The Supreme Constitutional Court upheld an appeals-court ruling that the second-term appointment of Loukia Christodoulou as Commissioner for the Protection of Competition was legal. This decision ensures that every fine issued by the commissioner during her tenure is now secure and cannot be challenged.
Oleg Deripaska dismissed the latest U.S. sanctions on companies connected to a scheme as nonsense. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Russian companies disguising ownership of a .6 billion industrial stake controlled by Deripaska, leading to Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International dropping a planned purchase. Deripaska, previously sanctioned by Britain and the U.S., has challenged the sanctions, calling them groundless and absurd. He was also stripped of his Cypriot citizenship after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and added to the E.U.’s sanctions list in April 2022.
The U.S. Justice Department is moving to make marijuana use a less serious federal crime by recommending it be reclassified as a schedule three drug with lower penalties. This shift could bridge the gap between state and federal cannabis laws, leading to more research, medical use, lighter criminal penalties, and increased private investment in the cannabis sector. President Joe Biden initiated a review of the drug’s classification, and public support for marijuana legalization has significantly increased. Reclassifying marijuana could also benefit cannabis businesses by allowing their shares to be listed on major stock exchanges, receiving more generous tax deductions, and facing fewer restrictions from banks.
A Palestinian rights group, Al-Haq, is challenging British arms exports to Israel due to alleged breaches of international law in the Gaza war. The case will be heard in October at London’s High Court.
A judge in London ruled that a climate activist should not be prosecuted for holding a placard outside a criminal court telling jurors they could acquit defendants according to their conscience. Judge Pushpinder Saini dismissed the case, stating that criminal prosecution was a disproportionate approach that interfered with the activist’s right to freedom of expression. Warner displayed the sign to inform jurors of their rights and to challenge judges who she believed were acting unlawfully. The attempted prosecution of Warner is part of a wider crackdown on protest movements in Britain and Europe, particularly in relation to environmental activism and climate change protests.
A former senior police officer is trying to stop disciplinary proceedings against him, which began in 2021 after 11 officers filed complaints about his behavior. Despite the ongoing hearing, the officer’s retirement prompted a request to discontinue the proceedings, citing legislation that prohibits civilian prosecution for police disciplinary offenses. The Disciplinary Committee plans to continue the process but is waiting for the prosecuting authority’s official position on the legal challenge.
Hong Kong will now allow transgender individuals who have not undergone full sex reassignment surgery to change their gender on their ID cards. The new policy comes after a court ruling in February that deemed the previous requirement a violation of transgender rights. The revised criteria include surgical and hormonal requirements, which some activists find too extreme and a violation of individuals’ rights.
A deal between state-owned companies for the supply of electricity smart meters has been ruled unlawful by a special court, putting €35 million in European taxpayers’ funds at risk.