Earlier today China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has issued a communique announcing that all married couples will be allowed to have two children. This decision brings an end to the decades-long “one-child policy.” Still, the new “two-child policy” will need to be adopted by provinces, autonomous regions, …
In Stafford County, about 45 miles southwest of Capitol Hill is a 17-acre park that is also on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the site from which the stone was quarried to construct part of the Capitol and White House, as well as many other Virginian buildings in the early 1800s. …
After a quick trip to Harpers Ferry, I was curious to learn more about its history. At a recent blog team meeting, Betty mentioned that it was almost the anniversary of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. This felt like a perfect opportunity for me to do some research. The event took place on October 16, 1859. …
Israelis believe in marriage. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2013 95 percent of all Israeli couples living together were married. The proportion of unmarried couples living together was relatively low in comparison to the percentage in some other OECD countries, which ranged from 7% (Italy) to 27% (Norway). Unlike Italy and Norway …
I was reading my colleague Elin Hofverberg‘s interesting blog post on Icelandic names, and found we have posted several times on foreign laws banning unacceptable baby names. Not long ago, I noticed Taiwanese law also regulates“unflattering” names in its Name Act. The Act does not ban such names, but rather recognizes that having an unflattering name …
The following is a guest post by Elin Hofverberg, a foreign law research consultant who covers Scandinavian countries at the Law Library of Congress. Elin has previously written on a variety of topics including Glad Syttonde Mai! Celebration of the Bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution, Happy National Sami Day!, the bicentenary of Norway’s constitution and a …
Magna Carta has had a great influence both on the United States Constitution and on the constitutions of the various states. Sharing in Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary, the Library of Congress celebrated with an exhibition and a year-long program of events. On a recent trip southeast, I stopped at Jamestown in the Colonial National Historical Park …
The following is a guest post by Sayuri Umeda, a senior foreign law specialist at the Law Library of Congress who covers Japan and jurisdictions in South East Asia. She has previously written blog posts on “Sentencing of Parents who Kill Children in Japan“; “Cambodian Law – Global Legal Collection Highlights“; “English Translations of Post-Second …