Indian lawmakers on Wednesday passed a data protection law that will dictate how tech companies process users' data amid criticism that it will likely lead to increased surveillance by the government.

The law will allow companies to transfer some users' data abroad while giving the government power to seek information from firms and issue directions to block content on the advice of a data protection board appointed by the federal government.

Learn more at: https://www.reuters.com/technology/india-passes-data-protection-law-amid-surveillance-concerns-2023-08-09/

Read more at: https://prsindia.org/billtrack/digital-personal-data-protection-bill-2023

Kelly McKernan says she "felt sick" when she discovered her artwork had been used to train an artificial intelligence system.

Curiosity spurred her to type her name into a website called Have I Been Trained, which searches LAION, a data set which feeds artificial intelligence (AI) image generators including Stable Diffusion.

She found over 50 pieces of artwork had been uploaded on to LAION.

"Suddenly all of these paintings that I had a personal relationship, and journey with, had a new meaning, it changed my relationship with those artworks," says the watercolour and acrylic illustrator from Tennessee.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-66231268

Read more at: https://builtin.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-copyright

Read more at: https://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/digital/generative-ai-is-a-minefield-for-copyright-law/101675972

Read more at: https://theprint.in/judiciary/intellectual-property-in-the-age-of-ai-why-delhi-hc-wants-govt-to-relook-patents-act/1576397/

The Israeli parliament, or Knesset, has passed a bill that would overhaul the judiciary and limit its powers despite mass protests from the opposition.

Last minute talks to find a compromise failed to stop the far-right government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, from pushing ahead with the vote.

The third and final vote on the bill passed 64-0 after a volatile session. The opposition boycotted it in protest and stormed out of the chamber after chanting “shame”.

The law, part of a wider effort to overhaul the judiciary, prevents the Supreme Court from striking down government decisions.

Learn more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/24/israeli-parliament-passes-divisive-law-weakening-supreme-court

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/7/26/analysis-israels-supreme-court-battle-takes-a-pause-but-is-far-from-over

Holding that race cannot be considered while granting college admissions to students, the Supreme Court of the United States of America declared as unconstitutional the race-conscious admission policies at the Harvard University and the University of North Carolina, which were being followed as an affirmative action to ensure representation for marginalised and under-represented groups. 

The decision was 6:3 against University of North Carolina and 6:2 against Harvard University, with the liberal judges penning a forceful dissent. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson recused from hearing the case related to Harvard University.

The ruling came in an appeal filed by a group named 'Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA)', who argued that race-based admission program violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Learn more at: https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/race-based-affirmative-action-in-college-admissions-unconstitutional-us-supreme-court-231542

Learn more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/us-supreme-court-limits-affirmative-action-colleges-significance-8695597/

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65886212

Underlining that allegations of misuse do not warrant a repeal of Indian Penal Code Section 124A which criminalises sedition, the Law Commission of India has recommended that the provision be retained with procedural safeguards and enhanced jail term.

This comes at a time when there is widespread criticism of the sedition law.

The Commission, in its 279th report,  recommended amending Section 124A to qualify that the law penalise only those “with a tendency to incite violence or cause public disorder,” and proposed enhancing the jail term up to seven years or life imprisonment. The offence currently carries a jail term up to three years or life imprisonment.

Learn more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/law-panel-suggests-hardening-sedition-law-raise-jail-term-to-7-yrs-or-life-sentence-8643163/

Read more at: https://thewire.in/law/law-commission-says-sedition-law-should-stay-recommends-increased-punishment

June 4 marks the centennial of Meyer v. Nebraska, in which the US Supreme Court commenced its modern role as the guardian of non-economic personal liberties by striking down laws in Nebraska, Iowa, and Ohio that prohibited the teaching of German to elementary school children. Meyer itself remains a vital cornerstone for the protection of personal liberty, particularly parental rights.

The statutes invalidated in Meyer were among laws restricting foreign language instruction enacted by 22 states shortly after the First World War to promote assimilation of ethnic Americans. These laws also reflected a resurgence of nativism and racism following the war that culminated in a highly restrictive immigration statute in 1924 and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan.

The case originated in May 1920 in a Lutheran parochial school in rural Nebraska when a county attorney entered the classroom of Robert T. Meyer in response to reports that the school was violating the statute prohibiting the teaching of German. Although the school provided its regular classes in English, it taught German because the church still conducted religious services and confirmation classes in German.  The county attorney found Meyer speaking German to Raymond Parpart, an eleven-year-old boy who was reading from a book of German language Bible stories.

Learn more at: https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2023/06/meyer-v-nebraska/

Read more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2016/02/04/meyer-v-nebraska-as-told-by-the-lawyer-who-won-it/

South Africa plans to change its law so that it has the power to decide whether or not to arrest a leader wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), a deputy minister has told the BBC.

Obed Bapela's remarks come amid intense speculation over whether South Africa stands by its invitation to Russia's President Putin to visit in August.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin over the Ukraine war.

South Africa had earlier invited him to attend a summit of Brics leaders.

Russia has not said whether Mr Putin plans to attend the summit.

Meanwhile Pretoria has also granted diplomatic immunity to Russian officials attending, something that its foreign affairs department described as standard procedure.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65759630

Read more at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-africa-vladimir-putin-icc-arrest-warrant-ukraine-war-brics-immunity/

The United States and the European Union’s top justice official on Tuesday criticized Polish plans for a law that they say could keep political opponents from holding public office without them having the full powers to challenge the decision in court.

The EU also threatened to take measures if it became fully clear such a law would undermine democratic standards.

Polish President Andrzej Duda has already signed the bill that critics view as primarily targeting opposition leader Donald Tusk, the former EU Council president. Proposed by the ruling conservative Law and Justice party as the country heads toward a parliamentary election in the autumn, the bill will become law a week from its publication, which is expected within days.

Learn more at: https://apnews.com/article/eu-poland-us-antidemocratic-law-rusk-russia-06f6a8455c6957e94689835bfd5032c5

Read more at: https://www.dw.com/en/poland-will-donald-tusk-be-barred-from-holding-office/a-65780554

Read more at: https://notesfrompoland.com/2023/06/02/polish-president-proposes-overhaul-of-russian-influence-law-days-after-signing/

Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces a case under the POCSO Act, on Thursday said the law is being ‘misused’ and under the leadership of seers, "we will force the government to change" it. 

He was speaking to media persons at a meeting here regarding preparations for a rally of seers called by him in Ayodhya on June 5. He has claimed 11 lakh seers will take part in the rally, according to the news agency PTI. 

Top wrestlers of the country, including Vinesh Phogat and Olympic medallists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi since April 23, demanding Singh's arrest for allegedly sexually harassing seven women grapplers, including a minor.

Learn more at: https://www.livemint.com/news/india/wrestlers-federation-of-india-president-brij-bhushan-singh-wrestlers-protest-delhi-jantar-mantar-posco-act-11685070974120.html

Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/wrestlers-protest-is-changing-the-grammar-of-agitation-1221804.html

At least 22 supporters of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan have been handed over to the Army to face trial in the military courts. They have been charged with trespassing on and attacking sensitive installations of the Armed forces, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Friday.

The accused are among the thousands detained since the violent protests erupted across Pakistan after Imran Khan’s arrest in a corruption case. Imran Khan was arrested inside the Islamabad High Court, triggering violence and arson across the country.

The political unrest has intensified even as Pakistan is going through the most severe economic crisis in decades. Record-high inflation, sluggish economic growth, and concerns of a possible default on external debts loom as the International Monetary Fund delays the disbursements.

Learn more at: https://www.livemint.com/news/33-imran-khan-supporters-handed-over-to-army-to-face-trials-in-military-courts-11685103226751.html

Read more at: https://www.latestlaws.com/international-news/pakistan-imran-khan-supporters-handed-over-to-army-for-trial-in-military-court-200059

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/18/pakistans-controversial-army-act-what-is-it-how-does-it-work

On Tuesday, the legislature of Taiwan successfully approved a bill that enables same-sex couples to jointly adopt a child who is unrelated to either of them, marking a significant milestone in their journey towards complete marriage equality.

In 2019, Taiwan made history by becoming the first jurisdiction in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. However, at that time, it did not extend fully equal rights of adoption to same-sex couples, stopping short of granting them that privilege.

Prior to the recent legislative changes, adoption rights in Taiwan were limited to heterosexual couples & single individuals who sought to adopt children unrelated to them biologically. This created a situation where, if a same-sex couple wished to adopt, only one of them could legally register as the child's parent, even if both individuals shared the responsibilities & duties of raising the child.

