Ireland’s government on Tuesday announced plans to hold a referendum next year regarding its strict abortion laws. Citizens are urging the government to amend the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution, which dictates that an unborn child and mother have an equal right to life. Citizens’ Assembly, a panel composed of citizens, prepared a report that [...]

The Independent High Elections and Referendum Commission (IHERC) of Kurdistan announced the results of Monday’s independence referendum vote Wednesday. In total, 92 percent of the voters voted “Yes” to secede from Iraq and create an independent Kurdistan. About 72 percent of eligible voters in the Kurdistan region participated in the vote. Of the 3.3 million [...]

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was indicted on Wednesday on graft charges after investigators found his assets did not match his reported income. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) , Pakistan’s highest anti-corruption organization, filed the case against Dar for possessing assets beyond his known sources of income in light of the July 28 verdict of [...]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday announced the creation of the Smart Sectors program to “re-examine how the EPA engages with industry in order to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden, create certainty and predictability, and improve the ability of both EPA and industry to conduct long-term regulatory planning while also protecting the environment and public [...]

China’s Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has imposed fines on some of the country’s top technology firms for failing to censor online content in accordance with China’s censorship laws. Among the companies are Tencent Holdings, Baidu and Weibo Corporation . According to two statements from the Chinese government, one from regulators in Beijing and the [...]

The US Circuit Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated the 2015 corruption conviction of former New York state Senator Dean Skelos and his son Adam Skelos on Tuesday. Dean Skelos, who was once considered one of the most power legislators in his state, was accused of soliciting payments to his son from numerous [...]

During a speech at the Georgetown University Law Center on Tuesday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the Department of Justice will become more involved in the “national recommitment to free speech on campus.” Citing recent incidents at community colleges in Battle Creek, Michigan and Los Angeles, California , where students were arrested for or prohibited [...]

The Federal Register posted a notice on Monday detailing an updated rule that will allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to track social media accounts of immigrants. The social media accounts will be collected as part of the standard immigration review process to decide if an individual is permitted to remain within or gain [...]

Saudi Arabian King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud on Tuesday announced by decree that the country will grant women driver’s licenses beginning next June. The order was broadcast though Saudi Arabia’s state television channel and would allow women the legal right to drive. The country is the only nation to outright forbid women from driving in [...]

Deep Green Resistance , a direct action environmental group, filed a lawsuit on Monday seeking the US District Court for the District of Colorado to grant personhood status to the Colorado River. If personhood status is granted, the State of Colorado could be held liable for violating the river’s rights. The complaint reads in part: [...]