New US government rule cuts back on oil and gas activities in Alaska reserve
The US Department of the Interior announced a new rule on Friday that limits future oil and gas activities in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, which spans 23 million acres. The rule amends existing federal regulations that the Bureau of Land Management uses to protect the reserve from environmental harm and gives the bureau more authority [...]
Radio Free Asia to close Hong Kong bureau citing safety concerns
Radio Free Asia’s (RFA) president, Bay Fang, announced Friday that the news organization has already closed its Hong Kong bureau and will “no longer have full-time personnel in Hong Kong” due to safety concerns after the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. The statement cited actions by Hong Kong authorities, who have referred to [...]
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine bleeds into its third year, JURIST spoke with Anton Korynevych, Ambassador-at-large for Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an expert in international criminal law. In their discussion, Korynevych and JURIST Interviews Managing Editor James Joseph discussed the imperative of establishing a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, [...]
UN report calls for UK to take 'urgent action' to combat violence against women and girls
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, published a statement on Wednesday calling for the UK government to take “urgent action” to end all forms of violence against women and girls. The UK government invited Alsalem to visit the country after labeling violence against women and girls a “national threat” [...]
Nigeria human rights commission reports increase in domestic human rights violations
The National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (NHRC) expressed its fears on Wednesday about the rising increase of human rights violation cases. At the inauguration of the human rights dashboard and observatory on Tuesday, senior advisor to the executive secretary of the commission Hillary Ogbonna highlighted key issues. Human rights violations in Nigeria include domestic [...]
The Australian attorney general announced Tuesday that the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) will be inquiring into justice responses to sexual violence in Australia. The inquiry will examine legislation and frameworks related to evidence, court procedures, processes and jury instructions. This includes reviewing laws pertaining to consent, policies, training programs for judges, police and legal [...]
India allows female government employees to nominate children for pension instead of husband
The Indian Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions on Monday announced that the provisions of Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021 (CCS) have been amended, allowing female government employees to nominate their child or children for the family pension in place of their husband if divorce proceedings are pending or a case has been [...]
Department of Defense removes authority over major crimes from commanders to special trial units
The US Department of Defense (DOD) announced on Thursday that new Offices of Special Trial Counsel (OSTC) will have authority over the decision to prosecute a number of serious crimes committed in the branches of the military, including sexual assaults, removing certain cases from an accused service member’s chain of command. Before the OSTC reform, [...]
Indian law students are reporting for JURIST on law-related developments in and affecting India. Samar Veer is JURIST’s Dispatches Managing Editor and a law student at National Law University, Delhi. After several decades of being a dead letter, the Parliament of India has passed a long-debated bill that reserves a specific portion of seats for [...]
Joshua Villanueva is a JURIST Assistant Editor and a 2L at UC Law San Francisco (formerly UC Hastings), He files this dispatch from San Francisco. The recently-concluded Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit, originally designed to address economic challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, found itself overshadowed by the unfolding drama of the US-China relationship. As [...]
