Germany conducted its first raids under a new anti-smuggling law, seizing thousands of life jackets and dinghies intended for illegal English Channel crossings in a joint operation with the UK and France.
English football introduces new laws for the 2026-27 season to tackle time-wasting and tempo disruption, featuring five-second restart countdowns, stricter substitution rules, and updated VAR interventions.
Ten state attorneys general filed a federal lawsuit against the OCC and Comptroller Jonathan Gould to invalidate new rules allowing federal banks to bypass state laws requiring interest payments on mortgage escrow balances.
Invitation Homes CEO Dallas Tanner says a newly passed housing bill banning large investors from buying existing homes will eventually lower prices, though not immediately. The firm is pivoting to purchasing newly built rental homes.
Lebanon's parliament has voted to abolish the death penalty, replacing it with life imprisonment with hard labour. The measure now goes to the cabinet and President Joseph Aoun for final approval.
Turkey's parliament overwhelmingly approved a 12-article bill offering conditional pardons and legal protections to thousands of PKK members, linking implementation to the group's complete disarmament and dissolution.
France introduces a strict new law banning unsolicited commercial sales calls without prior consent, replacing previous opt-out systems with heavy fines of up to 375,000 euros for companies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the country's first comprehensive digital currency law, establishing a regulated framework for crypto exchanges, custody, and trading while maintaining a ban on crypto payments.
WhatsApp is piloting optional, privacy-focused age verification methods for users in India to comply with the upcoming Digital Personal Data Protection Act, ensuring young users' data is safeguarded.
Despite over Rs 9,800 crore invested since 2011 in court infrastructure and technology, Indian courts face a massive backlog of cases, with thousands pending for decades. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal attributes delays to judicial vacancies and the judiciary's failure to set disposal timeframes, while the government has enacted new laws to reduce pendency.
Sweden has implemented a new law introducing tougher penalties for gang-related offenses, allowing courts to impose prison sentences up to double the previous maximum, effective Saturday, as the country addresses rising organized crime.
India proposes legal amendments to define punishments for deepfakes and digital impersonation scams, aiming to curb misinformation and financial fraud amid geopolitical tensions.
Hong Kong's Fire Services Department announced paramedics will follow an "if in doubt, rescue first" principle for resuscitation after a new end-of-life directives law takes effect next week. Rescuers must verify physical do-not-attempt CPR orders on-site before withholding life-sustaining treatments.
Hong Kong will allow terminally ill patients to upload advance directives for life-sustaining treatments to the eHealth platform starting July 31, formalizing end-of-life care and offering clearer legal protection for patients and healthcare professionals under a new ordinance.
France has approved a nationwide ban on social media for children under 15 and mobile phones in high schools, becoming the first EU country with such a restriction. President Macron aims for implementation by September, pending a constitutional review, amid growing concerns over social media's impact on youth mental health.
French regulators have passed a bill banning social media for children under 15, pending approval by the Constitutional Council. If enacted, France would be the first EU member to implement such a ban, aiming to counter negative health impacts and following similar regulations in Australia.
Hong Kong's first-time lawmakers in the eighth Legislative Council have submitted fewer questions to the government compared to veterans but recorded higher attendance. Political observers suggest this reflects a balance between respecting the executive-led system and providing checks.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced that the country will hold no further elections to prevent the opposition from coming to power, and plans to pass new laws to "build a wall" against them. This move, made during the Sandinista revolution anniversary, is seen as sealing the country's transition to a family dictatorship.
Victoria's Premier Jacinta Allan announced new social media reforms, including powers for Vcat to unmask anonymous accounts accused of vilification and a lower legal threshold for families to sue platforms for psychiatric harm to children. The opposition is skeptical about the laws passing before the state election.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outlined a promising AI policy pivot, committing to laws protecting local creatives' intellectual property and addressing community concerns over datacentre energy use, but the speech lacked crucial policy details.
Hong Kong authorities received 176 reports of suspected child abuse involving 188 children in over five months since a new mandatory reporting law took effect. Sexual abuse was the most prevalent form, affecting 83 children.
Journalist Ari Berman discusses the weakening of the Voting Rights Act and other measures that threaten democratic processes in the US, just months before the midterm elections. He highlights Supreme Court decisions, proposed legislation like the SAVE America Act, and the potential for increased distrust and interference in elections.
European trade unions are pushing for new laws to address deadly heat stress in the workplace, linked to hundreds of annual deaths. They seek enforceable thermal limits, heat risk assessments, and rights to breaks and adjusted hours, as climate change intensifies occupational health risks.
The Trump administration has filed lawsuits against California and Virginia, challenging state laws that restrict the sale of semiautomatic firearms. The Justice Department argues these laws violate the Second Amendment, while state officials vow to defend them as commonsense measures for public safety.
