The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill Friday aimed at expediting Ukraine’s approval of COVID-19 vaccines. The bill also prohibits the use of Russian vaccines. The law establishes a new procedure for approval of medicinal products in “emergency situations.” Under this new framework, the Ministry of Health is able to approve a medication where: 1) there [...]

The US Supreme Court Monday vacated lower court rulings in a case related to Texas’ ban on most abortions during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of Texas’ response to the pandemic, Governor Greg Abbott ordered a halt to all non-essential medical procedures last March in order to preserve resources such as protective equipment. Later, Attorney General [...]

Spain’s public prosecutor announced Thursday that she is investigating more than 200 cases of criminal mishandling of coronavirus in nursing homes. Attorney General Dolores Delgado began an investigation in March to gather information on “the existence of elderly people, some of them sick, living in extreme situations and poor sanitation conditions, as well as deceased residents,” which [...]

The High Court of Justice of Catalonia provisionally on Tuesday suspended the decision of the regional government to delay upcoming parliamentary elections due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This move was challenged before the court on the ground that it defies democracy. Until the matter is settled in the final hearing, elections stand to be [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and UN human rights experts have demanded that Israel provide equal COVID-19 vaccine access to Palestinians living in the Israel-occupied West Bank and Gaza. According to the Israeli Health Ministry, Israel has “vaccinated a larger share of its population against COVID-19 than any other country.” However, experts say Palestinians living in [...]

The UK Supreme Court ruled Friday that businesses can receive insurance payouts for losses sustained due to the COVID-19 lockdown. The public health measures mandated by the UK government amidst the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in heavy financial losses to businesses around the country.  Such losses owing to COVID-19 resulted in business owners to make claims on [...]

The Trump administration executed Corey Johnson by lethal injection on Thursday. Johnson was convicted for a series of seven murders committed in 1992 and became the twelfth federal inmate put to death since July. The execution followed two separate appeals by Johnson’s attorneys for a stay of execution. In the first appeal they argued that Johnson [...]

Correctional Service Canada (CSC) has announced that it will begin vaccinating federal prisoners against the COVID-19 virus. The CSC expects to begin vaccinating older and medically compromised federal inmates on Friday, January 8, under the recommendation of the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). In compliance with NACI recommendations, the CSC will administer the vaccine [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Monday that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s restrictions on the number of attendees at religious gatherings were likely to be a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. The Court enjoined the state from enforcing these limits, put in place to address [...]

New York State Department of Health officials announced on Saturday that they would launch a criminal investigation into a network of health clinics. The investigation is based on speculation that the provider, ParCare Community Health Network, violated the state’s guidelines in obtaining the COVID-19 vaccine and distributing it to members of the public. According to [...]