Learn more at: https://www.latestlaws.com/international-news/taiwan-takes-stride-towards-marriage-equality-grants-right-of-adoption-to-same-sex-couples-199933

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/13/same-sex-couple-become-first-in-taiwan-to-legally-adopt-child

Read more at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-22/taiwanese-same-sex-couples-push-for-adoption-rights/100646874

Indian Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Tamil Nadu law which allows the bull-taming sport 'Jallikattu' in the state, as per reports. While delivering the ruling, the apex court said that the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act, 2017, substantially minimises pain and suffering to animals.

In addition to Jallikattu, the apex court also upheld laws passed by Karnataka and Maharashtra with regard to sports like Kambala and the bull-cart race. It is important to know Supreme Court in May 2014 held that Jallikattu was violative of the rights of the animals. However, later the State government enacted the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act of 2017.

Learn more at: https://www.wionews.com/india-news/indian-supreme-court-upholds-tamil-nadu-law-allowing-bull-taming-sport-jallikattu-593556

Read more at: https://thewire.in/law/explained-supreme-court-permission-jallikattu-bovine-sports

The Supreme Court handed Silicon Valley a massive victory on Thursday as it protected online platforms from two lawsuits that legal experts had warned could have upended the internet.

The twin decisions preserve social media companies’ ability to avoid lawsuits stemming from terrorist-related content – and are a defeat for tech industry critics who say platforms are unaccountable.

In so doing, the court sided with tech industry and digital rights groups who had claimed exposing tech platforms to more liability could break the basic functions of many websites, and potentially even create legal risk for individual internet users.

Learn more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/18/politics/supreme-court-twitter-google-social-media/index.html

Read more at: https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/5/18/23728529/supreme-court-google-twitter-clarence-thomas-isis-taamneh-gonzalez

Read more at: https://techpolicy.press/the-supreme-court-finds-terrorism-cases-against-twitter-and-google-lacking-what-does-it-mean-for-the-future-of-big-tech-accountability/

France's highest court Friday ruled that the country could try foreign suspects under the universal jurisdiction principle, greenlighting inquiries into two Syrians accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

"The court recognises the principle of universal jurisdiction for the French judiciary in two cases concerning Syria," the Court of Cassation said in a statement.

The decision allows for investigations to continue in the cases against former Syrian soldier Abdulhamid Chaban, charged with complicity in crimes against humanity, and Majdi Nema, a former spokesman for the Islamist group Jaysh al-Islam accused of torture and war crimes.

Learn more at: https://www.france24.com/en/france/20230512-top-court-upholds-france-s-universal-jurisdiction-over-crimes-committed-in-syria

Read more at: https://ijrcenter.org/cases-before-national-courts/domestic-exercise-of-universal-jurisdiction/

Pakistan's Supreme Court has ruled that former prime minister Imran Khan's dramatic arrest on corruption charges this week was illegal.

The court ordered Mr Khan's immediate release. His lawyers had argued that his detention from court premises in Islamabad on Tuesday was unlawful.

At least 10 people have been killed and 2,000 arrested as violent protests have swept the country since he was held.

Tuesday's arrest escalated growing tensions between him and the military.

The opposition leader, ousted in a confidence vote in April last year, was brought to court on the orders of Pakistan's top judge.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65561807

Read more at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1752306/sc-terms-imrans-arrest-unlawful-directs-him-to-appear-before-ihc-tomorrow

Read more at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1751790/imran-arrest-what-is-the-al-qadir-trust-case

Several EU countries still refuse to ratify the Istanbul Convention and the vote in the European Parliament will not force them to do so but it should still confer women in these countries extra protection.

MEPs in Strasbourg on Wednesday backed the bloc's ratification of the Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty opposing violence against women and domestic violence, but the European Union countries that have yet to ratify it still won't have to. 

The EU first signed the convention in 2016 but did not ratify it due to objections from multiple member states.

A 2021 EU Court of Justice ruling said that the bloc can ratify the treaty, however, without the agreement of all EU countries.

Learn more at: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/05/10/meps-vote-for-eu-to-ratify-istanbul-convention-against-violence-against-women

Read more at: https://www.coe.int/en/web/istanbul-convention/key-facts

Read more at: https://www.newsclick.in/Istanbul-Convention-european-treaty-women-violence-became-politicized

Read more at: https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/05/heres-why-the-istanbul-convention-saves-lives/

A New York jury found on Tuesday that Donald Trump sexually abused the advice columnist E Jean Carroll in a New York department store changing room 27 years ago.

The verdict for the first time legally brands a former US president as a sexual predator. But as it is the result of a civil not criminal case, the only legal sanction Trump will face is financial.

In explaining a finding of sexual abuse to the jury, the judge said it had two elements: that Trump subjected Carroll to sexual contact without consent by use of force, and that it was for the purpose of sexual gratification.

The jury deliberated for less than three hours. It did not find Trump raped Carroll, but did find him liable for sexual abuse.

Learn more at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/09/e-jean-carroll-wins-trump-trial-verdict

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/trump-sex-assault-verdict-womens-rights-3999712da10a2c74afda2e4bcaa14617

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that Covid-19 no longer represents a "global health emergency".

The statement represents a major step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after it first declared its highest level of alert over the virus.

Officials said the virus' death rate had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24 April.

The head of the WHO said at least seven million people died in the pandemic

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65499929

When the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation gather for their annual jamboree on Friday, May 5, their main job is to prepare the way for the meeting of their leaders in the next two months. With decisions to be taken on trade and connectivity, there is a lot on the plate.

Learn more at: https://thewire.in/world/sco-foreign-ministers-leaders-summit-shanghai-russia-china

Media is referred to as the fourth estate of democracy. It is the pillar that balances and fixes accountability in the three-tier system comprising the legislative, the executive and the judiciary.The takeover of NDTV by the Adani Group, the shutdown of Amnesty International in 2020, and the raids on BBC offices are all indicators that press freedom has taken a hit in the country.

According to World Press Freedom Index 2023, compiled by Reporters Without Borders, India slipped from a rank of 150 in 2022 to 161 in 2023. In the past nine years, the country's ranking has slipped by 21 ranks from 140 in 2014.

Learn more at: https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2023/05/03/india-press-freedom-ranking-slips-bottom-20.html

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/3/map-what-is-the-state-of-press-freedom-in-the-world-today

Read more at: https://www.newslaundry.com/2023/05/03/press-freedom-index-why-afghanistan-outperformed-india-who-measures-it-and-how-accurate-is-the-data

On Tuesday, 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Since talks with Hollywood studios began March 20, the two sides have failed to reach an accord on a new three-year film TV contract to replace one that expired Monday.

A long strike could have a ripple effect on not only film and television production, but also the Southern California economy. The impact is also likely to be felt in Georgia, New York, New Mexico and other production hubs nationwide. Without writers, scripted television shows will struggle to continue filming and live late-night shows will stop immediately.

Learn more at: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-05-02/hollywoods-writers-have-gone-on-strike-heres-five-things-you-need-to-know

Read more at: https://www.vulture.com/2023/05/writers-strike-2023-questions-whats-next.html

Read more at: https://time.com/6277158/writers-strike-ai-wga-screenwriting/

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's appeal challenging the order of the Surat sessions court declining a stay to his conviction in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark will now be heard by a new judge of the Gujarat High Court on April 29.

As per the cause list published on Thursday by the High Court, Mr Gandhi's appeal will be heard by Justice Hemant Prachchhak on April 29.

Learn more at: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/gujarat-court-to-hear-rahul-gandhis-appeal-in-defamation-case-tomorrow-3986535

Read more at: https://thewire.in/law/rahul-gandhis-conviction-in-surat-case-pushes-limits-of-defamation-law

Read more at: https://scroll.in/article/1046235/has-rahul-gandhi-really-defamed-all-modis-in-india-no-say-legal-experts

Read more at: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5ccd0634-c63c-4e6d-b730-320dd2af2bde

Read more at: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/imagined-slur-on-the-implications-of-the-rahul-gandhi-defamation-case/article66703153.ece

On April 15, 2023, fighting broke out in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), both official military forces in the country at the time. The fighting rapidly spread to other cities and towns throughout the country, including to Darfur in Sudan’s western region and to eastern Sudan.

The SAF is led by Gen. Abdelfattah al-Burhan, and the RSF by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.” The two men had jointly carried out a coup against the country’s short-lived transitional government, a military-civilian government, on October 25, 2021.

Learn more at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/25/questions-and-answers-sudan-and-laws-war

Read more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/26/africa/sudan-conflict-explained-intl/index.html

French President Emmanuel Macron has signed into law his government's highly unpopular pension reforms, which raise the state pension age from 62 to 64.

