OPPONENTS of new European Union rules on trade secrets warned yesterday that the legislation would criminalise whistleblowers.
The stated aim of the Trade Secrets Protection Act, which was debated by the European Parliament yesterday, is to protect EU firms from corporate espionage by foreign rivals.
But critics said businesses could use the law to prosecute journalists and whistleblowers for exposing corporate wrongdoing.
Italians reject controversial judiciary reforms in a referendum that boosts the left, reports NICK WRIGHT
CJ ATKINS commemorates one of the most dramatic moments in working-class history
ANSELM ELDERGILL examines the difficulties surrounding freedom of expression
From anonymous surveys claiming Chinese students are spying on each other to a meltdown about the size of China’s London embassy, the evidence is everywhere that Britain is embracing full spectrum Sinophobia as the war clouds gather, writes CARLOS MARTINEZ


