China’s State Administration on Market Regulation on Saturday ordered the multinational technology conglomerate Tencent Holdings, Ltd. to relinquish all exclusive music label rights that they currently possess. The company was fined half a million yuan, or around USD $77,000, for unfair market practices relating to their 2016 purchase of the Chinese Music Corporation. Tencent had [...]

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged nine individuals, including a Chinese prosecutor, with conspiring to act as illegal agents of China, international stalking, and obstruction of justice. According to the indictment filed Thursday by a federal grand jury in New York, the individuals charged were Lan Tu, Yongqiang Zhai, Ji Hu, Minjun Li, [...]

The UK Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) has found secret surveillance to be incompatible with European Union (EU) law. Privacy International (PI) challenged the UK bulk communications regime, specifically section 94 of the Telecommunications Act, which has since been repealed by the Investigatory Powers Act, for being incompatible with EU human rights standards. This judgement renders [...]

UN Human Rights Council President Nazhat Shameem Khan has announced the appointment of Navanethem Pillay, Miloon Kothari, and Chris Sidoti to the Commission of Inquiry (“the Commission”) on the Occupied Palestinian Territory (“Palestine”), including East Jerusalem, and Israel. The Commission was established through a resolution adopted in May during an emergency special session to investigate [...]

The Court of Appeal of Samoa on Friday ruled that the Faatuatua ile Atua ua Tasi (FAST) (‘Samoa United in Faith’) political party was the official winner of April’s national election, thus confirming the party’s leader, Fiame (honorary title) Naomi Mata’afa, as the country’s first female prime minister. Mata’afa won the majority in the April [...]

The pandemic has created a jigsaw puzzle of fear, anxiety and uncertainty among the patients; however, the doctors during this havoc have tirelessly worked as frontline warriors saving millions of lives while putting theirs at risk. Since the pandemic began, over 1,500 doctors have selflessly sacrificed their lives only to find themselves standing at a [...]

The Parliament of Sierra Leone passed a bill Friday abolishing the death penalty. If given presidential assent, this law will see the west African country become the 23rd country in the continent to abolish the capital punishment. The country’s legal regime prescribes the death penalty for the offences of murder, treason, mutiny and aggravated robbery. [...]

The US House of Representatives passed a bill dubbed the Allies Act in a 407-16 vote on Thursday to expand and expedite special visa eligibility for Afghans who served the US and coalition forces during the occupation of Afghanistan. The US occupation of Afghanistan is coming to an end. The Taliban is seizing more territory [...]

A Hong Kong court denied bail to four former employees of the pro-democracy Apple Daily after they were charged with colluding with foreign forces under Beijing’s imposed national security law (English). According to the Hong Kong Free Press, the bail applications of the employees were rejected Thursday due to the lack of evidence showing the [...]

Spanish President Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday announced publication of the Carta Derechos Digitales, or Digital Rights Charter. Rather than presenting the Charter as regulation or new legislation, Sánchez stated that the Charter is meant to be a framework of reference for all Spanish authorities and to inform future action. Thus, the announcement does not present [...]