Polish law on Holocaust amended

Poland has amended a controversial Holocaust law that sparked outrage in Israel by imposing jail terms on anyone claiming that the government was responsible for Nazi German war crimes.

The amendment removes fines or criminal penalties of up to three years in prison for anyone found guilty of ascribing Nazi crimes to the Polish nation. The lower house of Parliament voted voted 388-25 in favour of the amendment.

The main aim of the legislation was to prevent people from describing Nazi German death camps in Poland, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, as Polish.

Dutch senate OKs ban on full-face veil in public places

Dutch senators have approved a bill  to ban the Islamic full-face burqa from some public places such as schools and hospitals, ending years of discussion on a hot-button issue. The bill was approved by 44 to 31 votes in the 75-seat Senate and is the final hurdle before it becomes law. Dutch approval follows similar bans imposed in Austria, Belgium, France and Germany and comes amid rising tensions in Europe with Islamic communities.

Japan MP slammed for calling childless people selfish

A leader of Japan’s ruling party has sparked an uproar by calling people without children selfish. Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said recent generations think they’re better off without children. Nikai said that was selfish, and compared them to older people who had large families despite World War II. He urged women to have babies for Japan’s prosperity.

Japan MP slammed for calling childless people selfish

A leader of Japan’s ruling party has sparked an uproar by calling people without children selfish. Toshihiro Nikai, secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party, said recent generations think they’re better off without children. Nikai said that was selfish, and compared them to older people who had large families despite World War II. He urged women to have babies for Japan’s prosperity.

Singapore may send back unvaccinated tourists

Singapore may start turning back foreign visitors who do not have required vaccinations, authorities said, in a bid to protect the country from infectious diseases. Proposed legislative changes, which were by the health ministry, would give authorities power to turn back unvaccinated non-citizens. The move is aimed at safeguarding the city-state from diseases like bird flu, ebola and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, said the ministry.

UN court begins hearing Qatar lawsuit against UAE

The UN’s highest court has begun hearing a lawsuit by Qatar accusing the UAE of “discrimination against Qatar and Qatari citizens” amid a yearlong boycott by four Arab nations. The UAE denies the allegations. The case before the International Court of Justice at The Hague is the latest salvo in the year-old diplomatic dispute among Gulf Arab nations.