23 Congolese military officers handed death sentences for cowardice to boost discipline in army
Overall 24 soldiers stood trial. In addition to those handed death penalties, four received 2-10 year sentences, six were acquitted and one’s case was deferred for further investigation.
Russian gas exports via Soviet-era pipeline to Europe ends as Ukraine declines to renew transit agreement
The last remaining EU buyers of Russian gas via Ukraine, such as Slovakia and Austria, have arranged alternative supply. Hungary will keep receiving Russian gas via TurkStream, which runs two pipelines under the Black Sea.
US Supreme Court Chief Justice warns of threats to the judiciary’s independence as calls to disregard rulings rise
Chief Justice John Roberts in an annual year-end report on the judiciary released just weeks before Republican President-elect Donald Trump takes office did not directly address what polling suggests has been a decline in public confidence in the judicial system broadly.
Palestinian detainees freed from Israeli prisons and camps tell of horrendous abuses and psychological harm
Alleged abuses and psychological harm to Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and camps are in renewed focus amid stepped-up efforts in December by international mediators to secure a ceasefire that could see the release of thousands of inmates detained during the Gaza war and before, in return for Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza.
On federal death row they feared Biden would set up another Trump killing spree, then he commuted 38 death sentences
Since the re-election of Donald Trump, a rising chorus of activists, lawmakers and members of the legal community had been calling on President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of all 40 men on federal death row to life without parole.
US Treasury accuses Chinese hackers of stealing documents in ‘major incident’
Tom Hegel, a threat researcher at cybersecurity company SentinelOne said the reported security incident “fits a well-documented pattern of operations by PRC-linked groups, with a particular focus on abusing trusted third-party services – a method that has become increasingly prominent in recent years,” he said, using an acronym for the People’s Republic of China.”
Opposition MP among protesters arrested in Kenya as youths vow to force President Ruto to end abductions
President William Ruto on Saturday said the government would stop the abductions so that young people live in peace.
Court issues arrest warrant for impeached South Korean President Yoon over martial law
The court issued the warrant due to the likelihood that Yoon will not respond to summons without a justifiable reason, and there being a substantial reason to suspect Yoon of a crime, Yonhap said. The court declined to comment.
Leaked Trump’s tax returns: Whistleblower Charles Littlejohn at risk of revenge as Biden’s in office winds down
With Biden winding down his time in office, Littlejohn’s advocates, including tax code reformers from the groups Revolving Door Project and Patriotic Millionaires, are worried for the incarcerated IRS consultant. They’re calling on Biden to commute Littlejohn’s sentence before it is too late and he is forced to spend Trump’s second term in prison at risk of retribution.
Street protests resume in Kenya to press for unconditional release of youths abducted by police
Initially aimed at overturning proposed tax hikes, the demonstrations eventually evolved into a movement that cut across Kenya’s traditional ethnic divisions, becoming the biggest threat to the incumbent President William Ruto’s government.
