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☆ Haiti gets a new prime minister as nation remains under siege by gangs
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Conille has been UNICEF's regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean since January 2023 and previously served as Haiti's prime minister from October 2011 to May 2012 under then President Michel Martelly. He replaces Michel Patrick Boisvert, who was named interim prime minister after Ariel Henry resigned via letter in late April. He worked for several years at the United Nations before Martelly designated him as prime minister in 2011. It also accused the council of not being transparent while choosing a new prime minister, saying it did not publicly share the criteria used or the names submitted, among other things. In addition to picking a new prime minister, the council also is responsible for selecting a new Cabinet and holding general elections by the end of next year.

Persons: Garry Conille, Henry, Conille, Michel Martelly, Michel Patrick Boisvert, Ariel Henry, Louis Gérald Gilles, Laurent St . Cyr, Prince, Martelly, Fritz Bélizaire, Critics, Liné Balthazar, Emmanuel Vertilaire, Petit, Jean, Charles Moïse, Smith Augustin, Claude Joseph, Fritz Alphonse Jean of, Leslie Voltaire, Fanmi Lavalas, Bertrand Aristide, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Laurent Saint, Cyr Organizations: Associated Press, United Nations, Montana Accord, Petit Desalin, EDE Locations: Kenya, America, Caribbean, Laurent, Haiti, Port, Haitian, Montana

☆ India’s election campaign turns negative as Modi and ruling party embrace Islamophobic rhetoric
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is increasingly resorting to overtly Islamophobic language during his election campaign, critics and observers say, as he seeks a third straight term governing the world’s most populous nation. It’s coming directly from the prime minister. The BJP did not respond to a request for comment on the rhetoric being used by party leaders during this campaign. The prime minister has set an ambitious target for his alliance to win 400 seats in the country’s Lok Sabha, or lower house of Parliament, in this election. BJP party spokespeople subsequently said Modi was talking specifically about undocumented migrants.

Persons: Narendra Modi, –, Modi, we’ve, ” Milan Vaishnav, “, surrogates, “ Modi, it’s, ”, Asim Ali, It’s, ” Modi, he’s, Jaiveer Shergill, Irfan Nooruddin, Weeks, Arvind Kejriwal, Ali, Santosh Kumar, Alishan Jafri, Vaishnav, ” Nooruddin, Prakash Singh, spokespeople Organizations: CNN, Indian, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, South Asia, Carnegie Endowment, International, Home Minister, Indian National Congress, “, Georgetown University, Indian Army, Hindustan Times, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: “, BJP, Lok, Delhi, Pataliputra, India, Australia, United States, China, Britain, Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh

☆ Hong Kong arrests six for social media posts in first use of new local national security law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Hong Kong police have made their first arrests under a newly passed local national security law over social media posts deemed “seditious” by authorities. “Those who intend to endanger national security should not have the delusion that they can avoid police investigation by going anonymous online,” the statement added. The arrests marked the first time Hong Kong’s own national security law had been invoked since it was unanimously passed by the city’s opposition-free legislature in March. The legislation introduces 39 new national security crimes, adding to an already powerful national security law that was directly imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong in 2020 after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before. The local national security legislation covers a raft of new crimes including treason, espionage, external interference and unlawful handling of state secrets, with the most serious offenses punishable by up to life imprisonment.

Persons: netizens, “, Hong, John Lee, Lee Organizations: CNN, Hong, police Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, China

☆ Briefly Open to a Fair-Looking Election, Venezuela Reverses Course Again
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-28 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Venezuelan officials rescinded an invitation to the European Union to observe the upcoming July 28 presidential elections, another stark sign that President Nicolás Maduro is unlikely to cede power despite allowing an opposition candidate to run against him. After months of intensified repression by the Maduro government — which banned legitimate challengers from the ballot, jailed political opponents and cracked down on civil society — the country’s electoral authority surprised many in April when it allowed the former diplomat Edmundo González to register as an opposition candidate. The Venezuelan government has been choked by sanctions from the United States and the European Union on the country’s vital oil industry, and some experts say Mr. Maduro allowed Mr. González to run only because it might help him sway Washington and its allies to ease up on the penalties. The president of the council, Elvis Amoroso, said in a televised broadcast that he was rescinding the invitation until the E.U. lifted “the unilateral and genocidal coercive sanctions imposed on our people.”

