US court blocks controversial voter ID law
In a win for President Barack Obama's Democrats, a judge in Pennsylvania ordered state officials Tuesday not to enforce a controversial voter ID law in the coming presidential election.
03 October 2012
Swiss parliamentarians reject burqa ban
Swiss parliamentarians narrowly voted Friday against a ban on wearing the Muslim burqa and other face coverings in public places, including public transport.
30 September 2012
Outrage over Philippine cybercrime law
A new cybercrime law in the Philippines that could see people jailed for 12 years for posting defamatory comments on Facebook or Twitter is generating outrage among netizens and rights groups.
30 September 2012
Czech government to ease ban on liquor sales
The Czech government said Wednesday it would ease a ban on liquor sales in force since September 14 following a wave of methanol poisoning that has claimed at least 25 lives.
Road cleared for self-driving cars in California
California Governor Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed a bill clearing the way for self-driving cars to jockey with human-operated vehicles to test the technology on the state's roads.
27 September 2012
Uruguay takes step toward legalizing abortion
Uruguay took a step toward legalizing abortion on Tuesday as lawmakers in the lower chamber of parliament narrowly passed a bill allowing the procedure under certain conditions.
26 September 2012
Swiss voters say no to tightening of smoking ban
Two-thirds of Swiss voters rejected a referendum Sunday to tighten a smoking ban, to the relief of hotels and restaurants, while two cantons split in a vote over keeping tax breaks for rich foreigners.
Germany wrestles with ban on anti-Islam film screening
German politicians and Muslim groups are agonising over whether to ban a small far-right group from screening in public an anti-Islam film that has sparked violent protests from Pakistan to Sudan.
20 September 2012
Arizona police start enforcing new immigration law
Police in Arizona can now start asking crime suspects about their immigration status, as a contested law that raised fears of profiling of Hispanics took effect in a state bordering Mexico.
US powerless to act against anti-Islam inciters
As anti-American protests erupt in the Muslim world, the United States is powerless to act against those who incited the violence due to the freedoms enshrined in its cherished constitution.
16 September 2012
Protesters blow whistles against New York police
New Yorkers blew whistles Thursday in protests against the police department's controversial stop-and-frisk policy aimed at getting guns off the streets.
New York imposes partial ban on huge soda drinks
New York on Thursday became the first city in the United States to impose a limited ban on super-sized soda drinks blamed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg for fueling a national obesity crisis.
14 September 2012
US judge nixes terror detention law
A New York federal judge shot down part of a controversial anti-terror law Wednesday that journalists and scholars worry could see them locked up indefinitely for speaking their minds.
