India Corruption Research Report 2025. An Analysis of Systemic Decay and Democratic Backsliding | By RMN News Service / RMN Foundation India Corruption Research

Recent amendments to Delaware’s corporate code have tilted the playing field toward powerful tech CEOs and private equity representatives. Beneath these reforms lies a deeper political shift — the…

Germany's education minister has branded the ban on the small brass memorial plaques a "scandal".

A new law could annul election results in cases of “foreign interference,” handing the ruling party a powerful tool.

By Jeremy Appel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter  (ANNews) – The Canadian government is backsliding on its funding commitments for achieving the National Inquiry into Missing...

A new law could annul election results in cases of “foreign interference,” handing the ruling party a powerful tool.

The EU remains hooked on destructive activities at sea, fails to tackle pollution, is backsliding on nature protection and continues to overlook the ocean’s critical role in regulating our climate. Brussels, 29th September 2026 – European ocean health is off track. A major progress report published today by the Blue NGO coalition, namely BirdLife Europe & Central Asia, Bloom, Blue Marine Foundation, ClientEarth, Environmental Justice Foundation, Oceana, Seas At Risk, Surfrider Foundation Europe and WWF EU, reveals that Europe is failing to protect its own waters. Evaluating progress in 2025 and 2026 against the Blue Manifesto (backed by 150+ civil society groups), the new traffic light assessment warns against the widening gap between the EU’s global commitments, its ambition at EU level and its actual domestic actions since 2024. Key Scorecard Findings Progress varies considerably between topics. The EU scores relatively strongly on international ocean leadership (7.5/10), reflecting important achievements, such as the landmark ratification of the BBNJ Agreement, and keeping a strong stance against deep-sea mining, despite increasingly difficult circumstances for multilateral cooperation. This contrasts sharply with the EU’s failures to meaningfully act domestically, which puts its overall credibility on the global stage at risk. Recent moves, including the...

### Serbia’s Vucic resigns, but isn’t going far Serbian President **Aleksandar Vučić** officially resigned on Sunday, but he’s not trying to go far. Vučić, constitutionally barred from seeking a third presidential term, is now running for prime minister in next month’s snap elections, which could let him extend his 14-year-long grip on power. Vučić and his Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) have faced over two years of student-led protests over alleged corruption and democratic backsliding. Student political parties are running their own candidates in the upcoming election, but are not expected to win enough seats to keep Vučić and SNS out of power. Vučić has also faced criticism from the EU over Serbia’s refusal to join in sanctions against Russia, which have complicated the country’s long-running bid to join the European Union. A Vučić victory could leave him with more formal power than before: Serbia’s presidency is largely ceremonial, while the prime minister heads the government. ### * * * ### Switzerland votes against stricter neutrality Swiss voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to tighten their neutrality laws on Sunday, with 70% voting to keep the rules as they are. The referendum was proposed by the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) after Switzerland, formally neutral since 1815, announced plans to join EU-led sanctions against Russia. If passed, the ruling would have banned Switzerland from joining any punitive measures against other countries unless called for by the United Nations. Supporters of the plan argued that Switzerland had become too close to the EU and NATO, compromising its neutrality and threatening national security. Opponents, meanwhile, argued tightening its neutrality laws would limit the country’s ability to cooperate with NATO in the event of an attack. ### Terror plot foiled at UK airbase A farmer driving home from a party after midnight spots a group of men in balaclavas scurrying away from three vans blocking a road near an airbase in rural England. She calls the police. Five men, all British nationals, are later arrested on suspicion of plotting a terror attack at the RAF Fairford facility, which is used by the US military for bombing missions in Iran. The geopolitical thriller plot that unfolded this weekend continues to thicken: the US and UK say they had been surveilling the men previously, even though it appears the attack was thwarted only by a chance encounter. Both governments are probing ties to Iran, which earlier this year threatened consequences for the UK if London allowed US warplanes to use the base. Tehran, for its part, denies involvement. On Monday, the UK released the men on bail, with restrictions on their movement, while the investigation continues.