Latest news with #laws
Reuters
06-06-2025
- Reuters
Norway outlaws sex without consent as Europe strengthens rape laws
OSLO, June 6 (Reuters) - Norway strengthened its rape laws on Friday by criminalising sex without explicit consent, joining a growing list of countries to widen the definition of sexual attacks. Up to now, prosecutors have had to show that an attacker used violence or threatening behaviour, or had sexual intercourse with someone who was unable to resist, to secure a conviction for rape. Under the new law passed by parliament, anyone who has sex with someone who has not consented to it by word or deed could be convicted of rape, even without violence. Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland have all introduced consent-based rape laws in recent years. Sweden changed the legal definition of rape in 2018 to sex without consent - a change that officials said resulted in a 75% rise in rape convictions. Denmark followed in 2020 by passing a law that widened the circumstances that could constitute rape.
Associated Press
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
What was approved, and what failed, in the 2025 legislative session
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers ended the 2025 legislative session on Wednesday. Here is a look at a few of the notable bills that passed, and some that failed, during the session. WHAT WAS APPROVED: DEFINING SEX The 'What is a Woman?' law wrote definitions of 'man,' 'woman,' 'boy' and 'girl' into state law based on a person's reproductive organs at birth. SCHOOL CELLPHONE BAN Alabama is joining states that ban or restrict cellphones in public schools. Phones would have to be stored in a locker, car or storage device during the school day. BIRMINGHAM WATER WORKS It set up a new regional board to oversee the Birmingham Water Works. Birmingham city officials have filed a lawsuit challenging the restructuring. SALES TAX CUTS The state sales tax on food will drop from 3% to 2% on Sept. 1. Lawmakers also voted to exempt diapers, baby formula and menstrual hygiene products from the state sales tax. GLOCK SWITCH BAN The new law bans Glock switches and devices that convert semi-automatic weapons to automatic fire. Lawmakers approved it after multiple mass shootings, including one that killed four people outside a Birmingham nightclub. ALFA HEALTH PLANS The Alabama Farmers Federation will be able to sell health care plans that are not regulated like traditional insurance and can turn people away for preexisting conditions. Supporters said it will provide an affordable option for farmers and others. PHARMACY BENEFIT MANAGERS The law puts regulations on pharmacy benefit managers. PBMs must reimburse independent pharmacists at the Medicaid rate. Lawmakers said it is needed to curb the closure of small pharmacies. PARENTAL LEAVE The new law will provide teachers and other state employees with paid parental leave, including up to eight weeks of maternity leave after the birth of a child. VETERANS BOARD The governor can now appoint the head of the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs. The department restructuring was approved following a dispute between the governor and the previous commissioner. SPEEDY TRIAL The chief justice can, when requested, appoint a visiting judge to handle a criminal case. The attorney general's office backed the legislation. HEMP PRODUCTS The state will put new regulations on the sale of consumable hemp products, such as gummies and drinks. It limits the THC content to 10 milligrams and requires purchasers to be 21. IMMIGRATION Legislation approved Wednesday will make it a felony to knowingly bring an undocumented immigrant into the state. Another approved bill will require jails to collect fingerprints and DNA from unauthorized immigrants in their custody. POLICE IMMUNITY The bill provides enhanced legal immunity to police officers under certain conditions. The measure was approved after a late-night debate in the Alabama Senate. The Republican governor said she will sign the bill into law. Democrats sharply criticized the legislation. SHARK ALERT SYSTEM The alert system, similar to an Amber Alert, will send out a notice after an unprovoked shark bite off the Alabama coast. The system is named for Lulu Gribbin who survived a shark attack. JUNETEENTH Juneteenth, the June 19 day that commemorates the end of slavery after the Civil War, is now an official state holiday. SCHOOL FUNDING CHANGE The state will begin steering additional money to schools based on student needs such as poverty. Legislation sets aside $375 million to start the program. Lawmakers also steered an additional $80 million to the state's new school voucher program. WHAT FAILED: GAMBLING The draft proposal aimed to allow a lottery, sports betting and several casinos in the state. The Republican Senate leader said the bill had 'too few votes' to advance. GULF OF AMERICA The bill sought to require state and local government entities to use the name 'Gulf of America' on new maps, websites and materials and make reasonable efforts to update existing resources. ARCHIVES The bill would have put a politically appointed board in charge of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. SECOND CHANCE The bill would have allowed a small number of prisoners serving life sentences for non-violent offenses under Alabama's Habitual Offender Act to have their sentences reviewed. OVERTIME TAX CUT Alabama will again begin collecting income tax on workers' overtime break. Lawmakers did not extend the tax break that is set to expire in June. APP AGE VERIFICATION The legislation sought to require app stores to verify users' ages and require parental consent for minors to download an app. Utah approved similar legislation. PAROLE BOARD CHANGES The bill sought to expand the board and change who selects the chairperson. Another bill would have allowed inmates to speak by phone or teleconference at their parole hearing. TEN COMMANDMENTS IN SCHOOLS The legislation would've mandated the display of the 10 Commandments in all public schools.
