Russia Counters Ukrainian Drones by Turning Off Russians’ Mobile Internet - Vasilyeva, Nataliya; Lobzina, Alina (The New York Times, 2025)
The same data networks that enable phone apps and web surfing help drones navigate, so officials are imposing daily, patchwork shutdowns. The actions can be very disruptive to daily life.
Keywords: Communications and Media Blackouts; Computer Network Outages; Drones (Pilotless Planes); E-Commerce; Mobile Applications; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Wireless Communications

Russia has also declared war on literature. Look at what’s happening and be warned - Aslanyan, Anna (The Guardian, 2025)
Books – on LGBT themes or Ukraine – are Moscow’s target this time. And there as elsewhere, self-censorship is amplifying oppressors’ work.
Keywords: Books; Censorship; Culture; Publishing; Russia; World news

Microsoft Used China-Based Support for Multiple U.S. Agencies, Potentially Exposing Sensitive Data - Burke, Renee Dudley, Doris (ProPublica, 2025)
Microsoft says it will no longer use China-based engineers to support the Pentagon. But ProPublica found that the tech giant has relied on its global workforce for years to support other federal clients, including the Justice Department.

Microsoft Used China-Based Support for Multiple U.S. Agencies, Potentially Exposing Sensitive Data - Burke, Renee Dudley, Doris (ProPublica, 2025)
Microsoft says it will no longer use China-based engineers to support the Pentagon. But ProPublica found that the tech giant has relied on its global workforce for years to support other federal clients, including the Justice Department.

Immigration agents told a teenage US citizen: ‘You’ve got no rights.’ He secretly recorded his brutal arrest - Considine, Clare (The Guardian, 2025)
Video from Kenny Laynez-Ambrosio, 18, puts fresh scrutiny on the harsh tactics used to reach the Trump administration’s ambitious enforcement targets
Keywords: Florida; Trump administration; US immigration; US news; US policing; US politics

Defending lives and data amid crises and disasters - ESCAP (ReliefWeb, 2025)
Home to more disasters than any other regions, Asia and the Pacific faces rising risks as extreme environmental events grow in both frequency and intensity. At the heart of disaster preparedness, lies a crucial yet often overlooked system: Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS). Not only are these systems essential for ensuring that everyone has access to a legal identity, as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 16.9, they provide critical and accurate population data, which enable effective disaster planning, response, resource allocation, and recovery efforts.

Maroon scholar calls for digitisation of the Maroon story - Paul H. Williams (Jamaica Gleaner, 2025)
The story of the Jamaican Maroons is the story of the beginning of the evolution of the Jamaican nation. They were the first people of African descent in the Western Hemisphere to free themselves from European enslavers.

France’s top court annuls arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad - Willsher, Kim (The Guardian, 2025)
Judges rule document invalid as former Syrian leader had immunity as head of state
Keywords: Bashar al-Assad; Chemical weapons; Europe; France; Human rights; International law; Law; Middle East and north Africa; Syria; World news

France’s top court annuls arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad - Willsher, Kim (The Guardian, 2025)
Judges rule document invalid as former Syrian leader had immunity as head of state
Keywords: Bashar al-Assad; Chemical weapons; Europe; France; Human rights; International law; Law; Middle East and north Africa; Syria; World news

hūmānus and ARSPHR Launch Groundbreaking Rohingya Atrocities Archive, Continuing Mohibullah's Sacrificial Fight for Truth and Justice (PR Newswire, 2025)
hūmānus and the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace & Human Rights (ARSPHR) announced the pivotal launch of the Rohingya Atrocities Archive, a groundbreaking digital repository. This powerful, meticulously curated platform stands as a testament to ARSPHR's tireless, community-driven documentation, initially gathered on handwritten notes and often precariously stored. In 2020, hūmānus initiated a critical project to painstakingly digitalise these vital records for safekeeping and in-depth analysis, supporting ARSPHR in cleaning the data, filling information gaps, and developing robust investigation strategies.

Undelivered farewell letters from victims of Nazi persecution - Arolsen archives (Arolsen Archives, 2025)
The Bavarian State Archives and the Arolsen Archives start a cooperation on execution files from Munich-Stadelheim. The Munich-Stadelheim prison was a “central execution center” under National Socialism, making it one of the main sites of Nazi injustice in Munich. Over 1,000 people were executed there up to 1945. Touching documents from there are undelivered farewell.

Central African Republic: ICC Convicts Two Anti-Balaka Leaders - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
The International Criminal Court (ICC) conviction of two anti-balaka militia leaders for serious crimes in the Central African Republic is an important step toward justice in the country.
Keywords: The Netherlands

Artist Amy Sherald cancels Smithsonian show over censorship - Lee, Benjamin (The Guardian, 2025)
Portraitist withdrew her National Portrait Gallery show over reports that a transgender Statue of Liberty painting could offend Trump
Keywords: Art; Art and design; Culture; Donald Trump; Painting; US news

Trump signs executive orders targeting ‘woke’ AI models and regulation - Robins-Early, Nick; Gambino, Lauren (The Guardian, 2025)
Crackdown would streamline the building of datacentres and remove environmental protections
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Donald Trump; Technology; Trump administration; US news; US politics; World news

Africa Sets Course to Strengthen and Harmonise Health Data Governance (Africa CDC, 2025)
The Africa Centre for Disease Control (Africa CDC) is set to kick off action towards strengthening and harmonising the framework of policies, procedures, and practices that ensure healthcare data is managed, protected, and used responsibly throughout its lifecycle — health data governance — across the continent.

Albanese government worse than Morrison era at producing documents for public scrutiny, report finds - Belot, Henry (The Guardian, 2025)
A Centre for Public Integrity report found in 2022-23, for the first time, more FOI requests were refused than fully granted to applicants. The report also found the number of FOI documents granted in full had fallen by more than half in just over a decade.
Keywords: Australia news; Australian politics; Freedom of information

The Huawei Dilemma: Why Europe Needs Strong Intelligence Guardrails - Dave Venable; Mykola Volkivskyi (The Cipher Brief, 2025)
Spain's decision to award Huawei with a contract to manage a wiretap system shows the lack of security standards across European intelligence.

China's Disinformation Offensive in Taiwan - Hollie McKay (The Cipher Brief, 2025)
Every day, social media feeds in Taiwan are flooded with a mix of sensational and carefully-crafted, more subdued claims. They range from fear-mongering about a potential cross-strait conflict to narratives portraying the Republic of China as grappling with racism and food safety issues, to casting doubt on its relationship with Washington.

Do You Have Information About the CECOT Deportations? Help ProPublica Report. - Jameel, Perla Trevizo,Melissa Sanchez,Mica Rosenberg,Maryam (ProPublica, 2025)
If you have information about the deportation operation or the immigrants who were deported, we want to hear from you.

¿Lo enviaron a usted o a alguien que conozca al CECOT? - Jameel, Perla Trevizo,Melissa Sanchez,Mica Rosenberg,Maryam (ProPublica, 2025)
Si tiene información sobre los venezolanos que Trump mandó a una cárcel salvadoreña, queremos hablar con usted.

‘Women are the guardians of our culture’: why Kihnu is Estonia’s island of true equality - Lewis, Sian (The Guardian, 2025)
They wear traditional dress, play ancient melodies on violins and accordions, but the women of this island outpost ensure that it is more than just a living museum.
Keywords: Cultural trips; Estonia holidays; Europe holidays; Life and style; Society; Travel; Women

“Under the Microscope”: Activists Opposing a Nevada Lithium Mine Were Surveilled for Years, Records Show - Olalde, Mark (ProPublica, 2025)
Law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, have collaborated with private security to surveil largely peaceful protesters opposed to the Thacker Pass mine, according to a ProPublica review of thousands of pages of law enforcement communications.

