David Eby, premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia, announced an amendment to the 2013 Community Safety Act Tuesday to expand the province’s authority to seize assets amassed by suspected criminals. Under the amendment, unexplained wealth orders (UWO) would target property, vehicles and other luxury goods. The expanded authority would no longer require a [...]

Malta’s parliament began discussions on Monday to end a total ban on abortions. If passed, the bill would allow abortions if the health of a pregnant person is in “grave jeopardy.” Malta is currently one of only three European countries and the only EU member to ban all abortions no matter the reason. The bill [...]

The military-controlled government of Myanmar Thursday announced the release of some 5,700 prisoners. Among those released are Japanese documentary filmmaker Toru Kubota, former UK ambassador to Myanmar Vicky Bowman, American agricultural scientist Kyaw Htay Oo and numerous local personalities. Australian Sean Turnell was also among those granted amnesty. He served as advisor to former State [...]

Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness Tuesday enacted a state of emergency to combat rising violence in two separate orders. The first order targets the densely-populated capital district parishes of Clarendon and St. Catherine and portions of Kingston and St. Andrews. The second order covers the parishes of St. James, Westmoreland and Hanover. The two [...]

Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, according to an Amnesty International report released Thursday. The allegations center on civilian torture, Russia’s forcible transfer of Ukrainian civilians to Russian-controlled territory and family separations. Russia has routinely denied all war crime charges. The report includes numerous testimonies of civilians fleeing conflict zones and facing restricted [...]

The Biden Administration Tuesday unveiled its Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap at the UN Climate Conference (COP27) in Egypt. The roadmap details plans initiated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. According to projections, both laws will invest billions in climate resilient infrastructure and community-level pollution control. The roadmap primarily employees US government agencies [...]

The Paris Criminal Court Wednesday sentenced former Liberian rebel commander Kunti Kamara to life in prison. The sentence followed a four-week trial with no material evidence presented. The prosecution relied on numerous witnesses and victims to testify to Kamara’s participation in or supervision of the abuses. Kamara stood accused of multiple crimes against humanity including [...]

A magistrate judge in Moscow Tuesday fined Wikimedia 2 million roubles ($32,600) over the platform’s refusal to remove entries relating to the war in Ukraine. Wikimedia has not yet responded to the court’s decision. The fine is the most recent in a string of many aimed at Western news and information platforms. Fines and lawsuits [...]

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Wednesday announced a national fracking ban will be reintroduced. The short-lived Truss government lifted a 2019 fracking moratorium in September. Sunak stated he will stand “by the manifesto” of the former ban initiated by his own Conservative Party. Other Truss energy projects are currently set to continue. Truss eliminated the [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Monday upheld a district court order reducing an award for an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) violation pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291, calling the lawsuit “abusive ADA litigation.” James Shayler filed suit against PCH, LLC (PCH) in 2020, alleging a violation of the ADA and [...]