International Law

Gay Italian Wins Lawsuit for Driving-Test Discrimination

A 26-year-old Italian man who was told he had to retake a driving test because he is homosexual has been awarded $150,000 in damages.  A court in Sicily ruled that the government agencies involved had discriminated against Danilo Giuffrida after…


Chinese Government Lists What Not to Do During Olympics

With the Beijing Olympics just a couple of months away, the government’s excitement and paranoia are almost tangible.  This week, Reuters reported that the government has posted on its official Olympic website an extensive list of things that foreigners are…



Mustache-Discrimination Case Reaches Indian Supreme Court

On Monday, February 11, justices of the Supreme Court of India heard argument in the case of a man who claims he was fired from his job at Indian Airlines because of his sizeable and “elaborate” handlebar mustache. Initial reports…



Italian Court Renames Couple’s Baby

A court in Genoa, Italy, has ordered that a 15-month-old boy be renamed "Gregory" after finding that the name his parents chose, "Friday," violated an administrative rule that precludes giving children "ridiculous or shameful" names. The boy, who was born…



Judges in China Ordered Not to “Frolic,” Hold Hands

Earlier this month, the highest court in China’s Henan province issued a comprehensive set of regulations it said were intended to "improve judicial etiquette."  They are pretty exhaustive, to the point that one might wonder what the hell exactly has…