It happened hours after France's top constitutional body cleared the change. The Constitutional Council rejected opposition calls for a referendum - but it also struck out some aspects of the reforms, citing legal flaws. Following the council's ruling, protesters set fires across Paris and 112 people were arrested.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-65279818

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/4/27/how-do-retirees-in-france-really-fare

Artificial intelligence (AI) is both omnipresent and conceptually slippery, making it notoriously hard to regulate. Fortunately for the rest of the world, two major experiments in the design of AI governance are currently playing out in Europe and China. The European Union (EU) is racing to pass its draft Artificial Intelligence Act, a sweeping piece of legislation intended to govern nearly all uses of AI. Meanwhile, China is rolling out a series of regulations targeting specific types of algorithms and AI capabilities. For the host of countries starting their own AI governance initiatives, learning from the successes and failures of these two initial efforts to govern AI will be crucial.

When policymakers sit down to develop a serious legislative response to AI, the first fundamental question they face is whether to take a more “horizontal” or “vertical” approach. In a horizontal approach, regulators create one comprehensive regulation that covers the many impacts AI can have. In a vertical strategy, policymakers take a bespoke approach, creating different regulations to target different applications or types of AI.

Learn more at: https://carnegieendowment.org/2023/02/14/lessons-from-world-s-two-experiments-in-ai-governance-pub-89035

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/4/13/china-spearheads-ai-regulation-after-playing-catchup-to-chatgdp

The blue-and-white flag of Finland has been raised alongside those of its western partners outside Nato’s headquarters in Brussels after the Nordic country formally became the 31st member of the transatlantic defensive alliance.

Guests including the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and the Finnish president, foreign and defence ministers applauded and shouted “bravo” at the ceremony on Tuesday, which marked a historic realignment of Europe’s security landscape.

Learn more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/04/finland-nato-member-brussels-ceremony

Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/express-view-finland-joining-nato-could-affect-delhi-too-8540941/

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/6/finlands-long-held-neutrality-is-over-what-next

Cast your minds back to just over a year ago. On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the largest ground war in Europe since the end of World War II. At the time, the situation looked bleak. Many believed that Ukraine had little hope to hold out in the face of a full-out assault by its much larger, better-armed neighbor. Russia’s military far exceeded Ukraine’s: It had nearly five times the number of active military personnel, almost five times the number of armored fighting vehicles, and ten times the number of aircraft. Overall, it spent roughly ten times the amount on its military annually. Perhaps most important, Russia possessed the largest nuclear arsenal on the planet, and it was clear that no state, not even the United States, was prepared to engage it in open warfare as a result. To top it off, Russia held one of the permanent five seats on the United Nations Security Council, which gave it a veto over any enforcement actions that the U.N. might undertake. If there was ever a case where law would capitulate to power, this was it. Indeed, as the war began, it looked like we were witnessing the end of the modern global legal order.

Learn more at: https://www.brookings.edu/on-the-record/how-russias-invasion-of-ukraine-tested-the-international-legal-order/

Italy has become the first Western country to block advanced chatbot ChatGPT.

The Italian data-protection authority said there were privacy concerns relating to the model, which was created by US start-up OpenAI and is backed by Microsoft.

The regulator said it would ban and investigate OpenAI "with immediate effect".

OpenAI told the BBC it complied with privacy laws.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-65139406

Read more at: https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/04/07/after-italy-blocked-access-to-openais-chatgpt-chatbot-will-the-rest-of-europe-follow

The Lahore high court has struck down Pakistan’s sedition law, saying that it is inconsistent with the Pakistani constitution.

The Section 124 A of the Pakistan Penal Code has thus been invalidated.

The exact same section in the Indian Penal Code deals with sedition, a law which Indian activists and even the Supreme Court has multiple times expressed reservations over, noting that it can be used unfairly by the state against dissenters. In 2022, the Supreme Court of India put the sedition law in abeyance, while the Union government reconsiders whether it should exist.

Learn more at: https://thewire.in/south-asia/pakistan-lahore-high-court-strikes-down-colonial-era-sedition-law

Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/sedition-law-pakistan-supreme-court-india-8532089/

Former US President Donald Trump is being charged with a crime in relation to a payment he made to a porn star.

The man who spent four years in the White House is now days away from being fingerprinted, given a mugshot photo and brought before a judge.

This is happening as he campaigns to become president again, in the 2024 election.

Here is what the case is about.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65136636

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/31/donald-trump-indictment

In a partial victory for Iran, judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday ruled Washington had illegally allowed courts to freeze assets of some Iranian companies and ordered the United States to pay compensation but left the amount to be determined later.

However, in a blow for Tehran, the ICJ said it did not have jurisdiction over $1.75 billion in frozen assets from Iran’s central bank.

Acting Legal Adviser Rich Visek of the U.S. State Department said in a written statement that the ruling rejected the “vast majority of Iran’s case,” notably where it concerned the assets of the central bank.

Learn more at: https://theprint.in/world/international-court-of-justice-rules-us-illegally-froze-some-iranian-assets/1485682/

The UN General Assembly will seek the opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on countries’ obligations to address climate change, following the adoption by consensus of a resolution on Wednesday. 

The resolution was put forward by the cyclone-battered Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, supported by a “core group” of 17 countries from various regions, and is focused on the adverse impacts of climate change on small island developing States as well as climate justice.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is the UN’s principal judicial organ. Although its advisory opinions are not legally binding, they carry legal authority and moral weight. 

Learn more at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1135142

Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/editorials/express-view-giving-international-court-of-justice-a-say-could-make-climate-related-processes-more-justice-oriented-8529126/

Benjamin Netanyahu resisted calls to drop his controversial overhaul of Israel’s judiciary in a fiery televised address Thursday, hours after his government passed a law that was condemned by critics as an effort to protect his position.

Israeli opposition politicians earlier condemned the new law, which would limit the ways a sitting prime minister can be declared unfit for office, describing it as a way to protect Netanyahu, who is facing an ongoing corruption trial.

By a 61-to-47 final vote, the Knesset approved the bill that states that only the prime minister himself or the cabinet, with a two-thirds majority, can declare the leader unfit. The cabinet vote would then need to be ratified by a super majority in the parliament. 

Learn more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/23/middleeast/israel-judicial-reforms-prime-minister-law-intl/index.html

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/24/israeli-govt-shows-signs-of-split-over-pms-judiciary-plans

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/24/israeli-govt-shows-signs-of-split-over-pms-judiciary-plans

Women in Afghanistan and Iran continue to fight for basic human rights, or what the united Nations term as ‘gender apartheid’. The reality of it struck when a 22 year old Mahsa Amini died after allegedly being beaten up by Iran's Moral Police for ‘not wearing the Hijab properly’.  

The Taliban rule in Afghanistan since 2021 has also squeezed out women fromt he public domain. Women have been removed from many government jobs or are paid a fraction of their former salary to stay at home. They are also barred from going to parks, fairs, gyms and public baths, and must cover up in public.  

Learn more at: https://www.livemint.com/news/world/make-gender-apartheid-a-crime-under-international-law-afghaniranianwomen-11678287605035.html

On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released a chatbot called ChatGPT. To demonstrate the chatbot’s remarkable sophistication and potential implications, for both legal services and society more generally, most of this paper was generated in about an hour through prompts within ChatGPT. Only this abstract, the preface, the outline headers, the epilogue, and the prompts were written by a person. ChatGPT generated the rest of the text with no human editing.

To be clear, the responses generated by ChatGPT were imperfect and at times problematic, and the use of an AI tool for law-related services raises a host of regulatory and ethical issues. At the same time, ChatGPT highlights the promise of artificial intelligence, including its ability to affect our lives in both modest and more profound ways. ChatGPT suggests an imminent reimagination of how we access and create information, obtain legal and other services, and prepare people for their careers. 

Learn more at: https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/issues/generative-ai-in-the-legal-profession/the-implications-of-chatgpt-for-legal-services-and-society/

Read more at: https://www.barandbench.com/law-firms/view-point/the-viewpoint-how-can-lawyers-leverage-chatgpt-for-their-practice

Read more at: https://www.jurist.org/commentary/2023/03/eliot-ai-future-lawyering/

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday said it issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the ‘alleged’ war crimes in Ukraine, specifically in connection to his alleged involvement in the abductions of children from the neighbouring country.

The ICC said in a statement that Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.” 

“There are reasonable grounds to believe that Mr. Putin bears individual criminal responsibility” for the child abductions “for having committed the acts directly, jointly with others and/or through others (and) for his failure to exercise control properly over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts,” the court said in a statement.

Learn more at: https://www.outlookindia.com/international/vladimir-putin-arrest-warrant-news-what-is-international-criminal-court-what-does-icc-arrest-warrant-mean-for-putin--news-270973

Read more at: https://theconversation.com/putin-and-the-icc-history-shows-just-how-hard-it-is-to-bring-a-head-of-state-to-justice-202247

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/17/icc-issues-arrest-warrant-for-russias-putin-over-ukraine-crimes

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has ordered that Election Commissioners will be appointed by the President of India on the advice of a Committee consisting of the Prime Minister, and leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (or leader of largest opposition party), and the Chief Justice of India. 

