US to vote on bill to ban TikTok

Civil liberties advocates are arguing that the move is unconstitutional and would threaten a wide range of online speech. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following US to vote on bill to ban TikTok [The TikTok logo is seen on a cell phone in Boston, Oct. 14, 2022.] Credit: Michael Dwyer/AP/File photo US-China The House Foreign Affairs Committee is set to vote on a bill that would make it easier to [ban TikTok from the US]( and crack down on other China-related economic activity. Civil liberties advocates are arguing that the move is unconstitutional and would threaten a wide range of online speech. The social media platform has thus far been [shielded from US sanctions](. The app is used by more than 100 million Americans. Iran Iranian authorities are trying to investigate who is behind the poisoning of hundreds of girls by toxic gas since November, [mainly in the city of Qom](. Many believe is a deliberate attempt to force their schools to shut down. Dozens of schoolgirls have suffered respiratory problems, nausea, dizziness and fatigue, but no deaths have been reported. The prosecutor general announced that he was [opening a criminal investigation](. Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has announced that he is greenlighting the building of a [major Tesla plant]( in the industrial hub of Monterrey in northern Mexico, to help produce more of the millions of combustion-engine vehicles the country supplies to the US each year. It will be Tesla’s third plant outside the US. López Obrador previously ruled out such a plant in the state of Nuevo Leon over water usage concerns. The region suffers from water shortages but the Mexican president said that the company offered to address those concerns with different strategies, including by [using recycled water](. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Nigerians await election results in competitive race]( [A joint press conference by African Union (AU) and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) electoral observers is held in Abuja, Nigeria,, Feb. 27, 2023.]( Credit:Ben Curtis/AP Over the weekend, millions of Nigerians cast their votes for a new president in Africa's biggest democratic election. While many voters applauded improvement in the election process, others experienced [violence at the polls](. Now, comes the wait for the results. [Odesa opera house remains ‘heart of the city’ amid ongoing war]( [The Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater is known as the heart of the cultural city of Odesa, Ukraine.]( Credit: Daniel Ofman/The World During a rehearsal at the Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Odesa, it’s easy to forget that Ukraine is a country at war. Despite attacks on the busy port city and cultural hub, the [opera house remains open](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Martin Cooper, who’s credited with [creating the cellphone]( 50 years ago, reflected on the invention during an interview with the AP. The bulky brick protogype has now become a sleek glass sheath where we search, connect, like and buy. Cooper said optimistic about the future advances in mobile technology, but also concerned about our diminishing privacy. 📱 [Marty Cooper, the inventor of first commercial mobile phone, poses for the press with a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 27, 2023.] Credit: Joan Mateu Parra/AP In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.