Gun owners pleased as Italy relaxes law on right to self-defence

African nations have a varied approach to Islamic law. A few majority Muslim countries, like Somalia, have embraced it while others, like Senegal, have rejected it. Some have opted for a mix.

From media outlets, punk activists and journalists, to human rights defenders and even ordinary citizens — dozens of people have been ensnared by Russia's law on foreign agents. What exactly does the legislation entail?

In the past year authorities have used the law to close independent media and arrest or jail leaders of the pro-democracy protests. Many have left Hong Kong. Of those who remain, few are willing to speak out. DW's Phoebe Kong met one of them.

On February 16, the European Union's top court rejected a legal challenge by Poland and Hungary to a conditionality mechanism that would link EU funds for member states to respect for the rule of law. The Polish government stands by its controversial judicial reforms, despite criticism from local judges. On the ground in Poland, many development projects that were counting on EU funding have already been halted. One example is in the town of Wieliczka, as our correspondent Gulliver Cragg reports.

The number of people impacted by gun violence in the United States has surged dramatically recently. DW’s Ines Pohl reports from Washington DC, which has seen its highest number of shootings in 16 years.

The law would have allowed for the Serb-majority Republika Srpska to take over property owned by the central government. Serb leader Milorad Dodik said he does not accept the decision.

As per the Digital Services Act (DSA), tech giants such as Facebook and Google will be expected to moderate illegal content on their platforms. It's the second part of the bloc's project seeking to rein in tech giants.

The European Court of Justice has dismissed "the action brought by Poland" against an EU copyright directive. Warsaw argued the 2019 directive violated freedoms of expression and raised concerns about "upload filters."

India's top court suspended authorities from charging people with sedition under a controversial colonial-era law. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has been accused of misusing the law to silence critics.

Streaming platforms, such as Amazon Prime and Disney+, will now have to contribute money to Swiss cinema. Voters also backed switching to an opt-out system to organ donations.

On day two of the Cannes Film Festival, FRANCE 24's Olivia Salazar-Winspear tells us why the première of "Top Gun: Maverick" has movie fans jostling to catch a glimpse of US actor Tom Cruise on the red carpet. We also take a look at the first films competing for the Palme d'Or, as Kirill Serebrennikov returns to Cannes to present "Tchaikovsky's Wife". The Russian director was unable to attend the screenings of his last two films, "Petrov's Flu" and "Leto", due to living under virtual house arrest in Moscow in recent years.

Police in the US town of Uvalde, Texas are facing questions over why it took an hour to neutralise the gunman who murdered 19 small children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. The tragedy comes amid increasing calls for greater gun control measures. Among the demands of campaigners are a ban on assault weapon sales, as well as universal background checks and so-called red flag laws. Pastor Mike McBride, director of the LIVE FREE gun violence prevention campaign with the Faith in Action network, joined us on Perspective to tell us more.