Saudi Arabia imposes moratorium on drug-related executions
The state-backed Human Rights Commission said 27 executions were recorded in 2020. That is down from 184 the year before, according to rights watchdog Amnesty International.
Nations
Juneteenth signed into law as a federal holiday in the U.S.
“Juneteeth” is the term that has been used to commemorate June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, first learned that the Civil War was over and they were free.
Biden administration extends Title IX protections to LGBTQ students
“Students cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity,” Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona told the New York Times about the new rules.
E.U. Parliament overwhelmingly votes to end caged animal farming
Critics of industrial farming practices hailed the “landmark victory,” with 558 members of European Parliament (MEPs) voting in favor of the ban, just 37 opposing, and 85 abstaining from the vote.
U.S. Senate confirms Zahid Quraishi as country’s first Muslim American federal judge
The Senate voted last week to confirm Zahid Quraishi, a former United States magistrate judge in New Jersey.
Gabon passes landmark measures to manage and protect sharks and rays
The first new law fully regulates shark and ray catch in Gabon’s fisheries. Special authorization will now be needed to target sharks and rays in fisheries.
Israel makes history as first country in the world to ban the sale of fur
The new legislation will come into effect in six months — a historic decision for animal rights and protection.
Slovenia defines sex without consent as rape
Coercion, the use or threat of force, or the inability to defend oneself will no longer be the only conditions for a crime to be considered rape after the Slovenian parliament passed amendments to the penal code on June 5.
Indonesia commits to all-electric vehicle sales by 2050
In an effort to accelerate the global transition to all-electric transportation, Indonesia has announced that it will end the sale of combustion engine motorcycles by 2040 and combustion engine cars by 2050.
Ghana plants 5 million trees in a single day to combat deforestation and climate change
On June 11, the country celebrated its first Green Ghana Day by planting somewhere near five million trees.