Whistleblower

A committee of British lawmakers published on March 29 written evidence provided by a whistleblower who says information about 50 million Facebook users ended up in the hands of political consultancy Cambridge Analytica.

President Donald Trump has signed a law protecting whistleblowers at the Department of Veterans Affairs and making it easier to fire problem employees. Trump campaigned on the platform of overhauling the agency serving US veterans.

Vladimir Putin told Oliver Stone that while he agrees that the NSA has gone too far in its snooping practices, and that the public sharing of data can't be called treason, he disapproves of Edward Snowden's decision to leak troves of confidential files.

Greece occupies the disheartening 88th spot in the annual World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Greece managed to climb one spot compared to last year’s list among the 180 countries monitored by the organisation.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden was given the permission to stay for another two years in Russia according to a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova.

After that period he has the legal right to become a Russian citizen according to the Russian law.

Bulgaria's new anti-corruption draft law now before Parliament is more stringent than the version presented last year, Deputy Prime Minister Meglena Kuneva has told envoys of the European Union and the European Economic Area.

Turkey's Health Ministry has said it launched an investigation into allegations a drug-maker, which it did not name, secured $85 million in business advantages through bribery.

Reuters reported this week an anonymous whistleblower accused Swiss company Novartis of paying bribes through a consulting firm to secure advantages worth an estimated $85 million.

The European Parliament has adopted a resolution calling on the EU states to end any persecution of whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The document also urges these countries to give him protection, Sputnik reported.

The draft law intended to protect the people who supplied evidence about illegal mass surveillance to Macedonia's opposition as well as to shield future whistleblowers is expected to reach parliament by October 20 after both government and opposition agreed on its content.

Watchdog organisation Transparency Serbia told BIRN that the Nenadic case will be a good test of the effectiveness of the recently-adopted legislation protecting whisteblowers.

"This case will show how effective the new law is, because we haven't had such a case since the enactment of the law," said Bojana Medenica from Transparency Serbia.