Venezuelan Supreme Court Justice Christian Zerpa has fled to the US to protest President Nicolás Maduro, according to Monday reports. Maduro was recently reelected to a second term in May 2018. The election was widely criticized with the opposition party boycotting the vote and a number of countries including the US, Canada, the EU and [...]
The Russian Federation formally charged US citizen Paul Whelan with espionage Thursday, according to Russian news agency Interfax. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Whelan on December 28. Under Article 276 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, espionage is punishable by 10-20 years in prison. The family of Whelan, a retired US Marine, [...]
President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil issued a provisional measure on Tuesday and a decree on Wednesday restructuring the responsibilities of the ministry of agriculture, including giving the ministry control over the creation and regulation of indigenous lands and reserves. Bolsonaro took office on January 1 after his victory in the October elections. He is recognized [...]
The Court of Appeal for Ontario declared on Wednesday that Uber’s arbitration clause for its drivers is invalid both because it violates the Arbitration Act and because the arbitration clause is unconscionable. The lawsuit was filed by an Uber driver who is seeking a class action lawsuit designation that seeks to declare that Uber driver [...]
Vietnam’s controversial new cybersecurity law took effect Tuesday, alarming free speech advocates. While the law has not been officially published, a copy of the draft, which was passed by the National Assembly on June 12, has been released by VNEconomy. This text indicates the provisions of the law, outlining the scope and the information that [...]
The EU, along with the US and the UK called Tuesday for an investigation on into the Bangladesh elections that occurred on December 30. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to a third consecutive term, and her allies obtained greater than 90 percent of the seats in parliament. Opponents of Hasina believe that the elections [...]
The Domestic Violence Act of 2018 went into effect in Ireland on Wednesday, which includes the offense of coercive control. The offense is committed when a person: knowingly and persistently engages in behaviour that- (a) is controlling or coercive, (b) has a serious effect on a relevant person, and (c) a reasonable person would consider [...]
Russia announced on Monday that it had arrested a US citizen on Friday for suspicion of espionage. According to Russia’s Federal Security Service, Paul Whelan will be detained until the criminal investigation is complete. The agency also refuses to provide details of the allegations until then. In Russia, the crime of espionage carries up to a [...]
The Thailand National Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Tuesday passed amendments to the bill permitting the production, import, export, possession and use of cannabis and kratom for medical purposes. The bill allows the use of certain amounts of cannabis and kratom necessary for treatment of illness with prescriptions or certificates from medical professionals, and possession is subject [...]
The Rwandan government released a statement Monday that French Magistrates Jean-Marc Herbaut and Nathalie Poux closed an ongoing investigation last Friday, into the 1994 downing of former Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana’s plane. Habyarimana, a member of the Hutu ethnic majority, died in April 1994 when his plane was shot down near the Rwandan capital. The assassination [...]
