The New York Assembly voted 89-47 on Wednesday in favor of legislation establishing publicly funded universal health coverage in which all New York residents may enroll. Supporters of the legislation said that the coverage would be extended to the uninsured and costs would be reduced by not involving insurance companies. New York Health would pay [...]
A Czech court in Prague acquitted the wife of former Czech prime minister Petr Necas of charges of abusing military intelligence. Jana Necasova, formerly Jana Nagyova, allegedly used military intelligence to spy on Necas’s former wife when Necasova served as the prime minister’s aide in 2012. A judge for the District Court in Prague ruled [...]
A judge for Spain’s National Court on Thursday opened a probe into Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram for terrorism and crimes against humanity over a 2013 attack on a Nigerian town in which a Spanish nun was assaulted. Spain’s universal jurisdiction laws allow crimes against humanity to be prosecuted across borders as long as [...]
The Bangkok Criminal Court on Thursday convicted two members of the People’s Alliance for Democracy Network , known as “Yellow Shirts,” for their roles in breaking into the Prime Minster’s office during the 2008 protests. The court found Yellow Shirt movement founder and Thai media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul and Chamlong Srimuang guilty of trespassing. Sondhi [...]
The Parliament of Greenland voted Wednesday to enact laws that will legalize same-sex marriage and allow for same-sex couples to participate in adoption. The new marriage law, which passed with unanimous support, reforms previous legislation enacted in 1989 that allowed for same-sex “civil partnerships.” The new Greenland laws are expected to go into effect in [...]
US prosecutors on Wednesday charged 14 top FIFA officials with offenses including racketeering, money laundering and bribery, alleging that the men used partnerships with sports marketing executives to solicit more than $150 million in bribes and kickbacks to support various sites of FIFA World Cup events. The prosecutors claim that at least some of the [...]
Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Council on Wednesday declared unconstitutional a bill seeking to ban the dissemination to minors of information supporting homosexual relationships. The council found the bill contained poor wording and incorrect formulation, according to Human Rights Campaign (HRC) , but it could be reintroduced in the future. Many believe Kazakhstan’s bid for the 2022 Winter [...]
Madagascar’s Parliament voted on Tuesday to remove President Hery Rajaonarimampianina from office for failing to deliver on promises. The parliament also alleged Rajaonarimampianina has violated the constitution, lacks respect for the government, and that he did not rule out the possibility of dissolving parliament. Rajaonarimampianina was elected in 2013, four years after his predecessor, Marc [...]
The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on Wednesday struck down abortion restrictions in Arkansas, ruling that the 12-week limit on seeking an abortion places an unconstitutional burden on women within the state. The restrictions included tests to determine if there was a detectible heartbeat, prohibition of abortions after 12 weeks of gestation, [...]
Amnesty International (AI) on Wednesday accused Hamas forces of leading a series of abductions, torturous acts and unlawful killings against Palestinians. AI’s report documents the human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings often condoned by largely unaccountable Hamas authorities. Director of the Middle East and North Africa Program, Philip Luther, stated: In the chaos of the [...]