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, Edmundo González, Maduro, González, Elvis Amoroso, ” Organizations: European Union, Venezuelan Locations: United States, Washington

☆ Opinion | Do Not Allow Putin to Capture Another Pawn in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-26 | by ( Serge Schmemann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The law has drawn stiff rebukes from the United States and Europe. The State Department has announced visa restrictions on officials behind the foreign-agent law and Congress has threatened further sanctions. The clash over the foreign-agent law in a small country nestled in the Caucasus Mountains has been largely overshadowed by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Georgia, in fact, was the first neighboring country invaded by Russia post-Soviet Union, in 2008, to block its westward drift. Now the ruling party, Georgian Dream, seems to share Russia’s goal, though it has generally avoided openly siding with Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili —, Russia —, Ivanishvili Organizations: Russian, The State Department, European Union Locations: Republic of Georgia, Vladimir Putin’s Russia, United States, Europe, Ukraine, Georgia, Russia, Soviet Union, Georgian, Tbilisi, ”

☆ Opinion: Hardened like diamonds, these Gen Z protesters fight for a European future
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Opinion Will Cathcart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

They snatch protesters from the crowd and drag them back into a mass of black uniforms. Will Cathcart Will CathcartHundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets across Georgia in recent weeks to protest the government’s adoption of a Kremlin-inspired “foreign agents” bill. As with the foreign agents law, the bill’s authors claim it promotes transparency, an absurd notion. The foreign agents bill is a symptom of a deeper issue – money. The pressures of authoritarian intimidation and systematic violence have hardened Georgia’s young protestors like diamonds.

Persons: Will Cathcart, Mikheil Saakashvili, Cathcart Will Cathcart, Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Hans Gutbrod, ”, Salome Zourabichvili, aren’t, Gen Z, Europe –, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Party ” –, Mamuka Mdinaradze, Shalva Papuashvili, – “, “, James O’Brien’s, Ivanishvili, Zviad Organizations: CNN, Tbilisi CNN — Riot, Georgian, Ilia State University, European Union, Getty, Global, Party, Georgian Orthodox Church, US, State, Eurasian Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, NATO, Special Forces Exchange Locations: American, Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Europe, AFP, Georgian, Soviet, Russian, United States, Brussels, Washington, Moscow, EU

☆ Georgian president vetoes ‘foreign agents’ bill after widespread opposition
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-18 | by ( Michael Rios | Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Georgia’s President Salome Zourabichvili has vetoed a controversial “foreign agents” bill that sparked weeks of widespread protests across the country. The divisive legislation would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face a fine. Opponents say the bill was modeled after similar laws in Russia that the Kremlin has used to snuff out opposition and civil society. “This law, in its essence and spirit, is fundamentally Russian, contradicting our constitution and all European standards,” President Zourabichvili said after vetoing the bill on Saturday. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia on May 13, 2024.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Zurab Organizations: CNN, European Union, EU Locations: Russia, Tbilisi , Georgia, Georgia, Soviet, Russia . Georgia, Soviet Union, Moscow, Europe, –, Ukraine

☆ Modi's strongman rule raises questions about India's 'democratic decline' as he seeks a third term
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Sumathi Bala | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, center, during a campaign rally in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Photographer: Prakash Singh/Bloomberg via Getty Images Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA decade into power, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi appears set to secure a rare third term, with the general elections now underway. Opposition 'witch hunt'Ahead of the elections, India's main opposition — the National Congress party — accused the Modi government of freezing its bank accounts. "This is a criminal action on the Congress party done by the prime minister and the home minister," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a fiery attack. "During Manmohan Singh's time, India was also growing very fast," he added, referring to the economic reforms under the former prime minister in the 1990s.

