By BARBARA ORTUTAY

Nepal’s crackdown on social media companies, which led to protests and police killing at least 19 people, is part of a yearslong decline of internet freedoms around the world as even democracies seek to curtail online speech.

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The Himalayan country’s government said last week it was blocking several social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube because the companies failed to comply with a requirement that they register with the government. The ban was lifted Tuesday a day after the deadly protests.

What’s happening in Nepal mirrors “this broader pattern of controlling the narrative and controlling of stories emerging from the ground,” said Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor of information science at Cornell University. “This has happened several times in the neighboring countries India, Pakistan, Bangladesh. So this is nothing new — in fact, I would say this is taken from the playbook, which is now very established, of trying to control social media narratives.”

Not just Nepal

Like neighboring countries, Nepal’s government have been asking the companies to appoint a liaison in the country. Officials are calling for laws to to monitor social media and ensure both the users and operators are responsible and accountable for what they share. But the move has been criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing opponents who voice their protests online.

“Governments absolutely have a valid interest in seeking to regulate social media platforms. This is such a daily part of our lives and in our business. And it is certainly reasonable for authorities to sit down and say we want to develop rules for the road,” said Kian Vesteinsson, senior research analyst for technology and democracy at the Washington-based nonprofit Freedom House.

“But what we see in Nepal is that wholesale blocks as a means of enforcing a set of rules for social media companies results in wildly disproportionate harms. These measures that were put in place in Nepal (cut) tens of millions of people off from platforms that they used to express themselves, to conduct daily business, to speak with their families, to go to school, to get healthcare information.”

It’s not just Nepal. Freedom House has found that global internet freedom has declined for the 14th consecutive year in 2024, as governments crack down on dissent and people face arrest for expressing political, social or religious views online. While China consistently tops the list as the “world’s worst environment” for internet freedom, last year Myanmar shared this designation as well. The organization did not track Nepal.

India passed a telecommunications law in 2023 that gave its government “broad powers to restrict online communications and intercept communications,” according to Freedom House. Three years earlier, a sweeping internet law put digital platforms like Facebook under direct government oversight. Officials say the rules are needed to quell misinformation and hate speech and to give users more power to flag objectionable content. But critics cautioned it would lead to censorship in a country where digital freedoms have already been shrinking.

In January, meanwhile, Pakistan’s lower house of parliament passed a bill that gives the government sweeping controls on social media, including sending users to prison for spreading disinformation.

Online freedom and democracy

Calling internet freedom a “pillar of modern democracy,” Freedom House said a healthy 21st-century democracy cannot function without a trustworthy online environment, where people can access information and express themselves freely.

Increasingly, though, governments are putting up roadblocks.

Often, regulations are in the name of child safety, cyber crime or fraud, Vesteinsson said, “but unfortunately, a lot of this regulation comes hand in hand with restrictive measures.”

In the Nepali law, for instance, “the same provision of this law, directs social media platforms to restrict content relating to child trafficking and human trafficking and labor, a really important issue,” he added. “Two bullet points above that, it orders platforms to restrict people from posting anonymously.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists said Monday that the protests “underscore the widespread concerns over Nepal’s ban on social media and the pressing need for the government to drop its order. Such a sweeping ban not only restricts freedom of expression, it also severely hinders journalists’ work and the public’s right to know.”

Can VPNs help?

The crackdown appears to have spurred a surge in use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, according to Proton, which provides encrypted services. Signups for Proton’s VPN service in Nepal have jumped by 8,000% since Sept. 3, according to data the company posted online. A VPN is a service that allows users to mask their location in order to circumvent censorship or geography-based online viewing restrictions.

But experts caution that VPNs are not an end-all solution to government internet blocks. They can be expensive and out of reach for many people, Vashistha noted, and they can be slow and lead to lower-quality experiences when people try to access blocked social platforms.

Google, Meta, X and TikTok (which registered and continues to operate) didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Vesteinsson said companies can take important steps to safeguard privacy of their users — particularly human rights defenders and activists who might be a specific target for government repression in their countries.

“It’s enormously important for social media platforms to be responsible to their users in that way,” he said.

AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan and AP Technology Writer Matt O’Brien contributed to this report.

When it comes to fundraising for his re-election campaign, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter maintains a sizable lead over the four other mayoral candidates, though challenger Kaohly Her has wasted no time in raising campaign cash.

Carter announced Tuesday that he was entering the final two months of the mayor’s race with more than $212,000 in cash on hand from nearly 800 citywide donors, representing “his strongest ever eight-week position” in a political race, according to a written statement from his campaign. Four years ago at this time, he had about $69,000 on hand.

The mayor’s official campaign finance filing with Ramsey County Elections showed he had raised about $216,000 from Jan. 1 through Sept. 8, compared to $157,000 in the same period in 2021.

Donors have included Charlie Zelle, outgoing chair of the Metropolitan Council; Matt Majka, chief executive officer of the Minnesota Wild; former city finance director John McCarthy; St. Paul City Council Member Molly Coleman; former professional soccer player Tony Sanneh of the Sanneh Foundation; and Jay Cowles of Cowles Media.