This practice will be enforced until a law in this regard is made by the Parliament, Justice KM Joseph reading out the judgment said.

Learn more at: https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-election-commissioner-prime-minister-leader-of-opposition-and-cji-222872

Read more at: https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-law/chief-election-commissioner-appointment-explained-supreme-court-ruling-8474745/

More than 100 countries have backed a plan by Vanuatu to enlist the UN's top court in tackling climate change, after what the nation's officials on Thursday described as a "herculean" diplomatic effort.

With rising sea levels threatening its future, Vanuatu has spearheaded a drive for the court to define what legal responsibility countries have for the changing climate and its impacts.

The 105 nations backing the move will co-sponsor a resolution at this year's UN General Assembly.

Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom are among those on board, as well as Pacific nations like Kiribati and Marshall Islands, which also face rising sea levels.

Learn more at: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230302-vanuatu-quest-for-icj-climate-ruling-backed-by-100-nations

Read more at: https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/international-courts-and-climate-change/article66564780.ece

The United Kingdom and the European Union struck a deal on February 27 regarding post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, with a view to remove the border between Britain and Northern Ireland running through the Irish Sea. The fact that the Republic of Ireland remained with the EU after Brexit led to complications on the trade front, a wrinkle that the U. K.’s conservative government ironed out with the Northern Ireland Protocol. However, the Protocol, which allowed EU customs rules to apply across Northern Ireland, led to tensions in the province. The Windsor framework is the latest attempt at a remedy to the political complexities that have impacted trade and sentiments in the area.

Learn more at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/explained-understanding-the-windsor-framework/article66569225.ece

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday stressed the importance of legal challenges against “climate-wrecking corporations” like fossil-fuel producers, ratcheting up his call for the fight against climate change—- this time before the U.N.’s top human rights body.

Guterres opened the latest session of the Human Rights Council, part of an address that decried summary executions, torture and sexual violence in places like Ukraine; antisemitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and the persecution of Christians; inequality and threats to free expression, among other issues.

Guterres also sought to undergird the concept of human rights — which have faced “public disregard and private disdain — and tie them together with environmental concerns.

Learn more at: https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-politics-new-york-city-climate-and-environment-antonio-guterres-eae595bc528caad4fa8b7da6fe3796f4

Read more at: https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-un-secretary-generals-searing-message-for-the-fossil-fuel-industry

Shamima Begum, who left the United Kingdom to join ISIS at the age of 15, has lost her appeal against the decision to revoke her British citizenship.

Judge Robert Jay gave the decision on Wednesday following a five-day hearing in November, during which her lawyers argued the UK Home Office had a duty to investigate whether she was a victim of trafficking before removing her citizenship.

The ruling does not determine if Begum can return to Britain, but whether the removal of her citizenship was lawful.

Begum, now 23 and living in a camp in northern Syria, flew to the country in 2015 with two school friends to join the ISIS terror group. In February 2019, she re-emerged and made international headlines as an “ISIS bride” after pleading with the UK government to be allowed to return to her home country for the birth of her son.

Learn more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/22/europe/shamima-begum-ruling-intl-gbr/index.html

On 24th January 2023, Hindenburg Research (“Hindenburg”), a U.S.-based research organization, published a report titled “How the World’s 3 rd Richest Man Is Pulling The Largest Con in Corporate History” on its website. According to Hindenburg, they investigated for two years, and in the report, they alleged Adani of brazen stock manipulation, accounting fraud, and improper use of tax havens. Hindenburg published the report just before the Further Public Offer (“FPO”) of ₹20,000 crore, which was called off on 1st February, 2023.

While the rift between Adani and Hindenburg continues, regulatory agencies are examining the allegations made in the report. Three Public Interest Litigation (“PILs”) were filed before the Supreme Court of India (“SC”) and out of which two were first heard on 10th February. Subsequently, on 13th February, the Central Government agreed to the suggestion of the SC to set up an expert panel to monitor the situation. It affirmed that the current statutory framework and regulatory agencies are competent to deal with the situation. This article aims to analyze the situation from the perspective of securities laws in India.

Learn more at: https://www.barandbench.com/law-firms/view-point/analysis-of-hindenburg-fiasco-concerning-adani-from-the-perspective-of-securities-law-in-india

Spain's parliament on Thursday passed legislation which makes it easier for trans people to change their gender, expands access to abortion procedures and grants menstrual leave to women suffering from severe period pain.

The laws were put forward by the country's left wing coalition government. The transgender law passed with 191 votes in favor, 60 against and 91 abstentions, following a rift in Spain's governing left-wing coalition ahead of elections scheduled for May this year.

Thursday's passed bills make Spain the first European country to introduce menstrual leave. The European country is also among the first countries worldwide to allow people to change their gender on their national identity cards with a simple declaration.

Learn more at: https://www.dw.com/en/spain-passes-laws-on-trans-rights-abortion-menstrual-leave/a-64731685

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64666356

Read more at: https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/in-historic-move-spain-approves-europe-s-first-law-on-menstrual-leave-101676556467085.html

The German Federal Constitutional Court declared the use of Palantir surveillance software by police in Hesse and Hamburg unconstitutional in a landmark ruling on Thursday (16 February).

The ruling concludes a case brought by the German Society for Civil Rights (GFF) last year, hearings for which began in December. The plaintiffs argued that the software could be used for predictive policing, raising the risk of mistakes and discrimination by law enforcement. 

The German state of Hesse has been using the software since 2017, though it is not yet in place in Hamburg. The technology is provided by Palantir, a US data analytics firm which received early backing from intelligence agencies, including the CIA, FBI and NSA. 

The case was brought on behalf of 11 plaintiffs and rested on the argument that the software programme – named ‘Hessendata’ – facilitates predictive policing by using data to create profiles of suspects before any crime has been committed. 

Learn more at: https://www.euractiv.com/section/artificial-intelligence/news/german-constitutional-court-strikes-down-predictive-algorithms-for-policing/

Read more at: https://thewire.in/tech/german-court-declares-police-use-of-data-tech-unlawful

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday signed a major climate change law that introduces a net-zero carbon target for 2050 and a carbon fee system for large emitters, a move that will make Taiwan a key player in Asia's climate policy.

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan on Jan. 10 passed the Climate Change Response Act to set a legally binding target of no net greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, meaning any such emissions would be balanced by initiatives to offset them. This includes using carbon capture and storage projects, or planting trees.

Learn more at: https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Environment/Climate-Change/Taiwan-commits-to-net-zero-carbon-emissions-by-2050

The Union of Turkish Bar Associations (TBB) has filed a complaint against the contractors and government officials they claim are responsible for the buildings leveled in Monday’s major earthquakes and the resulting high death toll, local media reported on Friday.

Turkey’s most powerful earthquake in almost 100 years, which struck near the city of Gaziantep in the early hours of Monday, has claimed the lives of 18,342 people in the country in addition to injuring more than 74,000 so far, according to the latest official figures.

The 7.8-magnitude quake was followed by dozens of aftershocks, including a 7.5-magnitude temblor that jolted the region in the middle of search and rescue efforts the same day.

Learn more at: https://www.turkishminute.com/2023/02/10/turkey-top-bar-association-file-complaint-against-contractors-govt-officials-for-murder-after-earthquake/

Read more on the earthquake: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/11/turkey-sees-miraculous-rescues-makes-arrests-quake-death-toll-tops-25000/

The Australian Government has introduced a new bill to mandate pay transparency and close the gender pay gap. 

This means that companies can officially be named and shamed for having a large gender pay gap. 

According to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), the Australian gender pay gap currently sits at 22.8%. 

In other words, men are earning $26,600 more than women. 

While men have been shown to work full time more than women (usually due to women taking on a disproportionate level of child-rearing and household responsibilities) there’s still a 14.1% gap between male and female full time workers. 

Learn more at: https://www.marieclaire.com.au/gender-pay-gap-bill-australia

Was the balloon that suddenly appeared over the United States last week undertaking surveillance? Or was it engaged in civilian scientific research, as China has claimed?

While the answers to these questions may not be immediately known, one thing is clear: the incursion of the Chinese balloon tested the bounds of international law.

This incident has also added another layer of complexity to the already strained relations between the United States and China. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s planned visit to Beijing has been postponed. And China reacted to the shooting down of the balloon with diplomatic fury.