Persons: Narendra Modi, India's, Modi, Prakash Singh, Asim Ali, Ali, Milan, Modi's, —, Rahul Gandhi, Chietigj Bajpaee, Arvind Kejriwal, consecrating, Ronojoy Sen, Neelanjan Sircar, Manmohan Singh's, Sircar Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty Images Bloomberg, Getty, India's, East, CNBC, Dem, Freedom House, Carnegie Endowment, International Peace, Newsweek, Bharatiya Janata Party, National Congress, South Asia, Chatham House, Aam Aadmi Party, Modi's BJP, BJP, Institute of South Asian Studies, Centre for Policy Research Locations: Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India, East Asia, New Delhi, Sweden, U.S, Milan Vaishnav, South Asia, Gujarat, Ali, Delhi, Lok, Ayodhya, Ayodhya —, BJP

☆ Chinese asylum seekers in New York City live in limbo, caught between China and the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Tara John | Yong Xiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

It was his only day off from working 12-hour shifts at a Chinese restaurant in New York City. Evelio Contreras/CNNAfter arriving in New York, Ye spent a week in a Manhattan shelter. For Chinese asylum seekers like Ye, there is a well-trodden route to residency in the US. … It’s impossible for them to be spies.”But the rhetoric around the rise of undocumented Chinese migrants highlights growing tensions between the US and Chinese governments. He received permanent US residence a year later and has gone on to help Chinese migrants in Flushing.

Persons: Ye Chengxiang, “, ”, Ye, Evelio Contreras, Amy Hsin, Jiang Zhen, Yong Xiong, Xi Jinping, Biden, Mark Green of, Wan Yanhai, …, Jiang, “ It’s, I’m, Melanie Stetson Freeman, ’ Wan, Flushing . Li Jiada, Li Jiada, Jesus, Li Organizations: NY CNN, Central America, CNN, Queens College, Customs and, Embassy, Central, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China, Republicans, Republican, House Homeland Security Committee, Communist Party, Christian Science, Customs Enforcement, of, Yorker Locations: Flushing, NY, New York City, China, Communist, Ye, States, Colombia, Darien, South, Central, New York, Manhattan, Flushing’s, Sunset, Mexico, Central America, Queens, Hunan province, Guangdong, Chinatown, , Flushing , New York, San Francisco, Mark Green of Tennessee, Beijing, Flushing ., Flushing , Queens

Tbilisi, Georgia CNN —Georgia’s parliament has passed a controversial “foreign agents” bill despite widespread domestic opposition and warnings from the European Union that its enactment would imperil the country’s chances of joining the bloc. Many Georgians fear their foreign agents bill will be used the same way in their country. Georgia’s parliament now has 10 days to send the bill to President Salome Zourabichvili, who has already vowed to veto it. However, EU leaders have made it clear that the foreign agents bill’s passage would jeopardize Georgia’s chances of accession. Georgian law enforcement officers detain a demonstrator near the parliament in Tbilisi on May 14.

Persons: Georgia CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, Giorgi Arjevanidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, they’ve, Putin, ” Zourabichvili, Shakh, Levan Khabeishvili, “, ” Khabeishvili, ” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s, Irakli, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Anna Chernova, Vasco Cotovio Organizations: Georgia CNN, European Union, EU, United, Getty, Soviet Union, Georgian, CNN, European Locations: Tbilisi, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Soviet, United States, Caucasus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, AFP, Russian, Moscow

☆ Anti-Monarchy Activist in Thailand Dies After Hunger Strike
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Sui-Lee Wee | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To Netiporn Sanesangkhom, the right to dissent and to question Thailand’s powerful monarchy belonged to all Thais. On Tuesday, her crusade to highlight this cause in the face of the country’s strict ban on royal criticism ended in her death. Ms. Netiporn, also known as Bung, 28, was one of Thailand’s most prominent activists calling for changes to the monarchy. She died after a hunger strike that she began in prison on Jan. 27 to pressure the Thai authorities to put an end to jailing political activists. For more than two months, Ms. Netiporn refused food, water and all forms of medication.

Persons: Netiporn Sanesangkhom, Netiporn, Netiporn’s Organizations: Thais, Department of Corrections, Thai Party Locations: Thai

☆ What is Georgia’s ‘foreign agents’ bill, and why is Europe so alarmed?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Joshua Berlinger | Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Georgia’s parliament is set to pass a highly controversial so-called “foreign agents” bill that has triggered widespread protests across the former Soviet republic nestled in the Caucasus Mountains. Here’s what you need to know about the proposed law and the uproar it has caused. The bill would require organizations receiving more than 20% of their funding from abroad to register as “agents of foreign influence” or face crippling fines. About 50,000 protesters gathered in Tbilisi to protest the proposed legislation on Sunday. The proposed law is modeled after a similar one in Russia that the Kremlin has used to increasingly snuff out opposition and civil society.

