In 2011, the Knights Templar rose to be one of the strongest cartels in Mexico. Situated in Michoacán, one of Mexico’s western states, the Knights Templar maintained its power thanks to strongman Servando Gomez.

Due to advances in technology that allow for gestational surrogacy[1] and greater acceptance in public opinion, global surrogacy has achieved an unprecedented popularity.[2] Consequently, medical tourism, where consumers of health care travel around the world to receive cheaper medical care, now includes reproductive to

Russia lost an estimated $120 billion due to international sanctions in 2014.[1] This is half of their budget.[2] Perhaps even worse with the oil crisis, Russia is effectively barred from international finance.

As of February 25, 2015, Austria passed a reform to their country’s 1912 Islam Law.[1] The original 1912 version made Islam an official religion of Austria and guaranteed Muslims “wide-ranging rights, including religious education in state schools.”[2] While most agreed that updates were necessary, Muslim leaders have said that the specific refo

We may have lost the battle but we have not lost the war. This adage seems to resonate with secessionists worldwide. One would assume that Scotland’s decision to remain under the territorial sovereignty of the UK would demobilize secessionists elsewhere. Yet, the people of Catalonia remain as invigorated as ever. Catalonia’s President Artur Mas has signed a decree calling for a referendum on independence.

Copyright is a bundle of rights given to the creators of “original works of authorship”. It is a legal concept designed to grant the creator of an original work the exclusive right to create and distribute copies.[1] Copyright law has often grappled with the conflict between the rights of the copyright owner and the rights of the consumer of the copyrighted work. Under § 106, copyright owners have the exclusive rights to make and distribute copies of a copyrighted work.

Innovation of new, life-saving drugs is partly influenced by how a particular country defines “innovation” and how receptive the country’s laws are to innovation. The Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Novartis, was denied a product patent application from the India Patent Office (IPO) for a specific compound, the beta crystalline form of imatinib mesylate.[1] The drug, Gleevec, is a cancer drug used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia and some gastrointestinal cancers.[2] On April 1, 2013 in Novartis v.

In light of the recent oral arguments that the United States Supreme Court heard on March 26-27, 2013[1], the issue of same-sex marriage made the forefront of American news and media. The issue is not isolated to just the US. In fact, several countries, including France, New Zealand, and Uruguay, have pending legislation before their governments to legalize same-sex marriage, and eleven countries have legalized same-sex marriage on a national scale.[2]

In June of 1971, President Richard Nixon’s declaration of a “war on drugs” effectively cemented an orthodoxy that has permeated most aspects of modern society.[1] What was once considered a matter of public health has become a militarized and profit-driven industry, formidable enough to shape the global environment in its own image. While originally expected to quickly and significantly reduce drug trafficking in the US, to this day the war surges on— enormous, bloated, and hungrier still.

     Apple settled the “iPad” trademark lawsuit by agreeing to pay $60 million to Shenzhen Proview Technology.[1] While seemingly a huge amount of money, it is a small price to pay for Apple to “safely” explore the promising Chinese market for their new iPad product. Moreover, under the undisputable facts and rules of the iPad trademark case, settling may be the best option for Apple.