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"It's not just me and my children, future generations from our community in Jammu and Kashmir will vote for the BJP." A BJP victory in the disputed region could consolidate India's claim over the territory on the global stage. "We have taken a pledge to cross 50-plus seats to form the next government with a thumping majority," the BJP's president for Jammu and Kashmir, Ravinder Raina, told Reuters. Jammu has about 5.3 million inhabitants, 62% of whom are Hindu while Kashmir Valley has 6.7 million, 97% of them Muslim, according to a 2011 census. Previously unreported official records show just over 5.3 million certificates had been issued as of September.

☆ Spain's Supreme Court drops sedition charges against Catalan separatist leader
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MADRID, Jan 12 (Reuters) - Spain's Supreme Court on Thursday dropped sedition charges against the leader of Catalonia's failed bid for independence, Carles Puigdemont, after a reform of the country's penal code abolished the crime. Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Belgium to avoid prosecution in Spain, still faces charges of disobedience and embezzlement, which carry jail terms of up to eight years. Spain's previous bids to have Puigdemont extradited during his stays in Germany, Belgium and Italy have failed. Puigdemont posted a video on Twitter in which he vowed to fight "to the end" against his extradition in European courts. Puigdemont has been living in self-imposed exile in Belgium since late 2017 and served as a member of the European Parliament since 2019.

☆ Greenpeace-led case against Volkswagen admissible, unlikely to succeed, German court says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Victoria Waldersee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRAUNSCHWEIG, Germany, Jan 10 (Reuters) - A case led by Greenpeace against Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) demanding that the automaker tighten its carbon reduction targets is admissible but unlikely to succeed, a German district court said on Tuesday, with a further hearing scheduled for Jan 31. However, the Braunschweig court said it was not clear whether the German ruling was applicable in a case between private entities. The peculiarity here is that this is a case of a private individual against a privately acting company... the lawsuit is unlikely to succeed," said Bastian Willers, spokesperson for the Braunschweig court. The NGO has appealed the ruling, which Greenpeace lawyer Roda Verheyen said her clients will also do if the court dismisses their case later this month. Another case by DUH against BMW in Munich is ongoing, with the next hearing scheduled for February 7.

☆ Chile, Colombia call for extraordinary OAS meeting after Brazil riots
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SANTIAGO, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Chilean President Gabriel Boric called for an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Monday to address riots in Brazil where supporters of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed top government buildings. Boric, speaking alongside Colombia President Gustavo Petro outside La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago, called Sunday's riots "unacceptable" and also condemned "complicit silence." Petro, a former rebel and Colombia's first leftist president, compared the attack to the 1973 Chilean coup against Salvador Allende. "We just saw it in Brazil, but it's not just in Brazil," Petro said. Reporting by Alexander Villegas in Santiago and Julia Symmes Cobb Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Female cabin crew applicants had to strip so recruiters could check for scars, birthmarks or tattoos, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Recruiters rejected women with glasses, moles or visible scars, Spain's El Diario reported. Three sources told El Diario that the interview process was uncomfortable from the start. Bianca, a 23-year-old flight attendant from Romania, told El Diario: "The first girl that went in came out crying." I was freaking out — but they weren't exaggerating," Bianca told El Diario. The recruiter told Bianca that she was checking for "scars, birthmarks, and tattoos."

☆ Trump won't be able to terminate the US Constitution but a Republican-led effort to rewrite it continues
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-02 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advocates on both sides of a long-running effort to rewrite the Constitution will face off again in 2023. Meckler's organization is one of the largest players in the Article V push. Article V requires there to be 34 states for a convention to be formed. Convention of States is not alone in its pursuit of the Article V movement. Outside of Convention of States, efforts to call a convention to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment also continue.

BRUSSELS, Dec 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Thursday it would hold back all 22 billion euros of EU cohesion funds for Hungary until its government meets conditions related to judiciary independence, academic freedoms, LGBTQI rights and the asylum system. The 22 billion euros is the amount of EU cohesion funds that Hungary is to get from the EU's long-term budget between 2021 and 2027. The 22 billion euros for Hungary are earmarked for programmes including education for disadvantaged children, rail transport upgrades, access to broadband and aid for regions affected by coal plant closures. We'll keep working with Hungarian authorities to overcome this situation," said Elisa Ferreira, EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms. On top of the cohesion funds, the EU is also holding back Hungary's 5.8 billion euros in grants from the EU's recovery fund until the government addresses concerns over the independence of courts.

