News Feed

Two years ago, a contract killer shot the Slovak journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancé Martina Kusnirova. The alleged perpetrators have been testifying in a case since January 2020 and the odds that Marian Kocner, a businessman with ties to government officials, will be found guilty have grown. The trial is destabilising the Slovak politics and society.

Source: New Europe

The move, in a capital once known for its artists and its party scene, aims to reverse a trend that is driving out older and lower-income residents.

Source: The New York Times

The Justice Ministry’s proposal for an updated codex includes a provision penalizing “the preparation or distribution of items produced by an unregistered mass media source” as well as sources whose registration papers fail to include any new information such as a change in ownership.

Source: Meduza

The European Union will link any access to its market for British products directly to the access that EU boats will be given to U.K. waters, the bloc’s chief negotiator said.

Source: AP

Russia remains the runaway leader in the number of pending cases among the 47 member states that fall under the court’s jurisdiction, according to ECHR data. Russia last year accounted for 15,050 out of a total of 59,800 pending cases in the Strasbourg-based court, or one-quarter of all applications.

Source: The Moscow Times

Dutch court has ruled that an automated surveillance system for detecting welfare fraud should be immediately halted because it violates human rights. As governments around the world increasingly use artificial intelligence and risk modelling to administer welfare benefits and other essential services, the decision in the Netherlands could set a strong legal precedent and inspire the filing of similar cases and a reevaluation of digital welfare systems.

Source: The Guardian

A new law creating a special registry for non-governmental organisations, their employees and partners has been adopted in Greece. The bill is designed to help the government regulate and control actors involved in the migration crisis management, including the actors’ activities.

Source: Euractiv

In the city of Penza, seven Russian anarchists and anti-fascist activists have been sentenced to between six and 18 years in penal colonies for allegedly planning terrorist attacks. Human rights groups and lawyers argue that the charges have been fabricated and accuse authorities of torturing the seven men into confessing.

Source: BBC

The new government in Finland has announced a reform of family benefits that aims to give all parents the same parental leave, in an attempt to get fathers to spend more time with their children. Paid allowance would be increased to a combined 14 months, meaning 164 days of parental leave for each parent, and pregnant women would receive an additional month’s allowance.

Source: BBC