A former correctional officer in southern West Virginia, Mark Holdren, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a US federal civil rights violation in the death of an inmate. The inmate, Quantez Burks, had died less than 24 hours after being booked to jail. The inmate had been detained for a minor offense before he was found [...]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule that imposes fines on the oil and gas industry for excessive methane emissions. The rule aims to reduce methane emissions by an estimated 1.2 million metric tons through 2035. The EPA will also enact new and stringent regulatory requirements for oil and gas facilities releasing [...]

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear competing racial discrimination allegations raised by Armenia and Azerbaijan against each other under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Armenia alleges that Azerbaijan has committed acts of murder, torture and inhuman treatment, arbitrary detention, and [...]

The two largest Georgian opposition coalitions, Coalition 4 Change (C4C) and United National Movement (UNM), announced Tuesday their rejection of mandates from the disputed October 26 election. Declaring the ruling pro-Russian Georgia Dream (GD) party as the winner, the election results have been criticized extensively by opposition groups and international observers, who view them as [...]

UN Under-Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo told the Security Council on Tuesday that foreign parties supplying weapons are enabling the conflict in Sudan. DiCarlo stated that “Sudan is trapped in a nightmare” and called for an immediate ceasefire. The Under-Secretary-General stressed that both sides of the conflict bear responsibility for the violence, and the primary objective should [...]

President-elect Donald Trump nominated former congressman Matt Gaetz on Wednesday to be the 87th US Attorney General. This represents a stunning reversal of fortunes for the embattled Gaetz who until February of this year was under investigation by the very Department of Justice (DOJ) that he has now been chosen to lead. Gaetz tendered his [...]

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon formally apologized before Parliament on Tuesday for decades of abuse in state and faith-based care. During the live-streamed session, Luxon extended a “formal and unreserved apology” to survivors and their families. The prime minister noted his apology was “on behalf of the government to everyone who suffered abuse, harm, [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit reversed and remanded a lower court ruling on Tuesday that allowed the organizations VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center (VPC) to send out mail-in ballot applications to Kansas voters with pre-filled information. VoteAmerica and the VPC, the plaintiffs, initially brought the case against Kansas Secretary of [...]

Amnesty International Australia issued a statement on Tuesday denouncing the Australian federal government’s newly proposed bill reintroducing punitive measures targeting a group of people released from immigration detention, emphasizing that it undermines the recent High Court decision and breaches Australia’s international obligations. The Amnesty International statement follows a recent decision in the High Court of [...]

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby announced his resignation on Tuesday following an independent review that found significant failings in the Church of England’s handling of abuse allegations against volunteer John Smyth. Smyth, who operated at Christian summer camps in the UK, Zimbabwe and South Africa, was accused of physically, sexually and psychologically abusing over 100 [...]