☆ North Korea slams Japan's new security strategy, warns of military measures
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SEOUL, Dec 20 (Reuters) - North Korea on Tuesday denounced Japan's new security strategy as fundamentally changing the regional security environment and warned it will show how "wrong" and "dangerous" Japan's choice is with unspecified actions, official news agency KCNA reported. "Japan is bringing a serious security crisis on the Korean Peninsula and in the East Asia region by adopting a new security strategy that effectively acknowledges its pre-emptive strike capabilities against other countries," the official said in the statement. The security environment in the region has "fundamentally changed" due to Japan's new policy, the official said, denouncing the move as a violation of the U.N. Charter and a "serious challenge" to international peace. "We make it clear once again that we have the right to take bold and decisive military measures to protect our fundamental rights ... in response to the complicated regional security environment," the official said. Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kenneth MaxwellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

The four gay couples want a Supreme Court ruling that modifies or interprets laws in a way that allows same-gender marriages, the court filings show. The United States this month approved legislation that provides federal recognition to same-sex marriages in a bid to further safeguard gay rights. The law ministry has opposed same-sex marriages in the past and said courts should stay away from the law-making process that falls under parliament's purview. The Supreme Court has given the government until Jan. 6 to submit its responses. "A decision on same-sex marriage in the near future is inevitable.

☆ Europe condemns Elon Musk suspending journalists from Twitter, warns of 'red lines'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Musk reinstated the suspended journalists early Saturday after a Twitter poll, but he had already drawn rebukes from the European Union and United Nations. “The EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. officials have also estimated they will add more than 100 full-time staff by 2024 to enforce the Digital Services Act and other new rules on digital competition. “The Digital Services Act is unprepared for this kind of problem, because it’s not designed for that,” said Downing, speaking of Thursday’s suspensions of tech journalists. “There was never a conception that journalists would be banned from Twitter, because that’s not what Twitter does,” he added.

☆ European Union threatens sanctions over Twitter's ban of journalists
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Julia Horowitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —Elon Musk’s decision to suddenly ban prominent tech journalists from Twitter is fanning a fierce backlash in Europe. Germany warned of the impact on press freedom, while a senior EU official said Twitter must comply with the bloc’s rules or face possible sanctions. “The EU’s Digital Services Act requires respect of media freedom and fundamental rights. European leaders previously said they were watching how Musk’s takeover of Twitter would affect the platform. Thierry Breton, a top EU official, warned Musk in late November that the social media platform must take significant steps to comply with the bloc’s content moderation laws.

☆ A top European official seemed to threaten Elon Musk with sanctions over his 'arbitrary suspension' of journalists amid the jet-tracking saga
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Věra Jourová, a European Union vice president, criticized Elon Musk's "arbitrary" bans on journalists. She said that Twitter could face sanctions, citing the union's laws on free speech. After Musk's laid off thousands of staff, Twitter closed its Brussels office responsible for complying with EU laws. Věra Jourová, the EU vice president for values and transparency, tweeted on Friday morning: "News about arbitrary suspension of journalists on Twitter is worrying." Musk was also condemned by the German foreign office for suspending the journalists, while a senior government official threatened to leave the platform.

