Silence

• Slovak Interior Minister criticized the European Union for applying double standards regarding the rule of law, arguing that the EU is too lenient toward Hungary. • The Minister claimed that if Viktor Orbán were treated like other leaders, Hungary would be blacklisted and face severe restrictions. • This statement follows similar concerns raised by prominent politicians from Germany, France, Italy, and Spain regarding Péter Magyar’s autocratic governing style.

Stars accused of ‘cowardice’ as hundreds of thousands of young Indians take to the streets to challenge governmentBollywood stars and other Indian celebrities have faced fierce criticism this week for staying silent in the face of some of the biggest protests India has seen in years.Hundreds of thousands of young Indians took to the streets this week as part of a new youth movement that calls itself the Cockroach Janata party (CJP), demanding accountability over exam paper leaks in an unprecedented challenge to prime minister Narendra Modi’s government. Many vented their anger against what they saw as “cowardice” from India’s biggest celebrities. Continue reading...

• The article marks the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling, which dismantled China's legal claims in the South China Sea. • While the judgment did not award sovereignty over specific islets, it invalidated the legal basis for China's claims that overlap with the exclusive economic zones of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. • This legal victory is significant because it exposes the "gibberish" nature of China's territorial arguments, providing a legal framework for Southeast Asian nations to challenge incursions.

• The United States and Iran both asserted control over the Strait of Hormuz on Monday following a weekend of widespread attacks across the Middle East. • These escalating military tensions and territorial disputes further threaten ongoing diplomatic efforts to end the regional war. • The situation coincides with Senator Mitch McConnell breaking weeks of silence regarding his health status.

Senator says in statement he has undergone battery of tests after weeks of mounting speculation about his healthUS senator Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking the silence about the Kentucky Republican’s condition after weeks of mounting speculation about his health.McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he has undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence about his condition by saying that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older”. Continue reading...

• Sudan is currently experiencing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, which some observers describe as the gravest of recent times. • The crisis is characterized by widespread mass starvation, with 825,000 children specifically facing severe acute starvation. • The situation is exacerbated by a lack of significant intervention from global governments, who have done little to alleviate the suffering.

Former employee files complaint accusing company of ‘coercive surveillance’ and first amendment violationThe Meta whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams is suing the tech company over its efforts to “silence” her.A 57-page complaint filed to a US district court in California on Thursday argues that an interim arbitration ruling sought by Meta preventing Wynn-Williams from publicising her memoir, Careless People, was “improper and unlawful” and a “blatant violation of the first amendment”. It also accuses the company of “coercive surveillance”. Continue reading...