A judge in Spain has granted joint custody of a dog to a separated couple who went to court to determine who the pet should live with. The Madrid court considered that both parties were “jointly responsible” and “co-caretakers” of Panda the dog. A lawyer who brought the case to court said it was a “pioneering” ruling. Spain is currently drafting new legislation so that animals are no longer considered objects and are legally recognised as living beings. This status would make it easier for a partner to request joint custody of a pet following a breakup. But Lola García, from the Law & Animals law firm, brought this case to court under the 1987 European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, which Spain ratified in 2017.(BBC)…[+]

A former close aide to Hillary Clinton has reportedly written in a new memoir how she was sexually assaulted by a US senator. Huma Abedin said the unnamed politician pounced on her on a couch in the mid-2000s after inviting her into his home, according to the Guardian. She says she rebuffed him as he tried to kiss her and escaped. The claim is detailed in her new book, Both/And: A Life in Many Worlds, which is being published next week. Mrs Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and secretary of state under President Obama, relied on Ms Abedin as one of her most trusted aides. Mrs Clinton once described her as her “second daughter”. She describes the sexual assault while recounting her work for Mrs Clinton when she was a US senator for New York between 2001-09.(BBC)…[+]

Lawyers for the US have told the High Court the judge who blocked Julian Assange’s extradition was misled by his psychiatrist. The United States government is starting a legal appeal to try to get the Wikileaks founder extradited. In January, a court ruled Mr Assange could not be extradited to the US due to concerns over his mental health. Mr Assange is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011. The US says the leaks broke the law and endangered lives but Mr Assange says the case is politically motivated.In the appeal against the January decision, barristers for the US said it had given four clear assurances that he would be treated humanely. The district judge overseeing the USA’s extradition appeal at the start of the year, Vanessa Baraitser, said that while publishing on Wikileaks the classified military and government documents that Mr Assange released arguably amounted to a crime – including the disclosure of the identities of Iraqis and Afghan citizens who had helped coalition forces – he could not be transferred to the US because he was unwell and could take his own life. However, the US team, launching its appeal, said the evidence was wrong and the Wikileaks founder could even serve a prison sentence back home in Australia.(BBC)…[+]