☆ Peru President Boluarte pledges early elections after protests turn deadly
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Marco Aquino | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LIMA, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Peru's new President Dina Boluarte said early on Monday she would submit a bill to Congress to bring general elections forward two years to April 2024, amid protests in the Andean nation following the ouster of former leader Pedro Castillo. "I have decided to present a bill to reach an agreement with Congress to bring forward the general elections to April 2024," Boluarte, 60, said in a speech to the nation. Boluarte said she would present the bill in "coming days" after two teenagers were killed and four people injured in Peru on Sunday during protests demanding the country hold general elections following the ouster of Castillo. Demonstrators, many of them Castillo supporters, have for days demanded Peru hold new elections rather than allow Boluarte to stay in power until 2026, when Castillo's term would have ended. Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Anthony Esposito; Editing by Kim Coghill and Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yan Rachinsky: Russian Nobel Peace laureate slams Putin's war on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Allegra Goodwin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Russian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Yan Rachinsky blasted President Vladimir Putin’s “insane and criminal” war on Ukraine in his acceptance speech in the Norwegian capital Oslo on Saturday. Representatives of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureates collect the awards at Oslo City Hall, from left: Natalia Pinchuk, the wife of Ales Bialiatski, Yan Rachinsky, chairman of the International Memorial Board and Oleksandra Matviychuk, head of the Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties. Markus Schreiber/APUkrainian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk called for an international tribunal to Putin and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko to justice over “war crimes” in her acceptance speech. Human rights groups from Russia and Ukraine – Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties – were officially awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2022 on Saturday, along with the jailed Belarusian advocate Ales Bialiatski. The new laureates were honored for “an outstanding effort to document war crimes, human right abuses and the abuse of power” in their respective countries.

☆ UK sanctions 30 people, targeting corruption and human rights abuse
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Britain on Friday announced sanctions targeting 30 people around the world who it described as "corrupt political figures, human rights violators and perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence." It said the sanctions were coordinated with international partners to mark International Anti-Corruption Day and Global Human Rights Day and included individuals involved in activities including the torture of prisoners and the mobilisation of troops to rape civilians. "Today our sanctions go further to expose those behind the heinous violations of our most fundamental rights," Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said in a statement. They included targets from 11 countries, including:- 10 Iranian officials connected to Iran’s judicial and prison systems- Figures involved in the Myanmar military junta- Russian Colonel Ibatullin for his role as the commander of the 90th Tank Division- Mali's Katiba Macina group, also known as the Macina Liberation Front, over what Britain said was links to sexual violence- Officials in South Sudan over what Britain said were links to sexual violenceReporting by William James, Editing by Kylie MacLellanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ EU countries' stance on AI rules draws criticism from lawmaker, consumer group
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRUSSELS, Dec 6 (Reuters) - EU countries on Tuesday agreed a common position on draft artificial intelligence rules ahead of negotiations with EU lawmakers to thrash out the details, but drew criticism for not adequately addressing the issue of facial recognition. The European Commission proposed the AI rules last year, seeking to catch up with China and the United States in a technology used in smartphones, computers, self-driving cars, online shopping and advertising, and factories. The draft rules need to be hashed out with EU countries and EU lawmakers next year before they can be implemented. EU lawmakers have yet to reach agreement on their common position. The countries agreed to exclude national security, defence and military purposes from the AI rules, according to a statement from the Council of the European Union.

☆ Iran state body reports 200 dead in protests, Raisi hails 'freedoms'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A top state security body meanwhile said that 200 people, including members of the security forces, had lost their lives in the unrest, a figure significantly lower than that given by the world body and rights groups. Amirali Hajizadeh, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander was quoted as saying on Monday that 300 people, including security force members, had been killed in the recent unrest. Javaid Rehman, a U.N.-appointed independent expert on Iran, said on Tuesday that more than 300 people had been killed in the protests, including more than 40 children. Rights group HRANA said that as of Friday 469 protesters had been killed, including 64 minors. "The people's protest has shown that the policies of the last 43 years have reached a dead end," he said in late November.

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act over severe violations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken in a statement said those designated as countries of particular concern - which also include North Korea and Myanmar - engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. The United States has expressed grave concerns about human rights in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, which is home to 10 million Uyghurs. The other countries designated as countries of particular concern were Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Religious Freedom Act of 1998 requires the president – who assigns the function to the secretary of State – to designate as countries of particular concern states that are deemed to violate religious freedom on a systematic and ongoing basis.

Nov 23 (Reuters) - Georgia can enforce a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy while the state appeals a lower court order striking it down, the state's highest court ruled on Wednesday. The Supreme Court of Georgia did not give a reason for its unanimous order. The state law, which originally took effect this past summer, has been challenged by Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups. Georgia passed a law banning abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks, in 2019. He said the state legislature could pass a new law banning abortion now that Roe is overturned.