Learn more at: https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/what-does-international-law-say-about-chinas-spy-balloon-and-the-us-response/

Read more at : https://www.outlookindia.com/international/explained-the-chinese-spy-balloon-over-usa-what-are-the-concerns-and-how-has-the-usa-responded-news-259442

The unconstitutional state of affairs doctrine, having its roots in a 1998 judgement of the Colombian Constitutional Court (CCC), has gained immense popularity due to the systemic, policy-based, manifestly illegal acts of executive branches of governments worldwide. Calls for recognizing the existence of an unconstitutional state of affairs have persistently been made in the Latin American context, and literature suggesting the presence of such a state in India has also begun to emerge. In this explainer, I evaluate the emergence and meaning of the doctrine, its evolution in Colombia, and its invocation by other constitutional courts. In addition, I also evaluate the wisdom of calling for judicial recognition of an unconstitutional state of affairs in India and the legitimacy thereof if one is recognized.

Learn more at: https://www.jurist.org/features/2023/02/03/explainer-an-unconstitutional-state-of-affairs/

Read more about the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations : https://indconlawphil.wordpress.com/2022/06/12/responding-to-illegal-home-demolitions-the-doctrine-of-an-unconstitutional-state-of-affairs/

Austria's foreign ministry said on Thursday (February 2) that it expelled four Russian diplomats, including two accredited with the United Nations in Vienna. According to a statement, the diplomats have been asked to leave Austria within a week, i.e. by February 8. The foreign ministry said that two diplomats of the Russian embassy engaged in acts incompatible with their diplomatic status. "Therefore, they are declared personae non gratae under Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations," the statement added. 

Learn more at: https://www.wionews.com/world/austria-expels-four-russian-diplomats-asks-them-to-leave-within-one-week-558277

Read more about the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations : https://legal.un.org/avl/ha/vcdr/vcdr.html

The Canadian government has decided to pay more than $2 billion in compensation to indigenous communities for withstanding nearly a century of abuse suffered mainly by children.

The amount, which will be used to “revitalise Indigenous education, culture, and language – to support survivors in healing and reconnecting with their heritage,” is a result of a class-action lawsuit put forth by 324 indigenous communities.

The money will be deposited in a not-for-profit trust independent of the government, a press release says.

Learn more at: https://www.firstpost.com/world/genocide-in-canada-country-to-pay-usd-2-billion-to-abuse-survivors-from-indigenous-communities-12032982.html

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel on Sunday dismissed a senior minister recently convicted of tax fraud to comply with a Supreme Court ruling that disqualified the minister from serving, shaking the right-wing government just weeks after it came to power.

By complying with the court’s ruling to remove the minister, Aryeh Deri, Mr. Netanyahu avoided an instant, head-on clash with the judiciary at a time when the country is already locked in a fierce debate over government plans for a judicial overhaul. Tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the plans to limit the judiciary’s powers, seen by many as a challenge to Israel’s democratic system. About 130,000 protesters came out on Saturday night in Tel Aviv and other cities, according to the Israeli news media.

Learn more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/22/world/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-minister.html

Thousands of protestors Saturday, under chilly winter rain, poured into streets across three major cities in Israel to protest Prime Minister Netanyahu’s judicial reforms bill. Those opposed the Supreme Court chief justice and the country’s attorney general.

Learn more at: https://www.firstpost.com/world/israel-what-are-netanyahus-judicial-reforms-that-have-led-thousands-to-protest-11990222.html

Read more at: https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-clash-over-high-court-override-its-minority-rights-against-majoritys-will/

Read more at: https://www.voanews.com/a/israel-new-government-unveils-plan-to-weaken-supreme-court/6904535.html

The standoff between India and U.S. tech giants will intensify in 2023 as New Delhi cooks up its own regulatory medicine for the world’s second most populous internet market—an unusual concoction of Europe’s strict antitrust approach and Chinese-style government surveillance.

Three significant pieces of legislation likely to pass in 2023 will harden positions on both sides.

Learn more at: https://www.livemint.com/technology/tech-news/indias-face-off-with-big-tech-will-intensify-in-2023-11672833431932.html

Read more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/01/02/perspectives/big-tech-facebook-google-amazon-microsoft-antitrust/index.html

Read more at: https://www.vox.com/recode/22822916/big-tech-antitrust-monopoly-regulation

Germany has rebuffed the latest push by Poland’s nationalist government for vast reparations over World War II, saying in response to a diplomatic note that the issue was closed, the foreign ministry in Warsaw said on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said it had responded to a letter sent by Poland on the subject in October and did not comment on the contents of diplomatic correspondence.

Poland estimates its World War II losses caused by Germany at $1.4 trillion and has demanded reparations, but Berlin has repeatedly said all financial claims related to the war have been settled.

Learn more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/04/europe/poland-germany-wwii-reparations-intl-scli-grm/index.html

Read more at: https://tvpworld.com/64598772/wwii-legal-basis-for-poland-war-reparations

In an important development, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the fundamental rights enshrined in Articles 19 and 21 are enforceable even against persons other than the state or its instrumentalities. 

“A fundamental right under Article 19/21 can be enforced even against persons other than the State or its instrumentalities”, the majority judgment held.

Learn more at: https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/article-19-21-rights-can-be-enforced-against-private-individuals-entities-supreme-court-holds-by-41-majority-218007

Mexico's Supreme Court elected the first female chief justice in its history Monday, January 2, 2023.

Justice Norma Lucía Piña was sworn in for her four-year term at the head of the 11-member court, pledging to maintain the independence of the country's highest court.

“Judicial independence is indispensable in resolving conflicts between the branches of government,” Ms. Piña said Monday in laying out her plans. “My main proposal is to work to build majorities, leaving aside my personal vision.”

Learn more at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/mexicos-supreme-court-elects-first-female-chief-justice/article66331774.ece

The world population is projected to be 7.9 billion people on New Year's Day 2023, with 73.7 million people added since New Year's Day 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau said Thursday. 

That marks a 0.9% increase in the world population over the past year.

During January 2023, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second, the Census Bureau said.

Learn more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/international/world-news-politics/world-population-projected-at-79-billion-on-new-years-day-1176400.html

Jailed former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak received a presidential pardon on Tuesday, cutting short his 17-year sentence on corruption charges, the justice minister said.

Lee was on a list of more than 1,300 people who received special pardons "from the perspective of broad national unity through reconciliation, tolerance and consideration", Han Dong-hoon told reporters after a Cabinet meeting with President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The 81-year-old Lee, who in June was granted a temporary release from jail due to his age and deteriorating health, is serving 17 years for bribery and embezzlement.

Learn more at: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/south-korea-pardons-former-president-lee-myung-bak-jailed-on-corruption-charges-3641053

THE Madras High Court has rejected a petition seeking equal numbers or 30 per cent reservation for women advocates in the conferment of designation as senior advocates. A bench comprising Justices M. Sundar and N. Sathish Kumar passed a judgment to this effect calling the petition a misplaced one since conferring the status of a senior advocate is a privilege, not a post where reservation could be made.

The bench also questioned the locus of the petitioner – S. Lawrence Vimalraj, who was neither an applicant seeking the senior gown nor did he file a petition as a public interest litigation.

Learn more at: https://theleaflet.in/madras-high-court-turns-down-petition-seeking-30-50-reservation-for-women-in-senior-advocate-designation/

Zambia on Saturday finally abolished two British colonial-era laws: the death penalty and any criticism of the country's leader being a punishable offence. The southern African country gained independence in 1964. Since then, rules made during colonisation were followed.  The decision comes during the presidency of Hakainde Hichilema, whose party promised to abolish these rules if they are elected, AFP reported. 

The party had been trying to abolish these rules for so long but was in opposition for two decades, and now the decision has been made. 

A presidential spokesperson said, "President Hakainde Hichilema has assented to the penal code of 2022 abolishing the imposition of the death penalty and the offence of criminal defamation of the president, which has been on the Zambian statute books since (the) pre-independence era."

Learn more at: https://www.wionews.com/world/speak-free-zambias-president-announces-abolishment-of-death-penalty-and-defamation-of-president-crime-546335

Pakistan has amended a section of the country's criminal law to repeal a colonial-era legislation against suicide, the president's office announced.

The development came in the form of an amendment, signed late Friday by President Arif Alvi and announced by his office on Twitter. The amendment, introduced by the secular Pakistan People's Party, was approved by the parliament's upper house, or Senate, three months ago.

Under the previous legislation — a vestige of colonial times from before the 1947 partition that carved out India and Pakistan from the former British Empire — attempted suicide was punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine or both in Pakistan.

Learn more at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pakistan-repeals-colonial-era-law-against-suicide/article66301856.ece

Read more at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1728642

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2022/10/10/suicide-is-not-a-crime-countries-must-stop-treating-it-as

The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, insurrection recommends barring former President Donald Trump from holding office again.

The recommendation is among the conclusions of the panel’s final report, a comprehensive overview of the bipartisan panel’s findings on how Trump and his allies sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election, released late Thursday evening.

The 845-page report – based on 1,000-plus interviews, documents collected including emails, texts, phone records and a year and a half of investigation – includes allegations that Trump “oversaw” the legally dubious effort to put forward fake slates of electors in seven states he lost, arguing that the evidence shows he actively worked to “transmit false Electoral College ballots to Congress and the National Archives” despite concerns among his lawyers that doing so could be unlawful.

