Court rules that Japan's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional
CBSN
A district court in Japan ruled Wednesday that the government's failure to recognize same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. "Legal benefits stemming from marriages should equally benefit both homosexuals and heterosexuals," the Sapporo District Court said, according to The Associated Press.
But the court didn't go along with the plaintiffs' request for $9,100 in compensation per person for the difficulties they've suffered. The case was part of a series of lawsuits filed by same-sex couples arguing that they've suffered because they can't marry, reports the Japan Times. Many of the couples sued on Valentine's Day 2019, with actions being brought in Sapporo, Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya. Another group of same-sex couples filed suit in Fukuoka in September 2019.Noumea — France's president held a flurry of meetings with local representatives in the restive Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Thursday, urging calm after deadly rioting, and vowing thousands of military reinforcements will stay in place to quell what he called an "unprecedented insurrection."
Kathmandu — Nepali climber Phunjo Lama on Thursday reached Mount Everest's summit in 14 hours and 31 minutes, smashing the record for the world's fastest ascent of the mountain by a woman. Climbers usually take days to reach the top of the 29,032-foot mountain, spending nights on its different camps to rest and acclimatize.