President Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria resigned Tuesday amid mass protests and calls by senior military leadership for his resignation. Bouteflika, a former foreign minister and veteran of Algeria’s war of independence from France, had been in power since 1999. He was originally planning to seek a fifth term in office, but resigned after continued pressure. [...]
The European Commission on Wednesday launched infringement proceedings against Poland by sending a Letter of Formal Notice regarding its new disciplinary regime for judges. The notice alleges that the new regime “undermines the judicial independence of Polish judges by not offering necessary guarantees to protect them from political control, as required by the Court of Justice [...]
Hong Kong amended the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance (FOO) and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Ordinance (MLAO) Monday to include arrangements that would allow for extradition to Macau, Taiwan and mainland China on a case-by-case basis. The revised ordinances aim to close a loophole exposed by a recent murder investigation in Taiwan. In February of last year, a Hong Kong man [...]
UN human rights experts on Tuesday condemned the Indian government for the deportation of three Rohingya to Myanmar despite international law which prohibits the practice. According to the UN experts, India has separated and forcibly returned Rohingya families to Myanmar, including the recent deportation of a father and three of his children. Five other family members [...]
Japan’s amended Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act, which allows foreigners who qualify for Specified Skills visas to work in Japan, went into effect on Monday. Originally passed on December 8, the new legislation permits foreign workers to enter Japan to work in designated sectors, including construction, manufacturing, hospitality, aviation, nursing and agriculture, for a five-year [...]
New Zealand’s Parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelming in favor of a bill proposed containing new gun regulations, aiming to vote it into law by the end of next week. The vote occurred one day after the Arms (Prohibited Firearms, Magazines, and Parts) Amendment Bill was introduced. The bill seeks to amend New Zealand’s Arms Act [...]
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that Juan Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, is in contempt, and requested the pro-Maduro National Constituent Assembly to withdraw the opposition leader’s parliamentary immunity. The court found Guaidó to be in contempt after concluding that he violated travel restrictions imposed by the court in January. According to Voices of America, Guaidó traveled to several South [...]
A delegation of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday for an 11-day visit. The SPT will examine the treatment meted out to people deprived of their liberty in the Indian Ocean island nation and the safeguards in place for their protection from torture. It will hold meetings [...]
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned on Tuesday against the growing anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of the deadly terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, less than one month ago. He also referred to the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh last year, calling it “the worst anti-Semitic terrorist attack in United States history.” Guterres [...]
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG must face a US government lawsuit accusing it of paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to doctors in exchange for its drugs being prescribed, according to a ruling released Monday. A federal judge in Manhattan denied a motion for summary judgment by Novartis, holding that the US government provided enough evidence of [...]