Learn more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/22/politics/jan-6-committee-final-report/index.html

Read more at: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-823941a7a7a7e8e354d3ce64ac8b5d99

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/us/politics/jan-6-committee-report-legacy.html

The European Commission said on Thursday it would hold back all 22 billion euros of EU cohesion funds for Hungary until its government meets conditions related to judiciary independence, academic freedoms, LGBTQI rights and the asylum system.

EU institutions had already decided on Dec. 12 to freeze 6.3 billion euros of the funds until the right-wing and eurosceptic government of Viktor Orban meets an even tougher set of 17 conditions also linked to the judiciary and dealing with corruption at high levels.

Learn more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/eu-holds-back-all-hungarys-cohesion-funds-over-rights-concerns-2022-12-22/

Female university students in Afghanistan were turned away from campuses on Wednesday after the Taliban-run administration said women would be suspended from tertiary education.

The decision to bar women was announced on Tuesday evening in a letter to universities from the higher education ministry, drawing condemnation from foreign governments and the United Nations.

"We went to university, the Taliban were at the gate and told us 'you are not allowed to enter the university until further notice' ... everyone was crying," said Shaista, a business studies student at a private university in Kabul.

Learn more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/female-students-turned-away-afghan-universities-after-taliban-ban-2022-12-21/

The UN COP15 biodiversity summit has reached an agreement to protect almost a third of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030, despite the deep divide between wealthy and developing countries that has dogged UN climate and nature negotiations.

In the early hours of Monday, a framework was signed off by almost 200 countries that would safeguard at least 30 per cent of the world’s land, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. Presently, 17 per cent and 10 per cent of land and marine areas respectively are under protection.

Learn more at: https://www.ft.com/content/9bb13b79-c2d8-41e7-965f-467929109558

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64030656

The UK government’s plan to send asylum seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is legal, two High Court judges have ruled in a victory for backers of the controversial policy.

But the judges also said on Monday that the government failed to consider the individual circumstances of the people it tried to deport, signalling further legal battles ahead.

A court hearing in the case is set for next month, and appeals are likely.

Several asylum seekers, aid groups and a border officials’ union filed lawsuits to stop the Conservative government from acting on a deportation agreement with Rwanda that would see refugees who arrive in the UK by boat sent to the East African country.

Learn more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/19/uks-bid-to-send-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-is-lawful-high-court

Sweden’s top court on Monday rejected an extradition request for a man wanted by Turkey, saying the Scandinavian country does not criminalize the act he is accused of committing.

In a statement, the Swedish Supreme Court said there were “obstacles to extradition because it is a matter of so-called political crimes, i.e. crimes that are directed against the state and that are political in nature.”

The court in Stockholm said there was “a risk of persecution based on the person’s political views” if he were returned to Turkey.

The court did not name the man who was the subject of Turkey’s request. Swedish news agency TT identified him as Bulent Kenes and said the Turkish government wants him in connection with a 2016 coup attempt.

Learn more at: https://apnews.com/article/nato-politics-turkey-extradition-sweden-a26a3c9d4ec94ba2586fab4b4c7b14de

Climate change has driven an “unprecedented” number of larger and more deadly cholera outbreaks around the world this year, the UN health agency, WHO, said on Friday.

“The map is under threat (from cholera) everywhere,” said Dr. Philippe Barboza, from the World Health Organization, speaking in Geneva, via Zoom.

Available data points to cases of infection in around 30 countries, whereas in the previous five years, fewer than 20 countries reported infections, on average.

Learn more at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131787

The number of journalists imprisoned around the world has hit a new record, according to an annual tally by press freedom watchdog, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres, or RSF).

A total of 533 media professionals were imprisoned in 2022, up from 488 last year, the RSF’s Annual Press Freedom Review published on Wednesday found.

“More than a quarter of them were imprisoned during the year,” said the Paris-based watchdog which has been publishing the annual tally since 1995.

More than half are jailed in just five countries: China, which remains “the world’s biggest jailer of journalists” with 110, followed by Myanmar (62), Iran (47), Vietnam (39) and Belarus (31).

Learn more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/14/number-of-journalists-imprisoned-worldwide-hits-new-record-rsf

The 54-member UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on Wednesday adopted a resolution to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) for the remainder of its four-year term ending in 2026. 

The development comes in the wake of the country’s brutal crackdown on protests calling for justice for Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman who died in police custody in September. 

The CSW meets annually in March at UN Headquarters in New York and is described as the biggest gathering of gender equality advocates in the world. 

Learn more at: https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/12/1131722

Read more at: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/14/world/middleeast/iran-un-womens-rights-vote.html

Britain’s ‘winter of discontent’ does not seem to end in the near future. After a 48-hour strike by rail workers which lasted till Wednesday (14 December), now nurses across the UK have walked out demanding higher pay amid soaring inflation.

More than tens of thousands of members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) – the UK’s biggest nursing union – in England, Wales and Northern Ireland kicked off a strike today (15 December).

Learn more at: https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/uk-strikes-nhs-nurses-rail-workers-port-royal-mail-11814781.html

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-63946730

Twenty-five people have been arrested in raids across Germany on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the government.

The group of far-right and ex-military figures are said to have prepared for a "Day X" to storm the Reichstag parliament building and seize power.

A man named as Heinrich XIII, from an old aristocratic family, is alleged to have been central to their plans.

According to federal prosecutors, he is one of two alleged ringleaders among those arrested across 11 German states.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63885028

Read more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/germany-coup-plot-who-was-behind-it-how-dangerous-was-it-2022-12-08/

Read more at: https://www.dw.com/en/heinrich-xiii-germanys-far-right-prince-who-planned-a-coup/a-64031542

Peru's new President Dina Boluarte was on Thursday facing pressure to form a government, a day after the country was thrown into political chaos by the dramatic arrest of her predecessor who stands accused of attempting a coup.

The South American country's first-ever woman leader asked the opposition for a truce as she tried to end the turmoil sparked by Pedro Castillo, who had attempted to dissolve parliament and rule by decree.

Castillo's efforts were quickly stamped out by lawmakers who voted him out of office in a dizzying day of high drama, by the end of which former vice-president Boluarte had emerged as the country's new head of state.

She took the oath of office within two hours of the impeachment vote, donning the presidential sash in front of Congress and vowing to serve out the rest of Castillo's term, until July 2026.

Learn more at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/peru-gets-new-president-after-predecessors-arrest/article66239116.ece

Read more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/9/who-is-dina-boluarte-perus-accidental

The Al Jazeera network has submitted a case against Israeli forces at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the killing of Shireen Abu Aqla.

The Palestinian-American journalist was shot in the head during an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank in May.

The Israeli military concluded that one of its soldiers probably killed her, but called her death unintentional.

Al Jazeera said that was completely unfounded and that its evidence showed it was a "deliberate killing".

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-63871856

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has declined to issue a decision in an international dispute over the Silala River, one of several water-related issues that have spurred tensions between Chile and Bolivia.

Chile is in the middle of an historic, massive 13-year drought, and Bolivia is likewise experiencing parched conditions, as La Nina weather conditions return to the region for a third straight year, causing a shortage of rain.

But in its judgement on Thursday, the Hague-based, United Nations court said the two countries appeared to be in agreement about the river’s status as “an international watercourse”, subject to international law.

The judges urged the South American neighbours to work together on issues surrounding the frontier waterway, saying a “shared resource can only be protected through cooperation”.

Learn more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/1/icj-declines-to-issue-decision-in-chile-bolivia-river-dispute

Singapore’s parliament has decriminalised sex between men, but has amended the constitution to effectively block full marriage equality.

The British colonial-era law penalised sex between men with up to two years in jail, although the statute was not actively enforced.

The law had long been criticised as discriminatory and stigmatising to the LGBTQ+ community.

Learn more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/30/singapore-lifts-gay-sex-ban-but-blocks-path-toward-marriage-equality

An overwhelming majority of the French National Assembly Thursday voted to add the right to abortion to the country’s constitution. The vote was proposed during a niche parlementaire, a day when one of the minority parties in the National Assembly controls its agenda. 337 members of France’s lower house of Parliament voted in favor of the motion, 32 members voted against and 18 abstained. The bill would add an article to the constitution to recognize that French law “guarantees the effectiveness of and equal access to the right to voluntary interruption of pregnancy.”

Learn more at: https://www.jurist.org/news/2022/11/french-national-assembly-advances-right-to-abortion-constitutional-amendment/

New Zealand's Supreme Court has ruled that the country's current voting age of 18 is discriminatory, meaning parliament must discuss whether it should be lowered.

