Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw made a series of announcements last week regarding the western Canadian province’s COVID-19 strategy. On July 29, the Alberta government rescinded mandatory isolation periods for those that have come into contact with an individual who is known to have COVID-19. Starting Aug 16, isolation periods following a positive [...]

The Canadian federal government reached a nearly $8 billion agreement Friday with First Nation leaders to settle a lawsuit over the lack of access to clean drinking water in their communities. Tataskweyak Cree Nation, Curve Lake First Nation, and Neskantaga First Nation launched the class action lawsuit against the attorney general of Canada for “failing [...]

Mary Simon became Canada’s first Inuk Governor General on Monday. She is also the first Indigenous person to hold the position in Canada’s 154-year history, and her appointment comes at a time when Canadians are grappling with their common identity in the wake of the recovery of remains at several former residential schools. Simon has [...]

Tunisian President Kais Saied was accused by opposition parties of launching a “coup” with the help of the country’s military Monday after firing the prime minister and freezing parliament. The move comes after anti-government protesters took over the streets of the capital Tunis. The protesters were expressing general dismay over the country’s failed attempts to [...]

A Hong Kong court denied bail to four former employees of the pro-democracy Apple Daily after they were charged with colluding with foreign forces under Beijing’s imposed national security law (English). According to the Hong Kong Free Press, the bail applications of the employees were rejected Thursday due to the lack of evidence showing the [...]

Journalists, lawyers, business executives, and human rights activists across the world appear to have been targeted by government actors using the Pegasus software sold by Israeli security company NSO Group according to an investigation revealed Sunday. Amnesty International and Forbidden Stories, a Paris-based journalistic non-profit, have obtained access to a list of 50 000 phone [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called Monday for nations to do more to address systemic racism, end impunity for police officers that violate human rights, and confront the legacies of colonialism and slavery. Bachelet said that the murder of George Floyd “was a tipping point” and that nations could no longer ignore [...]

The US Supreme Court turned away a case challenging libel protections for journalists and the media enshrined in a landmark 1964 ruling on Friday. However, dissenting opinions from conservative Justices Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch questioned the rationale behind the continued use of these legal protections. The conservative Justices’ opinions signaled a recognition of the [...]

The Cowessess First Nation announced the discovery of 751 unmarked graves near the site of the Marieval Indian Residential School, approximately 160km east of Regina, Saskatchewan, on Thursday. The bodies were found using ground-penetrating sonar across an area of 44 000 square meters. The site is believed to have been a cemetery for victims of [...]

After six months of deliberation, a panel of 12 independent legal experts from across the globe on Tuesday unveiled a working definition of “ecocide” that they hope will be adopted by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The panel was organized by the Stop Ecocide Foundation, an NGO whose stated focus is facilitating the adoption of ecocide by the [...]