A US federal judge in New York denied a motion to dismiss on Thursday from Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in his pending conspiracy case. In the order, Judge Sidney Stein found that the constitutional challenges Menendez raised in his motion did not cover the charges. Menendez pleaded not guilty to the four charges—which alleged that [...]

The US federal judge overseeing former president Donald Trump’s criminal case regarding his allegedly wrongful detention of classified documents rejected the former president’s motion to dismiss on Thursday in a short, two-page order. Trump sought to dismiss 32 of the 40 pending criminal charges against him in the case. However, Judge Aileen Cannon denied Trump’s [...]

The Hong Kong Court of First Instance upheld pro-democracy activists Chow Hang-tung, Tang Ngok-kwan and Tsui Hon-kwong’s convictions of failing to comply with notice to provide information under Article 43 of the China-imposed National Security Law. Schedule 5 of the Implementation Rules of Article 43 states that the Commissioner of Police may serve a notice [...]

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed on Wednesday a bill that seeks to define sex in strictly binary terms, impacting the recognition of transgender individuals’ identities within the state. The Mississippi Women’s Bill of Rights reflects a broader trend among Republican-controlled legislatures in the US to address and restrict the legal acknowledgement of transgender and [...]

The Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on Wednesday two Russian diplomats as personae non gratae, requiring them to leave Austria by March 19. The ministry did not provide any details as to why the two diplomats were asked to leave Austria. In an official statement, the ministry accused the two diplomats of engaging in [...]

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Wednesday that Denmark plans to draft women into the country’s armed forces for the first time. Under current law, only men are required to register for the draft.  Frederiksen cited a desire to achieve “full equality between the sexes” as one of the drivers behind the proposed reform. According [...]

The American Library Association (ALA) announced on Thursday that censorship demands and book ban attempts in public libraries and schools hit a record high in 2023. The ALA documented 1,247 demands to ban 4,240 different books. This is a 65 percent increase from 2022, when 2,571 books faced censorship demands. In 17 states, book ban [...]

The European Parliament of the EU passed on Wednesday the first-ever Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. The act passed with a majority of 85 percent of lawmakers in favor. It aims to mitigate the risks associated with AI, while ensuring that AI systems uphold privacy, human dignity and fundamental rights. The act is also part of [...]

Russia’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday announced sanctions against 227 US citizens. The group comprises an eclectic mix of individuals, from elite university professors to security and aerospace executives. According to the Foreign Ministry’s statement, these individuals were targeted for their roles in the development, implementation, and justification of Washington’s “policy of Russophobia,” in addition to [...]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday over 250 officers and soldiers will be stationed at the Florida Keys and southern waters in preparation for a surge of migrants from Haiti. Speaking on the action, DeSantis said: For quite some time, the State of Florida has been dedicating significant resources to [...]