Kenya’s High Court declared on Tuesday that a 1.5 percent levy, introduced in an earlier bill to fund affordable housing, violated constitutional principles. The levy was a provision of the Finance Act 2023, which faced legal challenges earlier this summer amidst mass demonstrations against the cost of living crisis in Kenya. The housing levy was [...]
Russia’s Federal Service for Financial Monitoring added on Thursday three lawyers representing jailed opposition politician Alexei Navalny to its list of “terrorists and extremists.” Under Russian law, individuals on the “terrorist and extremist” list face frozen bank accounts and suspended services. This development comes on the heels of the October 13 arrest of the three [...]
Vietnamese authorities arrested Luu Binh Nhuong, a prominent parliamentary official, on Tuesday for suspected involvement in an extortion scheme. The Police Investigation Agency of Thai Binh Province disclosed that Nhuong is under investigation for the alleged crime of taking property under Article 170 of the Penal Code of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The arrest [...]
An Indonesian court sentenced former Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman to seven years in prison and two lashes of the whip after being found guilty of abetting in criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds and money laundering, according to a Thursday article from state news agency Bernama. The charges [...]
An expert with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) described on Tuesday the worsening situation in Sudan as a “significant humanitarian crisis.” Director of the External Relations Department for the UNHCR Dominique Hyde explained in a press briefing how the ongoing conflict has resulted in increased violence and significant distress among the country’s population. Hyde expressed [...]
Poland’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration announced on Thursday the extension of border checks in Poland until November 22. Poland instituted the border checks in October 4 in response to a large flow of migrants seeking entry to Poland from Slovakia. Poland’s Deputy Interior Minister Maciej Wasik highlighted the effectiveness of the border checks [...]
Indonesia’s counter-terrorism unit, Detachment 88, has arrested 59 suspected militants in connection to a purported plan to disrupt the democratic process, the unit spokesperson announced on Tuesday. The spokesperson revealed that the detained individuals had intentions to carry out attacks targeting security forces responsible for safeguarding the election proceedings. Weapons, propaganda materials and chemicals used [...]
The Supreme Court of Nigeria confirmed the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday, bringing an end to months of legal battles that followed the country’s February presidential election. The seven-member court, in a unanimous decision, rejected opposition claims of electoral fraud and breaches of electoral laws. Tinubu was elected to his position in [...]
The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) on Wednesday published a survey showing a significant increase in racial discrimination racism towards first- and second-generation Black immigrants across 13 European Union countries, with Austria, Germany and Finland topping the list for the highest rates of discrimination and harassment. The survey, titled “Being Black in the [...]
The European Commission issued formal requests for information to social media giants Meta and TikTok, seeking explanations on their compliance with the European Union’s (EU) Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA requires these platforms to take proactive measures to combat harmful posts and disinformation, particularly in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The European Commission gave [...]