Persons: CNN —, Salome Zourabichvili, Irakli Kobakhidze, Bidzina Ivanishvili, Vano Shlamov, Ivanishvili, they’ve, Georgia’s, Kobakhidze, Mirian, Jake Sullivan, ”, Dmitry Peskov, “, Ursula von der Leyen, Anna Chernova Organizations: CNN, Getty, European, House, Washington, Georgian, EU, “ Locations: Soviet, Caucasus, Tbilisi, Here’s, Georgian, Georgia, AFP, Russia, Europe, Ukraine, Soviet Union, European Union, Georgia’s, Didn’t Georgia, Anadolu, backsliding, George, Brussels, “ Georgia

☆ 50,000 protest Georgia’s foreign agent bill as US sounds alarm over ‘Kremlin-style’ law
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —About 50,000 opponents of a “foreign agents” bill marched peacefully in heavy rain through the Georgian capital on Saturday, after the United States said the country had to choose between the “Kremlin-style” law and the people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations. “Georgian parliamentarians face a critical choice – whether to support the Georgian people’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations or pass a Kremlin-style foreign agents’ law that runs counter to democratic values,” he said. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 11, 2024. Georgian Dream says the bill will promote transparency and Georgian national sovereignty. Demonstrators protest against the foreign agents bill in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 11, 2024.

Persons: “, ”, Jake Sullivan, Irakli Gedenidze, Nino, Vladimir Putin’s, Reuters Bidzina, Sullivan Organizations: CNN, House, Georgian, European, Reuters, Union, Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, European Union, EU, NATO Locations: States, backsliding, Georgia, European Union, Tbilisi , Georgia, “, Russia, Europe, ”, Georgian, Tbilisi, United States

☆ Opinion | After College Presidents, Republicans Are Coming for Liberal Donors
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Michelle Goldberg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland this week, the Republican senator Josh Hawley demanded a federal investigation into dark money groups subsidizing “pro-terrorist student organizations” holding anti-Israel protests on college campuses. He cited Politico reporting linking big liberal philanthropies to some pro-Palestinian organizers. Open Society Foundations, for example, founded by the oft-demonized George Soros, has given grants to the anti-Zionist Jewish Voice for Peace, which has an active university presence. That’s one reason I fear that the backlash to the pro-Palestinian campus movement — which includes lawsuits, hearings and legislation — could help Republicans wage war on progressive nonprofits more broadly. If they do, the right would be following a well-worn authoritarian playbook.

Persons: General Merrick Garland, Josh Hawley, George Soros, Hawley, “, Garland, Donald Trump, Trump, Rachel Kleinfeld, Kleinfeld, it’s Organizations: Politico, Society, Jewish Voice, Soros, Carnegie Endowment, International, Service, Carnegie Locations: Israel, Hungary

☆ Biden’s antisemitism speech leaves no doubt he’s standing by Israel despite tension with Netanyahu
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —The political rawness of the moment, as Israel pounds Gaza and outrage rocks American college campuses, means President Joe Biden’s big speech Tuesday condemning antisemitism is most notable for what he left unsaid. The speech was closely watched given the turmoil in the Middle East and its stunning political reaction in the US. “My commitment to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel, and its right to exist as an independent Jewish state is ironclad. While praising the right to free speech as a fundamental American value, he condemned reported instances when some Jewish students have faced antisemitic taunting. Understanding history and preventing it from being manipulated for political gain was a major focus of Biden’s speech, which was delivered on the 79th anniversary of VE Day, when the allies defeated Nazism in World War II.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, movingly, you’re, ” Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Joe ”, We’re, Biden’s, Donald Trump, Trump, Stormy Daniels, “, ” Johnson, Netanyahu, —, Mike Johnson, ’ Organizations: CNN, Jewish, Hamas, Holocaust Memorial, Capitol, Arab, Israel, Gaza Health Ministry, Democratic, Trump, Republicans, Republican, Louisiana Republican, White, GOP, Nazism Locations: Israel, Gaza, Nazi, Rafah, Michigan, Manhattan, Nazi Germany, United States, Louisiana, Charlottesville , Virginia, Gestapo

☆ Murders, imprisonment and violence: Threats to press freedom grow in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Esteban Campanela | Sol Amaya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges faced by many media workers in Latin America, where experts say the status of press freedom is increasingly worrisome. The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a press conference that they believed the crime was linked to his journalistic work. Last week, the Mexican president criticized the US State Department’s report on human rights in the world, which refers to concerns over press freedom in Mexico, saying that US authorities should “be respectful”. In a publication in social network X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said US officials are not concerned about the human rights of Cubans and that the United States has its own human rights violations. Nicaragua: Ortega-Murillo regime targets journalismHarassment of the press in Nicaragua has been widely reported on numerous occasions.

