Fundamental freedoms are under attack in countries and regions around the world, according to a report released Tuesday by CIVICUS Monitor, a global civil society alliance. The report, entitled “People Power Under Attack 2018,” details the crisis facing civic activism. The statistics and information gathered by CIVICUS demonstrate the continued rise in the number of [...]

United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan pardoned 785 prisoners on Tuesday, including a British citizen who had been sentenced to life in prison last week.  The pardon came on the UAE’s National Day, in which the government said, “The release of prisoners, and the settlement of their debts and fines, reflects the President’s keenness [...]

The US Supreme Court initiated its December sitting by hearing oral arguments in two cases Monday, including an antitrust claim against Apple. Apple v. Pepper involves third-party app developers’ concerns that Apple takes too large of a cut of the apps’ revenue and does not allow them to place their apps on competing platforms. Some [...]

New Jersey’s Medical Marijuana overhaul bill passed the Senate’s Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee on Monday, and now heads to the State Legislature’s joint appropriations committee. The Medical Marijuana bill seeks to revise requirements for authorizing and accessing medical marijuana, establish requirements for institutional caregivers, revises permit requirements for alternative treatment centers, and [...]

SCANA Corporation and South Carolina Electric & Gas Company (SCE&G) reached a $2 billion settlement agreement on Saturday with plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit over the costs electric ratepayers have made towards the VC Summer nuclear power plant project. The lawsuit arose due to SCANA and SCE&G canceled construction of the VC Summer Units [...]

The Belgrade Higher Court on Monday sentenced former Serb soldier Ranka Tomic to five years in prison for allegedly participating in the torture and execution of a Bosnian nurse during the 1992 war. While in this verdict some judges requested a seven-year sentence, Tomic instead received five years. She can appeal at an undisclosed time. [...]

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday signed into law the National Minimum Wage Act, setting South Africa’s minimum wage at 20 rand (USD $1.45) an hour, equal to 3,500 rand per month. Such legislation is the first of its kind, as wages are generally set through collective bargaining in private sector councils or by [...]

In the recent voting, Massachusetts heartily defeated a referendum that would have rolled back state transgender protections. In 2004, Massachusetts was the first state to recognize marriage equality. Subsequently, the Commonwealth enacted legislation to advance protections for members of the LGBTQ community. In 2011, Massachusetts passed legislation protecting those who identify as non-straight from discrimination [...]

Voters in Switzerland rejected the Self-determination Initiative (also known as the “Swiss law, not foreign judges” initiative) on Sunday. The initiative was rejected in a vote of 33.8 percent for and 66.2 percent against the referendum. The initiative would have required an amendment to the Constitution that would require any conflicts between international agreements and [...]

The UN Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances said on Monday that “a new law against enforced disappearances in Lebanon can be a major breakthrough” and urged that the law be implemented effectively in order “to give victims and their families access to truth and justice.” The law was passed on November 13, 2018, [...]