In a historical year for global democratic elections, Romania’s presidential election is the latest European election to have elicited controversy. Days prior to the scheduled second round of voting, the country’s constitutional court annulled the results of the first round voting results. The constitutional court’s decision, which will necessitate a fresh vote, arose in response to the unforeseen success of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu and the potential Russian interference which may have accounted for this success. Specifically, the annulment stems from (now declassified) reports from the Romanian Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) and the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). Both bodies suggested that the first round of voting had been tainted by an extensive network of automated online accounts (bots) on TikTok, which sought to influence the election in Georgescu’s favour. Georgescu, a NATO sceptic and recipient of praise from Vladimir Putin, has labelled the Constitutional Court’s decision as a ‘formalised coup d’etat’ and attack on Romania’s democratic order. Conversely, outgoing Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu praised the court for adopting ‘the only correct solution after the declassification of the documents’, which he claims demonstrated a distortion of votes ‘as a result of Russia’s intervention.’
Combat
What should states do to combat the sabotage of submarine cables and pipelines beneath the high seas/EEZs? – EJIL: Talk! – Go Health Pro
Submarine cables and pipelines are vitally important for energy supply, global communications and economic activity. But several recent high-profile incidents have exposed their vulnerability to deliberate damage from state and non-state actors. In April 2021, Norway reported that several kilometres of its fibreoptic cables disappeared from the Svalbard archipelago, leaving Norway unable to monitor submarine activity in the region. These cables formed part of an extensive network of high-tech cables and sensors used for scientific research and maritime surveillance. Better known, on 26 September 2022, a series of explosions damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea, which were built to transport gas from Russia to Germany. While suspicions initially fell on Russia, Dutch intelligence suggest that the explosion was caused by experienced divers belonging to a ‘pro-Ukrainian group’.
AWS launches an incident response service to combat cybersecurity threats – Go Health Pro
Companies often struggle with how to respond to cybersecurity incidents. According to one recent poll, only three out of five organizations have an incident response plan in place, and only around a third do regular drills to ensure that their plans remain effective. The consequences of poor incident response are costly. The International Monetary Fund … Read more
Exploring Intersectionality as a Concept to Effectively Combat Racism and Racial and Ethnic Discrimination – Verfassungsblog – Go Health Pro
This contribution aims to highlight the shortcomings of European and International anti-racism law with respect to discriminations based on nationality. It promotes the concept of intersectionality as a means of addressing the gap between what anti-racism law promises and what it delivers. Therefore, nationality serves as an example to show if and how intersectionality can … Read more
Lineaje raises $20M to help organizations combat software supply chain threats – Go Health Pro
The software supply chain faces threats from all sides. A 2024 report by the Ponemon Institute found that over half of organizations have experienced a software supply chain attack, with 54% having experienced one within the past year. Supply chain attacks typically target services from third-party vendors or open source software that make up a … Read more