Persons: CNNE, Francisco Cobos, ”, Cobos, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, Lourdes Maldonado López, Maldonado López, Séptimo Día, Roberto Figueroa, Xochitl Zamora, Lourdes Maldonado, Maldonado ´, Marco Ugarte, AP López Obrador, Andres Oppenheimer, Javier Milei, Lopez Obrador, Abraham Jimenez, Jimenez, civically, “, Miguel Diaz, Yamil Lage, Jiménez, Bruno Rodríguez, Ortega, Murillo, Juan Lorenzo Hollman Chamorro, Hollman Chamorro, Chamorro, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Rosario Murillo, … provocateurs, Chávez, Vos, Chavez, ” Edgar López, López, Juan Pablo Lares, Maximiliano Bruzual, Ariana Cubillos, Nicolas, Maduro’s, Yván Gil, ” Jeannine Cruz, Gustavo Petro, Nayib Bukele, Gonzalo Zegarra, Rey Rodríguez, Manuela Castro, Ana María Cañizares, Ivonne, José Álvarez, Elvin Sandoval, Iván, Sarmenti, Español Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Protect Journalists, Univision, Televisa, Prosecutor’s, AP, CIA, Canel, Getty, Cuban Foreign, La Prensa, National Police, ”, El, Regional, Democracy, Nicaraguan, State Department, National College of Journalists, Venezuelan, TC Television, Communication, “ Locations: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Latin America, Mexican, American, Tamaulipas, McAllen , Texas, Tijuana, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, Spain, Cuban, Havana, AFP, United States, Costa Rica, El Confidencial, Managua, NIcaragua, Sur, Washington, Venezuelan, “, Caracas, ”, Ecuador, Guayaquil, America, Argentina, Colombian

☆ Georgia rocked by protests as government pushes Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —After spending his days making wine in the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, Tsotne Jafaridze returns home to Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, and begins his new routine. Jafaridze, who also owns a travel business and says he receives 95% of his income from foreign sources, says he would “immediately” be listed as a foreign agent under the broadly-written law. But the government reintroduced the same bill in March and appears determined to force it through, despite protests that grow fiercer every week. Despite recent Russian aggression against Georgia, Georgian Dream has long been accused of harboring pro-Russian sympathies and its billionaire founder, Bidzina Ivanishvili, made his fortune in the Soviet Union. Bidzina Ivanishvili addresses a rally in support of the "foreign agent" law in Tbilisi, April 29, 2024.

Persons: Jafaridze, ”, Vladimir Putin, “, Giorgi Arjevanidze, isn’t, ” Natalie Sabanadze, –, Levan Khabeishvili, Khabeishvili, Bidzina Ivanishvili, ” Buziashvili, Ivanishvili, Bidzina, Shakh, Sabanandze, Irakli Kobakhidze, Kobakhidze, ” Sabanadze, Viktor Orban, Europe’s, Matthew Miller, Washington, Georgia “, Irakli Gedenidze, Viktor Yanukovych, doesn’t Organizations: CNN, European Union, Getty, EU, United National Movement, National Security Council, Soviet Army, Soviet Union, Belarus ’, Party, Georgian, Conservative Political, United, State Department, Protesters, Reuters Locations: Caucasus, Tbilisi, Georgia’s, Russia, Georgian, Russian, Soviet, AFP, Brussels, Georgia, Belarus, Ukraine, Soviet Union, Hungary, Hungarian, United States, stoke, ”

The American right’s growing embrace of Orbán builds upon millions of dollars that his government has spent on lobbying in the US, and new connections between Hungarian and American conservative think tanks. “Make America great again, make Europe great again!” Orbán declared in English, before continuing in Hungarian: “Go Donald Trump! Conservatives from around the US, Europe and beyond traveled to Budapest for the two-day event, which was organized by a Hungarian government-funded think tank. Two American nonprofits that are actively planning policies for a second Trump term have shown an interest in Hungary and Orbán’s model. But some of the American conservatives who flew into the country for CPAC seemed more focused on the optics of Budapest than on democratic rights.