Guard at U.S. Embassy in Norway Charged With Spying for Russia and Iran - Pranav Baskar; Henrik Pryser Libell (The New York Times, 2025)
A Norwegian man has been accused of leaking sensitive information about U.S. embassy staff members and threatening Norway’s national interests, according to prosecutors.
Keywords: Classified Information and State Secrets; Diplomatic Service, Embassies and Consulates; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Iran; Mohamed Orahhou; Norway; Russia; United States International Relations

Ministers urged to help students trapped in Gaza with places at UK universities - Weale, Sally (The Guardian, 2025)
Forty people who have been offered scholarships unable to travel without biometric data they have no way of getting.
Keywords: Education; Gaza; Higher education; Home Office; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; Students; UK news; Universities; World news

Ministers urged to help students trapped in Gaza with places at UK universities - Weale, Sally (The Guardian, 2025)
Forty people who have been offered scholarships unable to travel without biometric data they have no way of getting.
Keywords: Education; Gaza; Higher education; Home Office; Israel-Gaza war; Middle East and north Africa; Palestinian territories; Students; UK news; Universities; World news

UK government urged to offer more transparency over OpenAI deal - Booth, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
Select committee chair says public need to be reassured about the use of their data after ‘major failures’ in the past
Keywords: Amazon; Artificial intelligence (AI); Computing; Google; Labour; Microsoft; OpenAI; Palantir; Peter Kyle; Politics; Sam Altman; Silicon Valley; Technology; UK news

Irish Museum of Modern Art rejects censorship claims after Derek Jarman film cancellation - Campbell, Sinéad (The Guardian, 2025)
IMMA says it plans to reinstate screenings of The Angelic Conversation, following a complaint against the showing of a gay kiss on the museum’s outdoor screen
Keywords: Censorship; Culture; Derek Jarman; Europe; Film; Ireland; LGBTQ+ rights; World news

From Gaza to Amman, how UNRWA's family archives were rescued under fire - Laure Stephan (Le Monde, 2025)
Documents attesting to the refugee status of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were taken out of Gaza in the early months of the war and stored safely in Jordan. Le Monde tells the story of this previously unreported secret operation.

From Gaza to Amman, how UNRWA's family archives were rescued under fire - Laure Stephan (Le Monde, 2025)
Documents attesting to the refugee status of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were taken out of Gaza in the early months of the war and stored safely in Jordan. Le Monde tells the story of this previously unreported secret operation.

Trump officials release FBI records on MLK Jr despite his family’s opposition (The Guardian, 2025)
About 200,000 pages of surveillance records released despite objection from slain civil rights leader’s family
Keywords: FBI; Martin Luther King; Trump administration; US news

UNRWA and Health Insight Asia Take Key Step in Improving Digital Health Records for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA, 2025)
UNRWA and Health Insight Asia have taken a key step in improving healthcare for millions of Palestine Refugees by taking the Agency’s use of electronic medical records to a new level.

UK may back down on demand for backdoor access to Apple users’ encrypted data - Booth, Robert; Syal, Rajeev (The Guardian, 2025)
Government sources say pressure from Washington, including JD Vance, could lead to Home Office climbdown, according to reports
Keywords: Apple; Business; Computing; Encryption; Home Office; JD Vance; Law; Politics; Privacy; Surveillance; Technology; UK news; US news; World news

UK may back down on demand for backdoor access to Apple users’ encrypted data - Booth, Robert; Syal, Rajeev (The Guardian, 2025)
Government sources say pressure from Washington, including JD Vance, could lead to Home Office climbdown, according to reports
Keywords: Apple; Business; Computing; Encryption; Home Office; JD Vance; Law; Politics; Privacy; Surveillance; Technology; UK news; US news; World news

Australia pressed Tony Blair to avoid meeting ‘troublemaker’ 1999 Indigenous delegation, archives reveal - Quinn, Ben; Davies, Caroline (The Guardian, 2025)
Representatives led by Patrick Dodson met Queen but memo reveals PM advised to plead ‘diary problems’
Keywords: Australia news; Australian foreign policy; Australian politics; Cricket; Foreign policy; Indigenous Australians; Indigenous recognition; John Howard; National Archives; Pat Dodson; Politics; Tony Blair; UK news; World news

Australia pressed Tony Blair to avoid meeting ‘troublemaker’ 1999 Indigenous delegation, archives reveal - Quinn, Ben; Davies, Caroline (The Guardian, 2025)
Representatives led by Patrick Dodson met Queen but memo reveals PM advised to plead ‘diary problems’
Keywords: Australia news; Australian foreign policy; Australian politics; Cricket; Foreign policy; Indigenous Australians; Indigenous recognition; John Howard; National Archives; Pat Dodson; Politics; Tony Blair; UK news; World news

Trump Releases Thousands of Martin Luther King Jr. Files - Rojas, Rick (The New York Times, 2025)
Historians said they saw little of note in the assassination records that President Trump disclosed despite opposition from most of Dr. King’s family.
Keywords: Archives and Records; Classified Information and State Secrets; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Justice Department; National Archives and Records Administration; Trump, Donald J; United States Politics and Government

Routine health information system and health facility data for neglected tropical diseases: general guidance for national programme managers and data clerks (World Health Organisation, 2025)
Given the heterogeneity of NTDs, information pathways and data management practices supporting programmes to eradicate, eliminate and control these diseases have tended to be equally diverse. This situation has created an uneven, complex information pathway beset by duplication and dispersion of effort, inefficiencies and missed opportunities. The WHO-led development of the RHIS provides a unique opportunity to address several of these challenges and harness investments in systems by several stakeholders to strengthen national health information systems. In response, the Global NTD Programme has collaborated with the corporate WHO RHIS toolkit initiative by developing programme-specific guidance.

Memories of Movement - Shaeera Kalla; Tsogo Kupa (Africa is a Country, 2025)
An experimental reimagining of protest memory — unsettling the archive and inviting viewers to ask what movements leave behind.

Tech conglomerate Tencent reportedly requests removal of anti-censorship archive FreeWeChat - Khunsha Dar, Hong (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2025)
Chinese tech giant Tencent is seeking the removal of FreeWeChat.com, an archive developed by GreatFire. The website specialises in surfacing deleted or blocked WeChat posts on politically sensitive topics.

Meta argues its AI needs personal information from social media posts to learn ‘Australian concepts’ - Taylor, Josh; reporter, Josh Taylor Technology (The Guardian, 2025)
Tech giant says posts from Australian Facebook and Instagram users are ‘vital learning’ about ‘concepts, realities, and figures’
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Australia news; Meta; Privacy; Technology

Texas Officials Say They Didn’t See the Flood Coming. Oral Histories Show Residents Have Long Warned of Risks. - Jaffe, Logan (ProPublica, 2025)
After a tragedy, records from local archives can help us understand how a community understands itself. Here’s some of what we learned following the devastating July 4 flooding in Texas.

The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE - Asher-Schapiro, William Turton,Christopher Bing,Avi (ProPublica, 2025)
ProPublica has obtained the blueprint for the Trump administration’s unprecedented plan to turn over IRS records to Homeland Security in order to speed up the agency’s mass deportation efforts.

U.K. Secretly Resettled 4,500 Afghans in Britain After Huge Data Breach - Castle, Stephen; London, Mark Landler Reporting from (The New York Times, 2025)
The government said that information about 18,000 Afghans was accidentally revealed in 2022. A legal order had prevented any reporting on the subject.
Keywords: Afghanistan; Asylum, Right of; Classified Information and State Secrets; Defense and Military Forces; Great Britain; Healey, John (1960- ); Politics and Government; Taliban

Israel and Iran Usher In New Era of Psychological Warfare - Odenheimer, Steven Lee MyersNatan; Solomon, Erika (The New York Times, 2025)
The 12-day conflict was marked by a flurry of propaganda, disinformation and covert operations aided by artificial intelligence and spread by social media.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Defense and Military Forces; International Relations; Mossad; NewsGuard Technologies Inc; Propaganda; Rumors and Misinformation; Social Media; Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming

Israel and Iran Usher In New Era of Psychological Warfare - Odenheimer, Steven Lee MyersNatan; Solomon, Erika (The New York Times, 2025)
The 12-day conflict was marked by a flurry of propaganda, disinformation and covert operations aided by artificial intelligence and spread by social media.
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence; Defense and Military Forces; International Relations; Mossad; NewsGuard Technologies Inc; Propaganda; Rumors and Misinformation; Social Media; Video Recordings, Downloads and Streaming

Understanding challenges in detention through Health Information System (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2025)
Overcrowing in detention causes many health issues. Addressing these issues is another problem. Prior to 2024, there was no standard medical recording in place in BJMP jails. Detainees’ health records were disorganized. Information from consultations were written in loose sheets of papers; these were stored in places where they could easily be accessed, destroyed or lost. The lack of a standard recording system also meant that reliable health data was unavailable, making it hard for the authorities to make decisions in connection to the delivery of basic healthcare to detainees.