Additional donors have included developers Mike Ryan, Chris Sherman, Carl Kaeding, James Stolpestad and Steve Wellington; the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters; St. Paul Pipefitters Local 455; Sprinkler Fitters Local 417; Plumbers Local 34; St. Catherine University president Marcheta Evans; and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Challenger Kaohly Her’s donors

Her, a state representative and former City Hall employee, has raised more than $74,000 for her campaign and had $63,000 on hand as of Sept. 4, according to her latest campaign finance filing with Ramsey County.

Her two filings to date have listed nearly 200 donors since the recent launch of her campaign. They include developer Ari Parritz, Can Can Wonderland and St. Paul Brewing owner Rob Clapp, University of Minnesota Regent Bo Thao-Urabe, former St. Paul City Council Member Jane Prince and state Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud.

Donors have also included Summit Avenue bikeway opponent Robert Cattanach, Summit Hill Association executive director Monica Haas, MayKao Hang, founding dean of the Morrison Family College of Health at the University of St. Thomas, Mo Chang of Mo’s Tropical Wholesale and a sizable number of additional members of the Hmong community.

Campaign finance reports were due to Ramsey County Elections on Tuesday, eight weeks before the Nov. 4 election. Another report is due Oct. 21, two weeks before the election.

The other candidates who have filed to run in the ranked-choice election are biophysicist Yan Chen, business owner Michael Hilborn and mechanical engineer Adam Dullinger.

Hilborn’s eight-week report indicated he had raised about $22,000 — most of it from donors outside of St. Paul or Minneapolis — and spent more than $21,000 as of this week, leaving about $700 in campaign cash on hand.

No other eight-week reports were available online as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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Service workers at the University of Minnesota are going on strike following the rejection of the school’s latest labor contract.

The workers are members of Teamsters Local 320, which represents more than 1,400 employees who clean buildings, prepare food and handle other tasks across the university’s five campuses.

“We want a fair contract, and we’re very close. I still think, I hope, this can be resolved, and we can go back to our day-to-day being at the university,” said Grady Johnson, a union steward and gardener at the Twin Cities campus.

The workers’ strike began Monday night on the Crookston and Morris campuses and expanded to Duluth and satellite campuses Tuesday morning. Workers at the Twin Cities campus were to join the strike Tuesday night.

Union members vote to strike

The union’s current contract expired June 30, and negotiations have been ongoing since late March. Union members filed an intent to strike Aug. 7, with initial plans for the strike to begin Aug. 20, just as students were returning to the Duluth campus.

The university put forth a new contract — its last, best and final offer — on Aug. 19, and the strike was put on hold so workers could consider the contract.

Votes were held across campuses leading up to the Sept. 5 deadline, when the contract offer expired. With an 82% majority, union members voted to reject the offer, citing frustrations over annual wage increases and changes to the contract’s expiration date.

“The University likes to talk about all the uncertainties that they’re facing, but we are facing significant uncertainties as workers as well,” said Kayli Staubus, who works as a cook at the U’s Duluth campus and served on the union’s negotiation committee. “If there are cuts and belt-tightening that needs to be done, there are other places that can happen, besides our bargaining unit, which is some of the absolute lowest-paid workers on campus.”

U officials site financial pressures

In response to Friday’s vote, University officials stated that current financial pressures have played a role in union negotiations this year, but it remains committed to prioritizing faculty and staff members. The U’s Board of Regents raised tuition 6.5% earlier year and cited flat funding from the state as well as federal cuts as contributing to overall fiscal challenges.

“The University must balance the needs and desires of Teamsters Local 320 members with the University’s obligation to its many stakeholders to be good financial stewards, particularly given the financial challenges we are facing,” Gregg Goldman, executive vice president for finance and operations at the U, said in a statement last week.

The Teamsters union includes cooks and other food service workers, as well as groundskeepers, janitors, parking attendants, maintenance workers, mechanics and more.

“We are all over campus. Basically, every kind of service position that there is, is performed by Teamster staff,” Staubus said. “So there’s going to be a huge gap in the student experience until the university makes this right. Obviously, we don’t want that.

“We’re out here for a living wage job that people can afford to stick with for the duration, and retire from someday,” she said. “That’s what we’re here to win.”

University officials have said plans are being developed to ensure that “vital services” on campus continue.

Last offer

The university’s last offer included a 3% pay raise and two lump sum payments of $500, to be paid out in fall 2025 and July 2026. Union members would also see a minimum 2% pay increase the following year.

Shift differentials, or added pay for employees working non-standard hours, also were increased as part of the Aug.19 contract. Additionally, the university’s offer included an extension from six to 10 weeks for how long an employee can be on leave before their job is optioned for reassignment.

Certain jobs and senior positions were offered an additional pay increase over the next two years as part of market adjustments, including a 0.5% increase for employees at the top of the pay scale.

