The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Thursday became the first Australian jurisdiction to guarantee free abortion care. The new policy allows women living in the ACT to obtain abortion up to 16 weeks gestation. The ACT government noted that cost was a significant barrier to safe and legal abortions in the state. In a press release, [...]

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is tasked with investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the gravest of crimes — genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. While the struggles faced by Afghan women and girls have yet to be classified, their plight demands attention. As human beings, these women and girls have been callously [...]

As climate change and climate-related disasters continue to drive displacement, the United States must do more to protect impacted individuals. It can start by upholding our existing asylum and refugee protection laws. The adverse effects of climate change can interact with and exacerbate targeted violence, conflict, and other forms of persecution that drive people to [...]

A New Zealand environmental group Wednesday testified before the 22nd United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) about potential indigenous rights breaches by New Zealand’s forestry industry. Mana Taiao Tairāwhiti has stated that extensive deforestation, poor forestry practices and climate change have harmed the east coast of New Zealand’s north island, which is home [...]

The US House of Representatives Wednesday voted 229-189 to pass a resolution disapproving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022. The act aims to provide comprehensive policing and reform through tactics such as improving police transparency and accountability, improving access to police body cameras, officer discipline reform, and preventing “white supremacy in [...]

Over 155,000 Canadian public sector workers Wednesday went on strike as bargaining between the federal government and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) continues to stagnate, potentially impacting Canadians’ ability to access some government services.  Contracts for two major PSAC groups, composed of Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) employees, expired in 2021. [...]

The US Department of Defense (DOD) Thursday announced the transfer of Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush, a prisoner held at Guantanamo Bay, to Algeria. With his transfer, 30 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay. In a statement, the DOD announced that Guantanamo’s Periodic Review Board (PRB) determined it was “no longer necessary” to hold Bakush [...]

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Thursday signed a bill into law that allows juries to recommend the death penalty without unanimous consent. For a jury to recommend the death penalty under Florida law, the jury must unanimously confirm there was an “aggravating factor” present to warrant capital punishment. Aggravating factors include if the crime was especially cruel [...]

GenBioPro Inc., US maker of the generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, Wednesday filed a lawsuit in a Maryland federal court to ensure continued access to its product. The move comes only a day after the US Supreme Court extended access to the branded version of mifepristone, Mifeprex, while the court reviews a legal [...]

The US Supreme Court Wednesday released an order temporarily extending access to the abortion pill mifepristone, giving the court more time to consider the suspension of the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of the drug over 20 years ago. The extension ensures that mifepristone will remain widely available while the court assesses the US [...]