Our daily trip around the world

🇦🇺 Australia has banned TikTok on all government devices. The move means that all members of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing network – made up of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand – have now banned the Chinese-owned social media app from government devices, citing national security concerns. France, Belgium, and the EU have also announced similar bans.

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia is investing $38 billion into video games. As part of a nationwide strategy to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil, the country’s Public Investment Fund is looking to develop, publish, and acquire top-tier games as part of building a local gaming industry. The Saudi investment includes $13 billion set aside for acquiring a top-tier game publisher, officials told Bloomberg.

🇦🇫 The Taliban has outlawed women from working in the UN, putting its foreign aid at risk. Working for the UN had been one of the last jobs available for women in Afghanistan, after the Taliban previously imposed a series of bans on women in education and employment. UN officials have repeatedly warned the Taliban that banning women from the agency represents a “red line” that, if crossed, would lead to the UN pulling some or all foreign aid to Afghanistan (which represented ~43% of the country’s GDP pre-Taliban takeover).