The Australian government on Monday unveiled a proposed competition scheme to introduce new laws that would allow global technology companies to be fined up to $50 million AUD for anti-competitive behavior and obstructing consumer choice. The proposal seeks to impose broad obligations upon digital platforms through primary legislation in order to prohibit acts that involve [...]
The Australian government opted to abandon proposed laws on Sunday requiring social media companies to regulate misinformation and disinformation that appears on their platforms. The Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2024 was abandoned after several parties announced they would not support the bill, leaving no viable path for it to pass through the [...]
UN racial justice experts on Tuesday found broad impunity persists for officials who have used excessive force against Africans or people of African descent around the world, preventing victims from receiving justice or reparations and enabling the repetition of these behaviors. The Human Rights Council-mandated panel of experts analyzed information compiled in the recent annual [...]
Amnesty International reported on Sunday that Saudi Arabia has put to death over 198 individuals in 2024 so far, the highest toll in the country in decades. The group found the state to have “ramped up executions while routinely failing to abide by international fair trial standards and safeguards for defendants,” with many sentenced to [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Tuesday that it has filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Visa for allegedly violating Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act by maintaining a monopoly over debit network markets. Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act prohibit unreasonable restraints of trade and monopolies. The DOJ contended [...]
World leaders adopted a “Pact for the Future” at the 2024 UN Summit for the Future on Sunday, affirming their renewed commitments to a number of key international goals. The president of the General Assembly, Philémon Yang of Cameroon, described the summit as “a call to action” that recommits states to “the principles of international [...]
US lawmakers urged the Biden administration in a hearing on Wednesday to intensify efforts to secure the release of Americans allegedly unjustly detained in China. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), co-chairs of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), alongside representatives Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Michelle Steel (R-CA), emphasized the need to [...]
International human rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) announced in a news release on Tuesday that Iran has arrested the family members of dozens of protesters who were imprisoned or killed during the 2022 anti-government protests that took place in the country. The group documented numerous instances of threats, harassment, and arrests on false charges, [...]
Australia’s Treasurer Jim Chalmers announced on Saturday that the 2026 national census will, for the first time, include questions regarding gender and sexual orientation. This decision marks a reversal after the proposed inclusion of this topic was scrapped in August. Chalmers confirmed that gender and sexuality will form the one new category in the 2026 [...]
A UN report released on Tuesday decries a deteriorating human rights situation from June 15, 2023, to June 15 of this year in Nicaragua. The report, issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), details events assembled through 120 interviews, primarily with victims and witnesses, as well as 106 meetings with [...]
