Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Steibert, said Wednesday that Germany is banning so-called gay conversion therapy for minors and for adults who have diminished decision-making capabilities. Steibert stated that gay conversion therapy has no scientific basis and results in psychological harm. The goal is to “protect’s people’s right to sexual self-determination.” Federal Minister of Health [...]

Following the arrest of dozens of protesters during demonstrations on Kazakhstan’s Independence Day on Monday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced Friday that the nation would begin moving toward liberalizing laws about rallies and the formation of political parties. Rallies without official approval are illegal in Kazakhstan, which prompted the arrests at Monday’s demonstrations in the capital [...]

Eight people died in the past two days during continuing protests in India over the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), while the Supreme Court of India refused to grant a stay to the new law. Protests have been ongoing since the legislation was approved on December 12. The law fast-tracks citizenship for persecuted religious minorities who [...]

The EU called Thursday for the adoption of targeted sanctions and freezing f assets of Chinese officials for the “severe repression” of the human rights of the Uighur people in Xinjiang. The resolution was adopted by a show of hands. The resolution states that Uighurs and other ethnic Muslim minorities are subject to arbitrary detention, torture [...]

The US Senate unanimously approved a bill Thursday to crackdown on robocalls, sending it to President Donald Trump for executive approval. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act (TRACED) is designed improve enforcement of the Communications Act of 1934. The act both imposes strict penalties for individuals who directly violate it and ensures [...]

The regional court of Frankfurt am Main in Germany issued a ruling Thursday banning the ride-hailing service Uber throughout the country. The case had been brought by a taxi association alleging that Uber and its drivers violated regulations governing transport orders. To operate as it does, the court held, Uber would need to be licensed [...]

In its last vote of the year, the US House of Representatives voted 385-41 Thursday to pass Trump’s revised North American trade agreement. The new agreement, called the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) if the Senate approves it. The trade agreement has come through the House of Representatives [...]

The European Court of Justice ruled Thursday that airlines may be liable to harm caused by hot coffee. The case relates to an incident that occurred in 2015 when a 6-year-old girl was burned on a flight after her father’s hot coffee spilled onto her. The actual cause of the spill remains unknown. The airline, [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday that children who were born in Toronto to Russian spies are Canadian citizens. The case arose out of one of the children’s attempts to renew his Canadian passport after his parents were arrested “and were returned to Russia” in 2010. After his parents’ arrest, his “attempts to renew [...]

The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled Wednesday that the incidental collection of communications without a warrant is permissible. The case arose when the defendant-appellant was arrested for “attempting to provide material support to a terrorist organization.” After his prosecution, the government disclosed that some of the evidence that they had found [...]