Proposed Australia law would fine Big Tech over digital competition
Sydney, Australia Reuters Australia proposed a law on Monday that could impose fines of up to $A50 million on global technology companies if they suppress competition and prevent consumers from switching between services. The centre-left Labor government has targeted Big Tech’s influence, and parliament passed a law last week that banned social media for children […]
Romania’s far right expected to make gains in parliamentary election
Bucharest, Budapest Reuters Romanians were voting in a parliamentary election on Sunday, in which the far right is expected to gain from uncertainty over whether the shock result in a presidential election will stand. Sunday’s vote is the second of three consecutive ballots for both a new parliament and a new president, after the first […]
Biden says he has pardoned his son, Hunter
Washington DC, US Reuters US President Joe Biden said on Sunday he had pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who had been convicted of making false statements on a gun background check and illegally possessing a firearm and pled guilty to federal tax charges. “Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter. From the day […]
Norway stops deep-sea mining, for now
Oslo, Norway Reuters A small left-wing environmentalist political party in Norway succeeded on Sunday in blocking plans to mine the sea bed at the bottom of the Arctic, by demanding the government scrap its first licensing round in return for support for the budget. “We are stopping plans to open mining on the sea bed,” […]
Senegal seeks answers 80 years after French massacre of African soldiers
Thiaroye, Senegal Reuters Senegal on Sunday commemorated the 80th anniversary of a massacre of African soldiers who fought for France during World War II, and were gunned down by French troops in 1944 for demanding fair treatment and payment on their return. The West African country has long demanded its former coloniser take responsibility, officially […]
Death toll in Pakistan sectarian clashes now over 130, official says
Peshawar, Pakistan Reuters Deadly sectarian clashes have continued in Pakistan’s north-western Kurram district in spite of a tentative ceasefire struck late last week, local officials said, with the death toll now over 130 as authorities try to broker a solution. Kurram, near the border with Afghanistan, has been a flashpoint for sectarian tensions for decades. […]
India: How anti-conversion laws are fine-tuned to allow policing of Christians
While they purport to protect poor Hindus from being exploited, anti-conversion laws have been found to have a more demonstrable effect of generating violence against Christians. MOHAMMAD ALI reports for Religion News Service…
Another bleak Christmas in Bethlehem as Christian families quit West Bank
Bethlehem, West Bank Reuters For a second year running, there is no Christmas cheer in Bethlehem, with tourists shunning the Palestinian city and many residents seeking a way out as the Gaza war grinds on. Bethlehem’s Manger Square in front of the Church of the Nativity is largely deserted and souvenir shops are shuttered. A […]
Essay: Five things you should know about the HIV epidemic
In an article first published on The Conversation, AIDS researchers NOMATHEMBA CHANDIWANA AND LINDA-GAIL BEKKER look at the state of play…
Iceland’s Social Democrats win election, unseating ruling coalition
Copenhagen, Denmark Reuters Iceland’s centre-left Social Democratic Alliance became the biggest party in a snap election that unseated the ruling coalition of the past seven years, the final count showed on Sunday. The Social Democrats gained 15 seats in the 63-seat parliament with 20.8 per cent of votes, state broadcaster RUV reported, making the party […]