A group of 12 Republican US senators sent a letter to International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan on April 24 threatening repercussions if the court issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials, according to a report by news organization Zeteo, which published the letter Monday. The senators alleged [...]
Search Results for: territory
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) ordered approximately 100,000 Palestinians on Monday to evacuate parts of Rafah as it prepares for military operations in the southern Gazan city. The order came after the Hamas delegation left Cairo saying the latest round of ceasefire negotiations ended without an agreement. Hamas initially said they planned to return to [...]
Israel shutters Al Jazeera operations and begins raiding news organization's offices
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that his cabinet had unanimously voted to shut down operations of Al Jazeera in Israel. Authorities started raiding the news organization’s offices soon after. Israel has long had a strained relationship with Al Jazeera, accusing it of anti-Israel bias and collaborating with Hamas. The decision was enabled by [...]
UK government imposes second sanction against Israeli settler violence
The UK Government announced a new package of sanctions Friday on Israeli groups and individuals who have been linked to settler violence against people in the West Bank. The sanctions include financial and travel restrictions. This is the second set of sanctions to be imposed by the UK against perpetrators of settler violence against Palestinians, [...]
India election commission notifies states to ensure timely 'no-dues certificates' issuance
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday notified all states and union territories that they must issue a “no-dues certificate” within 48 hours after an aspiring candidate requests the certificate. The ECI stated that the issuance of the no-dues certificate is crucial for the contesting candidates since not issuing them would be in contravention [...]
The Parliament of the Australian state of Queensland passed a bill on Thursday to decriminalise sex work. The Criminal Code (Decriminalising Sex Work) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 also includes new offences against child prostitution and coercion to perform sex work. The Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath stated that “sex workers should not have to [...]
ECHR rules Italy justified in bid to confiscate 2000-year-old sculpture from California museum
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) affirmed Italy’s right to recover a millennia-old bronze sculpture from a Malibu museum on Thursday in a case that weighed the importance of a nation’s cultural heritage against fundamental property rights. The sculpture, Victorious Youth, dates back to 300-100 BCE. While its creator has not been positively identified, [...]
Philippines summons China diplomat over latest confrontation with China Coast Guard
The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) summoned on Thursday China’s Deputy Chief of Mission of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, Zhou Zhyiong, after China’s Coast Guard attacked Filipino vessels that were on a humanitarian mission in Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on April 30. The DFA said in its statement that China [...]
Writers imprisoned worldwide in 2023 hits five-year high: free expression group report
PEN America, a freedom of expression advocacy group, reported Wednesday that at least 339 writers were incarcerated as of 2023, including more than 100 from China alone, a five-year high. The group has been releasing editions of their Freedom to Write Index since 2019 (based on a detailed methodology), and the 2023 report marks the [...]
The Arizona State Senate voted 16 to 14 to repeal an abortion ban dating back to 1864, leaving it to Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs to sign the repeal into law, which she has committed to do. The State Senate’s debate was contentious, with lawmakers delivering theatrical monologues frequently punctuated by cries of protest in the [...]