☆ South Korea debates scrapping Cold War-era ban on North's propaganda
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Hyonhee Shin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

SEOUL, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Debate is brewing in South Korea over efforts to scrap a decades-old ban on North Korean media, as changing attitudes fuel renewed calls to review a national security law dating from the Cold War. South Korea's National Security Act blocks access to the North's government websites and media, barring efforts at "praising, inciting or propagating" its activities. In a statement to the court before the hearing, the national rights watchdog had called the clauses vague, disproportionate and damaging to fundamental rights. North Korean films, songs and other content are already widely available on YouTube and elsewhere, they added. "The North will likely produce television shows and publications specifically designed to sow more division in the South," said defector Kim Tae-san, a former North Korean ambassador to the Czech Republic.

☆ How did Democrats make it so close in the House midterm elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +18 min

While the GOP did still take the House, the close margin of victory was a performance well below what was possible. Here are eight perspectives from across the ideological spectrum on why the Democrats were able to make it so close. And this reality was essential given the defection of Black and Latino voters to the Republican Party and its candidates. America can credit Democratic West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin’s obstruction of a democracy bill and an economic bill for the narrow Republican House majority. But now, America needs to deal with a Republican House, thanks in good part to Manchin’s obstruction.

☆ U.K. Government Seeks Further Easing of Data Protection Rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Catherine Stupp | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

If U.K. data protection law strays too far from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation, however, an existing legal deal known as an adequacy agreement between the two jurisdictions could be jeopardized, privacy experts say. Relaxing some data rules could save the U.K. an estimated £12 billion, equivalent to $14 billion, each year, Mr. Rowland said. The U.K. has had two changes of government since data laws were proposed this summer. The EU officials who oversee the arrangement have said they could suspend the system if British data protection laws change too dramatically. The draft data protection legislation would loosen some aspects of the GDPR such as requirements for companies to obtain permission from individuals for their data to be tracked online.

☆ Senate Vote on Same-Sex Marriage to Test Level of GOP Support
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.), the first openly gay senator, said the legislation aims to ‘create certainty around these fundamental rights.’WASHINGTON—The Senate was set to vote Wednesday on advancing bipartisan legislation that would cement same-sex marriage protections into law, aiming to codify rights established in a 2015 Supreme Court ruling. Democratic and Republican proponents of the legislation said they were confident that they have secured more than the 60 votes required for the measure to advance in the evenly divided Senate. All members of the Democratic caucus are expected to back the bill in a motion to proceed, meaning it also would need the support of at least 10 Republicans.

☆ Senate Votes to Advance Same-Sex Marriage Legislation
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Katy Stech Ferek | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D., Wis.), the first openly gay senator, said the legislation aims to ‘create certainty around these fundamental rights.’WASHINGTON—The Senate voted 62-37 Wednesday to advance legislation that would cement same-sex marriage protections into law, clearing a decisive hurdle as lawmakers aim to get the measure to President Biden’s desk in the lame-duck session. The vote underscored how a once politically divisive issue now draws bipartisan support despite opposition from some social conservatives, less than a decade after same-sex marriage became legal nationwide under a 2015 Supreme Court ruling.

[1/2] Abortion rights protesters participate in nationwide demonstrations following the leaked Supreme Court opinion suggesting the possibility of overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision, in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., May 14, 2022. REUTERS/Alyssa PointerNov 15 (Reuters) - A Georgia law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy cannot be enforced, a state judge ruled on Tuesday, handing a victory to Planned Parenthood and other abortion rights groups that challenged the restriction when it took effect this summer. The law was previously blocked under Roe, but it took effect in July, after the U.S. Supreme Court's June ruling gave states the power to restrict abortion. Around a dozen states have enforced near-total abortion bans since the end of Roe v. Wade, many like Georgia in the southeast region of the United States. Solicitor General Stephen Petrany argued at the time that the law was in line with the state's interest to protect "unborn children."

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