Brazil’s lower house of Congress voted to expel the formerly influential congress member Eduardo Cunha on Monday. The vote was largely in favor of ousting the lawmaker for “conduct incompatible with parliamentary decorum.” Cunha was charged by the Supreme Court with corruption for allegedly taking bribes from companies trying to secure oil contracts. The lower [...]

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will introduce legislation to hold a national vote on same-sex marriage after the plebiscite was approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday. The national vote would gauge voters’ thoughts on the issue but would not actually legalize same-sex marriage as the parliament would still have to decide the issue. Under the [...]

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Monday that US President Barack Obama will veto legislation that would allow families of 9/11 victims to sue the government of Saudi Arabia. The Obama administration has maintained this stance as the legislation progressed through Congress. While legislators are expected to attempt an override, a success would be [...]

US Assistant Attorney General John Carlin told reporters Monday that more than 110 people have been charged in federal court since 2013 on counts related to the Islamic State (IS) militant group. In more than 80 percent of these cases prosecuted, someone who had accused the person believed they had witnessed the activity for which [...]

The Neubrandenburg state court in Germany on Monday started the trial of a 95-year-old former SS medic who served at the Auschwitz camp. Hubert Zafke is charged with 3,681 counts of accessory to murder for a one-month period at the camp. Zafke’s trial was set to start in February, but the judge determined he was [...]

The Zambia Supreme Court has denied an application by the country’s main opposition party to stop Tuesday’s inauguration of President Edgar Lungu , a lawyer for the opposition party stated Monday. Lungu’s inauguration had been postponed when Hakainde Hichilema , opposition leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), filed a lawsuit contesting the [...]

India’s highest court ordered the state of Karnataka to share water with the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu on Monday. The two states have disputed rights to the Cauvery River for decades. Last week the court ruled that Karnataka must share 15,000 cubic feet per second for 10 days, but Karnataka appealed that decision. Karnataka [...]

The Syrian government and opposition groups began a ceasefire Monday following negotiations by the US and Russia. The ceasefire agreement was reached on Friday and although air strikes were carried out over the weekend, news outlets have reported calm after sunset Monday. If all parties abide by the ceasefire for seven days, the US and [...]

Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled Sunday that the implementation of a law allowing the force-feeding of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strikes is constitutional. The court handed down the decision after ruling against petitions filed by the Israel Medical Association and other groups contesting the law that had been introduced last year. The UN had [...]

The courts in China issued a statement Monday reiterating their dedication to human rights through the reformation of their criminal laws by upholding the presumption of innocence and the exclusion of illegally obtained evidence. This reformation comes as the UN has repeatedly criticized the country for the secrecy surrounding the judicial system and the manner [...]