German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday endorsed a partial ban on burqas and niqabs. Merkel said that “the full facial veil is inappropriate and should be banned wherever is legally possible.” The chancellor’s party, the Christian Democratic Union , is expected to pass a motion proposing a ban in some ares of public life such [...]
A UN human rights expert called on all Australians Wednesday to end racial discrimination within the country. UN Special Rapporteur on racism Mutuma Ruteere asked the country to strengthen efforts to end racism, xenophobia and other forms of discrimination within the country. He specifically mentioned discrimination against indigenous people, migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers, Muslims, and [...]
The Ohio Legislature passed the “Heartbeat Bill” on Tuesday that would ban abortions when the heartbeat of the fetus can be detected. The bill would make it a fifth degree felony to perform an abortion if there is a detectable heartbeat, unless there is a risk of death or a “serious risk of the substantial [...]
The UK Supreme Court heard an argument on Wednesday that the referendum vote to leave the EU is not legally binding. The appeal of last month’s ruling argued that only Parliament has the authority to trigger the UK’s exit from the EU. Lawyer David Pannick argued that Parliament had not created the 2015 Referendum Act [...]
The Michigan Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Jill Stein’s request for a recount of the presidential election votes is unlawful and should have been denied. The court cited a state law (MCL 168.879) that says only an “aggrieved candidate,” one who has a chance of winning the election if the ballots were miscounted, can [...]
A group of UN human rights experts called on the Chinese government Tuesday to investigate the disappearance of a prominent human rights lawyer. Jiang Tianyong has been missing since November 21, after he visited the family of another human rights lawyer who has been detained since a “crackdown” on political dissidents last summer. UN experts [...]
Prosecutors in the war crimes trial of Ratko Mladić on Wednesday urged the judges to impose a life sentence. The trial commenced on May 16, 2012, before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and is now in its final stages. Mladić is commonly referred to as the “Butcher of Bosnia” for the [...]
In an ongoing auto emissions scandal, South Korea announced Wednesday that it plans to fine Volkswagen (VW) an estimated USD $32 million over false advertisements . The fine is the largest of its kind, and will be levied against the manufacturer for advertisements which ran from 2007-2015. The Fair Trade Commission plans to file the [...]
US President Barack Obama gave his final national security address in Tampa on Tuesday, urging the next administration to stay true to the American stance against torture. The president began by commending service men and women in their part against the ongoing battle against terrorism. He noted several successful ventures undertaken during his administration, which [...]
The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favor of the prosecution in an insider trading case involving the gifting of confidential information to a relative. Last year the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling in Salman v. United States , affirming the conviction of a Chicago grocery wholesaler who profited [...]
