“Police officials vow that they will proceed to implement the censorship program even if no new law is enacted. They insist that no new laws are necessary by pointing to a pre-internet censorship law enacted in 1983 — during the time Brazil was ruled by a brutal military dictatorship that severely limited free expression and routinely imprisoned dissidents.”
“The figure of 24,473 attempts represents about 160 requests per day on average from computers and other devices connected to the parliamentary network – which is used by MPs, peers and staff – between June and October last year. Parliamentary authorities say the majority of attempts are not deliberate.”
“The Free Republic of Liberland wishes you a happy new year.”
Read more: http://liberlandpress.com/2017/12/happy-new-year-2018-liberland/
“French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans for a new law to combat so-called fake news. He said that during elections social media would face tougher rules over the content that they put online. Speaking at a new year reception for the media, Mr Macron said it was possible now at a cost of just a few thousand euros to propagate untruths over social media. In response, he proposed imposing tougher rules on social media about revealing the sources of apparent news content.”
Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-europe-42560688
“A German satirical magazine’s Twitter account was blocked after it parodied anti-Muslim comments, the publication said on Wednesday, in what the national journalists association said showed the downside of a new law against online hate speech. Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are scrambling to adapt to the law, and its implementation is being closely watched after warnings that the threat of fines could prompt websites to block more content than necessary.”
“Youth unemployment in the eurozone has been stuck between 19% to 25% for the past eight years. In Spain and Greece, it’s north of 40%. The bleak numbers underscore the uphill battle many young Europeans face in finding jobs that match their aspirations and education. Legions of young people have grown frustrated. Many are still living at home, while others have left their families and moved to new countries in search of work.”
Read more: http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/13/news/economy/europe-youth-unemployment-france/index.html
“Twenty-five of the EU’s current 28 members have signed up — Britain, Malta and Denmark are not involved. Key EU member states including France and Germany have long-campaigned for greater defence and security integration. And plans for an EU army were fleshed out further by EU President Jean-Claude Juncker when he unveiled his grand vision for the future of the bloc earlier this year.”
“The Trump administration put new requirements in place on Friday for the 38 countries participating in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, including that they use U.S. counterterrorism data to screen travelers, officials said. The United States will also start assessing VWP countries on their safeguards against ‘insider threats’ at their airports, especially those with direct flights to the United States, officials said.”
“A crackdown on organized crime by Bulgarian law enforcement in May resulted in the seizure of more than 200,000 bitcoins – an amount worth more than $3 billion at today’s prices. Twenty-three Bulgarian nationals were arrested during the operation, and officials said at the time that the arrests and subsequent asset seizures followed an investigation into an alleged customs fraud scam. In all, the alleged perpetrators avoided paying some 10 million leva (Bulgaria’s national currency), worth roughly $6 million.”
Read more: https://www.coindesk.com/bulgarian-government-sitting-3-billion-bitcoin/
“Welsh IT worker James Howells says he accidentally threw away a hard drive full of Bitcoin which he believes is now worth more than $100 million (around £74 million). He’s been fighting Newport city council ever since for a permit to look for the computer, which contains over 7,500 units of the cryptocurrency and is buried below thousands of tonnes of rubbish on a landfill site. A spokesperson for the council said James has been told ‘on several occasions’ he will not be given a permit despite his offer of a 10% cut.”
Read more: http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/man-offering-welsh-council-74-13993161