The Ukrainian parliament passed a bill Friday aimed at expediting Ukraine’s approval of COVID-19 vaccines. The bill also prohibits the use of Russian vaccines. The law establishes a new procedure for approval of medicinal products in “emergency situations.” Under this new framework, the Ministry of Health is able to approve a medication where: 1) there [...]

The 3rd Panel Chamber of the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice Friday overturned the acquittal of nine of the 16 defendants implicated in the 2013 Gezi Park protest against the removal of trees in the park, ordering that the case be sent back to the court of first instance for a retrial. The nine defendants [...]

The Jesuit order in Spain released a report Thursday in which it admitted to and apologized for 118 cases of sexual abuse committed by its members since 1927. According to the report, published by the Society of Jesus (Compañía de Jesús en España), 81 of these victims had been children. Abuse ranged from the use of [...]

Hong Kong’s Civil Service Bureau released a notice on Friday, demanding that all civil servants sign a document pledging their loyalty to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (HKSAR). The notice is the latest development in Hong Kong’s ongoing crackdown on opposition, since the promulgation of its national security [...]

A spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Friday that the body was “deeply concerned” by Vietnam’s use of ill-defined laws to suppress media freedom. The criticism comes after three journalists were found guilty of “making, storing, spreading information, materials, items for the purpose of opposing the State” under [...]

Germany’s Federal Cabinet approved Wednesday a draft law that would see a quota introduced for the number of women on the executive boards of Germany’s largest companies. The law would require all stock exchange-listed companies with an executive board of three or more members to have at least one woman on that board. The new [...]

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said Saturday that it would take “necessary measures” to protect its enterprises’ interests, after the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced Thursday that it had begun proceedings to delist three Chinese telecom firms. The NYSE’s announcement comes in response to US President Donald Trump’s recent executive order prohibiting any transaction [...]

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) condemned Thursday Iranian officials’ fourth execution of a child offender in 2020, stating that the execution of child offenders is “categorically prohibited under international law.” Mohammad Hassan Rezaiee was executed early Thursday morning for an offence allegedly committed by him at the age of 16. [...]

Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal revoked media tycoon Jimmy Lai’s bail on Thursday, seeing his return to custody until February at the earliest. The ruling comes only a week after Lai was granted bail by the High Court on a number of stringent terms, including that he pay HK$10 million and refrain from posting [...]

Advocate General Gerard Hogan of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concluded in an opinion delivered Thursday that Malta’s judicial appointment process does not contravene EU law. The preliminary ruling was part of ongoing proceedings before the Maltese courts, brought by pro-democracy and human rights group Repubblika. The group alleged that Malta’s current judicial appointment [...]