Victoria, Australia Attorney General Jaclyn Symes Tuesday told reporters that police will not be given additional powers once the recently enacted decriminalization of public intoxication reforms go into effect. Symes acknowledged that implementing more powers would undermine the decriminalization. That said, Symes said that even without additional powers, police will work with stakeholders to ensure [...]
The Dutch Senate Tuesday voted 56-15 to amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and disability in a major victory for Dutch LGBTQ+ and disability rights activists. The Senate voted on a proposal to amend Article 1 of the Constitution which reads: All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated [...]
The Indian Supreme Court Monday ruled that bail granted under Section 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure can be revoked even if the investigating agency failed to complete the investigation and file a chargesheet within the given timeframe if the accused has committed a non-bailable offense and a strong case is made out against [...]
The Pacific Island Forum Wednesday expressed concern in a public seminar over Japan’s plans to discharge radioactive waste from reactors damaged in the Fukushima nuclear disaster into the Pacific Ocean. Secretary General Henry Puna discussed the findings of an independent panel of experts on Japan’s plan and claimed that Japan’s assertion of safety lacks scientific [...]
The Philippine Court of Tax Appeals Wednesday acquitted Nobel-winning journalist Maria Ressa and her news website Rappler of tax evasion charges. According to the International Centre for Journalists (ICFJ), the maximum sentence for the four tax charges amounted to 34 years in prison. Hold The Line Coalition (HTL), a group of Ressa supporters, welcomed the [...]
Two UK rail workers unions Tuesday announced strikes after failing to reach a deal with train operators. One of the unions, the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) announced two, one-day strikes. The other, the National Union of Rail, Maritime, and Transport Workers (RMT) announced they will join ASLEF in two, one-day strike [...]
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg Tuesday was one of many protestors detained by police in Lützerath, Germany during demonstrations against the town’s demolition for the expansion of a nearby coal mine. The detainment of Thunberg and other activists is part of an ongoing battle between climate activists and local police that began on January 15. [...]
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken Tuesday announced visa restrictions on 25 Belarusian officials accused of repressing pro-democracy actors. The move, made under the authority of Presidential Proclamation 8015, responds to the Lukashenka regime’s alleged suppression of political dissent and democratic expression in the country. Blinken accused the Belarusian government of “undermining democracy” and putting democracy [...]
The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) Monday confirmed to the AP that high ranking Russian paramilitary commander Andrey Medvedev defected to Norway and applied for asylum. This marks one of the first instances of Russian paramilitary personnel defecting to the west since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a video recorded Monday, Medvedev [...]
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Monday called for an international tribunal to prosecute Russian officials for war crimes and the crime of aggression in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. Baerbock delivered the remarks in a speech titled “Strengthening International Law in times of crisis” at the Hague Academy of International Law. Making her case for the [...]
