The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) Wednesday ruled that applications made by Ukraine and the Netherlands against Russia alleging multiple violations of the European Convention on Human Rights(ECHR) are partly admissible. The three applications pertain to the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine and the downing of Flight MH17. Two complaints were [...]
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Committee Wednesday voted 6-1 with 14 abstentions to name the historic center of Odesa, Ukraine a World Heritage Site and a World Heritage in Danger site. The endangered site list includes 55 properties like the Bamiyan Valley in Afghanistan and the Old City of Jerusalem. [...]
Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Flavio Dino Monday said he would open an investigation with the Federal Police into the alleged genocide perpetrated against the Indigenous Yanomami people of the Amazon. The investigation stems from allegations that the right-wing government of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro perpetrated the genocide. This month, shocking reports [...]
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Friday released a proposed fair housing rule which puts back in place many fair housing obligations that the Trump administration rescinded in 2020. The new rule revives many provisions of the 2015 Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule, passed during the Obama administration. The 2015 rule [...]
The Government of Western Australia (WA) Wednesday announced plans to introduce legislation banning the “display and possession” of Nazi symbols like the Hakenkrauz, also known as the Nazi swastika, in the state. WA joined Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Tasmania in its move. A statement from WA authorities acknowledged the continued existence of anti-semitism in [...]
The Supreme Court of India Wednesday agreed to modify its 2018 judgement legalising passive euthanasia in the country, setting plans in motion to make the authorisation process easier. The petition initiating this case was filed by Common Cause, a civil society organization behind the legal crusade to legalise passive euthanasia. The organisation filed another petition [...]
Three wildlife conservation groups Wednesday sued the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wildlife Services and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in the US District Court for the District of Montana over a predator removal program which the groups argue harms “native wildlife, predator conservation, grizzly bears, and grizzly bear conservation.” The petitioners include [...]
The Dutch Senate Tuesday voted 56-15 to amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and disability in a major victory for Dutch LGBTQ+ and disability rights activists. The Senate voted on a proposal to amend Article 1 of the Constitution which reads: All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated [...]
The Pacific Island Forum Wednesday expressed concern in a public seminar over Japan’s plans to discharge radioactive waste from reactors damaged in the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the Pacific Ocean. Secretary General Henry Puna discussed the findings of an independent panel of experts on Japan’s plan and claimed that Japan’s assertion of safety lacks scientific [...]
In a filing released Tueday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) argued before a federal judge in Amarillo, Texas that reversing the approval of medication abortion drug mifepristone would “dramatically harm” public interest. The FDA argued that the drug was a “meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients” and had benefited thousands of women. The FDA [...]
