Legal Dialogue

France has vowed to punish striking workers who cut power supplies to tens of thousands of homes and businesses people in a wildcat protest over pension reform.

Source: Euronews

Last Friday, the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced it was expelling two Russian diplomats who, according to prosecutors, have been involved in espionage. The Russian embassy in Sofia declared that the diplomats would leave the country but that Moscow reserved its right to respond to these expulsions.

Source: Reuters

The total reported number of public events in Moscow rose by 50 percent relative to the previous year, and the number of political events rose by 60 percent.

Source: Meduza

The Supreme Court said hundreds of judges chosen under new rules were not sufficiently independent and should no longer hear cases. At the same time, lawmakers approved legislation making it easier to fire critical judges.

Source: BBC

British lawmakers in the lower house gave their final backing to the Brexit bill after removing several amendments made by the House of Lords, including a provision to reunite unaccompanied refugee children whose families are already living in the UK.

Source: DW

The European Union is considering banning facial recognition technology in public areas for up to five years, to give it time to work out how to prevent abuses, according to proposals seen by Reuters.

Source: Reuters

Gibraltar is considering becoming part of the Schengen zone as a way of ensuring fluidity of movement on its border with Spain after Britain leaves the European Union, its Chief Minister Fabian Picardo has said.

Source: EUractiv.com

One of Russia’s elite universities is considering banning its students and faculty from exercising political speech in the wake of high-profile scandals involving free speech last year, according to its newly proposed rules.

Source: The Moscow Times

The European Court of Human Rights ruled that Lithuania's law enforcement authorities discriminated against a gay couple when they refused to investigate hate speech on social media.

Source: LRT