German lawmakers vote to legalize same-sex marriage; Merkel votes no
Updated 0817 GMT (1617 HKT) June 30, 2017
German lawmakers voted by a wide margin to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, a landmark decision which came just days after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her longstanding opposition to a free vote on the issue.
The bill gives homosexual couples in Germany the same rights as heterosexual couples, and will allow same-sex couples to marry and jointly adopt children. It passed by 393 votes to 226, with four abstentions.
The bill is likely to pass through the Bundesrat -- Germany's upper house -- next week. The Bundesrat has previously approved legalizing same-sex marriage.
'We've lost democracy': on the road with Turkey's justice marchers
Thousands are walking the 280 miles from Ankara to Istanbul to protest against a government crackdown on politicians, journalists and civil servants
Hıdır Aydur rested his blistered feet under the shade of a tree on the side of the highway that runs between Ankara and Istanbul. The 57-year-old, from Erzincan in Turkey’s north-east, who has diabetes, had been marching for 15 days. He is one of thousands journeying by foot from Turkey’s capital to its largest city, many carrying banners that say “adalet” or “justice”.
“We lost democracy in our country, and we want it back,” Aydur said, his shirt bearing the images of Nuriye Gülmen and Semih Özakça, two teachers who were jailed last month after more than 70 days on hunger strike over their arbitrarily dismissal in a government decree.
Tens of thousands of people have been dismissed or detained in a broad government crackdown in the aftermath of a coup attempt last July that left more than 250 people dead and 1,400 wounded. After declaring a state of emergency, the government’s purge went beyond the direct perpetrators of the coup to encompass a large swathe of civil society, the political opposition, academics, journalists and civil servants, squandering a rare moment of unity to solidify its hold on power.New York's Yemeni Muslims on Trump's unblocked travel ban: 'It's petrifying'
'I’m trying to disassociate from my Muslim faith in public, which is sad'
As Donald Trump's oft-promised travel ban finally comes into effect after a number of legal battles, members of communities in the US set to be hit by the ban fear what it will mean for the futures of both their families and themselves.
Portions of the ban, affecting six Muslim-majority nations – Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – were passed by the Supreme Court this week and went into effect on Thursday evening local time. For those in the Bay Ridge area of Southern Brooklyn – home to one of the largest Yemeni communities in New York – many are bracing for a struggle.
It’s like a sauna in here! Hungarians get their kit off in Budapest metro
We’ve all been there: pressed up against someone’s sweaty armpit, windows steaming up as more people crowd onto the train… Metro trains during the summer can feel more like a sauna than public transport. Well, eight members of a Hungarian political party decided to treat the Budapest underground as exactly that — and took the metro dressed in towels, bathrobes, and flip-flops.
But there was a bit more behind their actions than just trying to cool down in the heat. The members of Párbeszéd Magyarországért (Dialogue for Hungary), a green, pro-European political party, were making a point about the lack of infrastructure needed to ventilate the Budapest metro. According to the activists, temperatures inside the metro sometimes hit more than 30 degrees Celsius, which can be dangerous for older people or pregnant women. On their cardboard signs, they’ve written slogans like, “The metro is not a sauna!”
NATIONAL / CRIME & LEGAL
Three former Tepco execs enter not guilty pleas over 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster
KYODO
Former top officials responsible for the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant pleaded not guilty Friday over the 2011 disaster that caused multiple meltdowns and forced at least 150,000 residents from their homes amid radiation fears.
Tsunehisa Katsumata, 77, who was the chairman of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., as well as two former vice presidents, entered the plea at the Tokyo District Court in the first criminal trial over the disaster.
“I apologize for causing the serious accident,” Katsumata said, but added, “It was impossible to predict.”
Hong Kong activists released after handover protest
Hong Kong police have released several activists detained for staging a protest ahead of the territory's handover anniversary.
The city is holding a series of lavish events to mark 20 years since it was handed back to China by Britain.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is in Hong Kong and inspected troops at a local garrison on Friday morning. He is expected to attend a banquet later.
Security is tight with large protests planned amid a tense political climate.
On Wednesday, pro-democracy activists including student leader Joshua Wong and legislator Nathan Law surrounded and climbed into a golden sculpture of a bauhinia flower, Hong Kong's emblem.
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