Here is a look at some law and religion news stories from around the web this past week:

• Thousands of Saudi women joined together to sign a petition opposing male guardianship laws.
• The International Criminal Court sentenced an ex-Islamist militant to nine years in prison for destroying religious and historical structures in Mali.
• China plans new rules restricting the exercise of religion.
• Iraq’s parliament voted down a plan to create a new Christian province in the country which was planned as a refuge for persecuted groups.
• A controversial Jordanian writer was murdered while on his way to court to face blasphemy charges.
• The Catholic Church accused state prosecutors in Mexico of conducting a smear campaign against several murdered priests.
• Pakistan passed a law allowing Hindus to register marriages legally.