The Legislative Council of Hong Kong on Friday approved an addition of 10 members to its body. By a vote of 46-12, the council approved increasing its membership number to 70 one day after it approved changes to the way in which Hong Kong’s chief executive is elected. While Hong Kong’s current Chief Executive Donald [...]
The UK High Court ruled Friday that restrictions must be placed on whether British soldiers in Afghanistan may transfer detainees to Afghan-run detention facilities. The judgment, delivered by Lord Justice Richards and Justice Cranson, examined the allegations of abuse of seven detainees at the hands of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan’s intelligence agency. [...]
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay on Friday warned people and nations that practice torture that they cannot escape the reach of justice . Commemorating the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Pillay noted that 45 UN member states have not ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or [...]
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Friday announced the opening of a new high-security courtroom in Kenya that will hear maritime piracy cases as well as cases involving other serious criminal offenses. The courtroom, opened on Thursday, was funded through contributions the UNODC received from donor states including Australia, Canada, Germany, France, [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Friday reinstated a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s decision to ease restrictions on stem cell research . The lawsuit was originally dismissed by the district court in October for lack of standing. The plaintiffs argued that their ability to obtain funding for adult [...]
The Romanian Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that a government plan to reduce pension funds by 15 percent was unconstitutional, jeopardizing a pending billion dollar loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) needed to stabilize the Romanian economy. The planned decrease in the pension fund was part of a larger package of benefit reforms enacted [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday urged Hamas authorities to allow captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit to communicate with his family and receive visits from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) . Shalit was captured in 2006 by Palestinian militants during a raid on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) post near the Kerem [...]
Members of the US Senate and House of Representatives on Friday reached an agreement on the financial reform bills passed by each chamber, which focus on increasing regulation in the financial sector following the recent economic crisis . The reconciled bill creates a new regulatory council to monitor financial institutions in order to prevent the [...]
The UN Development Programme (UNDP), in coordination with the UNAIDS Secretariat , on Thursday launched the Global Commission on HIV and the Law in order to better understand the role played by the law in facilitating universal access to AIDS prevention and treatment. The commission is charged with developing “actionable and evidence-informed recommendations” to create [...]
Kristine Long, Jurist Student Staff Association (JSSA) President, Pitt Law ’11, attended the First Annual JSSA Debate… The first debate hosted by the JURIST Student Staff Association concerned the heated topics of terrorism and national security. These topics have became increasingly relevant to Americans in the wake of 9/11, as the United States responded to [...]
