The Brazilian Senate on Wednesday approvedthe final amendments to a sweeping pension reform plan, a day after the main text of the bill was approved. The bill creates a minimum retirement age of 65 for men and 62 for women. The average retirement ages in Brazil before were 56 and 53, respectively. It also increases [...]
The UN human rights expert on Myanmar called Wednesday for action against human rights violations in Myanmar. The expert noted that she has not seen “improvement to the situation in Myanmar” and “called for sanctions against military-run companies and commanders responsible for serious violations.” The expert also called on the UN Security Council to bring [...]
The US House of Representatives Wednesday approved the Stopping Harmful Interference in Elections for a Lasting Democracy (SHIELD) Act, which aims to improve the functioning of democracy by improving disclosure requirements for online political advertisements, ensuring that the electorate is fully informed. The bill had no votes from Republicans, who dismiss it as an unnecessary [...]
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) on Monday released a report detailing 72 torture methods used by the Syrian Regime. Since the start of the democratic uprising in Syria in March 2011, almost 1.2 million Syrians have been arrested and detained for some period. The report documents 14,000 deaths in Syrian detention centers since [...]
US Attorney General William Barr issued a memo Wednesday calling for court-ordered counseling and supervision of potentially violent individuals in an effort to prevent mass shootings. The memo comes in response to a number of deadly acts of violence over the last few years. In his statement, Barr directed both the Justice Department and the [...]
The US government filed a civil complaint against the state of California Wednesday for entering into a cap-and-trade agreement with Quebec. According to the federal government, California overstepped its state powers by entering into an international climate change agreement in 2013 with a foreign nation. Cap-and-trade agreements are a major component of California’s plan to [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a proposed rule change on Monday that would allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect DNA samples from detained immigrants. The proposed rule will change how the DOJ implements the DNA and fingerprint Act of 2005, which authorized the collection of DNA samples from individuals arrested [...]
The US House of Representative approved the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act on Tuesday. The purpose of the CASE Act is, “to establish an alternative dispute resolution program for copyright small claims, and for other purposes.” The act would create a Copyright Claims Board in the Copyright Office to which parties could choose [...]
Campaign fundraiser Imaad Shah Zuberi was charged Tuesday with manipulating his records in order to prevent the discovery of his status as a foreign agent. Zuberi, who had previously donated $900,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee, pleaded guilty, stating that he had promised international clients higher profits by changing US foreign policy. The campaign fundraiser also [...]
Hong Kong Secretary of Security John Lee announced Wednesday the formal withdrawal of the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019 in front of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. The bill would have expanded Hong Kong’s extradition laws [...]
