Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, issued a statement on Tuesday in response to recent measures Hungary has taken to further consolidate power in the hands of its prime minister, Viktor Orbán. While not calling out Hungary by name, the statement from the EU leader condemns exploiting emergency situations to undermine democratic [...]

Singapore’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld Section 377A of Singapore’s Penal Code criminalizing homosexual activity between men. Three gay men challenged the law’s constitutionality following India’s victory in legalizing same–sex intercourse in September 2018. The High Court reasoned that it was bound by the Court of Appeal’s 2014 decision that Section 377A was constitutional and [...]

Lawmakers in Hungary’s Parliament voted 137-53 Monday to grant Prime Minister Viktor Orbán extensive powers to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite protests from the opposition parties, the bill did not limit the powers to a specific time frame. The bill allows Orbán’s government to suspend the enforcement of some laws and permits deviation from legal [...]

The Canadian legislature passed emergency legislation on Wednesday that will allow the Minister of Health to circumvent patent laws for supplies that are necessary to combat the COVID-19 public health emergency. The bill requires payment of renumeration for the patentees in the “amount that the Commissioner considers to be adequate renumeration in the circumstances.” “These [...]

The Hague District Court ordered the Dutch state on Wednesday to pay compensation to the relatives of 11 men executed by Dutch soldiers in South Sulawesi in 1946 and 1947. The Indonesian War of Independence took place between 1945 and 1949. As a result of Dutch soldiers’ misconduct during the war, 11 men were killed in [...]

The Singapore Ministry of Health enacted stay-at-home and social distancing regulations on Thursday amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The penalty for violating the regulations is a fine up to $10,000 or imprisonment up to six months or both. All travelers coming back to Singapore, including citizens and permanent residents, will have to go into quarantine for [...]

China announced on Thursday that foreign nationals will be suspended from entering China beginning March 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The temporary suspension includes those holding visas or residency permits still valid at the time of suspension. In the announcement, China stated: The suspension is a temporary measure that China is compelled to take [...]

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday pardoned former army sergeant Sunil Ratnayake, who was sentenced to death for killing eight Tamil civilians during the country’s civil war. After a 13-year trial, the Colombo High Court found Ratnayake guilty of eight civilian murders and sentenced him to death in June 2015. The Supreme Court upheld [...]

In a rare move, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an indictment against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday. Maduro and 14 current and former Venezuelan officials have been charged with narco-terrorism, corruption, drug trafficking and other crimes. The DOJ alleges that Maduro conspired with the FARC, Colombia’s guerrilla army, prior to becoming the [...]

The Supreme Court of Israel ruled that Israel’s Parliament must elect a new speaker Thursday after Yuli Edelstein, speaker and ally to the Prime Minister, resigned on Wednesday over a disagreement with the legislative decisions of Parliament during the COVID-19 pandemic. Edelstein raised concerns with the operation of the Supreme Court, stating that democracy could [...]