The Irish Parliament on Thursday defeated a bill that would have allowed abortion in Ireland where the child would not survive outside of the womb. Prime Minister Enda Kenny had been open about his opposition to the bill, calling it “bad for women and medically inadequate,” and instructed his Fine Gael party members to vote [...]

The Massachusetts Legislature on Thursday sent a transgender anti-discrimination bill to Governor Charlie Baker . The bill , which many believe will be signed into law, will provide protections to transgender people in places of public accommodation including public restrooms, restaurants and public transit, so long as they have a sincerely held gender identity and [...]

In a hearing on Thursday several Republican lawmakers questioned Obama administration officials in regards to the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees. In the hearing , before the House Foreign Affairs committee , lawmakers claimed that the two administration officials have placed detainees in countries that do not have the necessary oversight capabilities, citing to the [...]

Extrajudicial killings by police threaten over-all security in Rio de Janeiro, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a 109-page report released Thursday. HRW says officials have “not done enough” to address these executions ahead of the summer Olympics. An estimated 8,000 people have been killed by police in Rio de Janiero in the past decade—645 [...]

Democrats in Congress called for hearings in the wake of police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile , two black men, earlier this week. Congressman and House Judiciary Committee member, Cedric Richmond from Louisiana, the state in which Alton Sterling was killed, stated: I’m not sure if legislation comes out, but hopefully a hearing [...]

Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday urged Chinese authorities to “end their ruthless assault against human rights lawyers and activists.” This call to Chinese officials comes just before the one-year anniversary of a massive police crackdown within the country, which led to the targeting of an estimated 248 activists and lawyers. Of those detained, 17 still [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada on Thursday rejected an appeal by the Attorney General of Canada asking the court to review a lower court decision instructing the country to reconsider revocation of a former-Nazi’s Canadian citizenship. Helmut Oberlander, a 92-year-old Ukrainian man who claims he was forced to translate for the Ek 10a, a Nazi [...]

The German parliament unanimously passed a law Thursday expanding the definition of sex crimes, making any form of nonsensical sexual contact a crime. The new “no means no” law protects victims of sexual attacks who withhold consent yet do not physically resist the attack. The old law required victims to physically resist in order to [...]

Poland’s Parliament approved a bill Thursday that would unblock the Constitutional Tribunal, which has been the subject of controversy since last year. The measure was introduced by the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) and passed 238-173 in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament. It will next proceed to the Senate, and then to [...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a package of controversial anti-terror bills on Thursday. These bills were drafted earlier this year as a response to the 2015 attacks in Paris and the bombing of an A-231 jet liner in Egypt. This package places high penalties on individuals found guilty of engaging in or financing terrorism including [...]