The case was brought by campaign group Make It 16, which wants the voting age reduced to include 16 and 17 year olds.

"This is history," Make It 16 co-director Caeden Tipler said.

The group argued that young people should be able to vote on matters affecting them, such as climate change.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63699786

Read more at: https://www.npr.org/2022/11/21/1138184307/new-zealand-lawmakers-will-vote-on-whether-to-lower-the-national-voting-age-to-1

Canada has sanctioned former Haitian President Michel Martelly and two former prime ministers for financing gangs, Canadian authorities said on Sunday, the latest in a series of measures targeting alleged backers of Haitian criminal groups.

In September, Haitian gangs created a humanitarian crisis by blocking a fuel terminal for nearly six weeks, halting most economic activity and triggering U.N. discussion of a possible foreign strike force to open the terminal.

Canada and the United States have sanctioned political leaders who allegedly finance the gangs, which according to policy makers are backed by Haitian elites.

Learn more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-sanctions-haiti-ex-president-martelly-financing-gangs-2022-11-20/

The United States administration on 17 November ruled that the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has immunity in the Jamal Khashoggi murder case from the jurisdiction of US courts.

As per reports, Khashoggi, a columnist for the Washington Post, was murdered by alleged order from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as Khashoggi wrote critically of the crown prince and his policies.

Though the Saudi crown prince had denied his involvement and blamed the event on rogue operatives, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, have concluded the order likely came from highest levels of the Saudi government, reported Al Jazeera.

Learn more at: https://www.livemint.com/news/world/jamal-khashoggi-murder-timeline-saudi-crown-prince-gets-us-immunity-all-details-here-11668776599300.html

Read more at: https://www.jurist.org/news/2022/11/biden-administration-saudi-crown-prince-should-have-immunity-from-us-lawsuit-over-jamal-khashoggi-murder/

The latest round of UN climate talks opened with familiar warnings as several major reports released in the run-up painted a bleak picture of worsening climate impacts and a significant lack of progress on cutting emissions. UN secretary-general António Guterres concluded that the world was “on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”

These warnings exacerbated the distrust between developing and developed countries that has plagued the UN climate process for years. In the end, developing countries achieved a major breakthrough on one of their biggest asks, but the talks were left wanting on stronger emissions reductions and fossil fuel phase-out.

Learn more at: https://impact.economist.com/sustainability/five-key-takeaways-cop27

Read more at: https://theecologist.org/2022/nov/15/losing-it-cop27

A row has erupted in Spain after it emerged a landmark law to toughen penalties for sex crimes is being used by lawyers to reduce clients' existing sentences.

The "only yes means yes" law was prompted by the notorious 2016 Manada or "wolf pack" case, when five men raped an 18-year-old woman in Pamplona.

The new law took effect last month.

But, according to Spanish media, at least four sex offenders can now leave jail early as a result of the change.

Lawyers have also won sentence reductions for convicted abusers in at least eight other cases.

A lawyer for the Manada gang, Agustín Martínez, also revealed he was working to get a reduced sentence for one of the five convicted of the attack.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63662930

Three of Australia's 'big four' banks settled separate class action lawsuits for A$126 million ($84.51 million) with Slater & Gordon (SGH.AX), who took the banks to court two years ago over sale of credit insurance products, the companies said on Monday.

Law firm Slater & Gordon in 2020 filed class action lawsuits against Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX), Westpac Banking Corp (WBC.AX), and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ.AX) on behalf of around one million customers.

The lawsuit alleged the entities and associated parties made customers believe their policy payments were "compulsory or provided value to them", as well as misled or were deceptive in conduct over selling or issuing policies with no value, the law firm said.

Learn more at: https://www.reuters.com/legal/australias-anz-pay-28-mln-settle-consumer-credit-insurance-lawsuit-2022-11-13/

Iran has issued a first death sentence over protests that have mounted a fierce challenge to four decades of hardline clerical rule, as rights groups warn that a wave of executions may follow as leaders try to end nearly two months of sustained nationwide dissent.

The execution was ordered for an unidentified person for allegedly setting fire to a government building. It followed 227 of Iran’s 290 lawmakers voting earlier this month to implement the death penalty for serious crimes against the state, and repeated demands by some officials to take a harder line against unrest that shows little sign of abating.

Learn more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/nov/14/iran-issues-first-death-sentence-protests-mahsa-amini

The last co-conspirators jailed for the 1991 assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi have been released from prison, one day after an order from the country’s Supreme Court.

Gandhi, 46, was killed by a female suicide bomber at an election rally in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu in a plot by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Sri Lankan armed separatist group.

India’s apex court allowed the release of the six convicts, citing their “satisfactory conduct” in prison and the fact that they had already served more than 30 years behind bars.

Three of the six – Nalini Sriharan, her husband Murugan, and Santhan – were released from two prisons in Vellore on Saturday, about 140km (87 miles) from the regional capital Chennai, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

Learn more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/12/killers-of-ex-indian-pm-rajiv-gandhi-walk-free-after-court-order

In Iran, sharing a meal can be a revolutionary act. University dining halls, which for decades have been gender-segregated spaces, have become a new front line in the country’s uprising.

Students chanting “woman, life, freedom” are risking expulsion, assault and arrest in a struggle to eat lunch together. When authorities have closed campus cafeterias in retaliation, students have congregated outside for protest picnics.

How a viral song became the unofficial anthem of Iran’s protests : https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/10/04/iran-protests-song-shervin-hajipour-arrested/

Learn more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/11/04/iran-protests-students-hijab-amini/

A UK subsidiary of mining giant Glencore has been ordered to pay more than £275m for bribing officials in African countries to get access to oil.

The company paid $26m (£23m) through agents and employees to officials of crude oil firms in Nigeria, Cameroon and Ivory Coast between 2011 and 2016.Prosecutors said Glencore Energy UK employees and agents used private jets to transfer cash to pay the bribes.

Glencore Energy UK pleaded guilty to seven corruption offences in June.It was ordered to pay a fine of £182.9m by Judge Peter Fraser at Southwark Crown Court, who also approved £93.5m to be confiscated from the company.Along with five charges of bribery, the subsidiary admitted charges of failing to prevent agents from using bribes to secure oil contracts in Equatorial Guinea and South Sudan.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/business-63497376 

In August 2018, Tej Narayan Tharu fell to his death while while working on a site at the Qatar World Cup. One moment, he was a 24-year-old with a family and a future. The next, he was a cremated statistic. In Itahari, Nepal, as flames engulfed his coffin, his wife wailed and collapsed in grief. In Qatar, though, he became a footnote to a broader controversy.

Throughout a yearslong debate over the human cost of the 2022 World Cup, FIFA and the Qatari organizing committee have maintained that Tharu is one of three migrant workers who’ve died building it.

Countless Westerners believe that he is one of thousands.

More questions of Human Rights Violations: https://www.deccanherald.com/business/thousands-of-workers-evicted-in-qatars-capital-ahead-of-world-cup-1157584.html

Learn more at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/samindrakunti/2022/10/31/qatar-world-cup-comes-with-human-rights-abuses-and-controversy/

Learn more at: https://sports.yahoo.com/how-many-workers-died-building-the-qatar-world-cup-misinformation-conceals-the-true-scandal-204743895.html

The Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have agreed to permanently end hostilities, in a significant step toward ending the grinding war that has seen thousands of people killed, millions displaced, and millions more left in urgent need of food assistance.

The two sides said on Wednesday evening that they would “permanently silence the guns and end the two years of conflict in northern Ethiopia” in a joint statement published after delegates shook hands.

Background on the War: https://www.vox.com/world/2022/11/3/23438725/ethiopia-tigray-peace-deal-cessation-hostilities

Learn more at: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/11/02/africa/ethiopia-cessation-hostilities-intl/index.html

With the Ukraine-Russia crisis entering its 253rd day, cross-shelling continues amidst a number of actions bearing global implications. With imminent news on threats to global food security and nuclear arms, world members begin expressing concern.  

Chronological updates on the Crisis: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/3/russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-day-253 

Learn more at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/11/3/russia-backs-out-of-grain-deal-doesnt-attack-ships-rejoins 

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63488547 

The son of immigrants, a second-attempt success, an advocate of the Brexit-move and a fantasized Jedi Knight- Indian-origin MP Rishi Sunak was appointed as the first Prime Minister of color of the UK in light of UK's debilitating economic crisis that ensued under the Truss reign.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-62596329 

Two Chinese nationals have been charged with paying thousands of dollars in cash and jewellery to obstruct a federal investigation into a major telecommunications company.

According to prosecutors, the two men attempted to recruit a US law enforcement official as an intelligence asset to help interfere with the probe.

The official, however, was working as a double agent for the FBI.

Eleven other Chinese citizens were also charged in two other spying cases.

