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Strasbourg, Dec.1.– The Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, the first binding international legal instrument to recognise a general right of access to official documents held by public authorities, entered into force today. The treaty, also known as the Tromsø Convention, after the city in Norway where it was opened for signature, entered into force in respect of ten Council of Europe member states - Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, Montenegro, Norway, the Republic of Moldova, Sweden and Ukraine. The convention entered into force three months after its ratification by Ukraine, the tenth state to ratify it.

The right to access to official documents held by public authorities is essential to transparency, good governance, freedom of speech and participatory democracy and it facilitates the exercise of other human rights and fundamental freedoms. Access to official documents enables citizens to form an opinion on the state of the society which they live and the governing authorities. It enables citizens’ awareness of public affairs and their informed participation in decision-making processes. It is also very important for free and independent media outlets, journalists and other media actors to have legal and guaranteed access to information and official documents in order to inform the public. The Tromsø Convention provides a framework of legal principles in respect of all these democratic goals and sets out a number of basic guarantees regarding the right to access of official documents.

After fleeing Hong Kong for Taiwan, Lam Wing-kee speaks of the danger the island faces and the ordeal of his detention in China.  

Taipei, Nov29.– Lam Wing-kee leans forward in his chair, answering quickly and sharply to issue a warning to the people of his new home, Taiwan. “Be ready now,” he says.

“We should be more alert as citizens, we should get ready,” says the 64-year-old Hongkonger. “If they can take Hong Kong back, the next place, I feel, is Taiwan.”

How Trump can restore the chain of command: Fire the foreign-policy hacks who lied to him, and bring the troops home by Christmas.

Nov. 23.– Looking for a coup that is succeeding? Don’t look to President Donald Trump, who is distancing himself from lawyers and apparently planning his exit. Look instead to Trump’s envoy for Syria engagement, James Jeffrey.

Jeffrey gave a valedictory exit interview to Defense One, as he was about to retire. He was astonishingly frank. And he was mostly upbeat about Trump’s foreign-policy record in the Middle East. But he was asked about Trump’s intention to withdraw all American troops from Syria, which he tweeted about and shouted down to his own national-security adviser. “What Syria withdrawal?” Jeffrey asked. “There was never a Syria withdrawal.”

A conversation with investigative reporter Joshua Philipp.

Remember when you could turn on the evening news with little doubt that the journalists were, to the best of their knowledge, delivering the truth? Whether we were living in ignorant bliss or a more virtuous world, it sure made consuming news less stressful.

Today, of course, deciphering truth from fiction seems ever more important and challenging. World events hit closer to home than ever before, and it’s a challenge to make good decisions for the health and well-being of our families—not to mention the future of our country—if we can’t determine with confidence whether the information we’re being given is accurate.

So, how can we tell whether or not the news we’re consuming is reliable? I asked Joshua Philipp, an Epoch Times award-winning investigative reporter and the host of the show “Crossroads With Joshua Philipp,” for advice on navigating these muddy waters. Here’s what he said.

The Epoch Times: What has changed in the past few years that has so eroded our trust in the news?