The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled Thursday that under an EU directive governing electronic commerce, Airbnb must be classified as an “information society service,” not a real estate agent. Following a complaint by a hotel and tourism trade group, French authorities had tried to classify Airbnb so that it would be subject to real [...]

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović said Tuesday that Albania’s proposed anti-defamation legislation, expected to pass this week, is incompatible with freedom of expression. Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This right shall include freedom to hold opinions and [...]

Pope Francis released new papal documents Tuesday that eliminate the application of the “pontifical secrecy” rule in cases of sexual abuse. Catholic clergy in many countries, including the US, have long used “pontifical secrecy” as justification for not cooperating with police or victims in cases of sexual abuse. In February church leaders called for the [...]

The Supreme Court of Poland released a statement Tuesday warning that the country’s drafts of judicial reforms could be in violation of European Union (EU) law. The country’s nationalist government is currently advocating for legislation that punishes Poland judges for questioning judicial nominations. Proponents of the legislation argue that the law is needed for greater [...]

The Nicaraguan National Assembly approved the plans to nationalize the gas station chain Distribuidor Nicaraguense de Petroleo (DNP) on Saturday. President Daniel Ortega sent the initiative as a matter of emergency. The law guarantees the continued supply of fuel and petroleum products. Additionally, all petroleum products owned by DNP are classified as sovereign security and [...]

The Supreme Court of Spain found Monday that workers are entitled to a Christmas hamper as a condition of their employment. The case arose from a labor dispute at Fujitsu Technology Spain, in which the company eliminated gifting the Christmas hamper from the budget back in 2013. A Christmas hamper is a packaged assortment of [...]

Former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who was arrested after a bloodless coup ousted him from office earlier this year, was sentenced Saturday to two years in detention after he was found guilty of corruption by a court in Khartoum. However, the law in Sudan specifies that no one over 70 years of age can be [...]

Families of young children from the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been injured or killed while mining cobalt launched a lawsuit against Apple, Google, Tesla, Dell and Microsoft on Sunday. Cobalt is used in batteries for the electronic devices that technology companies manufacture and is abundant in the Congo. The complaint details the dangerous [...]

A court in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad sentenced former military dictator Pervez Musharraf to death Tuesday. A three-member bench of a special court, headed by judge Waqar Ahmad Seth and comprising judges Nazar Akbar and Shahid Karim, found Musharraf guilty of high treason under Article 6 of Pakistan’s constitution and meted out the death penalty. Article [...]

Protests continued across India Monday over proposed legislation (CAB) that would allow religious minorities persecuted in neighboring countries to seek citizenship but would exclude Muslims. Protests have become violent, with six killed, and dozens more injured. Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the country to focus on the unity of India and discouraged violent protesting. “Debate, [...]