The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday the selection of six locations that will serve as research and testing sites for non-military applications of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones . In February 2012, Congress ordered the agency to research the use of drones as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2012 and [...]
Egyptian authorities on Sunday detained four journalists working for the Al Jazeera English news channel. The journalists have been accused of broadcasting illegally, spreading false information and information aimed at inciting the public, and meeting with members of the Muslim Brotherhood , an Islamist group that was recently classified as a terrorist organization by the [...]
The French Constitutional Council on Sunday approved a controversial tax of up to 75 percent on companies paying salaries over 1 million euros ($1.375 million USD). The super tax had been a campaign promise of French President Francois Hollande , and this decision of the council is supported by the left. Hollande sited the need [...]
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement Saturday commending the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for its mediation efforts in South Sudan, which resulted in a ceasefire last week. IGAD released a communique on Friday condemning the escalating violence and calling “on all parties to refrain from steps that will inflame the conflict further particularly [...]
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) , China’s top legislature, passed a resolution Saturday abolishing the country’s penal labor system. The “re-education through labor” system was put in place during the 1950’s and has allowed the Chinese police to send anyone to prison for up to four years without a trial. The [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Saturday urged the Egyptian government to reverse its decision to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, calling the label politically driven. The declaration , made by the country’s interim government on Wednesday, makes the group subject to Article 86 of the Egyptian penal code which defines both terrorism [...]
A Turkish court ruled on Friday that the police-judiciary body attempting to root out government corruption did not have to disclose their investigations to the government. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to force these disclosures in order to reign in the power that police are currently able to exercise in the course of these [...]
JURIST Columnist Haider Ala Hamoudi of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law says that, as its new government matures, Iraq must address critical issues left ambiguous in the initial constitution if it desires to remain revelavant and united …
Iraqi police arrested Ahmed al-Awlani, an MP and prominent Sunni supporter of anti-government protests, on Saturday in the city of Ramadi. Awlani, a member of the Sunni supported Iraqiya bloc was reportedly wanted on terrorism charges along with his brother, Ali. Ali and five bodyguards were killed in the police raid, and 18 others were [...]
The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) , China’s top legislature, passed a resolution Saturday easing the countries one-child population control policy. The major policy change is expected to be implemented gradually with the NPC entrusting provincial congresses and their standing committees to make their own decisions on implementation based on demographic conditions [...]
