A study carried out by the the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has found that more than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Syria since March 2011. According to the report, the average number of deaths per month has increased significantly since the summer of 2011, where [...]

A judge for the US District Court of Northern California on Monday denied a request by Samsung Electronics to keep sales data for some its products sealed in its long-running patent dispute with Apple . Samsung had sought to delay the implementation of a December 10 ruling by Judge Lucy Koh until its appeal is [...]

Opponents of the newly signed Reproductive Health legislation petitioned the Supreme Court of the Philippines on Wednesday to stop implementation of the law, which is set to go into effect by mid-January. The petition for injunction was filed by James Imbong, son of the legal counsel for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) [...]

The US supports efforts in Lebanon to implement parliamentary elections, and encourages a timely and transparent election process, according to a statement made Monday by Ambassador Maura Connelly . The statement was made after the ambassador met with President of the Chamber of Deputies Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss “the political and security situation in [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation on Monday establishing education standards and setting new guidelines for educators’ salaries and school fees. The legislation has been previously approved by both the State Duma and the Federation Council . The newly enacted legislation requires a mandatory course to teach the fundamentals of religion. The cost of [...]

Threats and attacks against judges and lawyers who fight for the independence of the judiciary in Sri Lanka have increased in past few months, according to UN independent expert Gabriela Knaul . The focus of her criticism was the impeachment proceeding against Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake that began in early November. Knaul condemned [...]

Visiting Judge Gary Harger ruled Monday that Texas may defund Planned Parenthood through its Affiliate Ban Rule . The rule denies funding to any organization participating in the state’s Women’s Health Program that also performs abortions. Planned Parenthood had sought an injunction against implementation of the rule. Planned Parenthood has brought three lawsuits over the [...]

Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts on Monday released his 2012 year-end report , in which he urged the executive and legislative branches to address the needs of the federal judiciary in terms of financial and human resources. Roberts noted that the judiciary has been receiving only a small percentage of the federal [...]

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday called on India’s government to “strengthen critical services for rape victims,” expressing sympathy for the family of the 23-year-old medical student who died from injuries sustained in a gang-rape last month. Ban also added that UN entities such as the UN Women are prepared to assist the country in [...]

The Catholic Church, which remains an influential institution in the Philippines where 80 percent of the population is Catholic, on Saturday announced that it will challenge newly approved birth control legislation before the Supreme Court. The Church has opposed the new law arguing that it undermines the value of marriage and increase promiscuity. Critics view [...]