The House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament approved Monday in a 185-151 vote the declaration of a public order emergency as proclaimed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last week in response to the “Freedom Convoy” protests. Under the Emergencies Act (“the Act”), the federal government wields exceptional power to limit the rights and freedoms [...]
The European Council voted to adopt a fourth round of sanctions against Myanmar Monday, citing a “continuing grave situation intensifying human rights violations in Myanmar” in the aftermath of the 2021 military coup. Previous EU sanctions have targeted weapons and equipment, an export ban on goods used by the military and border guard and a [...]
The UK’s independent elections regulatory agency and watchdog, the Electoral Commission, Monday urged the government to reconsider proposed changes to its oversight arrangements in a public letter. The Electoral Commission warned that the new changes will impact the agency’s independence. The Electoral Commission issued the letter in response to a controversial elections bill, which is currently [...]
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Monday began hearing oral arguments in a case to determine whether Myanmar has violated the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention). The Gambia filed an application instituting proceedings against Myanmar concerning alleged violations of the Genocide Convention on November 11, 2019. The [...]
The European Union imposed new sanctions Monday on five Russian individuals involved in elections concerning the annexed Ukraine Crimean peninsula in September 2021. With the new sanctions in place, the EU has now issued a total of 241 sanctions against persons and entities involved in attacks on Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty. The existing EU sanction framework [...]
Russia President Vladimir Putin signed decrees Monday recognizing the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR). The lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, the State Duma, voted on February 15 to approve a draft appeal to ask Putin to recognize the DPR and the LPR as independent states. [...]
A large-scale leak involving one of the world’s largest banks, the Swiss-based Credit Suisse, materialized on Sunday exposing the hidden wealth of clients involved in serious criminal activity, including but not limited to torture, drug trafficking, money laundering, and corruption. The leak was originally released by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung and then passed on to [...]
The US Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear oral arguments in Biden v. Texas. The Biden administration seeks a declaration that it may cease enforcement of the “Remain in Mexico” immigration policy first implemented by former President Trump. Under the policy, formerly called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), certain noncitizens must return to Mexico to [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismissed a challenge on Friday to Governor Larry Hogan’s 2017 executive order banning government contractors from engaging in boycotts against Israel. Plaintiff Saqib Ali argued that this requirement violated his First Amendment right to free speech, but the appellate court upheld the lower court’s finding that [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled in favor of investors Friday against BitConnect, an alternative cryptocurrency that the court called a Ponzi scheme. Before a three-judge panel, a small group of investors suing on behalf of themselves as well as all other investors (“the plaintiffs”), sought to hold BitConnect and its [...]
