Uganda President Yoweri Museveni Thursday declined to sign the Anti-homosexuality Bill that sought to impose harsher sanctions on same-sex sexual conduct. Instead, Museveni sent the bill back down to Parliament. The move comes amidst international calls for Museveni to reject the bill. According to a press release from Uganda’s ruling party, the National Resistance Movement [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Thursday found Missouri did not inappropriately divert $86 million worth of sales tax funds originally for desegregation efforts from the St. Louis Public School District. While charter schools may now receive funds from the sales tax, they are not required to use the funds toward desegregation efforts. In [...]

The US House of Representatives Thursday passed a bill prohibiting the participation of transgender individuals in school athletic programs. The bill, titled “Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023,” was approved along party lines, with the Republican majority in support of its passage. Specifically, the bill targets transgender athletes whose assigned gender [...]

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Thursday became the first Australian jurisdiction to guarantee free abortion care. The new policy allows women living in the ACT to obtain abortion up to 16 weeks gestation. The ACT government noted that cost was a significant barrier to safe and legal abortions in the state. In a press release, [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the gravest of crimes — genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. While the struggles faced by Afghan women and girls have yet to be classified, their plight demands attention. As human beings, these women and girls have been callously [...]

As climate change and climate-related disasters continue to drive displacement, the United States must do more to protect impacted individuals. It can start by upholding our existing asylum and refugee protection laws. The adverse effects of climate change can interact with and exacerbate targeted violence, conflict, and other forms of persecution that drive people to [...]

A New Zealand environmental group Wednesday testified before the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) about potential indigenous rights breaches by New Zealand’s forestry industry. Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti has stated that extensive deforestation, poor forestry practices and climate change have harmed the east coast of New Zealand’s north island, which is home [...]

The US House of Representatives Wednesday voted 229-189 to pass a resolution disapproving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. The act aims to provide comprehensive policing and reform through tactics such as improving police transparency and accountability, improving access to police body cameras, officer discipline reform, and preventing “white supremacy in [...]

Over 155,000 Canadian public sector workers Wednesday went on strike as bargaining between the federal government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continues to stagnate, potentially impacting Canadians’ ability to access some government services.  Contracts for two major PSAC groups, composed of Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees, expired in 2021. [...]

The US Department of Defense (DOD) Thursday announced the transfer of Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush, a prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, to Algeria. With his transfer, 30 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. In a statement, the DOD announced that Guantanamo’s Periodic Review Board (PRB) determined it was “no longer necessary” to hold Bakush [...]