Liechtenstein citizens voted on Sunday in favor of a law that permits same-sex civil partnerships. The results of last week’s referendum show that 68 percent of the voters supported the Civil Partnership Act. The Liechtensten Parliament unanimously approved the law on March 16, but opponents of the civil partnership law, Vox Populi , called for [...]
The trial in absentia of former Tunisian president Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali began Monday, over charges ranging from murder and conspiracy to trafficking and drug use. Ben Ali fled Tunisia to Saudi Arabia in January during protests against his 23-year autocratic rule in which his family amassed huge wealth that many Tunisians say was [...]
Meenakshi Ganguly : “The video showing summary executions during the final days of Sri Lanka’s war in May 2009 provides clear-cut evidence of war crimes. Beyond what is evident in the video, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has gathered information on the likely time and place of the executions, the identity of one of the victims, [...]
The Justice Ministry of Bahrain announced Saturday that the government will be take action to lift the ban on the leading opposition party, the National Democratic Action Society . The leftist opposition party, known as Waad and aligned with the largest Shi’ite opposition group, was shut down in April during the pro-democracy protests . Waad [...]
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on Sunday, while delivering opening remarks to a three-day session of the Greek Parliament , proposed undertaking a constitutional referendum. Papandreou suggested a fall referendum , arguing its necessity in order to eliminate the systemic governmental inefficiency and waste that led to the country’s recent economic crisis and to prosecute [...]
The lawyer representing former Tunisian president Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali on Sunday denied the numerous charges facing his client, which range from murder and conspiracy to drug use. Ben Ali’s trial in absentia before civilian and military courts is set to begin on Monday . If convicted, Ben Ali could face a long prison [...]
The North Carolina House of Representatives on Saturday voted 67-45 to pass a bill requiring all employers with 25 or more employees to check the immigration status of their hires using the E-Verify system. The bill would take full effect after a 24-month phase in period, after which around 40 percent of the state’s businesses [...]
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed legislation on Friday that would have required individuals to present government-issued photo ID cards at the voting booth. Proponents of the legislation argued that it is necessary to protect against election fraud. The bill also contained an extension on early voting, long sought-after by Missouri Democrats . In a letter [...]
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday urged the court to grant an injunction to stop the enforcement of an Indiana abortion law , which seeks to deny Medicaid funding to organizations that provide abortion services. The DOJ filed the brief in the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana seeking to [...]
King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Friday announced changes to the constitution which would transfer some of the political power held by the king to elected officials. The proposed changes would instill more authority in the country’s prime minister, who would be given the power to appoint government officials as the “president of the government.” [...]
