The Biden administration announced Monday that it is reversing a controversial Trump-era rule that prohibited federally funded health care providers from making abortion referrals. The US Department of Health and Human Services issued the final regulation, which is aimed at ensuring access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services. The rule fulfills the Biden-Harris administration’s [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) released a report on Friday in response to a decision by Ethiopia’s federal government to declare seven senior UN officials as “persona non grata,” meaning they are unwelcome in the country. HRW noted that this announcement comes only days after the UN chief for humanitarian relief warned that the Tigray region [...]

The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in person on Monday for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the court in March 2020. Eight justices were present, with Justice Kavanaugh, who recently tested positive for the virus, attending remotely. The first case the justices heard was Mississippi v. Tennessee, an original case [...]

The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published a report Sunday revealing the secrets of numerous wealthy elites and world leaders who have been using secret accounts to hide their assets. The investigation was based on a leak of around 12 million confidential records from 14 off-shore service providers. The documents cover a wide range of [...]

The United Nations announced Monday that a fact-finding mission in Libya revealed likely crimes against humanity and war crimes. The UN Human Rights Council ordered the investigation in June 2020 in response to “chaos and conflict” after 2011 ousting of President Muammar Gaddafi. Libya is now controlled by the warring Government of National Accord (GNA) and [...]

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia charged a leading figure in the Islamic State of Iraq and a former ISIS fighter on Saturday with conspiracy to provide material support resulting in death to ISIS, a designated terrorist organization. Mohammed Khalifa, also known as Abu Ridwan Al-Kanadi or Abu Muthanna Al-Muhajir, is [...]

Boris Johnson’s government announced Sunday its intention to introduce tougher penalties against protesters who obstruct roads and motorways, including up to six months in prison. The changes are being made in response to the activities of Insulate Britain, a group of climate change activists seeking a nationwide program to insulate homes in Britain in order [...]

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned Saturday an attack against a convoy of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which left one Egyptian peacekeeper dead and four others seriously injured.  The convoy had been traveling near Tessalit in the Kidal region when it hit an improvised explosive device. El-Ghassim Wane, head [...]

The United Nations Human Rights Council deemed Thursday the detention of environmental lawyer and the United States national Steven Donzinger was illegal. In February 2011, a court in Ecuador found Chevron Corporation liable for causing severe environmental and health damage to the Amazon rainforest by deliberately discharging billions of gallons of oil waste onto indigenous ancestral lands [...]

Laywers for Twitter confirmed on Saturday that the social media giant has appealed a Paris court decision ordering it to grant full access to documents detailing its measures to combat online hate speech. The order was rendered on July 6 and required Twitter to provide information on the “material and human means implemented” by it [...]