Persons: crackdowns, “, Viktor Orbán, Orbán, Donald Trump’s, ” Orbán, Donald Trump !, ” Trump, ”, Trump, Steve Bannon, President Trump, Gladden Pappin, Szilard Koszticsak, White, ” Pappin, “ saviors, Bannon, Kari Lake, Mark Meadows, Andy Harris, Zoltan Mathe, Paul Gosar, Christopher Rufo, István, Ron DeSantis, Trumpists, Kim Lane Scheppele, Orbán’s, Zsuzsanna Szelényi, ” Szelényi, Márton Gulyás, influencers strode, Joey Mannarino, ” Kyung Lah, Anna, Maja Rappard, Casey Tolan, Curt Devine Organizations: Hungary CNN —, Republican, Conservative, Trump, European Union, Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, Conservative Political, “ Conservative, White House, ”, Republican Arizona, CNN, Department of Justice, Southern Poverty Law, Heritage Foundation, America, Policy Institute, Institute, Florida Gov, Princeton Locations: Budapest, Hungary, American, Europe, Lago, Dallas, America, Hungarian, Arizona, United States, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Florida, “ Hungary, marveled, New York, Washington

☆ Goldman Environmental Prize: This saltwater lagoon is legally a person. Here’s why that could help it survive
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Nell Lewis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Mar Menor, Europe’s biggest saltwater lagoon, sits on the coast of southeastern Spain. Three years later, following an intense campaign, Mar Menor became the first ecosystem in Europe to be designated legal personhood rights. Today, Vicente was awarded the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize – an annual award given to six grassroots environmental leaders, each working in a different continent. Teresa Vicente, 61, has been awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her successful campaign to grant Mar Menor legal personhood rights. “Right now, Mar Menor is in intensive care,” she says.

Persons: CNN —, Teresa Vicente, Mar Menor, Vicente, Jose Guerrero, “, ”, Jose Miguel Fernandez, Menor Organizations: CNN, University of Murcia, Goldman, Mar, Goldman Environmental, University of Reading’s Centre of Justice, AFP Locations: Spain, Europe, AFP, Murcia, Colombia, New, Whanganui, Spain’s

☆ EU investigates Meta over fears of election interference and foreign disinformation
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Officials said the investigation highlights apparent violations of Europe’s signature law governing online platforms, the Digital Services Act. They added that Meta’s tools for users to report illegal content don’t appear to align with the DSA’s requirements, either. The investigation comes after Meta submitted required materials to the European Commission last fall outlining how it manages perceived risks linked to its products. Without it, the European Commission said, users and researchers will have less visibility into what is happening on Meta services and could have a harder time detecting foreign election interference. “We look forward to continuing our cooperation with the European Commission and providing them with further details of this work.”

Persons: Meta, CrowdTangle, “, ” Organizations: CNN — European Union, European Commission, Officials, Digital Services, European, Facebook

☆ Burkina Faso army executed over 220 villagers in February, HRW says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Reuters —Burkina Faso’s military in February summarily executed about 223 villagers, including at least 56 children, as part of a campaign against civilians accused of collaborating with jihadist militants, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Thursday. The spokesperson for the Burkina Faso government did not respond to phone calls seeking comment on the HRW report. Retaliatory attacksRights groups have previously accused the military in junta-ruled Burkina Faso of attacking and killing civilians suspected of collaborating with militants in retaliatory operations. Burkina Faso is one of several Sahel nations that have been struggling to contain Islamist insurgencies linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have spread from neighboring Mali since 2012, killing thousands and displacing millions. Frustrations over authorities’ failure to protect civilians have contributed to two coups in Mali, two in Burkina Faso and one in Niger since 2020.

