Headlines

Strasbourg, June 18.– A joint debate on the legal and human rights aspects of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, on the role of sanctions, and on the erasure of cultural identity will be among the highlights of the summer plenary session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE).

An urgent debate on challenges to democracy in Georgia has been requested, as well as a current affairs debate on the following issue: “Can the Council of Europe step up its efforts to counter threats to the freedom of expression?”.

A ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the Council of Europe is planned, with a statement by Wolfgang Sobotka, President of the National Council of Austria. A chamber orchestra will play the Ode to Joy under his direction.

The Assembly will also award the first ever Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, which rewards outstanding initiatives to promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity in Europe and beyond.

May 31.– In a compelling alert highlighting the threat posed by state-sponsored Chinese hackers of America’s critical infrastructure, FBI Director Christopher Wray has issued a stark warning. At a security conference in Nashville, he cautioned that China is strategically positioned to disrupt the American grid and is awaiting the opportune moment.

Speaking at Vanderbilt University, Wray detailed Beijing’s relentless cyberespionage campaign orchestrated through a group known as Volt Typhoon. Intelligence officials had raised concerns about the group nearly a year ago. News from Axios noted the group’s uncommon persistence even after recent sanctions imposed after another Beijing-linked hacking operation targeting lawmakers, defense contractors and anyone criticizing Xi Jinping’s party line.

May 31.– The United States Senate unanimously passed the bipartisan Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act today, May 23, 2024.

Also known as the Resolve Tibet Act, this bill will strengthen US efforts to push the Chinese government to resolve the longstanding Tibet-China dispute through dialogue with Tibetan leaders.

In a statement, International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) President Tencho Gyatso lauded the advance of the bill and emphasized that China must resume dialogue with the Tibetans, saying, “I hope Beijing will now see that this dispute must be resolved through negotiation, instead of an assault on Tibet’s unique and ancient civilization.”
Steady advance through Congress

The House version of the Resolve Tibet Act was passed earlier this year with overwhelming bipartisan support. Although additional procedural hurdles remain, passing the Senate is a crucial step forward for the bill.

• Jury Convicts Former President of All Counts in Historic Hush Money Trial
• The conviction, which legal experts say is unlikely to lead to jail time, does not disqualify Trump from running for president. An appeal is likely.

New York, May 30 (DP.net).– After roughly nine hours of fast-paced deliberation, the New York jury found former President Trump guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents to conceal payments intended to silence stories of an extramarital sexual encounter. “You gave this matter the attention it deserved and I thank you for that,” Judge Juan Merhcan said, thanking the 12 jurors for their civic duty before excusing them.

The trial evolved around an intricate "catch and kill" scheme carried out during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign in an effort to improve his chances of winning the election. The former President was found guilty by the jury in his hush money trial on Thursday, turning him into a convicted felon, casting a permanent stain on American history, and upending the dynamics surrounding the likely Republican nominee in the 2024 presidential contest.