The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit Monday issued a nationwide injunction against the Biden administration’s federal student loan forgiveness plan. The administration is temporarily barred from dispensing loan forgiveness to the millions of student borrowers who already applied to the plan. The injunction will remain in place until the court decides otherwise [...]
The United States Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Monday sanctioned 28 entities and 14 individuals that provide technology to the Russian military. The sanctions, part of a worldwide effort to disrupt Russia’s war in Ukraine, prohibit any transactions with the people or property subject to the sanctions within the United States. Under the [...]
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly Monday approved a resolution calling for Russia to pay war reparations to Ukraine during an emergency special session devoted to the conflict. The resolution outlines the creation of an international mechanism that will compensate states who have sustained damage, loss and injuries due to illegal activity by another state. The [...]
Independent candidates for Victoria, Australia state elections Tuesday announced they will go to the Victorian Commission and Administration Tribunal after the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) determined that the candidates’ how-to-vote cards are “likely to mislead or deceive” voters. According to Hawthorn candidate Melissa Lowe, the VEC informed her that: The VEC is satisfied that the [...]
Amnesty International Monday called for the immediate release of prominent Afghan women’s rights defenders Zarifa Yaqoobi, Farhat Popalzai, Humaira Yusuf and their colleagues. After a November 4 press conference, Taliban officers arrested the activists and press conference attendees, strip searched them and searched their phones. The conference announced the formation of “Afghan Women Movement for [...]
Attorneys general in 40 states Monday announced a $391.5 million, multi-state settlement with Google over the company’s location tracking practices. The agreement marks the largest US privacy settlement in history. Authorities allege that Google’s collection of location information violated the participating states’ consumer protection laws because “Google misled its users into thinking they had turned [...]
The US Supreme Court Monday denied a petition for a writ of certiorari in McCutchen v. United States, a challenge to the federal ban on gun bump stocks. Promulgated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the ban prevents anyone from possessing bump-stock-type devices, including slide-fire devices, and encourages possessors to either destroy [...]
Family members of Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah Monday reported they have received a letter in Abd El-Fattah’s handwriting confirming he is still alive. Abd El-Fattah went on a water strike last week, and his lawyer claims he is not allowed to visit Abd El-Fattah in prison. According to the letter shared by Abd El-Fattah’s sister [...]
The German Bundeskartellamt Monday expanded two ongoing proceedings against US e-commerce giant Amazon to include the application of §19(a) of the German Competition Act (GWB). Provisions enacted in 2021 enable the Bundeskartellamt to intervene earlier in the regulation of large digital companies and allow for strong and effective “supervision of large digital groups,” says the [...]
The US Supreme Court Monday denied an application for stay and injunction, allowing the US House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack on the Capitol to obtain the phone and text records of Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward. Ward filed an emergency application for a stay and injunction on October 24, after a [...]
