The US Supreme Court their ruled Tuesday in Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers Dist. Council Constr. Industry Pension Fund that a statement of opinion does not qualify as an “untrue statement” even if the opinion ultimately turns out to be incorrect. The federal government filed a claim against Omnicare , a pharmacy services company, for allegedly [...]
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) released a peace proposal on Tuesday in effort to end the country’s political instability and “deteriorating military situation.” Among many ideas offered, UNSMIL proposed the creation of a unity government “composed of independent personalities not belonging to any party or affiliated with any group.” The proposal also encouraged [...]
Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill on Monday to restore the firing squad as a method of execution, making Utah the only US state with the option. The legislation, which was approved by the state’s senate earlier this month, allows for the use of a firing squad if drugs used for lethal injections are [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston on Tuesday warned that poverty in Chile “remains under the radar for many policy-makers … despite the country’s impressive array of anti-poverty programs.” Alston noted that although Chile serves as a model for much of Latin America in regards to human rights and social [...]
India’s Supreme Court struck down a law on Tuesday that gave authorities the power to jail people for offensive online posts. Bloggers, writers and rights groups challenged India’s Information and Technology Act after arrests were made across the country for statements posted on social media. “The law hit at the root of liberty and freedom [...]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) faced its first challenges to its new Open Internet (net neutrality) Monday. USTelecom, an industry trade group, and Alamo Broadband , a Texas-based internet provider filed suit in Washington and New Orleans, respectively. According to the FCC, the basis of net neutrality is to “protect free expression and innovation on [...]
Venezuela effectively allows more violence and abuses through its failure to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of the injuries and tortures during 2014 protests, Amnesty International (AI) announced in a report released Tuesday. During the protests 3,351 people were detained, and most were released without charges. However, 1,404 individuals are still facing charges, and 25 remain [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit against an anti-Iran advocacy group on Monday, claiming the case could raise national security risks by revealing state secrets. The order stems from a defamation lawsuit filed by Greek shipping company owner Victor Restis against United Against Nuclear [...]
The US Supreme Court on Monday heard oral arguments in two cases. In Walker v. Texas Div., Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc. the court heard arguments on whether the state of Texas violated the First Amendment rights of the Texas division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans when a state motor vehicles board turned down [...]
Flavia Pansieri, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights told the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) Monday that human rights violations “fuel and shape the conflict” in the occupied Palestinian territories. Pansieri presented six documents to the council on behalf of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Secretary-General for Human Rights. [...]
