The Washington Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously held that a homeless person’s vehicle automatically qualifies as a homestead without the need for a declaration and that the impoundment of that vehicle and associated costs constitute excessive fines—a violation of the Eighth Amendment to the US Constitution. The case involves Steven Gregory Long, a 56-year-old Native [...]

The Legislative Assembly of Assam passed a bill on Friday that seeks to protect cattle by controlling their “slaughter, consumption and illegal transportation.” The bill seeks to implement the directive principle of state policy given in Article 48 of the Indian Constitution, which requires the state to “organise animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines” [...]

The US Supreme Court on Thursday denied an application for an emergency writ of injunction against Indiana University’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, upholding the rulings of the two lower courts. Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied the application without seeking response from the university or the state and without referring it for a vote to the full Court. [...]

The lower house of Poland’s parliament voted 228-216 to narrowly pass a media reform legislation on Wednesday that the US Department of State fears will “significantly weaken the media environment the Polish people have worked so long to build.” Stating that he is “deeply troubled” by the legislation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasised the importance of media freedom [...]

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) issued a public health order on Wednesday requiring all school staff to show proof of full vaccination or in the alternative submit themselves for COVID-19 testing at least once a week. The order applies to all public and private schools, including K-12 schools, but does not apply to [...]

Myanmar’s armed forces (the Tatmadaw) has carried out 252 attacks on healthcare workers since the Tatmadaw illegally seized control of the country in a coup d’état in February, according to a report published on Tuesday. Violence Against or Obstruction of Health Care in Myanmar, published by Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition, identified 252 reported incidents involving [...]

In October 2020, the World Trade Organization (WTO) representatives from India and South Africa submitted a proposal for the waiver from the “implementation, application and enforcement” of certain sections of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) in relation to prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Further to this, some countries have [...]

On Wednesday, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council released a new five-year plan to strengthen control over key sectors of the economy, including healthcare, education and technology. The new plan allows the government to scrutinize foreign stock listings, data security, consumer privacy, anti-competitive practices and merger irregularities. This [...]

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, warned Tuesday that the failure to stop the growing violence and human rights violations in Afghanistan is having devastating consequences for its civilians. Following the withdrawal of US soldiers from Afghanistan, the Taliban has quickly taken control of vast areas of the country. In the preceding [...]

India’s deputy defense minister issued a written response to a question raised in the Indian Parliament on Monday stating that the Defense Ministry has had “no transaction” with the Israeli company NSO Group Technologies, which developed the Pegasus spyware allegedly used to illegally surveil journalists, constitutional authorities, opposition leaders and other civilians. The statement was [...]