Lost archives of Idi Amin preserved and protected - The University of Wesern Australia (2025)
The “lost archive” of former Ugandan dictator Idi Amin and materials documenting the country’s history between 1947 and 1986 has been registered by UNESCO.

Remembering genocide in Srebrenica through the lens of Kristian Skeie - Farrant, Theo (euronews, 2025)
Photographer Kristian Skeie’s ongoing project documents life in the aftermath of the genocide in Srebrenica, capturing the quiet resilience of survivors and the enduring scars of Europe’s worst atrocity since WWII.

‘The voices of our dead have not faded away’: the fight for the memory of genocide in Srebrenica - Borger, Julian (The Guardian, 2025)
Three decades on, as leaders deny what happened, remains of the thousands killed continue to be identified and buried
Keywords: Bosnia and Herzegovina; Europe; Islam; Ratko Mladić; Religion; War crimes; World news

Bangladesh’s ousted Sheikh Hasina charged with crimes against humanity - Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (The Guardian, 2025)
Former leader, who is in hiding in India, indicted over deadly crackdown on anti-government protests last year
Keywords: Bangladesh; Protest; Sheikh Hasina; South and central Asia; World news

Justice Dept. Demands Patient Details From Trans Medicine Providers - Ghorayshi, Azeen; Thrush, Glenn (The New York Times, 2025)
Doctors and hospitals were subpoenaed for private information on gender-related care for minors, the latest move by the Trump administration to stop the treatments.
Keywords: Discrimination; Doctors; Hospitals; Justice Department; Medicine and Health; Regulation and Deregulation of Industry; Subpoenas; Teenagers and Adolescence; Transgender; Trump, Donald J; United States Politics and Government

Axon’s Draft One is Designed to Defy Transparency - Maass, Matthew Guariglia and Dave (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
Axon Enterprise’s Draft One — a generative artificial intelligence product that writes police reports based on audio from officers’ body-worn cameras — seems deliberately designed to avoid audits that could provide any accountability to the public.

No Face, No Case: California’s S.B. 627 Demands Cops Show Their Faces - Martinez, José (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
California has introduced S.B. 627 to prohibit law enforcement from covering their faces during encounters with the public, in response to masked ICE agent actions.

Why 18th century European kids were designing their idea of Australia - McGillivray, Mary (ABC News, 2025)
Why, 200 years ago, was a five-year-old girl in Scotland painstakingly embroidering her idea of Australia, and what lessons are hidden in her work?
Keywords: botany bay; colonial girls history; colonial history; embroidery; laura cook; lorinda cramer; margret begbie; national museum of australia; needlework; samplers

Why Big Tech is threatened by a global push for data sovereignty - Dosunmu, Damilare (Rest of World, 2025)
Countries are forcing tech giants to store citizen data locally, challenging the standard business model of harvesting data abroad while keeping profits at home.

ICC issues warrant for Taliban’s supreme leader for persecution of women - Ahmed, Kaamil; Joya, Zahra (The Guardian, 2025)
Rights activists hail move to arrest Haibatullah Akhundzada and Afghan chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against humanity
Keywords: Afghanistan; Global development; International criminal court; International criminal justice; International law; Law; Society; South and central Asia; Taliban; Violence against women and girls; Women under the Taliban; Women's rights and gender equality; World news

Human rights documentation is dead. Long live human rights documentation! - Benedict “Bono” Salazar Olgado (OpenGlobalRights, 2025)
Once the backbone of human rights work, documentation is now in crisis. Formal investigations, curated archives, and legal evidence are losing ground amid shifting approaches to philanthropy, NGO precarity, and shrinking civic spaces. Even as established documentation methods utilize new technologies, skepticism toward name-and-shame strategies and legal instruments has left documentation struggling for relevance, particularly in crisis-driven contexts that demand rapid responses.

‘Women were grabbed and dragged away like sacks’ – a history of British protest in pictures - Campbell, Duncan (The Guardian, 2025)
Since 1963, when he photographed a fellow student being arrested, David Hoffman has turned his camera on rebels and rioters. His archive tells an alternative story of Britain, from Greenham Common to students marching on Whitehall
Keywords: Activism; Feminism; Human rights; Law; Life and style; News photography; Protest; Race

South Africa's one million invisible children without birth certificates - Canneti, Tom (France 24, 2025)
An NGO has taken the South African government to court over a backlog of hundreds of thousands of applications for late birth registration, with some people waiting for seven years for a response.

South Africa's one million invisible children without birth certificates - France 24 (France 24, 2025)
An NGO has taken the South African government to court over a backlog of hundreds of thousands of applications for late birth registration, with some people waiting for seven years for a response from…

Lesbian archive preserves LGBTQ+ history in the face of erasure - Amanda Becker (Good Good Good, 2025)
As programs recognizing LGBTQ+ people are cut, an Ohio archive is doing what queer Americans always have: preserving their own history.

The Human Cost of Javier Milei’s Assault on Science and History - Gilliland, Haley Cohen (The New York Times, 2025)
Genetics reunited the families of Argentina’s disappeared. President Javier Milei’s government is imperiling that.
Keywords: Ancestry.com; Argentina; Buenos Aires (Argentina); Genealogy; Genetics and Heredity; Human Rights and Human Rights Violations; King, Mary-Claire; Milei, Javier; Politics and Government

A new platform future-proofs governance for the intelligent age - Kelly Ommundsen (World Economic Forum, 2025)
Emerging technologies such as AI are accelerating change across industries, but regulation often remains at a standstill. A new platform seeks to address this gap.

Putting data to work: using evidence in forced displacement (UNHCR, 2025)
This report highlights how governments, UNHCR and partners are leveraging socioeconomic data and evidence to guide policy, shape programming and inform advocacy. In places where data gaps remain, UNHCR is investing in efforts – developed with national statistics offices – to lay the groundwork for better planning with development partners.

Truth-telling inquiry recommends redress for Aboriginal Victorians, calls for redress and transfer of power - Ashton, Kate (ABC News, 2025)
One hundred recommendations are handed down as Australia's first truth-telling inquiry finds crimes against humanity and genocide were committed against Aboriginal people in Victoria. The Yoorrook Justice Commission also published an "official public record" of the history of Victoria since colonisation as told to the inquiry.
Keywords: Aboriginal-led royal commision; Genocide; Victoria; Yoorrook Justice Commission; evidence; treaty; truth-telling inquiry

Pioneering project releases more lost Irish records spanning 700 years - Carroll, Rory; correspondent, Rory Carroll Ireland (The Guardian, 2025)
Newly restored material from vast archive destroyed in civil war takes in Anglo-Norman conquest and 1798 rebellion
Keywords: Culture; Europe; Heritage; Ireland; World news

Universities in every state care for congressional papers that document US political history − federal cuts put their work at risk - Gregory, Katherine (The Conversation, 2025)
Libraries and archives at universities across the nation catalog and steward the donated papers of members of Congress. But that historically significant work is now in jeopardy.

UN expert urges criminalizing fossil fuel disinformation, banning lobbying - Lakhani, Nina (The Guardian, 2025)
Rapporteur calls for defossilization of economies and urgent reparations to avert ‘catastrophic’ rights and climate harms
Keywords: Climate aid; Climate crisis; Environment; Fossil fuels; United Nations; World news

The Trump administration is building a national citizenship data system - Joffe-Block, Jude (NPR, 2025)
The Department of Homeland Security, with help from DOGE, has rolled out a tool that purports to be able to check the citizenship status of almost all Americans.

Sudden loss of key US satellite data could send hurricane forecasting back ‘decades’ - Holthaus, Eric (The Guardian, 2025)
Scientists left scrambling amid hurricane season after irreplaceable program is slotted to be shuttered
Keywords: Environment; Extreme weather; Hurricanes; Trump administration; US news; US politics; US weather

Scandinavia has its own dark history of assimilating Indigenous people, and churches played a role – but are apologizing - DuBois, Thomas A. (The Conversation, 2025)
Amid national truth and reconciliation processes, Scandinavian churches are taking stock of their past policies toward the Sámi people.

Georgia Court Rules for Transparency over Private Police Foundation - Martinez, José (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
A Georgia court has decided that private non-profit Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) must comply with public records requests under the Georgia Open Records Act for some of its functions on behalf of the Atlanta Police Department. This is a major win for transparency in the state.

