Global Quickies: India’s Controversial Rape Judgment, Gay People in Iran Forced to Change Their Gender, and New Zealand MP Demoted for Promoting Homeopathy

WORLDWIDE

Check out this week’s pictures from In Focus.

AUSTRALIA

Gang-rape victim Katrina Keshishian launches campaign to recover compensation lost in budget cuts – “A gang-rape victim has been denied more than half her victim-of-crime compensation because the law was changed retrospectively during the six years it took to process her claim.” (From Jack99.)

FRANCE

A French Best-Seller’s Radical Argument: Vichy Regime Wasn’t All Bad – “In a nutshell, Zemmour says France is in decline because its traditional values — nation, family — have been destroyed over the past 40 years and replaced by a feminist, pro-gay, egalitarian agenda imposed on the country by left-wing elites. And, he says, the country has been undermined by successive waves of Muslim immigration.” This dude must be the Ann Coulter of France.

HUNGARY

A Hungarian Democracy Activist’s Rise to Authoritarian Leader – “After leading his right-wing party to a series of national and local election victories, Mr. Orban is rapidly centralizing power, raising a crop of crony oligarchs, cracking down on dissent, expanding ties with Moscow, and generally drawing uneasy comparisons from Western leaders and internal opponents to President Vladimir V. Putin.”

INDIA

Delhi High Court judgement on rape and murder of 65-year-old sparks off debate – ” ‘As regards the offence punishable under Section 376 IPC the deceased was aged around 65-70 years, thus beyond the age of menopause. We find force in the contention of the learned counsel for the appellant that even if the sexual intercourse was forceful it was not forcible and contrary to the wishes and consent of the deceased,’ read the judgement.” WHAT. THE. FUCK. Ugh. (From Daniela.)

IRAN

The gay people pushed to change their gender – “Iran is one of a handful of countries where homosexual acts are punishable by death. Clerics do, however accept the idea that a person may be trapped in a body of the wrong sex. So homosexuals can be pushed into having gender reassignment surgery – and to avoid it many flee the country.” (From Daniela.)

KENYA/SAUDI ARABIA

Comics: Hatoon Kadi and Njambi McGrath – “Kim Chakanetsa hosts a conversation between one of Saudi Arabia’s only female comedians and a Kenyan comic who performs her stand-up routine in the UK. Both love to laugh and to make people laugh.” (From Daniela.)

MALAYSIA

Malaysian transgender women win battle against anti-cross-dressing law – “A three-judge appeals court panel ruled on Friday that a state provision barring Muslim men from dressing as women was unconstitutional, saying it ‘deprives the appellants of the right to live with dignity.’ The law ‘has the effect of denying the appellants and other sufferers of GID [Gender Identity Disorder] to move freely in public places. … This is degrading, oppressive and inhuman,’ one of the judges, Hishamudin Yunus, said.”

NEW ZEALAND

MP demoted after suggesting homeopathy use in Ebola fight – “Mrs Turei said the demotion sent a signal that the Green Party took an evidence-based approach to health issues, especially public health issues. She said the move was about ‘rebuilding confidence’ in the party.” (From Daniela.)

SOUTH AFRICA

Cape Town’s successful ‘steampunk’ coffee shop – I can get a little tired of how popular steampunk is sometimes, but this sounds really neat. Click through for a video of the shop!

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