India imposed the highest number of internet shutdowns of any nation in 2022, according to a Tuesday report by digital watchdog Access Now. The report found that India cut internet access 84 times out 187 international shutdowns last year and has accounted for 58 percent of all shutdowns documented by Access Now since 2016. The [...]

UN experts Monday welcomed Armenia’s commitment to combat the use of mercenaries and private security companies. The Armenian government made the commitment during an eight-day visit by UN experts to the country. UN experts aimed to investigate legal frameworks in Armenia after the ratification of the International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training [...]

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres Monday led a pledging event to raise funds to address the escalating humanitarian crisis in Yemen which has been ongoing since 2014. UN Relief Coordinator Martin Griffith praised the 31 pledgees who contributed a total of $1.16 billion in funds, despite falling short of the UN’s goal of $4.3 billion. [...]

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen Monday reached a deal to resolve their disagreements surrounding the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol. The deal, called the Windsor Framework, will replace the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, which regulated trade between Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the [...]

The Australian government Monday released a paper outlining Australia’s plan to become “the most cyber secure nation by 2030.” The paper, “2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy Discussion Paper,” comes after two major scandals in 2022, known as the Optus and Mediabank hacks, which exposed personal consumer data. The paper begins with a foreword from Clare O’Neil, who [...]

Canada’s President of the Treasury Board, Mona Fortier, released a statement Monday announcing that Canada will ban TikTok on government-issued mobile devices effective February 28. Fortier reiterated the Government of Canada’s commitment to maintaining the security of government information through this ban. While the Canadian government does not have evidence that government information was compromised [...]

A new policy regarding transgender prisoners Monday came into force in the UK. Transgender women who have “male genitalia,” as determined by the government, or have committed sex crimes or violent crimes, will not be held in female prisons regardless of their Gender Recognition Certificate. The policy comes after the UK government blocked Scotland’s Gender [...]

The UK’s Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 came into force Monday, raising the legal age of marriage from 16 to 18 in England and Wales. The act amended the Marriage Act 1949, which regulates marriages in the two countries. Under the act, sixteen- and seventeen-year-olds can no longer marry or enter a [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) Tunisia Director Salsabil Chellali Monday urged Tunisian authorities to reinstate dismissed judges and prosecutors and remove all measures used to subdue judicial authority. President Kais Saied dismissed 57 magistrates last year as part of an “anti-corruption” crusade. According to Chellali, ”These blows to judicial independence reflect the government’s determination to subjugate [...]

Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman Sunday reported that Russia is illegally detaining 180 political prisoners in occupied Crimea. Dmytro Lubinets’ report comes as the country marks the ninth anniversary of Russia’s occupation of the peninsula. Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, President Volodymr Zelensky has promised to take back all of Ukraine’s territory including Crimea, stating [...]