Persons: Witnesses, HRW, Tirana Hassan, Mali’s Organizations: Reuters, Burkina, jihadist, Human Rights Watch, Ouahigouya, HRW, Facebook, Burkina Faso, Authorities, Rights Watch, Burkinabe, African Union, United Nations, Islamic Locations: Burkina Faso’s, Yatenga, Burkina Faso, Komsilga, Burkina, Nodin, Soro, al Qaeda, Islamic State, Mali, Niger

☆ Elon Musk vs Australia: Fight heats up over Sydney church stabbing video on X
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Hilary Whiteman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The country’s e-safety commissioner ordered social media giants to take it down. Australia wants X to remove the video completely, not just hide it from Australian users who could circumvent a local ban by using virtual private networks. With her message to Musk, Australian Senator Jacqui Lambie posted an image of herself in army fatigues taken at a Veteran Mentors' Junior Leadership camp in January. President David Adler told CNN he hadn’t been asked to take it down, either by X or Australia’s e-safety commissioner. In a statement Wednesday, Australia’s eSafety commissioner said the takedown request wasn’t designed to stifle discussion about the church attack.

Persons: Elon Musk, that’s, X, ’, Anthony Albanese, Jacqui Lambie, “, hadn’t, ”, fatigues, AJA, David Adler, Adler, AJA hasn’t, Krissy Barrett, Reece Kershaw, Marcus Hoyne, Bishop, Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel, Joanne Gray, Grzegorz Wajda, Gray, Musk, Musk’s, Australia’s, Lambie’s Organizations: Australia CNN, Christian Church, Australian, Leadership, Australian Jewish Association, CNN, ” CNN, Joint Counter, Counter, New South Wales Police Seven, Australian Federal Police, AFP, Australia’s Security Intelligence Organisation, National Press Club, Musk, Court, Bishop Mar, Good Shepherd, University of Sydney, European Jewish Association, X Corp Locations: Brisbane, Australia, Sydney, Tasmania, United States, New, Australia’s, Krakow, Poland

☆ What to know about the TikTok ban bill the House passed
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —House lawmakers have once again passed legislation that could lead to a nationwide TikTok ban, renewing a massive threat to the company’s US operations. In March, House lawmakers approved a bill that would give TikTok roughly six months to sell. Another factor that’s shaking things up is how House Republicans inserted the TikTok bill into a much larger foreign aid package. Biden endorsed the prior version of the TikTok bill, which suggests he may quickly sign any foreign aid package that includes similar language targeting TikTok. In addition to complying with the legislation, TikTok could challenge it in court and has made no secret that it might do so.

Persons: TikTok, Joe Biden, there’s, who’ve, Washington Democratic Sen, Maria Cantwell, Paul Gallant, Cowen, Gallant, Joe Biden’s, Biden, —, Shou Chew, ”, Nadine Farid Johnson, ByteDance Organizations: CNN —, White, Washington Democratic, Republicans, House, Senate, Inc, Columbia University, “, TikTok Locations: United States, Ukraine, Israel, China

☆ TikTok is in the hot seat once again in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

An earlier version of the TikTok bill sailed through the House in March, but it has become bogged down in the Senate. Opponents, including TikTok and a range of civil society groups, have argued the bill risks violating TikTok users’ First Amendment rights. President Joe Biden has said he would sign the House TikTok bill if it reaches his desk. The latest version of the TikTok bill contains some updates. One key senator who was doubtful of the initial House TikTok bill appeared satisfied.

Persons: TikTok, Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, there’s, “, Johnson, ”, Washington Democratic Sen, Maria Cantwell, I’ve, Cantwell, Cathy McMorris Rodgers Organizations: CNN, Republicans, Senate, House Republicans, Washington Democratic, Oracle, Republican, Washington Rep Locations: Israel, Ukraine, China, India, Texas

☆ Georgia presses on with Putin-style ‘foreign agent’ bill despite huge protests
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Christian Edwards | Niamh Kennedy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Georgia’s government is attempting to force through a controversial “foreign agent” law, despite international condemnation and huge protests from its citizens. Critics of the law say is it is a Kremlin-inspired effort to undermine democracy which will damage Georgia’s bid to join the European Union. The ruling Georgian Dream party first tried to pass the bill 13 months ago, but was forced into an embarrassing climbdown following a week of intense protests. Nearly 80% of Georgians support European integration, according to a poll conducted in December by the National Democratic Institute. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, thousands of Russians – especially men of service age – have fled to Georgia to avoid conscription.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Vladimir Putin, Putin, ” Salome Zourabichvili, Zourabichvili, –, Irakli Gedenidze, ” Giorgi Bekurashvili Organizations: CNN, European Union, South Caucasus, “, Kremlin, EU, National Democratic Institute Locations: Soviet, Europe, United States, Tbilisi, Georgian, Russia, South, Russian, “ Russia, Georgia, Ukraine

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