted the bat and the move almost immediately paid off as the Pakistani openers struggled to score runs.
Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed on the fourth ball of Pakistan’s innings as a result of Taskin Ahmed’s disciplined opening spell, while Mahedi was Mahedi’s one-up batter.
Although Fakhar Zaman (13) and Salman Agha (19), a quick and unhittable partnership, were unable to hit a single six.
In the seventh over, Rishad dismissed Zaman and sent Hussain Talat back, before returning with two more catches before going on to bowl. Between the two Rishad wickets, Mustafizur Rahman took the loss for Pakistan, who dropped to 49-5.
On a challenging Dubai pitch, Mohammad Haris (31 off 17), Muhammad Nawaz (25 off 15), and Afridi (29 off 13) led Pakistan to 135-8.
Afridi’s all-around heroics earned him the title of “player of the match.”
Before Sunday’s final against bitter rivals India, Pakistan will be especially pleased to see their top pace bowler return to winning ways.
India and its neighbors in South Asia have already met twice in the tournament, both of which ended decisively.
The first India-Pakistan matchup in the Asia Cup final since it first started in 1984 will take place on Sunday, which will also take place in Dubai.
In both of the teams’ previous two meetings this month, political standoffs have erupted and tensions have risen on the cricket field.
With the trophy in hand, fans can anticipate another politically charged game.
The US president has proposed a resolution to put an end to Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip.
A 21-point peace plan, according to US President Donald Trump, would put an end to Israel’s occupation of Gaza.
Hamas is reportedly prohibited from any further involvement in Gaza, Arab and Muslim leaders are expected to sign the plan, and Trump has promised to not annex the occupied West Bank.
But how are the participating nations capable of fulfilling any agreement’s requirements?
And how could President Trump actually push his plan through?
Presenter: Bernard Smith
Guests:
Thomas Warrick was formerly the US Department of Homeland Security’s deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism policy and a senior non-resident at the Atlantic Council.
Daoud Kuttab is a journalist and columnist, director of the Community Media Network, and a contributor to publications like Al-Monitor and Foreign Policy.
At the 80th UNGA, Haiti’s transitional leader Laurent Saint-Cyr described Haiti as a “modern-day Guernica” with rampant killings, rapes, and widespread hunger. He urged urgent, global cooperation to advance democracy, safeguard children, and secure Haiti’s right to peace.
