A Belarusian court Thursday gave lengthy criminal sentences to independent union leaders and activists. The prison terms add to existing crackdowns on dissent from the increasingly authoritarian government. According to Radio Free Europe, leaders of the Union of Workers of Electronic Outposts Producing Industry (REP) Vasil Berasnyou and Henadz Fyadynich each received a sentence of [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Wednesday criticized repressive measures on civil society groups by European governments considered to be liberal democracies. In a report, HRW expressed alarm at democratic backsliding in “healthy” democracies such as the UK, Italy, Greece and France. According to the V-Dem Institute, the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated democratic backsliding around the world. The [...]

The spokesperson for the Colombian government Wednesday announced the suspension of a recent ceasefire with the National Liberation Army (ELN). Alfonso Prada, official spokesperson and minister of the interior, said the “legal effects” of the negotiated deal would be immediately nullified. The announcement came after the ELN denied that it had reached a deal with [...]

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appealed to the UN for support in recovering reparations for losses suffered during World War II after Germany refused to engage in negotiations. During a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arkadiusz Mularczyk addressed UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other UN officials to establish “cooperation [...]

A Reuters special report released Tuesday found that operatives are spreading pro-Kremlin messages in Germany. The report found that operatives have been attempting to shift Germany’s stance on the war in Ukraine towards a pro-Russia approach. Many of these operatives allegedly have ties to Russia and have reportedly organised rallies advocating for an end to [...]

The UN Security Council Tuesday welcomed new members Ecuador, Japan, Malta, Mozambique and Switzerland. This is the first time Mozambique and Switzerland have held seats in the security council. The council consists of 15 countries. Five of them–China, France, Russia, the UK and the US–are permanent members with veto powers. The other ten members are elected [...]

Ireland’s data regulator, known as the Data Protection Commission (DPC), Tuesday fined Meta Platforms Ireland Limited (Meta Ireland) €390 million for its Facebook and Instagram personalized advertisement delivery, which violated the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The DPC fined Meta Ireland €210 million for its Facebook breaches and €180 million for its Instagram breaches. Further, [...]

Chief Minister Natasha Fyles Tuesday announced the official appointment of David Woodroffe as a Judge of the Local Court of the Northern Territory. Woodroffe was sworn in by Acting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Stephen Southwood, at a ceremony at the Supreme Court of Northern Territory in Australia. Woodroffe, a former Principal Legal Officer [...]

A Constitution Bench of the India Supreme Court Tuesday ruled that fundamental rights under Articles 19 and 21 of the India Constitution are enforceable against even private individuals and entities. Article 19 pertains to freedom of speech rights while Article 21 has to do with life and liberty under the process of law. Justice V [...]

Kenya’s Office of the Auditor General (OAG) Tuesday published its Annual Corporate Report for 2021 through 2022. In the report, the OAG detailed how it submitted 1,617 audit reports to Parliament and relevant country assemblies for further actions. Additionally, the OAG released a framework for tracking, following up and reporting on implementations of audit recommendations, [...]