Unpacking OpenAI’s Amazonian Archaeology Initiative - Regattieri, Lori (Tech Policy Press, 2025)
What if I told you that one of the most well-capitalized AI companies on the planet is asking volunteers to help them uncover “lost cities” in the Amazonia—by feeding machine learning models with open satellite data, lidar, “colonial” text and map records, and indigenous oral histories?

Yes, Your TV Is Probably Spying on You. Your Fridge, Too. Here’s What They Know. - Rachel Cericola, Jon Chase and Lee Neikirk (The New York Times, 2025)
Devices in your home are quietly collecting information about you. Some of that data may be shared, analyzed, and sold by organizations you’ve never heard of. Maybe it’s fine. Maybe not.

‘I was one of the few people able to document it’: shooting the Black Panthers – in pictures (The Guardian, 2025)
From bustling Free Huey rallies to private moments smoking with Angela Davis, Stephen Shames’s photographs tell the revolutionary organisation’s incredible story
Keywords: Art and design; Civil rights movement; Culture; Exhibitions; Photography; Race; US news; World news

Government engages UK on repatriating migrated archives - Rutendo Nyeve (HeraldOnline, 2025)
Engagements with the United Kingdom for the repatriation of valuable historical records taken during the colonial era are at an advanced stage, with Zimbabwe seeking to follow in the footsteps of Kenya, which successfully reclaimed its migrated archives.
Keywords: United Kingdom

Government engages UK on repatriating migrated archives - Rutendo Nyeve (HeraldOnline, 2025)
Engagements with the United Kingdom for the repatriation of valuable historical records taken during the colonial era are at an advanced stage, with Zimbabwe seeking to follow in the footsteps of Kenya, which successfully reclaimed its migrated archives.
Keywords: United Kingdom

Oil Companies Fight Climate Lawsuits by Citing Free Speech - Zraick, Karen; Mulkey, Sachi Kitajima (The New York Times, 2025)
The firms say their First Amendment rights are being violated when cities and states sue and accuse them of spreading misinformation about climate change.
Keywords: Bonta, Rob (1972- ); Boutrous, Theodore J Jr; California; Chevron Corporation; Exxon Mobil Corp; Freedom of Speech and Expression; Global Warming; Oil (Petroleum) and Gasoline; Suits and Litigation (Civil); United States Politics and Government

Argentina’s Supreme Court digs deeper into discovered Nazi archive - Buenos Aires Times (Buenos Aires Times, 2025)
Passports, propaganda, membership documents, swastika notebooks, images of Hitler – Argentina’s Supreme Court is progressing with its investigation into the contents of boxes holding Nazi files, which were found in champagne crates in a basement.

From chalkboards to culturally inclusive digital connectivity (UNICEF, 2025)
For the first time in the Republic of the Marshall Islands' (RMI) history, every public elementary school will be powered and connected. This initiative brings life-changing access to electricity and the internet to even the most remote islands, ensuring every child can learn, no matter their location.

Europe’s Growing Fear: How Trump Might Use U.S. Tech Dominance Against It - Satariano, Adam; Jeanna Smialek (The New York Times, 2025)
To comply with a Trump executive order, Microsoft recently helped suspend the email account of an International Criminal Court prosecutor in the Netherlands who was investigating Israel for war crimes.
Keywords: Cloud Computing; Computers and the Internet; Corporations; Embargoes and Sanctions; Executive Orders and Memorandums; International Criminal Court; International Relations; Khan, Karim (1970- ); Microsoft Corp; Nadella, Satya; Politics and Government; Software; Trump, Donald J; United States International Relations; United States Politics and Government

Europe’s Growing Fear: How Trump Might Use U.S. Tech Dominance Against It - Satariano, Adam; London, Jeanna Smialek Adam Satariano reported from (The New York Times, 2025)
To comply with a Trump executive order, Microsoft recently helped suspend the email account of an International Criminal Court prosecutor in the Netherlands who was investigating Israel for war crimes.
Keywords: Cloud Computing; Computers and the Internet; Corporations; Embargoes and Sanctions; Executive Orders and Memorandums; International Criminal Court; International Relations; Khan, Karim (1970- ); Microsoft Corp; Nadella, Satya; Politics and Government; Software; Trump, Donald J; United States International Relations; United States Politics and Government

Climate misinformation turning crisis into catastrophe, report says - Carrington, Damian (The Guardian, 2025)
False claims obstructing climate action, say researchers, amid calls for climate lies to be criminalised.
Keywords: Climate crisis; Climate science; Climate science scepticism and denial; Environment; World news

China Unleashes Hackers Against Its Friend Russia, Seeking War Secrets - Rajagopalan, Megha (The New York Times, 2025)
Since the war in Ukraine began, analysts have monitored a series of intrusions aimed at stealing information about weaponry and warfighting.
Keywords: China; Classified Information and State Secrets; Cyberattacks and Hackers; Cyberwarfare and Defense; Defense and Military Forces; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Federal Security Service; International Relations; Politics and Government; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Xi Jinping

China Unleashes Hackers Against Its Friend Russia, Seeking War Secrets - Rajagopalan, Megha (The New York Times, 2025)
Since the war in Ukraine began, analysts have monitored a series of intrusions aimed at stealing information about weaponry and warfighting.
Keywords: China; Classified Information and State Secrets; Cyberattacks and Hackers; Cyberwarfare and Defense; Defense and Military Forces; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Federal Security Service; International Relations; Politics and Government; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Xi Jinping

Rwanda and DR Congo agree draft peace deal to end conflict - Rukanga, Basillioh (BBC, 2025)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to witness the formal signing of the peace deal next week.
Keywords: Rwanda

French champagne makers face human trafficking trial - Schofield, Hugh (BBC, 2025)
Three people are accused of exploiting dozens of workers in the heart of champagne country.

Words Are Not Enough. Concrete Action Needed to Stop Israel’s Extermination of Palestinians (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
The Commission of Inquiry’s vital new report documenting Israeli forces’ systematic destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, including educational, religious, and cultural sites, and war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, underscores the long overdue need for concrete actions to stop the Israeli government’s atrocities and hold perpetrators to account.

ProPublica Sued the FDA for Withholding Records About the Safety of Generic Drugs - Nguyen, Katherine Dailey,Jessie (ProPublica, 2025)
The agency declined to quickly release documents that would identify drugs made at some of the most troubled foreign factories. The request was part of ProPublica’s ongoing investigation into the safety of America’s generic drug supply.

Leaked footage and prison logs reveal Aung San Suu Kyi’s life in detention - Lovett, Lorcan; Paing, Tin Htet (The Guardian, 2025)
Video and documents give rare glimpse inside daily life of the imprisoned civilian leader as she nears her 80th birthday
Keywords: Aung San Suu Kyi; Myanmar; Myanmar coup; South and central Asia

Gaza’s crisis beyond the headlines, through data, media, technology - . (The University of Tokyo, 2025)
Academics and journalists call for change in the narrative around the Palestine conflict, highlighting how impartiality and discussion of historical context are being widely ignored. Newer modes of communication beyond traditional broadcast mediums are hoped to help steer audiences toward content much closer to the source.

Gaza’s crisis beyond the headlines, through data, media, technology - . (The University of Tokyo, 2025)
Academics and journalists call for change in the narrative around the Palestine conflict, highlighting how impartiality and discussion of historical context are being widely ignored. Newer modes of communication beyond traditional broadcast mediums are hoped to help steer audiences toward content much closer to the source.

Preparatory work to identify remains of 800 infants at Irish mother and baby home begins - Harrison, Shane (The Guardian, 2025)
Excavation crews begin sealing off site in Tuam, Co Galway, before full-scale dig starts on 14 July
Keywords: Catholicism; Children; Europe; Ireland; Society; World news

‘It’s not quite what I had in mind entering my eighth decade’: the London librarian of Lesbos - Taylor, Diane (The Guardian, 2025)
Rather than retiring to Greece, 71-year-old Ruth Miller created ‘a sanctuary of hope and healing’ in a refugee camp
Keywords: Greece; Libraries

Protecting Minors Online Must Not Come at the Cost of Privacy and Free Expression - York, Jillian C. (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
Safety matters—but so do privacy, access to information, and the fundamental rights of all users. We urge the Commission to avoid endorsing disproportionate, one-size-fits-all technical solutions. Instead, we recommend user-empowering approaches.

