Poland passes law on demolishing Red Army monuments

The lower house of Poland’s parliament, the Sejm, voted on Thursday to introduce amendments to the country’s de-communization law, envisaging the demolition of Soviet-era monuments, including memorials in honor of the Red Army.

Japan's Diet enacts law allowing emperor to abdicate

Japan's parliament passed a law Friday allowing Emperor Akihoto to become the first monarch to abdicate the throne in 200 years.

Facebook told it must remove hate speech postings by Austrian court

A court in Austria has ruled that Facebook must remove postings deemed as hate speech.

Eating cats and dogs banned in Taiwan

Taiwan has banned the eating of cats and dogs, as pressure grows to improve animal welfare after a spate of cruelty cases that stirred public outrage.

Erdogan Expects Parliament to Restore Capital Punishment

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Saturday said he expected parliament to approve restoring capital punishment after the April 16 referendum on expanding its powers, a move that could end Ankara's bid to join the EU.

Assisted "death with dignity" divides Dutch political parties

Dutch political parties' difference in opinions on the issue of assisted suicide became clear on Friday in the aftermath of remarks made by D66 party leader Alexander Pechtold on the age limit for those wishing to end their lives.

Austrian Minister Calls for Headscarf Ban for Public Servants

Austria’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Integration Sebastian Kurz said on Friday he wanted to ban public servants, including school teachers, from wearing the Islamic headscarf.

Ukraine bans books promoting Russia

Ukraine Friday banned Russian books glorifying the Kremlin and its leaders or espousing what it views as "totalitarian views" in a move certain to further sour relations between the two foes.

200 killed after taking psychoactive drugs in Britain: report

More than 200 people have died in the past year after taking psychoactive drugs known as "legal highs", the Home Office, Britain's interior department, revealed Thursday.

Israeli parliament moves forward bill to expropriate private Palestinian lands

The Israeli parliament on Monday night gave preliminary approval to a bill to allow the State to expropriate private Palestinian lands in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Australia's controversial plan for "lifetime ban" on illegal asylum seekers may fail

The Australian government's controversial plan to hand down lifetime bans to all illegal asylum seekers seems set to fail, after crossbench Senators on Tuesday reaffirmed they would not support the bill in its current form.

Charities Accuse UK Gov't of Breaking Own Laws by Rejecting Child Refugees

A number of charities have said that the new UK Home Office guidance on the acceptance of unaccompanied refugee minors is arbitrary, cruel and potentially illegal.

Egypt rejects Israeli approval of bill legalizing West Bank outposts

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry rejected Tuesday Israel's recent approval of a draft law that legalizes Israeli outposts in the West Bank.

Israeli ministers okay draft bill to legalize Jewish settlements on private Palestinian land

An Israeli ministerial committee has approved a draft bill to allow settlers in the occupied West Bank to remain in homes built on private Palestinian land. The country’s attorney-general said the bill is legally flawed.

Australia plans lifetime ban for illegal asylum seekers

Asylum seekers who use people smugglers to illegally come to Australia by boat will be given a lifetime ban from entering the country, under a government plan set to be put to Parliament next week.

Rights groups condemn Indonesia's chemical castration penalty

Rights groups in Indonesia have condemned the country's recently-enacted law that allows chemical castration and death penalty against convicts who commit underage sex crime cases.

Victims of modern slavery ‘lost’ in system by British police

 Police forces across the country are failing thousands of victims of modern slavery by failing to properly record the crimes and prosecute traffickers, the UK’s anti-slavery commissioner has warned, as he called for “urgent improvements” to combat the offense.

Bulgaria bans full-face Islamic veil

Bulgaria's parliament approved on Friday legislation outlawing face-covering Islamic veils in public, joining a small number of EU countries as debate rages across Europe about religious freedoms.

The law "bans wearing in public clothing that partially or completely covers the face," referring to the burqa or the more common niqab.

Almost 30 percent of French Muslims reject secular laws, new poll finds

Just under 30 percent of France’s 3 to 4 million Muslims reject the country’s secular laws, according to an Ifop poll published by the French weekly Journal du Dimanche.

Children as young as 14 to be charged as adults under new Australian counter-terror laws

Children as young as 14 years of age will be charged as adults, while convicted terrorists who serve out their sentences in prison could be kept in preventative detention, under new counter-terror laws introduced into Australian Parliament on Thursday.