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-63378817

Indian Space Research Organisations' heaviest rocket LVM3-M2 on its maiden commercial mission on Sunday successfully placed 36 broadband communication satellites of a UK-based customer into the intended orbits, the space agency said, describing the mission as 'historic'. 

OneWeb Ltd is the UK-based customer of NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL), ISRO's commercial arm, and a global communication network powered from space, enabling internet connectivity for governments and businesses. Bharti Enterprises is one of the major investors in OneWeb. 

The liftoff from southern India was the first launch for London-based OneWeb since breaking with the Russian Space Agency in March because of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. 

Learn more at: https://www.outlookindia.com/national/in-a-historic-feat-isro-successfully-launches-36-communication-satellites-in-leo-news-232039

• Turkey's Parliament last week ratified a law introducing jail terms for journalists and social media users who spread "fake news," or disinformation.

• The law, proposed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, comes eight months before the country's general election.

• "With this new law … the goal is to control social media because conventional media is already under Erdogan's control," an exiled Turkish journalist told CNBC.

Learn more at: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2022/10/21/turkish-reporters-slam-countrys-new-fake-news-law.html

New Zealand has bid its farewell to grandiloquent memos and sesquipedalian documents, passing a new law to banish jargon and complex language from its bureaucracy.

The Plain Language Act, which requires officials to use plain, easily understood language when communicating with the public, passed its third reading on Wednesday night. The government says it will make for a more inclusive democracy, particularly for people who speak English as a second language, people with disabilities, and those with lower levels of education.

Learn more at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/20/new-zealand-passes-plain-language-bill-to-jettison-jargon

India's competition regulator on Thursday ordered Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Google to change its approach to its Android platform and fined the U.S. tech company 13.38 billion Indian rupees ($161.95 million) for anticompetitive practices.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) said Google leveraged its dominant position in markets such as online search and app store for Android, to protect the position of its apps like Chrome and YouTube in mobile Web browsers and online video hosting.

CCI also restricted Google from certain revenue sharing agreements with smartphone makers, noting that such practices helped Google to secure exclusivity for its search services "to the total exclusion of competitors." 

Learn more at: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-competition-regulator-fines-google-16195-mln-anti-competitive-practices-2022-10-20/

The Law Commission of England and Wales will set about reviewing private international legal challenges involving cryptocurrencies through a government-commissioned project.

The review, launched on Oct. 18, will provide clarity on how international law approaches emerging technologies like cryptocurrencies, digital assets and electronic documentation.

The law reform project, dubbed "Digital Assets: Which Law, Which Court?" will outline current international legal rules and their application to digital contexts with the purview of making recommendations for legal reforms to keep United Kingdom laws relevant.

Learn more at: https://cointelegraph.com/news/uk-law-commission-to-review-international-laws-on-crypto-to-consider-legal-reforms

The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled Thursday that internal legislation by an employer prohibiting the visible wearing of all religious, philosophical or spiritual signs at work does not constitute direct discrimination.

The background to the ruling was a legal dispute ongoing since 2018 in front of Belgian courts between a Muslim woman and SCRL, a company which manages social housing.

The woman indicated during a job interview that she would not remove her Islamic headscarf during work in order to comply with the company’s policy of neutrality promoted in the terms of employment.

Learn more at: https://www.politico.eu/article/prohibit-religious-sign-employer-is-not-discrimination-eu-court-justice-ruling/

Russia on Tuesday added United States tech giant Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, to a list of “terrorist and extremist” organisations, according to a database of the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring, Rosfinmonitoring.

Russia in late March banned Facebook and Instagram for “carrying out extremist activities” after authorities accused Meta of tolerating “Russophobia” during Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.

Learn more at: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/russia-adds-meta-to-terrorists-and-extremists-organisations-list/article65996986.ece

Fault Liability

Under Article II of the Liability Convention, a launching state bears absolute liability for any damage occurring on the surface of the Earth or to an aircraft in flight. This means that, regardless of whose fault it was, the launching state is fully liable. Perhaps the only instance of this provision being invoked was the case of the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954, which crashed onto Canadian soil.[3] In such cases, there is no dispute about “fault”. The only element that matters is damage.

For damage that occurs in outer space, Article III of the Liability Convention provides for fault-based liability. The elements which must be proven are that a space object of one state, due to that state’s ‘fault’, caused damage to the space object of another state. While the space environment makes it difficult to prove that one space object collided with another space object—let alone proof of legal causation—this problem can increasingly be mitigated through technology. As Space Situational Awareness (SSA) improves through better ground- and space-based sensors, as well as our increased knowledge of orbital dynamics, causation may be easier to demonstrate. Yet the concept of ‘fault’ presents something of a legal black hole.

Learn more at: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/not-so-toothless-norms-for-outer-space/

A Palestinian legal organisation has condemned the British government's consideration to move its embassy in Israel from the capital, Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem, asserting that it directly contradicts the United Kingdom's recognition of East Jerusalem as an occupied territory and its commitments to international law.

In a statement by the UK-based International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), it addressed the British Prime Minister Liz Truss's guarantee to her Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, last month that her office will review the British embassy's location, which opened the potential for it to be moved to Jerusalem.

Calling it a "radical shift in the UK Government's position on Jerusalem", the ICJP expressed its concern over the move's legality and "the implications this may have on any permanent status negotiations between Israel and Palestine."

By iterating that Israel's "status as an occupying power comes with responsibility of maintaining that status … under international law", it stated that Tel Aviv's "actions of destruction and confiscation of the land fall squarely in violation with its obligations", one of which is the attempted annexation of East Jerusalem.

"Israel's desire for His Majesty's Government (HMG) to move the UK embassy to Jerusalem must be viewed as another step towards Israel's unlawful and consistently condemned attempts to transform the status of Jerusalem by international bodies and the international community", the ICJP stated.

Learn more at: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20221006-palestine-legal-group-moving-uk-embassy-to-jerusalem-against-commitments-to-international-law/

As the leaders of 44 European countries meet in Prague on Thursday, at a historic first meeting of a new political club of nations, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said all members must show “respect for international law and protection of human rights… not only in words but also in deeds.”

The Prague gathering is the inaugural summit of the European Political Community (EPC), a format that is a brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron and brings together the 27 European Union members with 17 other European countries. Russia is not invited.

Learn more at: https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1195009/greek-pm-calls-for-respect-for-international-law-as-europes-new-club-meets/

On October 29, 2021, the Congressional Study Group on Foreign Relations and National Security convened over Zoom to discuss legal and policy issues surrounding a possible military conflict between the United States and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) over Taiwan. In recent months, China has ramped up its bellicose rhetoric and military activity in the Taiwan straits, leading Taiwanese, PRC, and American officials to increasingly discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. This has in turn raised questions over the legal authorities and obligations of the U.S. government in relation to Taiwan, including questions of recognition, arms sales, security commitments, and war powers.

The group was joined by two outside experts with extensive experience in this area: professor Julian Ku of Hofstra University School of Law, an expert in international law, constitutional law, and China-U.S. relations; and professor Margaret Lewis of Seton Hall Law School who focuses on the law in both China and Taiwan, with a particular focus on human rights. Lewis joined the study group remotely from Taiwan, where she was teaching and conducting field research.

Learn more at: https://www.brookings.edu/research/law-and-possible-conflict-over-taiwan/

The Human Rights Council this afternoon held an interactive dialogue on the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Ukraine, as well as an enhanced interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, both under its agenda item 10 on technical assistance and capacity building.

Christian Salazar Volkmann, Director of the Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the Russian Federation’s wide-scale armed attack had resulted in a dire human rights situation across Ukraine.  The people in Ukraine had experienced unspeakable suffering and devastation, as the armed conflict had led to a wide range of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law affecting both civilians and combatants.  Civilians continued to bear the brunt of the hostilities.  As of yesterday, the Office of the High Commissioner had documented 6,114 civilians killed, including 390 children, and 9,132 injured, including 690 children.  Mr. Salazar Volkmann stressed that the real figures were likely considerably higher.  The Council and the international community should do everything possible to prevent further escalation, encourage all efforts at peace, and ensure respect for international human rights and humanitarian law in Ukraine.

Learn more at: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/human-rights-council-discusses-situation-human-rights-ukraine-and-democratic

SUELLA BRAVERMAN’S “barbaric” plan to ban refugees who cross the Channel from claiming asylum in Britain is a “blatant breach of international law,” refugee rights groups have warned.

The Home Secretary was expected to announce the new powers in her first big speech to Tory Party conference today.

Under new legislation, a blanket ban would be imposed on anyone arriving to Britain via irregular routes, including by small boat across the Channel, from claiming asylum.

The proposals go further than the Nationality and Borders Act, which reduced the ability of people to claim asylum in Britain, but has exceptions.

Learn more at: https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/b/bravermans-asylum-ban-plans-blatant-breach-international-law-charities-warn