Pussy Riot’s founder built a ‘police state’ in an LA art gallery. Then the national guard arrived - Beckett, Lois (The Guardian, 2025)
Nadya Tolokonnikova tells the Guardian she felt she had ‘entered a wormhole’ when her police state exhibition was shut down – by the police state
Keywords: Art; Art and design; Culture; Los Angeles; Los Angeles Ice protests; Pussy Riot; US news; World news

KGB defector turned to Britain only after US rejected him several times, book reveals - Walker, Shaun (The Guardian, 2025)
Vasili Mitrokhin defected in 1992 after spending years copying top-secret documents on Soviet spies and operations
Keywords: CIA; Cold war; Espionage; MI6; Russia; UK news; US news; World news

British Library to reinstate Oscar Wilde’s reader card 130 years after it was revoked - Alberge, Dalya (The Guardian, 2025)
Pass to be presented to playwright’s grandson after original cancelled over conviction for gross indecency
Keywords: Books; British Library; British Museum; Culture; Libraries; Oscar Wilde; UK news

Document goes missing in police torture case - Gontsana, By Mary-Anne (GroundUp News, 2025)
One of the three police officers on trial for the assault of a barber during a raid at his workplace in Mowbray in 2023 intends to plead guilty to the charge of torture. However, proceedings could not continue at the Wynberg Regional Court in Cape Town on Thursday because the officer’s plea proposal had gone missing.

European journalists targeted with Paragon Solutions spyware, say researchers - Kirchgaessner, Stephanie; Giuffrida, Angela (The Guardian, 2025)
Citizen Lab says it found ‘digital fingerprints’ of military-grade spyware that Italy has admitted using against activists
Keywords: Data and computer security; Espionage; Europe; Giorgia Meloni; Italy; Malware; Media; Press freedom; Technology; World news

From Washington’s burned letters to Trump’s missing transcripts, partial presidential records limit people’s full understanding of history - O'Brien, Shannon Bow (The Conversation, 2025)
A nation’s history is told by its records. The White House no longer publishing Trump’s full remarks makes this history less complete.

Ukraine joins European archival space with 450+ unique digitized records - UkrinForm (Ukrinform, 2025)
More than 450 unique documents from Ukraine’s National Archival Fund have been made publicly available, with annotations in English, on the Archives Portal Europe.

Supreme Court hearing on "Neither confirm nor deny" policy: A landmark case for state secrecy (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
On 11 June 2025, the United Kingdom Supreme Court heard the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s appeal against a Coroner’s decision to disclose a gist of information in the inquest into the 1994 sectarian murder of Paul "Topper" Thompson by loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast, in which there is suspected state collusion.

Supreme Court hearing on "Neither confirm nor deny" policy: A landmark case for state secrecy (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
On 11 June 2025, the United Kingdom Supreme Court heard the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland’s appeal against a Coroner’s decision to disclose a gist of information in the inquest into the 1994 sectarian murder of Paul "Topper" Thompson by loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast, in which there is suspected state collusion.

Gisèle Pelicot settles claim for invasion of privacy against French magazine - Chrisafis, Angelique (The Guardian, 2025)
Pelicot, who became a feminist hero after she decided to waive her right to anonymity in the trial of her former husband and 50 other men last year, took legal action against the publication in April.
Keywords: Europe; France; Gisèle Pelicot; Gisèle Pelicot rape trial; Media; Privacy & the media; World news

Can crowdsourced maps help save millions from climate disaster? - Maddy Crowell (Grist, 2025)
The group had been recruited by the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, or HOT, a nonprofit that uses an open-source data platform called OpenStreetMap to create a map of the world that resembles Google’s with one key exception: Anyone can edit it, making it a sort of Wikipedia for cartographers. The organization has an ambitious goal: Map the world’s unmapped places to help relief workers reach people when the next hurricane, fire, or other crisis strikes.

Israeli attacks on Gaza schools could be crimes against humanity: UN probe (UN News, 2025)
The Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza’s education and cultural infrastructure amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, a UN investigative body said on Tuesday, as humanitarian agencies warned of continued mass suffering across the Strip.

Israeli attacks on Gaza schools could be crimes against humanity: UN probe (UN News, 2025)
The Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza’s education and cultural infrastructure amount to war crimes and the crime against humanity of extermination, a UN investigative body said on Tuesday, as humanitarian agencies warned of continued mass suffering across the Strip.

Monitoring Internal Whistleblowing Systems (Transparency.org, 2025)
A framework for collecting whistleblowing data and reporting on performance and impact.

Return the gods - Chinenye Egbuna Ikwuemesi (Africa is a Country, 2025)
The founder of a digital archive of African deities explains the motivation behind its creation.

University of Michigan ends undercover surveillance contracts after Guardian revelations - Perkins, Tom (The Guardian, 2025)
Outcry after report that private investigators had been trailing and recording pro-Palestinian protesters for months
Keywords: Higher education; Israel-Gaza war; Michigan; Protest; Surveillance; US education; US news; US politics; US universities

In a dangerous era for journalism – a powerful new tool to help protect sources - Viner, Katharine (The Guardian, 2025)
Today, the Guardian, in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, launches Secure Messaging, a world-first from a media organisation
Keywords: Investigative journalism; Media; Newspapers & magazines; The Guardian

African prisoners made sound recordings in German camps in WW1: this is what they had to say - Hoffmann, Anette (The Conversation, 2025)
African prisoners in German camps were studied by ethnographers, who recorded their voices. What they had to say is poignant and unexpected.

How The Times Obtained Secret Russian Intelligence Documents - Judah, Jacob; Sonne, Paul (The New York Times, 2025)
A directive from Russia’s domestic security service was part of a cache that was advertised online by a cybercrime group.
Keywords: China; Classified Information and State Secrets; Defense and Military Forces; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Federal Security Service; International Relations; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Xi Jinping

How Russian Spies Are Analyzing Data From China’s WeChat App - Krolik, Aaron; Sonne, Paul (The New York Times, 2025)
Moscow has long been suspicious of foreign messaging apps. WeChat’s weak encryption makes it vulnerable.
Keywords: China; Computer Security; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Federal Security Service; Instant Messaging; Mobile Applications; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Surveillance of Citizens by Government; WeChat (Mobile App)

How Russian Spies Are Analyzing Data From China’s WeChat App - Krolik, Aaron; Sonne, Paul (The New York Times, 2025)
Moscow has long been suspicious of foreign messaging apps. WeChat’s weak encryption makes it vulnerable.
Keywords: China; Computer Security; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Federal Security Service; Instant Messaging; Mobile Applications; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Surveillance of Citizens by Government; WeChat (Mobile App)

US supreme court rules Doge can access social security data during legal challenge - Gambino, Lauren (The Guardian, 2025)
Key player in Trump’s drive to slash federal workforce keeps access to sensitive records including family court and mental health records
Keywords: Data protection; Privacy; Technology; Trump administration; US news; US politics; US supreme court

How Yemen's Houthis are carrying out a campaign of digital repression - Djamel Belayachi (The Observers - France 24, 2025)
Yemen's Houthi rebels have launched an online campaign in an attempt to encourage the population not to share information online, especially about the recent US air strikes.

Misinformation versus freedom, rights and science - GroundUp Editors (GroundUp News, 2025)
We are bombarded with more information than ever in history. It is becoming extremely hard to separate fact from nonsense. GroundUp has written an 11-part series called The Right to be Informed.

Hell No: The ODNI Wants to Make it Easier for the Government to Buy Your Data Without Warrant - Guariglia, Matthew (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
New reporting has revealed that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) is attempting to create the Intelligence Community’s Data Consortium–a centralized online marketplace where law enforcement and spy agencies can peruse and buy very personal digital data about you collected.

Indonesia’s stunning microlibraries draw young readers – in pictures - Joan Aurelia (the Guardian, 2025)
Using passive design and local materials such as ice cream buckets, these modern community spaces offer a respite from urban heat and hustle
Keywords: Architecture; Art and design; Asia Pacific; Books; Children; Culture; Environment; Extreme heat; Indonesia; Libraries; World news

Elders of Cork’s Traveller community draw on their memories of days of old to inform new archive - Martin Mongan (Irish Independent, 2025)
An online archive focused on preserving and sharing cultural heritage while keeping the stories of Cork Travellers documented and accessible for future generations was launched.