Union members have held out for a 3.5% pay increase for all members, matching the annual wage adjustment granted to the university’s Graduate Labor Union earlier this year.

Concerns over wage increases and the change to the contract end date have become the biggest “sticking points” in negotiations, Staubus and Johnson both said. In the past, the Teamster contract ended in the summer, giving members time to organize outside of the school year.

However, in this negotiation cycle, the university has pushed for a December expiration date, with the last offer optioning for a year-and-a-half-long contract, concluding Dec. 31, 2026.

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By AAMER MADHANI and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was trying to walk a delicate line following Israel’s attack on Hamas officials in Qatar, distancing himself from the strike Tuesday but stopping short of condemning Israel for carrying out an audacious strike on the soil of another major U.S. ally.

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Trump said the unilateral action directed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “did not advance Israel or America’s goals.” He offered notably muted pushback, however, even suggesting “this unfortunate incident could serve as an opportunity for peace.”

“This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me,” Trump said on social media hours after the strikes.

Trump is seeking to soothe concerns of a Gulf ally that has played a key role in mediating between the U.S. and Iran and its proxies, including during talks with Tehran-backed Hamas as the war with Israel in Gaza grinds on. The U.S. also has about 10,000 troops stationed at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, an installation that serves as the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command.

The president said he directed special envoy Steve Witkoff to warn Qatar of the impending attack in the capital, Doha, after learning about it and that Witkoff was quick to call Qatari officials. But the U.S. alert was, “unfortunately, too late to stop the attack,” Trump said.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari refuted in a post on X that the Qataris were given any warning from the U.S., saying it came just as “the explosions from the Israeli strikes were being heard.”

Qatar has sought closer ties with Trump

The Qataris have sought to deepen their relationship with Trump since his return to office. They have even gifted Trump a $400 million Boeing 747 jet that is to be retrofitted into a new Air Force One. Trump has said the plane will be donated to a future presidential library once his term ends and put on display as a museum piece.

“I view Qatar as a strong Ally and friend of the U.S., and feel very badly about the location of the attack,” Trump said on social media.

President Donald Trump speaks to the White House Religious Liberty Commission during an event at the Museum of the Bible, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

At the same time, Qatar, a wealthy nation with expansive natural gas and oil reserves, has faced scrutiny for its support of Hamas. Prior to the Israel-Hamas war, Doha for years sent millions of dollars per month to the Gaza Strip to prop up Hamas’ governing structure. Qatar has also hosted leaders of the Taliban and the Muslim Brotherhood.

In a carefully worded statement, Trump also made clear that “eliminating Hamas” was a “worthy goal.”

Trump’s effort to try to assuage Qatar without criticizing Israel comes as he struggles to find an endgame to the nearly two-year-old war in Gaza and win the release of 48 hostages, about 20 who are believed to still be alive.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking at a briefing earlier Tuesday, did not say how long before the Israeli strikes that Qatar was warned.

She, like Trump, also did not address whether there was any concern that the Qataris could, in turn, have forewarned Hamas leaders that the Israeli strike was coming. Hamas says its top leaders survived the Israeli strike and that five lower-ranking members died.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Israeli warning to the US described as vague

The U.S. military was notified about the Israeli strike ahead of time through military channels, but a U.S. official described that notification as very vague.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss sensitive matters, said the notification included the fact that the Israeli military was going to attack Hamas but did not include specifics like a location, which made it insufficient to allow for any timely follow-on warnings to countries in the region.

Israel perfunctorily warning the U.S. ahead of operations has been an aggravation for much of the war, according to a former U.S. government official who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic issue. Frequently, the official said, Israeli notification “consisted of them calling someone at the embassy or at the Pentagon when planes were already in the air.”

Yet, with a strike this sensitive, the official said, it was difficult to believe Israel had not at least received tacit approval from the U.S. before moving forward with the operation.

White House and State Department officials did not respond to requests for comment about the timing or substance of Witkoff’s warning to Qatar.

Jonathan Schanzer, a former counterterrorism analyst at the U.S. Treasury Department, said the White House’s public comments may be in part an effort to help Qatar save face and keep its relations steady with the United States.

“It’s damage control,” said Schanzer, who is executive director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington. But he added that the strike could affect the Qataris and their relationship with Hamas moving forward.

“There’s a lot of taking stock right now by all parties,” he said.

Trump talks with both sides

Trump spoke with Netanyahu and Qatar’s ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and other Qatari officials following the strikes.

“I assured them that such a thing will not happen again on their soil,” Trump said of his conversation with Qatari officials.

Leavitt demurred when asked if there would be any consequences for the Israelis or Netanyahu for the strike that she suggested was unexpected by U.S. officials.

Trump posted on social media Sunday a cryptic warning to Hamas hinting at a new American proposal to exchange all the remaining hostages for Palestinian prisoners and end the war in Gaza.

“I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting,” Trump said. “This is my last warning, there will not be another one!”

Asked if Trump had been hinting at the Doha strike, Leavitt replied, “No, he was not.”