The news we’re reading this week that hasn’t made the big headlines:
World News
United Kingdom: The Supreme Court of the U.K. ruled earlier this week that Prime Minister Theresa May does not have the legal authority to trigger Article 50 of the European Union’s constitution, by a vote of 8-3. Article 50 is the exit clause for leaving the EU, which May has said will be invoked by the end of March. The decision will likely have little impact on Brexit, as it will be up to a parliment that has already indicated its support for the results of last year’s referendum and the timetable May has set forth. NPR has the story here.
India: The New York Times takes an in-depth look at the toll on India’s working class of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ban on the country’s large currency notes. The ban, which has led to a cash shortage, was enacted in November in an effort to reduce corruption.
Spain: From NPR and All Things Considered comes a great story about downtown Madrid’s hottest lunch reservation, the Robin Hood restaurant, which serves paying customers during the day, enabling them to feed only the homeless in the evening. The eatery, opened in December by an 80-year-old Catholic priest known as Father Angel, is booked through March for lunch, and has celebrity chefs lining up to volunteer their services.
Jamaica: In sports news, the world’s fastest man has been stripped of one of his nine gold medals after a teammate tested positive for a banned substance in the 2008 men’s 4×100 relay at the Beijing Olympics. Al Jazeera has the story and comment from Usain Bolt here.
Middle East: The BBC reports that the United Nations has denounced Israel’s recent approval of further settlement plans for the West Bank, citing concern over “unilateral decisions” creating obstacles to a two-state solution. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that he still supports a two-state solution to the West Bank conflict, he also intends to lift restrictions on Israel’s construction there.
Back in the U.S. of A.
Kentucky: A circuit court judge ruled in favor of the University of Kentucky on Tuesday, in an open records case between the university and its student newspaper, The Kentucky Kernel. As NPR reports, the judge ruled that there is no way for the school to release investigative findings without compromising the privacy of the alleged victims in its Title IX sexual harassment and assault investigation of a now former professor at the school. An earlier story relating to the same case highlights the complicated dance between Title IX’s victim confidentiality and privacy requirements and justice.
The U.S. Senate recently killed a budget resolution to allow the importation of cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, thanks in large part to a dozen Democrats who opposed the amendment, citing “safety” concerns. Vox explains why these concerns are a non-issue, but also why importing less expensive drugs won’t necessarily fix the problem of sky-high drug prices in this country.
Closer to home…
King County: Last week, KC Prosecutor Dan Satterberg publicly stated his support for legislation that would make it easier to charge police over the use of deadly force. Current state law that bars police officers from being prosecuted for killings in the line of duty under certain conditions, is the most restrictive in the country due to its language, making it nearly impossible to file murder or manslaughter charges even when a prosecutor determines that a killing was wrongful. The Seattle Times has the story.
Everett: As reported by Los Angeles Times writer Harriet Ryan in the Seattle Times, the city of Everett is suing Purdue Pharma over black-market OxyContin, and is demanding that the drug maker foot the bill for widespread opiate addiction. The suit was prompted by an L.A. Times investigation last year, which exposed that the manufacturer had extensive evidence of illegal trafficking of the drug across the nation, but in many cases did not share that information with law enforcement, or stop the flow of the pills into that market.
