July 19, 2018 – Bridge Agents

US citizens can now publish models of 3D printed firearms online. What does it mean for us?

July 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

US (Conversation) – A landmark case in the United States has been settled out of court, giving gun rights advocate Cody Wilson the right to publish instructions on the web that explain how to 3D print firearms. The suit was filed by the Second Amendment Foundation on behalf of Wilson and his company, Defense Distributed, which was previously instructed by the US government to remove such blueprints. The company will resume publishing the files at the end of the month. The Defence Distributed website now shows a landing page that celebrates the victory…

Everyday Terrorism: A Woman or Girl is Killed Every Other Day in Canada

July 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

Canada (Conversation) – One woman or girl is killed every other day in Canada. This is not a new fact nor does it represent a new trend. For 40 years, this fact has varied little; similarly, rates of other forms of violence against women and girls have remained persistently stable. Violence is a product of our culture. So, too, are our responses to violence when it occurs. Therefore, systemic and cultural transformation is required. This is a daunting task, but can be achieved with small steps. We can begin by…

Lebanon: Same-Sex Relations ‘Not Illegal’

July 19, 2018 Bridge Agents

(HRW) – A district court of appeal in Lebanon issued a groundbreaking ruling on July 12, 2018 that consensual sex between people of the same sex is not unlawful. The ruling follows similar judgments from lower courts that have declined to convict gay and transgender people of “sexual intercourse contrary to nature” in four separate rulings between 2007 and 2017. It is the first such ruling from an appeals court and moves Lebanon further toward decriminalizing homosexual conduct. “This ruling signals a new horizon for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender…