May
23
2013
As Congress fails to make progress on reforming the nation’s gun laws, state legislatures have filled the void. A number of states around the country, and not just deep-blue ones, have taken steps to crack down on gun violence. Even some very conservative states have defeated National Rifle Association (NRA) supported bills that would have significantly weakened state gun laws.
Here’s a run-down of ten instances of state progress that were in some cases mere proposals …
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May
23
2013
For their secret meeting, they’ve chosen a very small village surrounded by forest in Kpaka Chiefdom in southern Sierra Leone. About one hundred men – chiefs, elders and youth leaders from all over the chiefdom – have gathered in the shade of a very large tree. Conspicuously absent is their Paramount Chief, the supreme traditional authority in the chiefdom, without whose approval they should not even be here. But this is no ordinary meeting; its …
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May
23
2013
NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s record-low teen birth rate stems from robust declines in nearly every state, but most dramatically in several Mountain States and among Hispanics, according to a new government report.
All states but West Virginia and North Dakota showed significant drops over five years. But the Mountain States of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Utah saw rates fall by 30 percent or more.
In 22 states, teen Hispanic birth rates plunged at least …
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May
23
2013
A lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Freedom to Work alleges that ExxonMobil discriminated against a prospective employee because the individual was gay.
After the oil and gas giant failed to adopt a nondiscrimination policy that included protections for sexual orientation and gender identity, Freedom to Work ran a “paired resume” experiment to see if the company actively discriminated in its hiring practices. The LGBT worker advocacy group submitted two fictitious resumes in response to a …
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May
23
2013
President Obama’s counterterrorism speech was interrupted by a heckler, identified as Code Pink’s Medea Benjamin by reporters at the speech, who spoke about the Administration’s use of drones and the detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
“I’m willing to cut the young lady who interrupted me so slack, because it’s worth being passionate about,” Obama said. He added: “I obviously don’t agree with much of what she said.”
“Will you tell the Muslim people their lives are as precious …
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May
23
2013
On Tuesday, the Louisiana Senate passed a bill that would imprison and fine journalists who intentionally publish information about the state’s concealed-carry handgun permit holders. Reporters who violate the law would face penalties of up to $10,000, six months in jail, or both; public safety officials and police officers who leak permit information to the press would face penalties of up to $500, six months in jail, or both. Journalists in Louisiana say the bill …
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May
23
2013
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A strike by low-wage workers at Arabtec – the construction giant building the Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi, a branch campus of New York University and a series of other megaprojects – has ended after police entered labour camps and immigration services issued a series of deportation notices.
United Arab Emirates security forces converged on camps operated by Arabtec on Monday, workers told Al Jazeera, and labourers continue to receive deportation …
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May
23
2013
KARACHI, Pakistan — There’s no shortage of sunlight in this city. Overcast days are rare, and the mid-afternoon sun is so searingly bright, I actually have to wince my eyes shut and wait for the sunspots to clear before I can see again.
So imagine my surprise when a recent blood test showed that my vitamin D levels are so low my doctor called for injections.
“Vitamin D shortages can cause muscle failure, bone decay and serious …
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May
23
2013
BRUSSELS – Several EU countries abuse the rights of migrants and ethnic minorities, while others are not doing enough to combat homophobia, Amnesty International has said.
The British-based NGO named 24 EU states in its annual report on rights abusers out on Thursday (23 May).
Rough treatment of refugees from Africa and Asia, harsh enforcement of counter-terrorism laws against Muslims and naked racism against Roma people emerged as systematic problems in Europe.
Despite previous promises to the European …
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May
23
2013
BRUSSELS – An anti-Semitic and Roma-bashing TV broadcaster in Hungary has received the country’s top journalism prize.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government awarded Ferenc Szaniszlo the Tancsics Prize for journalism on Friday (15 March).
Szaniszlo works at the pro-government Echo TV channel.
He was fined €500 by the state media regulator in 2011 for calling Roma people “apes.” He is also known for spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories during his TV shows.
Hungary’s minister of resources Zoltan Balog handed …
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