India government blocks streaming platforms over alleged obscenity
The Indian government banned Thursday 18 Over the Top (OTT) streaming platforms for alleged obscene and vulgar content. Additionally, 19 websites, 10 apps, and 57 social media handles of such OTT platforms were also banned nationwide. The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) stated in a press release that it collaborated with various intermediaries [...]
Hong Kong court upholds opposition activists national security data request convictions
The Hong Kong Court of First Instance upheld pro-democracy activists Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong’s convictions of failing to comply with notice to provide information under Article 43 of the China-imposed National Security Law. Schedule 5 of the Implementation Rules of Article 43 states that the Commissioner of Police may serve a notice [...]
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill into law Wednesday night shielding in vitro fertilization (IVF) providers from legal liability, moments after it was passed by the legislature. This law comes after weeks of debate following the February 16 Alabama Supreme Court ruling that embryos are considered children under the state’s Wrongful Death of a [...]
The US Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s attempt to bar Donald Trump from appearing on its election ballot on Monday. In a unanimous per curiam decision, the court reversed a Supreme Court of Colorado decision that barred the former president from seeking election in the state due to an alleged violation of Section 3 of [...]
Canada Supreme Court rules IP address privacy warrants constitutional protection
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled 5-4 on Friday that Canada’s Constitution protects Canadians’ internet protocol (IP) addresses from unreasonable search. The police are required to obtain prior judicial authorization before obtaining an IP address for criminal investigations, provided by Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Writing for the majority, Justice [...]
Alabama State Senator Tim Melson filed a bill Tuesday in an effort to protect the state’s in-vitro fertilization (IVF) industry following the recent state Supreme Court ruling. Senator Melson proposed Senate Bill 160 in order to prevent more clinics from halting operation. This bill would give criminal and civil immunity to health care providers performing [...]
The Parliament of Ghana passed a bill Wednesday that makes it illegal to identify as LGBTQ+ in Ghana. The Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 states that anyone who is found to be LGBTQ+ in the country could be imprisoned. Ghana’s Parliament passed the bill by a unanimous vote [...]
The Missouri Senate voted in favor of legislation Thursday that would make it more challenging to amend the state’s constitution. Essentially, the legislation imposes a higher threshold for ballot initiatives submitted to Missouri voters to succeed in passing constitutional amendments. The legislation, Senate Substitution (SS) No. 4, is a substitute for Senate Joint Resolutions (SJRs) [...]
Explainer: Making Sense of Alabama’s Supreme Court Ruling on IVF
The Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos are children. What does this mean? And how might the ruling reverberate as the US grapples with reproductive rights in a post-Roe world? In this explainer, we will explore these issues and their possible implications. As succinctly as possible, what was this case about? LePage v. [...]
UN report calls for UK to take 'urgent action' to combat violence against women and girls
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, published a statement on Wednesday calling for the UK government to take “urgent action” to end all forms of violence against women and girls. The UK government invited Alsalem to visit the country after labeling violence against women and girls a “national threat” [...]