Globe and Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Opening the opaque window around pot rules
A much-quoted line from the television sitcom The Simpsons has the minister's wife exclaiming during a town debate about Prohibition, 'won't somebody please think of the children?' The plea is, on the face of it, impossible to argue against. But it's such an overwrought concern – really more of an attempt to take the wind out of countering arguments – that it's entered pop culture as a way to accuse someone of clutching their pearls. Which brings us to Canada's laws around the display of cannabis. According to the government, the product is safe enough to sell legally but so unsafe – think of the children – that it cannot be seen in the store by minors. The laws around cannabis display would be illogical, though at least consistently so, if they were on par with those for alcohol or gambling. But they are not. Cannabis laws are stricter in a number of ways. This is hypocritical and makes a mockery of good legislation. One result is that people selling cannabis can't use their storefront the way other vendors do. This matters because a nice store window is inviting, attracting customers by blurring the visual line between inside and outside. It's true that the law does not specify how cannabis products must be kept out of sight. Larger stores can create a second wall, beyond the door, to meet the rules. But that means forgoing valuable real estate, paying rent for square footage that can't be used. For many merchants it's more logical simply to cover over their windows, even if that undermines neighbourhood vitality. Because an opaque window has the opposite effect of an appealing one. It discourages walking and makes an area less attractive for shopping and lingering. There's no reason for the federal government to put cannabis vendors in that position. Particularly when the liquor store, just down the street, can have a big visible display of bottles. The rules are also different for cannabis in other ways. Minors can go into liquor stores in Ontario, as long as they're accompanied by adults. Alcohol ads portray people having a great time. Youth are also bombarded with sports gambling ads on television and the internet, the same as adults. These often depict gambling as sexy and fun. Meanwhile, minors in Ontario are not allowed to set foot in stores that sell cannabis. A parent running errands that include buying pot must be prepared to leave their child out front. Federal cannabis advertising restrictions prevent it being portrayed in a way that 'includes glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality, risk or daring.' If you think the last beer ad you saw would break such a rule you're probably correct. Vices can be harmful and rules are needed. Policies such as stores not being able to sell either alcohol or cannabis too close to schools are defensible. So are strict penalties for merchants who flout their responsibility to ensure customers are old enough. These are products for adults, not children. But, overall, a lighter hand of government is called for when it comes to cannabis. The best solution would be to bring the rules around cannabis, alcohol and gambling to some logical convergence. That should mean loosening the strictures around cannabis while also tightening those for gambling, as this space has argued before. Treating cannabis as a legal but shameful substance recalls, ironically, the bad old days of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. In decades past, customers were made to feel semi-furtive and vaguely immoral as they asked for a product and took it away shrouded in a plain bag. That philosophy was wisely abandoned for alcohol retailing, but then recreated when the government drafted cannabis rules. Legal but shameful may have been a way to blunt criticism in 2018 when cannabis was legalized. But it never made sense. For all the decades of debate over marijuana policy, society had moved past the controversy by the time the government acted. There's now more public consumption of cannabis – doing so is legal in four provinces that make up two-thirds of the country's population – but the impact of legal pot has been pretty muted. Instead of reefer madness, more like reefer mildness. When it comes to the sight of cannabis, though, merchants are still stuck with laws that assume a glimpse of the demon weed will corrupt Canada's youth.
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Mayor of West Yorkshire calls for tougher crossbow laws
Mayor calls for tougher crossbow laws 9 minutes ago Share Save Share Save BBC Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire, is backing calls for a "clampdown" on the sale of crossbows The mayor of West Yorkshire has said she supports calls for tougher rules around the sale of crossbows following an attack in Leeds. Labour's Tracy Brabin has been answering questions on Message the Mayor on BBC Radio Leeds. She also spoke about the local election results and a recent Supreme Court ruling that legally the term "woman" means a biological woman. Read our takeaways from the show below or listen to the full interview here. 'Shocked and appalled' at crossbow attack "I'm absolutely shocked and appalled that someone would take it upon themselves to attack two women," Brabin said. "Obviously he was unwell himself and he's lost his life as well. But I would want to reassure members of the public that this was an isolated incident." Brabin praised the police for how they responded to a recent attack on two women in Headingley, and said the investigation was continuing. 'Clarify' plan for new crossbow laws "It's quite easy to purchase one. We need to clampdown on that. "Let's work together to clarify where government are, to make the case, press for clarity on when we are going to hear." Following the Headingley attack, the government said it was committed to bringing in tougher rules on the sale of crossbows, but the mayor said creating new laws would take time. Currently, it is legal to buy and own crossbows under certain circumstances. Clearer legal position on trans women "Legally we now understand what the position is. My role as mayor is to lead an organisation that is fully inclusive and nothing has changed from where I sit. "But we also now have a legal clarity and understanding particularly around shared spaces, toilets, in my organisation. And I am looking forward to further guidance coming out." Brabin was asked for her reaction to last month's Supreme Court ruling stating that the term "woman" means a biological woman. 'Different' to work with Reform UK mayors