US immigration authorities collecting DNA information of children in criminal database - Bhuiyan, Johana (The Guardian, 2025)
Collection of migrants’ DNA has increased by 5,000% in three years in a ‘massive expansion of genetic surveillance’
Keywords: Children; Migration; Privacy; Surveillance; Technology; US immigration; US news

‘Like touching climate change’: glaciers reveal records of the way the world was - Giuffrida, Angela (The Guardian, 2025)
Scientists drill for ice cores containing information on preindustrial pollutants, but they are in a race against time
Keywords: Climate crisis; Environment; Glaciers; Polar regions

More than half of top 100 mental health TikToks contain misinformation, study finds - Hall, Rachel; Keenan, Rachel (The Guardian, 2025)
Guardian investigation reveals promotion of dubious advice, questionable supplements and quick-fix healing methods
Keywords: Digital media; Health; Media; Mental health; Social media; Society; Technology; TikTok

She Got an Abortion. So A Texas Cop Used 83,000 Cameras to Track Her Down. - Alajaji, Rindala (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Lawmakers who support reproductive rights must recognize that abortion access and mass surveillance are incompatible. The systems built to track stolen cars and issue parking tickets have become tools to enforce the most personal and politically charged laws in the country.

Parties promise to shut down any false info flowing from their camps - Sashana Small (Jamaica Gleaner, 2025)
Recognising the threat the use of disinformation and misinformation poses to Jamaica’s democratic process, the island’s two main political parties say they have committed to rooting out any instances of this among their ranks.

SAFEnet Slams Indonesia's Block on Archive.org as Digital Rights Violation - Ananda Ridho Sulistya (Tempo, 2025)
Indonesian ministry said the decision to block Archive.org was made after discovering content related to online gambling and pornography on the site.

In Japan, newly released archives reveal the scale of human experimentation between 1938 and 1945 - Philippe Pons (Le Monde, 2025)
Newly uncovered documents confirm Japan's ambition to develop biological weapons during the Pacific War. The infamous Unit 731 of the Imperial Army in Harbin, China, was not the only group to use human test subjects.

Photos: Preserving Oualata’s fragile manuscript legacy amid desert threats - Al Jazeera (Al Jazeera, 2025)
Centuries-old manuscripts in Oualata libraries face destruction as desert sands encroach on ancient Mauritanian town.

Being monitored at work? A new report calls for tougher workplace surveillance controls - Blackham, Alysia; Goldenfein, Jake; Tham, Joo-Cheong (The Conversation, 2025)
Australian employers are monitoring employees, frequently without workers' knowledge or consent. A new report found workers are being watched using optical, listening, data, tracking and physical surveillance. Poor regulation means there is a lack of control on surveillance and the collection of data.

Strengthening the linkages between social registries and climate risk data in Asia and the Pacific - World Food Programme (World Food Programme, 2025)
Explore how climate risk data enhances social registries and supports shock-responsive protection systems, with lessons from Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, and regional experiences across Asia and the Pacific.

Journalists ask parliamentiarians not to restrict access to government documents - NL Times (NL Times, 2025)
Professional journalist organizations and various social organizations are appealing to parliament to take “no steps backwards” with the Open Government Act (WOO). The call the law that regulates the access to government information “essential for our democracy.” The organizations have serious objections to various motions that parliamentarians have submitted.

Bashar al-Assad’s Secret Archive: 8 Million People Were Under Surveillance! - Shuhrat Razzakov (Zamin, 2025)
It has been revealed that during the rule of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the country's intelligence services conducted mass and secret surveillance of the population. According to a source from Syria's Ministry of Interior, cited by Germany's Deutsche Welle.

ICC counsel to Bato: No testimonies in Duterte case forced - News, GMA Integrated (GMA News Online, 2025)
The ICC does not force nor make testimonies for witnesses, and the procedure in taking testimonies is very transparent, a lawyer said after Sen. Bato dela Rosa claimed ex-police officials are being forced to execute affidavits against him and detained former President Rodrigo Duterte.

‘Alarming’ rise in regional internet censorship in China, study finds - Hawkins, Amy (The Guardian, 2025)
Tens of millions of internet users in China’s Henan denied access to five times more websites than usual.
Keywords: Asia Pacific; Censorship; China; Internet; Technology; World news

Introducing MakingJusticeWork.org: Connecting knowledge, strengthening justice - International Federation for Human Rights (International Federation for Human Rights, 2025)
On the European Union (EU) Day Against Impunity for Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes, the Global Initiative Against Impunity for International Crimes and Serious Human Rights Violations (GIAI) launches MakingJusticeWork.org, a digital platform designed to strengthen the work of key stakeholders and actors engaged in the fight for accountability.

Syrians Rush to Preserve Remembrances of a Painful Revolution - Sednaya, Raja Abdulrahim (The New York Times, 2025)
Many in Syria want to enshrine remnants of their recent history, not only to remember it, but as a cautionary tale.
Keywords: Archives and Records; Assad, Bashar al-; Assad, Hafez al-; Demonstrations, Protests and Riots; Human Rights and Human Rights Violations; Politics and Government; Sednaya Prison (Syria); Syria

Weather and climate data freely available - MeteoSwiss (MeteoSwiss, 2025)
As part of the Open Government Data (OGD) initiative, the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss is making its wealth of collected, processed and refined meteorological and climatological data available to all interested parties free of charge.

NSW education department caught unaware after Microsoft Teams began collecting students’ biometric data - Taylor, Josh (The Guardian, 2025)
Gathering of face and voice data went unnoticed for one month after it was automatically enabled for video conferencing app users in March.
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Australia news; Australian education; Child Rights; Computing; Microsoft; Privacy; Technology

New Law Threatens Free Speech, Trans Rights - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
A law enacted in Peru purports to combat sexual violence against children and adolescents, but instead undermines freedom of expression and access to information, and discriminates against transgender people, Human Rights Watch said today. The law’s vague and overly broad provisions could also be used to suppress expressions of identity, artistic content, and educational materials while failing to effectively address pervasive sexual violence against children and adolescents in the country.

Israel Recovers Troves of Documents Belonging to Its Most Famous Spy - Moses, Claire (The New York Times, 2025)
Israel has long sought to bring home from Syria the remains of Eli Cohen, whose spying work is credited with helping Israel win the Arab-Israeli War of 1967.
Keywords: Archives and Records; Cohen, Eli (1924-65); Damascus (Syria); Defense and Military Forces; Espionage and Intelligence Services; Israel; Mossad; Netanyahu, Benjamin; Syria

Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice - Patricia Gossman (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.

Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice - Patricia Gossman (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.

Afghan War Crimes Victims Still Awaiting Justice - Patricia Gossman (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Family members of Afghans unlawfully killed by foreign military forces during the 20-year war in Afghanistan have been waiting a long time for justice. Last week revealed two quite different approaches by countries that should provide it.

Surge in refusals for freedom of information undermines trust in Australian government, watchdog warns - Knaus, Christopher (The Guardian, 2025)
The Australian government is refusing freedome of information requests at a rate not seen in a decade, prompting concern among transparency advocates. However the federal government is releasing more FOIs in full that its state and territory counterparts.
Keywords: Australia news; Australian politics; Freedom of information

The largely forgotten history of Philadelphia’s police bombing of Black organization MOVE - Mike Fritz (PBS News, 2025)
This week marked the 40th anniversary of one of the worst tragedies in Philadelphia’s history. In May 1985, the city’s police department dropped an improvised bomb on a residential home that housed the Black revolutionary organization MOVE. The bomb and ensuing fire killed 11 people, including five children, and destroyed more than 60 nearby homes.

How accurate are my medical records? You might be surprised how often errors creep in - Lloyd, Sheree (The Conversation, 2025)
Medical records of hundreds of patients at a Sydney hospital's cancer genetics service have been reviewed following irregularities related to care by a single specialist.

Amid States’ Negligence, Activists Working to Ensure Accountability for Israel’s Actions in Occupied Palestinian Territory - UN News (UN News, 2025)
The Foundation files requests for prosecution in national courts against “traveling soldiers” — a reference to Israeli soldiers traveling abroad. In States that have incorporated the principle of universal jurisdiction into their criminal codes, jurisdiction can be established by the mere physical presence of a perpetrator on their territory. It also files requests for prosecution in soldiers’ own countries — based on the principle of national jurisdiction. “There is no statute of limitations for these crimes and States' responsibility to act never expires,” he said. Finally, the Foundation shares information with international legal bodies like the International Criminal Court.

