A former Australian government lawyer Tuesday informed a royal commission that he withheld legal advice that the Robodebt scheme, an automated debt assessment and recovery method utilized by Services Australia from 2015 through 2019, was illegal. Former chief counsel for the Department of Social Services (DSS) Paul Menzies-McVey told the inquiry that he was aware [...]
Russian President Vladimir Putin Tuesday announced Russia will suspend its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). The treaty represents the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the US and Russia. Putin claimed the US wanted to “inflict a strategic defeat” on Russia and “climb on nuclear facilities.” A statement from the [...]
In response to the proposed reform of Israel’s judicial system, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk Tuesday urged the country to halt its plans to overhaul the legal and judicial system over concerns of potential human rights violations. Türk’s announcement comes just one week after protestors gathered outside of the Knesset, Israel’s unicameral [...]
US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg Tuesday called on railway transport company Norfolk Southern to comply with safety regulations and announced steps the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) will take to ensure railway industry safety and accountability. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also ordered Norfolk Southern to assume clean-up efforts following the East Palestine, Ohio [...]
The UN Security Council (UNSC) Monday adopted a presidential statement expressing its “deep concern and dismay” over Israel’s recent approval of further construction and expansion in the West Bank. The statement reportedly comes after intense US-led negotiations that watered down the final version from a draft resolution penned by the United Arab Emirates, which would [...]
The UK’s competition tribunal Monday rejected an application for a £2.3 billion class action lawsuit which accused Facebook’s parent company Meta of “unfair trading conditions.” The Competition Appeal Tribunal decided that the application did not meet the standard of quality required for the class action to move forward. Dr. Liza Lovdahl Gormsen filed the application under [...]
The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT) Monday canceled its visit to Australia after it was denied access to detention centers and mental health facilities. In October 2022, SPT visited Australia for 12 days, but was forced to suspend the visit after they were prevented from visiting multiple facilities. Specifically, SPT cited issues with [...]
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly Monday summoned the Iranian Charge D’affaires Mehdi Hosseini Matin due to threats from the Iranian regime concerning UK-based journalists working for Iran International. The London-based, Persian-language news channel recently paused their reporting in the UK as a result of “very real and specific threats.” In the midst of ongoing nationwide [...]
Southwark Crown Court Sunday sentenced three fund managers to a total of 12 years and three months imprisonment following a seven year investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). Frederic Marino, Yoshiki Ohmura and Aurelien Bessot were convicted for their involvement in a fraud that caused the Libyan Sovereign Wealth [...]
UK nonprofit group INQUEST Monday reported that Black men are 7 times more likely to die than their white counterparts following the use of restraint by police. INQUEST says that its findings highlight the continued “reality of institutional racism” in the UK criminal justice system. The report pointed to the recent deaths of three Black [...]
