This briefing provides background information for the members of the Special committee on the European Democracy Shield (EUDS) on election infrastructure vulnerabilities to foreign interference and on corresponding countermeasures. The briefing focuses on the criticality of election infrastructure and on safeguarding electoral integrity, also in light of the approach set out in the Commission’s Communication on the European Democracy Shield. Moreover, the paper considers the role of private sector election interference services. The briefing begins with an introduction to the different components of election infrastructure and general information on the conduct of elections. It continues with an overview of the election infrastructure interference threat landscape, taking the findings of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) into account. It then examines recommendations provided by the European Cooperation Network on Elections to mitigate these threats. Next, the briefing presents a section on critical infrastructure legislation and on the measures outlined in the European Democracy Shield to protect election infrastructure. This briefing has been prepared internally by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Justice, Civil Liberties and Institutional Affairs at the request of the EUDS Committee Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

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Planning to get your driver's licence?Take note that the traffic police has increased fees for all driving tests beginning Friday (March 13).In a media release on Friday, the police said driving test fees will be progressively raised over the next few years due to rising operating costs.The Basic Driving Theory Test, Final Driving Theory Test and Motorcycle Riding Theory Test will now cost $7.20, up from $6.50.And from March 13, 2027, the fee for these theory tests will be raised to $8.Meanwhile, the cost of the Practical Riding Test, Practical Driving Test and Proficiency Driving Test has increased to $40 from $33.It will further increase to $45 from March 13, 2027, and subsequently to $50 from March 13, 2028.Applicants who have booked their tests before the respective effective dates will not be affected by the new fees.Road assessment for Class 3C / 3CA licence holdersThe police will soon begin road assessments for motorists with Class 3C / 3CA driving licence, who wish to enroll in Class 4 / 4P driving lessons.

A 78-year-old male car passenger was taken to hospital unconscious after an accident involving a trailer and a car along the Tampines Expressway (TPE) towards the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on Wednesday (March 11).Responding to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident before the Tampines Avenue 12 exit, at about 3.20pm.Meanwhile, a 44-year-old female passenger was taken to hospital conscious.AsiaOne understands that the man's 68-year-old wife accompanied him to hospital. Police investigations are ongoing.A dashcam video of the accident, uploaded on SG Road Vigilante Facebook page on Thursday, shows a red car colliding with the rear of a trailer before veering right and hitting the road barrier.It then turns back and hits the trailer again before coming to a stop. Debris can also be seen scattered across the road.According to the post's caption, five SCDF vehicles were at the scene, with two lanes on the expressway affected until 8.30pm on Wednesday.[[nid:731393]]xingying.koh@asiaone.com

«Welcome home.» Those two words carried a weight I had never felt before. They were spoken by a Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) serviceman as my family boarded the evacuation aircraft in Riyadh that would take us safely back to Singapore. We had not even taken off yet. But in that moment, something shifted inside the cabin. Passengers looked around quietly. Some smiled. Others wiped away tears. 

The Supreme Court has declined to mandate nationwide menstrual leave for women, citing concerns that it could reinforce gender stereotypes and harm employment prospects. While acknowledging voluntary policies are welcome, the court directed authorities to consider the petitioner's representation on the matter, emphasizing potential negative career impacts if made compulsory.

The Israel-US coalition and Iran are not listening to New Delhi, Deepak Bhojwani has told RT India Read Full Article at RT.com

[allAfrica]

[allAfrica] Eritrean satirical cartoonist Biniam Solomon, also known by his pen name Cobra, has been released after spending 15 years in detention without charge in Asmara, Eritrea.

[allAfrica] A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, has been arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country.

La 9ᵉ édition du Heiva Taure’a s’ouvre ce jeudi soir à To’ata, célébrant la richesse de la culture polynésienne à travers la danse, la musique et les traditions. Huit établissements participent cette année, dont trois venus des îles de Tahaa, Nuku Hiva et Tubuai.

The Malawi Health Equity Network (MHEN) and the Kidney Foundation (KF) Malawi have sounded the alarm over the growing burden of kidney disease in the country, warning that the condition is silently claiming lives while access to life-saving treatment remains severely limited. The two organizations raised the concern in a joint statement issued as Malawi […] The post MHEN, Kidney Foundation raise alarm over rising kidney disease burden in Malawi appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Renowned policymakers, civil society organizations, development partners, researchers, and community representatives from across the African Region are expected to converge in Lilongwe from March 25-27, 2026, in Lilongwe, Malawi, for the 5th African Regional Conference on Loss and Damage. The Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC) will host the conference whose main aim is […] The post Malawi to host 5th African Regional Conference on loss and damage appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

The Maritime Organisation for Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA) has urged Malawi to urgently deepen cooperation with regional partners or risk remaining structurally sidelined from the global shipping industry that carries the bulk of world trade. MOESNA Secretary General Kassim Mpaata delivered the blunt message on Thursday in Lilongwe during the opening of a […] The post Regional maritime body warns Malawi: Cooperate or remain locked out of global shipping trade appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Malawi’s manufacturing sector is expected to grow this year, bringing fresh hope for jobs, production and economic activity across the country. According to the 2026 Annual Economic Report by the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation, the sector is projected to grow by 2.5 percent in 2026, up from 1.8 percent in 2025. The […] The post Manufacturing sector expected to grow as Malawi’s key industries show signs of recovery appeared first on Malawi Nyasa Times - News from Malawi about Malawi.

