Search Results for: 2007-02-14

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) found Switzerland guilty of three human rights violations Tuesday. The ECHR determined that Swiss courts failed to adequately address the question of whether racial profiling was at play when police subjected Mohamed Shee Wa Baile, a Swiss national, to an identity check at Zürich station while on his [...]

The Paris court of appeal lightened a one-year prison sentence for former French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy was facing charges over alleged illegal campaign financing in his 2012 re-election campaign. The court also on affirmed a lower court’s guilty verdict. Vincent Desry, the former president’s attorney, claimed in a press interview Wednesday that Sarkozy was [...]

“For by wise counsel, thou shalt make thy war.” Proverbs 24:6 Though one might think otherwise, there is no Palestinian state at present, nor has there ever been such a state in the past. Still, once the current Gaza War comes to an end – and whatever the tangible correlates of any war termination agreements [...]

The town of Alice Springs in Australia’s Northern Territory has faced unprecedented levels of crime in recent years. Alcohol-related crimes have increased by 55 percent in the town since 2020, and as a result, alcohol restrictions have now been introduced in Alice Springs. Concerns have arisen, however, due to the stereotyping of the large indigenous [...]

Recently, Thailand passed an important human rights law following significant pressure from many parties including NGOs, victims of torture, relatives of the dead and missing, and investigative journalists. On 24 October 2022, the King signed into law the Prevention and Suppression of Torture and Enforced Disappearances Act which Parliament enacted on 26 August 2022. This [...]

Introduction “National Security lies not in protecting our borders but in reversing the substantial erosion of civil liberties.” – Theresa May The Indian Government, to deal with the 1958 Naga insurgency, enacted the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act of 1958. AFSPA aims to protect armed forces and carry out operations in conflict prone areas. The [...]

As the daily cases of COVID-19 in India have proved all the expected rates of decline wrong, the Government continues to rely on the 123-year-old Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 (“The Act”) to try and bring some semblance of control to the situation. The Supreme Court, in a decision dated 17th November 2020, refused to adjudicate [...]

In the late 1920s scratch farmers and loggers were facing an unseen threat in the isolated forests of the inland Pacific Northwest of America. Crops were scarred and charred. They had stunted timber yields. The culprit turned out to be a huge zinc smelter In Trail, British Columbia that bellowed sulfurous fumes from across the [...]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is considering rolling back payday and title loan regulations designed to protect consumers from dangerous debt traps. Considered part of America’s democratization of credit, payday and title loans are offered by a multi-billion-dollar industry that is growing at a rate that far exceeds the rest of the financial services [...]

Mercury is one of the most toxic substances on earth. When inhaled or ingested by humans, mercury can cause severe neurological damage, cardiovascular harm, endocrine disruption, kidney damage and muscle coordination issues. When pregnant women are exposed, their babies can suffer IQ and motor skills impairments that will last their lifetime. Through rain, snow or [...]