The Cabinet of Iran approved a bill Sunday to bolster protections for women against violence in the country. The Cabinet meeting saw the Council of Ministers approve the Protection, Dignity and Security of Women against Violence bill, moving the bill along the country’s law-making process. The bill defines violence as “any behaviour that is committed [...]

US President Donald Trump has vetoed a bipartisan bill that, if enacted, would have banned the use of large driftnet fishing nets on the coast of California. The bill targeted fishnets used for commercial fishing that were up to a mile and a half long and often captured marine life beyond their intended targets. In [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit dismissed a lawsuit Saturday brought by US Representative Louie Gohmert against Vice President Mike Pence, arguing that Pence should have the power to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Gohmert, who represents Texas’ first district, claimed that the Electoral Count Act violates the Electors Clause and the [...]

A group of Google engineers announced Monday that they are forming a union, a very rare step in the technology industry. More than 200 employees at Google and Alphabet formed the Alphabet Workers Union, which will be affiliated with the Communication Workers of America union. The newly formed union will be the first open to [...]

A British judge on Monday denied a request from US officials to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to face espionage charges. In her ruling, the judge stated that extraditing Assange would be “oppressive” on his mental health, citing evidence of harsh US prison conditions and risk of suicide. Assange, an Australian internet activist, has been [...]

In a phone call Saturday, US President Donald Trump urged Georgia’s secretary of state Brad Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” accusing him of unlawfully reporting false election results. The Washington Post released an audio recording of the entire hour-long call Sunday, as well as a transcript, but edited the name of an individual to whom [...]

China’s revised National Defense Law took effect Friday after its adoption by China’s top legislature, the Standing Committee of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), at its twenty-fourth session on December 26 and subsequent promulgation by President Xi Jinping. The amendment makes significant changes, with a total of 54 articles revised, six added and three deleted from the [...]

The Court of Appeals of North Carolina ruled Thursday that people who are or have been in a dating relationship with a same-sex partner are equally protected against domestic violence as persons in opposite-sex relationships placed in a similar situation. North Carolina was the only US state where such protection had been unavailable. The case [...]

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Saturday that it would take “necessary measures” to protect its enterprises’ interests, after the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced Thursday that it had begun proceedings to delist three Chinese telecom firms. The NYSE’s announcement comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order prohibiting any transaction [...]

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh signed an ordinance Monday to create a board independent of the Boston Police Department (BPD) to investigate police misconduct allegations. The ordinance was signed by Walsh in a ceremony conducted virtually. It establishes the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency (OPAT), which will “investigate complaints of police misconduct, ensure that the [...]