Two UN human rights experts, Fernand de Varennes and Ahmed Shaheed, Friday urged Saudi Arabia to abide by their non-refoulement obligations under international law and refrain from extraditing two Chinese nationals belonging to the Uyghur minority. The two individuals in detention in Saudi Arabia are Nuermaimaiti Ruze and Waili Aimidoula. Fearing arbitrary detention, torture and [...]
The US House of Representatives Friday passed a bill that would decriminalize marijuana by removing it from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. HR 3617 passed with a 220-204 vote. The bill would replace statutory references to marijuana with cannabis. In addition to decriminalization, the bill establishes a trust fund to [...]
Amazon employees at a warehouse facility in Staten Island, New York, voted Friday to form the first Amazon union in the United States by joining the Amazon Labor Union (ALU). A group of former and current warehouse employees established the ALU in April 2021, with former employee Christian Smalls as the president. A total of [...]
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Friday said that dozens of churches, historical sites and museums have been damaged amid hostilities in Ukraine. According to UNESCO, 53 cultural sites have been partially or totally damaged since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24. This includes 29 religious sites, 16 historical buildings, four museums [...]
The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Friday released a statement that it will be lifting the pandemic-related border restriction policy, known as Title 42, on May 23. In the CDC’s Public Health Determination, the CDC Director stated that the purpose of the policy was to ” prevent and control” the spread of [...]
India and Australia Saturday signed an economic pact, entitled “The India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement” (IndAus ECTA), that will eliminate tariffs on over 85 percent of Australian good exports to India. Prime Minister Modi of India remarked that this agreement will contribute to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region. The free trade agreement is anticipated [...]
The US Treasury Department Friday imposed sanctions on five entities accused of supporting North Korea’s development of weapons of mass destruction (WPD) and ballistic missile programs. In August 2010, the US Department of State designated the Munitions Industry Department (MID) for its involvement with or provision of support for North Korea’s WPD programs. The entities currently [...]
The South Korean Constitutional Court Thursday upheld the nation’s near-ban on tattooing. In a 5-4 decision, the court dismissed the suit and upheld the current policy that only medical professionals can give tattoos. In imitation of a Japanese ruling that has since been overturned, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ruled in 1992 that tattooing constitutes a [...]
The prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court Thursday said that it would open an office in Venezuela to aid its investigation of allegations of crimes against humanity in the country. The announcement follows the end of a second visit to the South American nation by ICC prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan. He was previously [...]
The US Supreme Court Thursday narrowed the role of federal courts in enforcing certain provisions of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). In an 8-1 decision authored by Justice Elena Kagan, the court held in Badgerow v. Walters that federal courts do not have jurisdiction to confirm or vacate certain arbitral awards, even where the claim [...]