Attack claimed by pro-Ukraine hackers reportedly erases a third of Russian court case archive - Antoniuk, Daryna (The Record, 2025)
About a third of the case file archive of Pravosudiye — Russia's national electronic court filing system — was deleted in a previously reported cyberattack, auditors said. A pro-Ukrainian group has claimed the intrusion.

A trial is testing ways to enforce Australia’s under-16s social media ban. But the tech is flawed - Maddox, Alexia; Heemsbergen, Luke; Le, My (The Conversation, 2025)
Australia's ban on under-16s from social media is due to take effect in December 2025. The law says social media platforms can't use official identification such as passports to check ages, and shouldn't track Australians. An age assurance technology trial is in its final stages.

New technologies risking ‘mental privacy’ of workers - Parliament of Victoria (Parliament of Victoria, 2025)
Imagine your employer having access to your brain activity. It may sound fanciful, but neurotechnology is one of a range of emerging technologies that are finding their way into workplace surveillance and will need to be subject to carefully considered regulation.

Keeping People Safe Online – Fundamental Rights Protective Alternatives to Age Checks - Windwehr, Svea (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
This is the final part of a three-part series about age verification in the European Union. In part one, we give an overview of the political debate around age verification and explore the age verification proposal introduced by the European Commission, based on digital identities.

Western countries gave Mossad information used to track and kill Palestinian terrorists in 1970s - Burke, Jason (The Guardian, 2025)
Declassified documents reveal secret support by intelligence agencies without oversight by elected politicians
Keywords: France; Germany; Israel; Italy; Middle East and north Africa; Munich massacre; Palestinian territories; Switzerland; The Mossad; UK news; US news

Ministers block Lords bid to make AI firms declare use of copyrighted content - Hall, Rachel (The Guardian, 2025)
Government uses arcane procedure to strip amendment passed by House of Lords from its data bill
Keywords: Artificial intelligence (AI); Beeban Kidron; House of Lords; Intellectual property; Labour; Politics; Technology; UK news

Pfizergate: EU Court Rules Commission in Violation of Transparency Law Over von der Leyen–Pfizer Texts - Hanna, Rachel (Access Info Europe, 2025)
14 May 2025 – The General Court of the European Union has annulled the European Commission decision to refuse access to text messages relating to COVID-19 vaccine negotiations, stating that doing so violated EU access to documents law and breached the principle of good administration. In early 2021, it was revealed that President von der

Migrant Workers Electrocuted, Decapitated, and Falling to Death at Workplaces - Human Rights Watch (Human Rights Watch, 2025)
Scores of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia die in gruesome yet avoidable workplace-related accidents, including falling from buildings, electrocution, and even decapitation

BBC boss says disinformation ‘trust crisis’ putting social fabric of UK at risk - Savage, Michael (The Guardian, 2025)
Britain’s status as a cohesive, democratic society is at risk for the first time in a generation as the rise of social media platforms and disinformation fuel a “trust crisis”, the BBC’s director general has said. In a wide-ranging address about the future of the corporation, Tim Davie said BBC News would start to make special content for platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, where disinformation can go unchecked, as he couched the broadcaster as a “precious national asset” preventing the UK from becoming a society in which there were no shared facts.
Keywords: BBC; BBC licence fee; Culture; Digital media; Media; Social media; TV news; Television; The news on TV; Tim Davie

Liberian Massacre Sites Documented in New Database - Mehnpaine, Tina S. (Liberianobserver.com, 2025)
The Ducor Institute releases a database on massacres during Liberia's civil war, aiming to supplement human rights activities and establish a War and Economic Crimes Court. Public contributions requested for database enhancement.

Boxes of Nazi Material Are Found After Decades in Basement of Argentina Court - Moses, Claire (The New York Times, 2025)
Thousands of documents in the boxes could result in new information about Nazi activity in Argentina in the early years of World War II.
Keywords: Argentina

EU told to set up agency to fight Russian bots, election interference - Anupriya Datta (Euractiv, 2025)
Democracy in the EU is under threat from Russian-backed foreign information manipulation.

Farmers Sued Over Deleted Climate Data. So the Government Will Put It Back. - Zraick, Karen (The New York Times, 2025)
The Agriculture Department pledged to restore online climate information that farmers said helped them do business, but which officials had deleted.
Keywords: Agriculture Department; Agriculture and Farming; Clayton, Walter J; Environmental Working Group; Global Warming; Greenhouse Gas Emissions; Natural Resources Defense Council; Northeast Organic Farming Assn; Suits and Litigation (Civil); United States Politics and Government

Hackers leak to press passenger details of Trump deportation flights - Gerard Edic (PBS News, 2025)
More than a month after The Atlantic broke the story that top U.S. officials were sharing military attack plans on Signal, the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive data is still under scrutiny. Hackers targeted another app used by Trump officials and also stole passenger lists from an airline used to deport migrants.

Trump fires top US copyright official - Katherine Tully-McManus (POLITICO, 2025)
President Donald Trump continued a firing spree at the Library of Congress on Saturday when he dismissed the top copyright official in the nation — a position traditionally overseen by the legislative branch.

Trump Administration Fires Librarian of Congress - Balk, Tim (The New York Times, 2025)
Dr. Carla D. Hayden was the first African American and the first woman to serve as the head of the Library of Congress. Her firing drew a furious response from Democrats.
Keywords: Appointments and Executive Changes; Black People; Books and Literature; Democratic Party; Hayden, Carla D (1952- ); Libraries and Librarians; Library of Congress; Race and Ethnicity; Trump, Donald J; United States; United States Politics and Government

How Europe wants to bring Putin to The Hague - Brzozowski, Alexandra (Euractiv, 2025)
EU officials say Washington has informally signalled it will not object to the evidence being collected for the tribunal – a cautious but notable concession.

‘If it isn’t recorded it will disappear’: the Muslim photographer shining a light on Bradford’s Jewish community - Green, Graeme (The Guardian, 2025)
When Nudrat Afza learned that her friend’s synagogue was closing she began a multi-year project to document the city’s declining Jewish population. ‘In Bradford people from different communities respect each other,’ she says
Keywords: Art; Art and design; Culture; Exhibitions; Judaism; Photography

Trump news at a glance: military to immediately remove trans troops and use medical records to oust more - Guardian staff (The Guardian, 2025)
Buoyed by supreme court ruling, Pentagon will remove as many as 1,000 service members.
Keywords: Donald Trump; JD Vance; Pete Hegseth; Trump administration; US military; US news; US politics

How Signal, WhatsApp, Apple, and Google Handle Encrypted Chat Backups - Klosowski, Thorin (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 2025)
Encrypted chat apps like Signal and WhatsApp are one of the best ways to keep your digital conversations as private as possible. But if you’re not careful with how those conversations are backed up, you can accidentally undermine your privacy.

Male bias in medical trials risks women’s lives. But at least the data gap is finally being addressed - Perez, Caroline Criado (The Guardian, 2025)
We know some medications work differently in men and women. Why is it taking so long for studies to reflect this?
Keywords: Health; Medical research; Science; Society; Women; Women's health

Ukraine says it has busted Hungarian spy ring collecting military data - Walker, Shaun (The Guardian, 2025)
Two Ukrainians arrested as authorities claim operation had one eye on a possible future military incursion
Keywords: Europe; Hungary; Ukraine; Viktor Orbán; World news

Memo of Understanding to Issue Identity Documents for the Most Vulnerable Women - Human Access (HUMAN ACCESS, 2025)
The signed agreement is part of legal support services and includes a mechanism for receiving cases and procedures for issuing personal documents, which are key to accessing vital services, education, and rights. Without these documents, families face significant barriers to receiving aid and accessing opportunities, exacerbating the challenges they already face.

Noaa to stop tracking cost of climate crisis-fueled disasters: ‘Major loss’ - Press, Associated (The Guardian, 2025)
US agency will no longer update major weather database in latest showing of Trump’s influence on climate resources
Keywords: Climate crisis; Donald Trump; Environment; Extreme weather; Natural disasters; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Riefenstahl review – nauseating yet gripping story of Nazi poster woman - Bradshaw, Peter (The Guardian, 2025)
The only important woman in the Nazi movement entranced Hitler, directed Triumph of the Will – and spent the rest of her life alternately fearful and defiant
Keywords: Culture; Documentary films; Film; Nazism; World news

Files documenting worst abuses at residential schools to be destroyed unless survivors ask otherwise - Schwientek, Samantha (CBC News, 2025)
Files documenting the worst abuses at residential schools are set to be destroyed in 2027 and, despite a multi-year outreach, some survivors say they didn't know they could opt to have their files preserved.

