South Africa’s top prosecutor on Monday dropped fraud charges against Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan . Shaun Abrahams , an advocate for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) , said the decision comes after determining Gordhan did not intentionally act unlawfully. The announcement came amidst political battles in the country that have threatened financial markets and the [...]

Former Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner went before a judge Monday for questioning as part of the investigation into her alleged corruption for granting public works contracts. She was charged in federal court in May for manipulating the economy in order to resolve the country’s low foreign reserves. This is her first appearance in [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in the cases of Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools and Star Athletica, LLC v. Varsity Brands, Inc. . In the Fry case, a Michigan school district refused to let a student with cerebral policy bring a trained service dog to school. The child’s parents filed a [...]

The US Supreme Court on Monday granted certiorari in five juvenile offender cases and simultaneously vacated and remanded to state court, to be reviewed in light of last term’s Montgomery v. Louisiana decision, which held that a landmark decision banning mandatory sentences of life without parole for juveniles should apply retroactively. The court reached that [...]

Representatives from the EU and Canada signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) on Sunday. CETA is designed to eliminate tariffs and foster investments and it is hoped that it will go a long way to job generation. However, although it has been signed and portions are expected to go into effect in 2017 [...]

Former president of El Salvador, Elias Antonio Saca , was arrested Sunday on allegations of embezzlement and money laundering. Six other officials were arrested as well. The Salvadoran Attorney General opened a corruption investigation into Saca in April due to an unjustified income of over USD $4 million dollars. According to prosecutors, Saca’s private secretary [...]

Officials in Turkey on Monday detained and searched the homes of 13 reporters alleging that, during the failed coup attempt in Turkey, they published stories seeking to “legitimize” those participating in the coup. Among those detained was Murat Sabuncu the Editor-in-Chief of Cumhuriyet, an opposition magazine known to be critical of the Turkish government. Cumhuriyet, [...]

Dutch nationalist politician Geert Wilders went on trial in absentia Monday after being charged with discrimination and inciting hatred due to statements he made on the campaign trial in 2014. Wilders is the leader and founder of the Party for Freedom , and the trial is predicted to have social consequences as Wilders is expected [...]

Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday blocked the execution of a murder convict who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2012. The order is pending reconsideration of an earlier ruling that held that Imdad Ali’s condition was not a permanent mental disorder and therefore not legally relevant. Ali was convicted in 2012 for the murder [...]

On Sunday, Australia announced plans to further strengthen its already strict refugee and asylum seeker policies. In particular, legislation will be brought before Parliament next week which would disallow asylum seekers who have returned to their homelands from ever coming back to Australia – even for business, as tourists, or to follow a spouse. Australian [...]