Ayman Mohamad Ghazali has been identified as the man who plowed a truck into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan on Thursday morning.

Natascha, 38, was abducted aged 10 in 1998 by Wolfgang Přiklopil while walking to school in Austria and held prisoner in a secret basement cell in his house for eight years.

Iraq became the main theatre of war in the Middle East on Wednesday as one drone attack killed a French soldier in the country and another hit British special forces.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh criticized Prime Minister Modi for his silence on the reported assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Ramesh alleged Modi fears antagonizing US and Israeli allies, contrasting this with the government's earlier mourning for former Iranian President Raisi. He highlighted India's condemnation of Iran's actions while remaining quiet on the alleged US-Israeli strike.

SINGAPORE — A woman who together with her husband ill-treated her two stepchildren, including starving them, was sentenced to six years and three months' jail on March 13.The children were so undernourished that they were found to be below the third percentile of their age group, which meant that 97 per cent of the other children in their age group were bigger and heavier than them.In sentencing the woman, District Judge Eugene Teo said: «This case involves the ill-treatment of the especially vulnerable, which stretched from hours, to days, to weeks, to months.»It is painfully ironic now to seek mercy when so little was shown to those two children."The woman's husband had earlier received an unprecedented sentence of 34.5 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on April 30, 2024, over the death of his daughter, Ayeesha.His sentence was increased to life imprisonment in July 2025, after his appeal for a reduced term failed.Ayeesha was five years old when she died in 2017 of a head injury inflicted by her father. Her brother, who survived the abuse, was about four years old then.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) made adjustments to the deployment of its officers as part of efforts to support the safe return of Singaporeans from the Middle East.In a video posted on social media on Friday (March 13), ICA explained that the adjustments were to ensure efficient immigration clearance for returning Singaporeans. 

A fire broke out at ibis Singapore hotel on Bencoolen Street on Friday (March 13) at about 9.55am.Pictures posted on social media showed at least two Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ambulances and one fire engine behind the hotel at Bencoolen Link. One SCDF fire engine was at the scene when AsiaOne reached at around 1pm. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Dennis Palit A police cordon was also seen around the two-lane road.Meanwhile, paramedics were seen checking on hotel guests who were evacuated and sitting at an open area in between Sri Krishnan Temple and the Stamford Arts Centre.

The introduction of cutting-edge brain-stimulation technology at the Everbrook Brain Institute and Cognitive Clinic in Kingston is being hailed as a game-changer for advanced neurological care in the Caribbean.

WESTERN BUREAU: Kenneth Brown, superintendent of roads and works at the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation (StEMC), has voiced disappointment over the condition of Independence Park in Black River, warning that the once vibrant recreational space has been left in a deplorable state after it was used as a temporary dumpsite in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

The smell hits first. It is nauseating, and the sight of piles of garbage is scarring. Amid potholes and contaminated water, Waltham Park Road in Kingston has become a hazardous mess. Residents and commuters say the situation has persisted for years, with sewage and household waste regularly overflowing onto the roadway and sidewalks – a public- health risk and daily nightmare.

Forty-three years after the late Dominican leader Eugenia Charles facilitated the 1983 American invasion of Grenada – by allowing her country to be used as a launching pad – Dr Louis Moyston, a lecturer in the Department of Government at The University of the West Indies (UWI), believes history will judge her and Kamla Persad-Bissessar, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, in a similar light for siding with the United States (US) against regional neighbours.

The parliamentary opposition has outlined a raft of measures it says would spare taxpayers the $18 billion in new taxes announced by the Government for the 2026-2027 fiscal year. The Opposition has also urged the administration not to extract the $11.4 billion from the National Housing Trust but instead use the money to address the critical housing needs of Jamaicans.

In a significant move for West Bengal's electoral process, the Election Commission has upgraded returning officers for 152 assembly constituencies to Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) or Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) level and above. This historic decision, aligning with national norms, aims to enhance the fairness and impartiality of upcoming assembly polls by appointing more senior officials.

Le conflit social au sein des filiales du groupe OPT se poursuit ce jeudi 12 mars, avec près d'un tiers des effectifs en grève. Si une trentaine d’agences Fare Rata sont restées fermées aujourd’hui, une issue semble proche : les accords pourraient être signés dès vendredi, selon la CSIP.