The US House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture voted 25-20 Thursday to lift travel and trade restrictions to Cuba. The Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act , which would eliminate travel bans to Cuba and prohibit money transfer restrictions, will now face a full chamber vote. The bill’s sponsor, Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN) , [...]
US President Barack Obama on Thursday reiterated the need for comprehensive immigration reform and called on members of Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to pass immigration legislation. Obama noted the role of immigrants throughout US history and indicated that immigrants must continue to play a role as the country grows and develops. He [...]
The American Bar Association (ABA) on Wednesday filed an amicus curiae brief urging the federal district court in Arizona to block the enforcement of the state’s controversial immigration law . The brief was filed in support of a class-action lawsuit led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) , challenging the constitutionality of the Arizona [...]
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the US government challenging the status of 10 US citizens and legal residents on the government’s “No Fly List.” Due to their status, the plaintiffs are prohibited from flying to or from the US or over US airspace. According to the complaint, thousands [...]
Rwandan Prosecutor General Martin Ngoga and a spokesperson for the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on Wednesday reaffirmed their cooperation in the prosecution of crimes relating to the 1994 Rwandan genocide , in which nearly 800,000 people, primarily Tutsis, were killed. Ngoga reiterated Rwanda’s commitment to honoring its obligations under the Memorandum of Understanding [...]
The UK Iraq Inquiry released declassified documents on Wednesday showing that former prime minister Tony Blair was warned by former attorney general Peter Goldsmith that the Iraq invasion was illegal without UN support. The documents illustrate how Goldsmith repeatedly warned Blair that UN Security Council resolution 1441 , which offered Iraq under Saddam Hussein “a [...]
A British MP on Thursday introduced legislation in the House of Commons that would ban the wearing of burqas or other face coverings in public. The Face Coverings (Regulation) Bill was introduced by MP Philip Hollobone in order to regulate the covering of the face in public and, if passed, would prohibit the wearing of [...]
Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday criticized the Cuban legal system , stating that the government’s restrictions on freedom of expression create a “climate of fear” among journalists and activists. The report claims that the Cuban legal system allows the government to restrict content provided to the media and to use the restricted content to prosecute [...]
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday voted 237 to 192 to approve the final version of financial reform legislation , which focuses on increasing regulation in the financial sector following the recent economic crisis . The House and Senate reached an agreement on the final version of the bill last week, but were forced [...]
The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution extending the terms of office for the judges of the International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) . Resolution 1931 was welcomed by the ICTY, which has been struggling with staff retention, causing a “significant slippage” in the tribunal’s trial schedule. ICTY President Judge [...]
