London, UK
The skeleton of King Richard III was discovered beneath a parking lot in Leicester. Scientists found 10 injuries on the body, including fatal wounds from a battle in 1485. The skeleton is being used to reconstruct images of the King’s face and body.
Moscow, Russia
The French Parliament redefined marriage to include same-sex couples on Feb 2. The U.K. also passed legislation to legalize gay marriage in an overwhelmingly affirmative vote of 400-175. But in Moscow, police arrested protestors at the recent “kiss-in” where gay couples openly embraced outside of their Parliament building. The protest was in opposition to a law known as “anti-gay propaganda,” that prohibits encouraging minors to be gay.
Republic of Rwanda
The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda acquitted and released Justin Mugenzi and Prosper Mugiraneza, the two men convicted of conspiring to commit genocide. The genocide systematically killed 800,000 of the ethnic minority groups Tutsi and Hutu. Appeal judges overturned the 30-year prison sentences on Feb. 4, declaring that the evidence offered at the 2011 trials was flawed. Organizations that offer survivor services are now protesting.
Lara State, Venezuela
In the northwestern prison of Uribana, a Jan. 26 prison riot resulted in 61 deaths and more than 120 injured inmates. While the riots were in rebellion against prison authority, many Venezuelans blame President Hugo Chavez and his government for an insufficient prison system. In 2012, the total number of prisoner casualities was 591. There are currently 50,000 inmates, but prison housing for only 14,000 in the country.