‘You feel the huge weight of history’: the room where Nazi Germany surrendered - Henley, Jon (The Guardian, 2025)
Military armistice ending second world war was signed in this nondescript Reims schoolhouse before VE Day
Keywords: Europe; France; Second world war; VE Day; World news

Argentina declassifies archives on Nazi war criminals who fled after World War II - Tamilla Hasanova (Caliber, 2025)
The records had been held in Argentina’s General Archives since 1992, when they were transferred there under a presidential decree by then-President Carlos Menem. They are the result of decades-long investigations carried out between 1950 and 1980 by Argentine federal agencies.

The Latest Trump and DOGE Casualty: Energy Data - Elkind, Peter (ProPublica, 2025)
The Energy Information Administration has long provided reliable data on everything from oil and gas to alternative energy. Now one of its signature reports has been slashed and a second one canceled entirely amid sweeping job reductions and turmoil.

A Push to Remove Symbols of Imperial Russia Divides Odesa, Ukraine - Méheut, Constant; Mitiuk, Daria (The New York Times, 2025)
A push to rename streets and remove statues associated with imperial Russia is dividing Odesa, whose identity is tied up in its history.
Keywords: Babel, Isaac; Black Sea; Books and Literature; Catherine II, Empress of Russia; Language and Languages; Monuments and Memorials (Structures); Odessa (Ukraine); Politics and Government; Pushkin, Aleksandr; Russian Language; Ukraine; Writing and Writers

Life for the displaced in Calais – in pictures - Ozan Acıdere (The Guardian, 2025)
Photographer Ozan Acıdere documents the plight of migrants as French authorities impose hostile policies on them – while trying to attract more tourists to the coastal city
Keywords: Calais; Migration; Photography; Refugees; World news

Palestinian activist says home raided ‘in revenge’ for appearing in Louis Theroux documentary - Pearce, Matthew (The Guardian, 2025)
Issa Amro shares videos of confrontations with balaclava-clad military who he claims ‘want revenge’ after the BBC film The Settlers
Keywords: Culture; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Louis Theroux; Social media; Television; Television & radio

Palestinian activist says home raided ‘in revenge’ for appearing in Louis Theroux documentary - Pearce, Matthew (The Guardian, 2025)
Issa Amro shares videos of confrontations with balaclava-clad military who he claims ‘want revenge’ after the BBC film The Settlers
Keywords: Culture; Israel; Israel-Gaza war; Louis Theroux; Social media; Television; Television & radio

Sabotage and secret identities: Russia’s spy network - Pidd, Helen; Walker, Shaun; Moore, Hannah; Khaleeli, Homa; Cassin, Elizabeth (The Guardian, 2025)
Shaun Walker reports on the history of Russia’s ‘Illegals’ programme and what it looks like today
Keywords: Cold war; Espionage; Europe; Russia

Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict Week 2025: Preserving Information Integrity in Conflict Settings: Action-Oriented Responses from Local Communities, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Actors - ReliefWeb (ReliefWeb, 2025)
In his 2021 report “Our Common Agenda”, the Secretary-General acknowledged large-scale disinformation as an existential threat to humanity and proposed a global code of conduct to promote integrity in public information.

Undersea cable control: The information dimension - Richard Dunley (Lowy Institute, 2025)
Marine infrastructure has become somewhat less “invisible” than it has traditionally been, but efforts to target this infrastructure are not new. Most of the time, we view efforts to interfere with cables through two lenses. It is either an effort to tap an adversary’s cables for eavesdropping, like the Cold War-era Operation Ivy Bells, or it is an effort of sabotage, aimed at disrupting communication for military advantage or to undermine civil society.

‘A slippery slope to eugenics’: advocates reject RFK Jr’s national autism database - Schreiber, Melody (The Guardian, 2025)
US health secretary claims data will be used for research but has not addressed privacy concerns and potential misuse
Keywords: Autism; Health; Medical research; Privacy; Robert F Kennedy Jr; Society; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Las Maricas No Olvidamos: Dissident Archives Against Deliberate Erasure - Andrea Alejandro Freire (NACLA, 2025)
A sex-dissident archive recovers the memory of the struggle to decriminalize homosexuality in Ecuador through affective and archival work that combats invisibilization and patriarchal erasure.

Poland’s suspension of asylum claims a serious threat to human rights and lives - Darina Boykova (Jurist News, 2025)
Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday criticized Polish legislation suspending the right to asylum applications for migrants crossing the border from Belarus. According to AI, the law effectively codifies the unlawful forced return of migrants by authorizing border guards to disregard asylum applications without properly considering a person’s individual’s circumstances.

Historians alarmed as Trump seeks to rewrite US story for 250th anniversary - Tait, Robert (The Guardian, 2025)
Ignorance no barrier as president begins to put out approved version of history that ignores American failures
Keywords: Donald Trump; US news; World news

There is a war on journalists raging around the world: let their voices be heard - Kelly, Annie (The Guardian, 2025)
Today is World Press Freedom Day. The Guardian is determined to highlight the dangers faced by reporters working in some of the world’s most perilous places, and to tell their stories
Keywords: Global development; Media; Newspapers; Newspapers & magazines; Press freedom; World Press Freedom Day 2025

Message From the Russian Military: ‘We Lost Your Son’ - MacFarquhar, Neil; Mazaeva, Milana (The New York Times, 2025)
Russia lacks any formal, organized effort to account for legions of missing soldiers. That often leaves relatives in limbo, fending for themselves with scant government information.
Keywords: Missing Persons; Putin, Vladimir V; Russia; Ukraine

These activists are ‘flooding the zone with Black history’ to protest against Trump’s attacks on DEI - Oladipo, Gloria (The Guardian, 2025)
The Freedom to Learn campaign included panels and coffee meetups and will end Saturday with a rally and prayer
Keywords: Black US culture; Culture; Museums; Protest; Race; Trump administration; US news; US politics

Wave of attacks on press freedom highlights urgent need to reform Digital Code - Amnesty International (Amnesty International, 2025)
The Benin authorities’ recent wave of sanctions against independent media outlets highlights the urgent need to protect press freedom.

Conservative offers perspective on Trump’s effort to exert authority over history and art - Jeffrey Brown; Anne Azzi Davenport (PBS Newshour, 2025)
President Trump has accused the Smithsonian and other museums of promoting “narratives that portray American and Western values as inherently harmful and oppressive.”

TikTok fined €530m by Irish regulator for failing to guarantee China would not access user data - Milmo, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission found video app breached GDPR and had submitted ‘erroneous information’ to inquiry.
Keywords: Business; China; Data protection; European Union; Ireland; Privacy; Social media; Surveillance; Technology; TikTok; World news

TikTok fined €530m by Irish regulator for failing to guarantee China would not access user data - Milmo, Dan (The Guardian, 2025)
Ireland’s Data Protection Commission found video app breached GDPR and had submitted ‘erroneous information’ to inquiry.
Keywords: Business; China; Data protection; European Union; Ireland; Privacy; Social media; Surveillance; Technology; TikTok; World news

This NZ law aims to give people with criminal convictions a ‘clean slate’. It’s not working - Plum, Alexander; Dasgupta, Kabir (The Conversation, 2025)
New Zealand’s clean slate scheme is meant to let people leave their criminal past behind. But people are waiting seven years to leave their past behind, hurting their job prospects.

Exploring the efforts to control how U.S. history is presented in museums and monuments - Jeffrey Brown (PBS News, 2025)
The Trump administration has put its mark on the nation’s cultural sector. One focus is on how American history is told and presented in museums and monuments. That has roiled many in the academic and art worlds.

Disasters and Disinformation: AI and the Myanmar 7.7 Magnitude Earthquake - Keith Paolo Catibog Landicho, Karryl Kim Sagun Trajano (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 2025)
A devastating 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on 28 March 2025, its tremors reaching as far as Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to the dire impacts, the victims were not spared from disinformation. Amid the chaos and the critical need for information, misleading AI-generated content spread widely, highlighting the dangerous intersection of technology and humanitarian crises.

Ukrainian nationalists rewrite history - Latysh, Éric Aunoble & Yurii (Le Monde diplomatique, 2025)
Eighty years after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the legacy of the war is still vitally important to both Ukraine and Russia. But Kyiv’s de-Russification policies are having troubling consequences.