Democracy

India: A deflated Narendra Modi still threatens Arundhati Roy

In mid-June, Delhi BJP official VK Saxena announced he had given the greenlight to prosecute Modi critic, award-winning writer and dissident Arundhati Roy, reports Paul Gregoire.

Labor’s ‘Community Improvement Districts’ bill hands property owners special say over public space

Wendy Bacon reports on a draft bill that proposes a new form of urban governance that could give NSW business property owners a special say over how public spaces are used.

Quixotic regulation: eSafety commissioner capitulates

Big Tech behemoths have much to answer for: the destruction of privacy, the ruthless monetisation of user data, behavioural modification and hypnotic seduction. But Binoy Kampmark argues that censorship is not the answer.

Whistleblower Richard Boyle loses his appeal to be protected

Richard Boyle, who exposed serious misconduct in the Australian Taxation Office, lost his appeal to be protected under whistleblower laws. Pip Hinman reports.

Visiting journalist speaks about freedom for occupied Western Sahara

Mohamed Mayara, a visiting Western Sahara journalist and trade unionist, told a public forum that the Moroccan regime was imposing a “systematic policy of repression”. Jim McIlroy reports.

Australians being kept in the dark about Pine Gap expansion

Pine Gap’s total number of satellite radomes, smaller dishes and antennas at the spy base is now at its highest ever. But Australians are being kept in the dark. Mark Robinson reports.

Argentina: Milei’s anti-people reforms approved amid protests, violent repression

Argentina’s Senate narrowly approved far-right President Javier Milei’s Omnibus Bill — a suite of neoliberal reforms geared towards big business interests — on June 12, marking his first successfully implemented laws since he took office in December, reports Ben Radford.