Protests sweep France against far right threat ( freedomnews.org.uk )
South Australia to legislate 'world leading' electoral donation ban prohibiting donations and gifts to political parties, backed by tough penalties for those who seek to circumvent the law ( www.premier.sa.gov.au )
The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has announced plans to ban donations to registered political parties, members of parliament and candidates. The state will provide funding to allow parties and candidates to contest elections, run campaigns and promote political ideas, according to the proposed bill....
Russia Accused of ‘Deliberate Pattern’ of Starvation Tactics Against Ukrainian Civilians in Siege of Mariupol City in Submission to the International Criminal Court (ICC) ( globalrightscompliance.com )
The link contains also an version of the report in Ukrainian....
China’s maritime militia: the shadowy armada whose existence Beijing rarely acknowledges ( www.theguardian.com )
They look like simple fishing boats but are capable of swarming in huge numbers to help Beijing stake its territorial claims in the South China Sea...
Ukrainian children aged 8 to 15 who were abducted by Putin's military listed on Russian adoption sites with at least two kids having Russified variant of their original names, investigation finds ( www.pressreader.com )
Original article behind paywall...
China solar panel manufacturers seek government action to halt freefall in prices as overcapacity takes hit ( www.reuters.com )
Chinese solar panel manufacturers said they are seeking immediate government intervention to curb investment and industry collaboration to arrest a plunge in prices of solar cells and modules, as the industry faces overcapacity....
Israel vows to press on in Gaza after UN Security Council approves ceasefire proposal ( www.cnn.com )
US jury holds banana giant Chiquita liable for financing Colombia paramilitaries ( www.france24.com )
Eastern NATO and EU allies discuss barring Hungary from their club ( www.ft.com )
According to a report by the Financial Times (paywalled link), members of the Bucharest Nine (B9) group are considering excluding Hungary from their talks in the future....
"Becoming a totalitarian state" where judges are being compromised by an “impossible political environment created by China”: UK judge on why he quit Hong Kong court ( www.bbc.com )
Lord Sumption’s comments on Monday came as a third senior foreign judge in the past week resigned from the Court of Final Appeal....
'New China laws risky for Taiwanese’ with many have been detained or interrogated, while Taipei warns that Chinese authorities can from next month confiscate cellphones ( www.taipeitimes.com )
Taiwanese who are traveling to China for religious, business or other non-political purposes can all be interrogated by Chinese national security officers due to new national security laws, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report....
Italian subsidiary of French luxury giant LVMH that makes 'Dior' handbags under court administration after report alleged it sub-contracted work to Chinese-owned firms that mistreated workers ( www.reuters.com )
An Italian subsidiary of French luxury giant LVMH that makes Dior-branded handbags was placed under court administration on Monday, after a probe alleged it had sub-contracted work to Chinese-owned firms that mistreated workers....
Russian Military Plane Suspected of Violating Finnish Airspace ( www.bloomberg.com )
Finland said that a Russian military aircraft violated its airspace on Monday in the first such move since the Nordic country joined the NATO alliance last year....
A cartoon cat has been vexing China’s censors – now he says they are on his tail ( www.bbc.com )
Archived link...
Czech PM blames failed arson attempt on Russia ( www.bbc.com )
The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, has said a failed arson attack that took place in Prague last week was "very likely" organised and financed by Russia....
'I did not want to disappear in silence’: Chechen woman livestreamed attempted abduction by her family ( www.theguardian.com )
Archived version...
Israel keeps pounding central Gaza as Palestinian death toll in hostage rescue raid rises to 274 ( www.reuters.com )
Person with bird flu died in Mexico, WHO says ( www.reuters.com )
China: After crackdown on Hong Kong, overseas communities carry the torch to keep Tiananmen memories alive ( apnews.com )
Archived link...
Russian legal foundation Pravfond linked to Kremlin activities spent millions of euros to finance propaganda and legal campaigns in Europe and around the world, leaked documents reveal ( www.theguardian.com )
Leaked internal documents have exposed the activities of a Russian state-backed legal defence foundation that European intelligence agencies and analysts say is in fact a Kremlin influence operation active in 48 countries across Europe and around the world....
German Chancellor Scholz to Putin: we will defend 'every square inch' of NATO territory ( www.reuters.com )
NATO's recent move to strengthen its eastern border is aimed at deterring Russia, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday, adding that it should be clear to Moscow that the alliance will be ready to defend itself if necessary....
Russia-China gas pipeline deal stalls over what Moscow says Beijing's unreasonable price demands in major blow for Putin ( www.reuters.com )
Here is the paywalled article...
'Mitigating factors’: Russian soldiers found guilty in domestic violence cases are getting off with just small fines ( meduza.io )
Archived link...
'Russia now is like 1984': Inside a Russian dystopian library ( www.bbc.com )
If the billboards in Ivanovo are to be believed, Russia’s really going places....
75-hour weeks, obscure audits, and blatant “whataboutism”: Factory employees refute fast-fashion company Shein’s promises to make improvements ( www.publiceye.ch )
Two years after our pioneering investigation into Shein’s southern Chinese manufacturing plants, a follow-up investigation highlights what the online fashion giant’s sustainability rhetoric is worth. Illegal working hours and piecework wages remain a typical feature of the everyday lives of the workers interviewed. Hence the...
