JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Amnesty International criticized Indonesia’s government Tuesday, saying it suppresses free speech with crackdowns on public protests, targets journalists and rights activists and uses spyware against dissidents. The rights group said in its annual report on Indonesia that public protests “were met with excessive and unnecessary force and arbitrary arrests,” including in […]

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — An unprecedented blackout across Spain and Portugal upended the lives of millions across the Iberian Peninsula, a stark reminder of modern society’s reliance on electricity, and how quickly life can descend into chaos when the grid goes down. Power was nearly completely restored across the region on Tuesday, but the cause […]

In what turned out to be a much closer two-way race, Mississauga will send six Liberal MPs back to the House of Commons.  After being shut out in the last three federal elections since 2015 the Conservatives thought they could break through, especially with popular longtime Mississauga councillor Sue McFadden carrying the flag in one […]

A delegation made up of CUPE 5428 members met with Esterhazy Town Council during their regular meeting on April 23.  While Council did make good on meeting with the union, Mayor Bot called for the delegation to appear in camera, and that only CUPE 5428 members be in attendance. “On our agenda this evening is […]

Show Notes for Saturday April 26. Writing: Shaun Fisk  | Production: Patrick Farnsworth  | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder Send comments to: FIPAOnline @ fipa.bc.ca You can support these efforts by subscribing or donating.   Full Show Links Euro Privacy Action  Meta faces historic antitrust trial that could force it to break off Instagram, WhatsApp  https://fipa.bc.ca/meta-faces-historic-antitrust-trial-that-could-force-it-to-break-off-instagram-whatsapp/   Meta says it will resume AI training with public […]

An arbitrator found a contractor on the $18 billion LNG Canada project in Kitimat violated a worker’s right to privacy and bodily integrity when he underwent a drug and alcohol test after a minor injury. “I conclude that (Altrad Services Ltd.) did not establish a significant incident warranting an inquiry into post-incident testing and would […]

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s governor on Friday sued the Des Moines Register over the newspaper’s open records request, asking the court to validate her office’s withholding of certain emails she claims are protected. A Register reporter submitted a records request in February to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office, according to the complaint. In response, […]

The Vancouver Police Board says a “full report” into a complaint about political motivations and arrest quotas for a crack down on crime in the Downtown Eastside will be delivered in June.  Director Allan Black has told a board meeting the complaint centred on the Vancouver Police Department’s “recent expectation of setting arrest quotas,” and […]

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Protesters rallied in Slovakia’s capital and several other cities Thursday to condemn legislation approved by Parliament that they say could curb free expression and hamper the work of nongovernmental organizations. People who gathered at Bratislava’s Freedom Square compared the measure to Russia’s “foreign agent” law, which has been criticized as repressive, […]

Ashley Dayer’s dream of winning a National Science Foundation grant to pursue discoveries in bird conservation started when she was an early-career professor with an infant in her arms and a shoestring laboratory budget. Competition is intense for NSF grants, a key source of funding for science research at U.S. universities. It took three failed […]

The Canadian Association of Journalists bestowed a dubious honour on the federal government last week over its policy of fighting Indigenous groups over access to records from Residential Schools for the last decade. The CAJ made the federal government the 2024 recipient of the federal Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy […]

The B.C. Court of Appeal has dismissed a bid by the Insurance Corporation of B.C. to reduce damages awarded in a class-action lawsuit for privacy violations by a former employee that set off “arson and shooting attacks.”  The court ruled Wednesday that $15,000 per class member awarded by the lower court was appropriate, rejecting the […]