The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday awarded symbolic reparations for the victims of a deadly 2003 attack by forces under the control of Germain Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo. ICC Trial Chamber II awarded $250 to each of 297 victims, as well as collective reparations in the form of “housing support, income-generating [...]
The Center for Justice & Accountability (CJA) filed a lawsuit on Thursday in the US District Court of Massachusetts against former Haitian Mayor Jean Morose Viliena alleging he committed crimes against humanity in Haiti between 2007 and 2009. Viliena is currently a resident of a Boston suburb. The lawsuit was filed under the Torture Victim [...]
Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed House Bill 155 into law on Friday, lowering the blood alcohol limit for drivers from the current .08 percent to .05 percent. The new limit, the lowest threshold in the US, applies to both drivers and to anyone who is carrying a gun. The law is scheduled to go in [...]
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum signed House Bill 1169 into law on Thursday, making his the 15th state to allow residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit. The bill was met with little opposition in the state legislature , passing the House in a 83-9 vote, and the Senate in a 34-13 vote. The [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on Thursday ordered an expedited schedule for the appeal of a lower court ruling blocking the travel ban executive order by President Donald Trump . The court, after considering the federal government’s Motion to Expedite Appeal and Set Briefing Deadlines, the Plaintiffs’ Response, and the Government’s [...]
Argentinian Federal Judge Claudio Bonadio on Thursday ordered former President Cristina Kirchner to stand trail in a multi-billion dollar fraud case. Kirchner and 14 other government officials have been accused of collaborating in an attempt to to defraud the Argentinian government of $3.5 billion by selling the Central Bank of Argentina’s dollar futures at below-market [...]
The US State Department granted a presidential permit to the TransCanada Keystone Pipeline on Friday allowing it to “construct, connect, operate, and maintain pipeline facilities at the U.S.-Canadian border in Phillips County, Montana for the importation of crude oil.” According to the Department, the administration weighed the “foreign policy; energy security; environmental, cultural, and economic [...]
A group of a dozen US Senators introduced the “Countering Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Act of 2017” Thursday to expand sanctions on Iran for ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, transfers of conventional weapons, and human rights violations. The bill was announced last month and is being sponsored by seven Democrats and seven Republicans, including Bob [...]
A contracting officer from the US General Services Administration sent a letter to Donald Trump, Jr., on Thursday finding that the Trump Organization did not violate the lease it holds for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC. According to the letter, the GSA began fielding questions regarding a potential violation of section 37.19 of [...]
The Taiwanese Constitutional Court on Thursday heard argument in a case seeking recognition of marriage equality. The suit had been filed more than two years ago by gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei and requests for clarification on the state of the law had also been filed by the Taipei government. The challenge hinges on Article [...]
