Sudan abolished a law against apostasy that carried the death penalty  and loosened prohibitions on drinking alcohol, removing some of the  most notorious restrictions of ousted dictator Omar al-Bashir’s Islamist  rule.

Authorities have also officially outlawed female genital  mutilation, a step previously announced, Justice Minister Nasur Aldin   ( Read more... )

Return of the cat man of Aleppo

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Meet the cat man of Aleppo.
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The cat man of Aleppo, Mohammad Aljaleel, touched the hearts of millions when his sanctuary featured in a BBC video in 2016 (above). He had to leave the city when it fell to Syrian government forces, but he's now back - in an area nearby - and helping children as well ( Read more... )

BARRINGTON, Ill. (WLS) -- An otter was released into the wild in Barrington on Monday after it was implanted with a chip that allows for its activities and behavior to be tracked ( Read more... )

Next stop: Supreme Court?


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West Africa - from dictators' club to upholder of democracy


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The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay halting deportations under President Donald Trump’s executive order banning entry to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries tonight, following widespread protests at airports around the country.

You can read the full text of the stay hereThe court order prevents ( Read more... )

Netherlands government to counter Trump abortion funding ban

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I figured we could probably use another upbeat post, so...


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OP: This is really good news for the people of Gambia. As one of the articles below states: “For 22 years, Gambians have lived under the threat of imprisonment or even death if they spoke out against Mr. Jammeh’s strange and violent government".

How Gambia's Yahya Jammeh lost his grip on power


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Freedom party’s Norbert Hofer congratulates independent rival Alexander Van der Bellen and says he is ‘endlessly sad’

The rightwing populist candidate for the Austrian presidency has conceded defeat and congratulated his Green-backed independent rival on winning the election.

In a Facebook post published shortly after the first exit poll, Norbert ( Read more... )