Amnesty International (AI) called upon countries to ban fully autonomous weapons systems  on Monday, the first day of the UN’s Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems  meeting. AI states that technology related to advanced weapons systems are outpacing international law. Future technologies may be able to replicate [...]

The International Court of Justice  heard oral arguments  from Iran’s legal counsel on Monday in a lawsuit filed by Iran allegint that US sanctions violate the 1955 Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations, and Consular Rights. Oral arguments from the US are expected on Tuesday. Iran argues that the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) has stated that [...]

US President Donald Trump announced  Monday that the US and Mexico have reached an agreement on a new trade deal called the United States-Mexico Trade Agreement, which will ultimately terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). While sitting at the resolute desk, Trump called Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto  to announce the new deal, which [...]

The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar urged in a report  released Monday the investigation and prosecution of Myanmar’s top military generals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Mission “found patterns of gross human rights violations and abuses committed in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan States that ‘undoubtedly amount to the gravest [...]

Former South Korean president Park Geun-Hye was sentenced to 25 years in prison on Friday by the Seoul High Court in connection with corruption charges and bribes from companies such as Samsung. This ruling extends the former president’s prison sentence by an additional year and increases Park’s fines by 2 billion won for a total [...]

The Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe ruled  on Friday that the July presidential election results, which saw President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s first election victory, were valid. The challenge to the results was brought by the opposition MDC Alliance who nominated Nelson Chamisa for the presidency. The court ruled that it could not change the presidential election results because [...]

A D.C. superior court judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit  brought against Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer. Steele was sued in April by three Russian business magnates for libel, a year after his dossier alleging Russia’s involvement with the Trump campaign was published. Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven and German Khan claimed  that the contents [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled  Tuesday that photographs of detainees taken by US military personnel can be withheld from release. In 2003 the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for the release of photographs depicting torture at military detention facilities in [...]

Imprisoned Cambodian opposition leader Kem Sokha  was denied bail by the Cambodian Supreme Court Wednesday. Sokha was arrested  last fall on charges on trying to overthrow the government, and the Cambodia National Rescue Party was dissolved. Sokha has not been given a trial since he was imprisoned. Cambodia’s leader, Hun Sen  has been in power for more than [...]

UN Special Rapporteur Idriss Jazairy  said Wednesday that sanctions against Iran must be just and not harmful to innocent citizens. The sanctions  reimposed earlier this month by US President Donald Trump are “destroying the economy and currency of Iran, driving millions of people into poverty and making imported goods affordable,” stressed the UN expert. Jazairy stated: [...]