In 2024 alone, authorities imposed 304 internet shutdowns across 54 countries - the highest number ever recorded. This reflects a growing trend of governments treating connectivity as a weapon.
Protests began April 7 with slow-moving convoys clogging roadways. They grew as word spread on social media as truckers, farmers and taxi and bus operators blocked key infrastructure and the main thoroughfare in the capital, Dublin.
Erick Stakelbeck, a conservative commentator, stated, 'It seems Israel uncovered this plot by Hezbollah to essentially overthrow the Lebanese government. And Lebanon apparently averted a major disaster here, thanks to the Israeli air force.'
The aim of this case is not to seek the truth or to ensure justice, but to escape the anxiety of electoral defeat. The behind-closed-doors trial was the product of a corrupt mindset that is mortally afraid of free and fair elections and has taken refuge behind the judiciary to eliminate its political rival.
Ilker Catak's Yellow Letters and Emin Alper's Salvation, two politically outspoken films that examine Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan's autocratic regime, shared the top prizes at this year's Berlinale: the Golden Bear for Catak and Silver for Alper. These striking works share a lot more. Both titles are co-produced by Liman, an indie film company from Turkey.
As recent demonstrations showed, a sizable segment of the Iranian people already opposes the regime. But when President Trump told them to 'take over your government,' it seems unlikely he considered how the regime responded to those protests, or other movements for a more open Iranian society.