Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on Monday accused the US of orchestrating a covert campaign to interfere with the upcoming Russian presidential election, set to take place on Mar. 15-17. The spy agency claims the administration of US President Joe Biden has ordered a group of American NGOs to stifle voter turnout in a bid [...]
Search Results for: 2016-05-20
US Supreme Court pauses bankruptcy settlement in Boy Scouts of America sexual abuse cases
US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted a stay order Friday to appellants contesting the terms of a $2.46 billion settlement between sexual abuse victims and the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). BSA declared bankruptcy in 2020 amid thousands of lawsuits for sexual abuse against Scout Leaders. A settlement was approved by a bankruptcy judge [...]
The exchange of information is a key driver of today’s digital economy. International trade cannot be performed without business owners’ ability to transfer data across national borders, and multinational enterprises’ (MNE) internal operation relies on the ability to move data among countries where they have business presence. Accordingly, data has come to the center of [...]
Philippines summons China ambassador amid escalating tensions in South China Sea
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday that it summoned the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Huang Xilian, to lodge a diplomatic protest in the wake of the most recent confrontation between Chinese and Filipino vessels in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) near the Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) and the Scarborough [...]
Gavin Newsom's Moral Imperative: Commute All of California's Death Sentences
With the stroke of his pen, California Governor Gavin Newsom could have a significant impact on the death penalty across the US. Though Newsom lacks the power to end capital punishment in California, he could take executive action to commute the sentences of the roughly 700 condemned awaiting execution in in the state—a death row figure [...]
Israel's Strategic Doctrine: Nuclear Ambiguity and Iran-Backed Terror
“For by Wise Counsel, Thou Shalt Make Thy War.” Proverbs 24,6 Israel’s nuclear posture remains closely held. On its face, this “ambiguous” stance appears perfectly reasonable. But a critically core question should now be raised: Is unmodified deliberate nuclear ambiguity (the “bomb in the basement”) still in the long-term survival interests of the beleaguered state. [...]
Israel, Counter-Terrorism, and International Law: The Analytic Challenges of 'System'
“The existence of `system’ in the world is obvious to every observer of nature, no matter whom.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man (1959) Whether conspicuous or obscure, terrorism generally presents itself as a systemic challenge. This means, inter alia, that seemingly singular strategic and legal matters may actually be many-sided and interrelated. Regarding legal issues, though [...]
US federal judge dismisses Trump counter-defamation lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll
US District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed former President Donald Trump’s counter-defamation suit against author E. Jean Carroll on Monday. Carroll has accused Trump of sexual assault, with a jury finding that Trump did sexually assault Carroll and defamed Carroll by accusing her of lying. Trump claimed that Carroll’s statements on CNN after the verdict [...]
Nepal’s Interim Verdict on Same-Sex Marriage—a Clarion Call for India?
The Nepal Supreme Court’s June 28 ruling requiring the government to register same-sex relationships follows an arduous struggle to achieve marriage equality in the South Asian nation. This historic order is expected to have an impact on an upcoming verdict regarding a similar plea at the Supreme Court of India. Despite India’s decriminalization of queer [...]
UN experts raise concerns over forced disappearances among Libya migrants
Several United Nations (UN) experts raised concerns Friday over an incident in Libya where 120 migrants and refugees were allegedly taken to an undisclosed location and were then detained without legal counsel. The experts sent a letter in May apprising the Libyan government of their concerns. The experts alleged that the migrants were released from [...]