The Kyrgyzstan Supreme Council on Thursday voted in favor of holding a constitutional referendum that would give more power to the country’s prime minister. Should the related parliamentary bill be passed in two more readings, the referendum will be held in December and introduce new constitutional provisions that expand the powers of cabinet and parliamentary [...]

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A federal judge on Thursday issued a temporary injunction against Arkansas’ suspension of Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood . Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson terminated the Medicaid funding last year following national controversy ignited by video recordings of Planned Parenthood’s practices. That same year, District Judge Kristine Baker forced the state to provide funding to three [...]

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The US Supreme Court on Thursday granted certiorari in eight cases following its September 26 conference. In Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District the court will determine what level of educational benefit school districts must confer on children with disabilities to provide them with the free appropriate public education guaranteed by the Individuals with [...]

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The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Thursday condemned an airstrike launched by unmanned aerial vehicle that struck a civilian home killing 15 and injuring 13, including one child. The airstrike, apparently targeting Islamic State (IS) militants, was conducted during the early morning hours of Thursday in the eastern district of Achin where civilians [...]

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A teen blogger in Singapore was sentenced to six weeks in jail on Thursday for “wounding religious feelings” after he pleaded guilty to posting comments on the Internet criticizing Christianity and Islam. The 17-year-old defendant, Amos Yee, told reporters he thought the sentence was very fair . However, others have criticized the sentence as deterring [...]

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The Sudanese government used chemical weapons on civilians in a region of Darfur between January and September 9, an Amnesty International (AI) investigative report claimed Thursday. During this time, the Sudanese army engaged in a military offensive targeting the Sudan Liberation Army/Abdul Wahid. AI believes that during this time 30 attacks occurred and more than [...]

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California Governor Jerry Brown on Wednesday signed legislation clarifying felons’ voting rights. The law now clarifies that those sentenced under the third category of Criminal Justice Realignment Act of 2011 —a term in county jail—are not stripped of their constitutional right to vote and confirms that only those serving a state-prison sentence or on parole [...]

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