Iran’s parliament approved a law Tuesday pronouncing the US Army’s Central Command (CENTCOM) a terrorist organization. The bill was passed in reaction to the US labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization earlier in April. That was the first time in US history that the US has recognized another country’s military as a [...]
The US Supreme Court heard the last two arguments of the October 2018 term on Wednesday. First, in Quarles v. United States, the court must decide at which point the intent to commit a crime requirement must be present in a burglary case. The petitioner was convicted under a state burglary offense that included situations where the defendant [...]
A panel for the Brazil Superior Court of Justice on Tuesday unanimously ruled to reduce former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 12-year prison sentence to approximately nine years In deciding to reduce his sentence, the panel ruled that his sentence was excessively increased. Lula was convicted of bribery with a construction company in exchange [...]
The US government on Tuesday charged Rochester Drug Co-Operative (RDC), one of the largest pharma distribution companies in the US, and its former CEO Laurence Doud III and former Chief of Compliance Officer William Pietruszewski with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances oxycodone and fentanyl for non-medical reasons, conspiracy to defraud the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), [...]
A court in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu ruled Monday that a marriage between a cisgender man and a transgender woman is valid. The Madurai-based bench of the Madras High Court held the term “bride,” as used in Section 5 of India’s Hindu Marriage Act, to be inclusive of transgender women. State registration authorities [...]
The Maine House of Representatives voted Tuesday to remove non-medical exemptions from vaccine requirements. The bill specifically targets religious and philosophical exemptions, which recently rose from 5 percent to 5.6 percent, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (MCDCP). The MCDCP stated this rise threatens to breach the threshold at which the [...]
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia executed 37 men Tuesday for terrorism related crimes. Among those killed, 11 were accused by authorities for spying on behalf of Iran. Fourteen were convicted for violent offenses pertaining to prior anti-government protests. Most of the convicts identified as Shia and were predominantly from the country’s majority Shia eastern province. Most [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled Tuesday that city parking violation officers’ chalking of parked vehicles violates the Fourth Amendment. In the event of a parking violation, parking officers acting on behalf of the city of Saginaw, Michigan, would mark the tires of parked civilian cars. The officers would then monitor [...]
The UN passed a watered-down version of a resolution meant to combat rape and sexual violence in conflict zones Tuesday. After threatening to veto the resolution, the US placed pressure to have 2013 resolution language removed, including “reproductive health” services for survivors. Germany first sent a letter to the UN Secretary General detailing the impacts of [...]
The California State Senate passed SB 188 on a 37-0 vote to end discrimination based on hair texture and styles in schools and the workplace. Democratic Senator Holly Mitchell introduced the bill to include in the California Fair Employment and Housing Act a definition of race that includes different hair textures and styles such as [...]
