The Newsmakers

In 2012, a woman was refused an abortion at an Irish hospital because it was illegal. Within hours she died of septicemia. Her death sparked outrage and mass protests across the country, with people calling on the government to overhaul the law. Five years later, the government has finally decided to hold a referendum on the issue next year. But will it lead to the kind of change pro-abortion rights groups have been waiting for?

A report by Human Rights Watch has revealed that civil and political rights are deteriorating in Cambodia. It comes off the back of the arrests of multiple opposition members and a clampdown on the press. All domestic media is now under government control. Prime Minister Hun Sen is one of the world's longest serving leaders, and critics say he's attempting to extend his power. Elections don't take place until next year, but the crackdown has forced half of the main opposition party to flee.

The French parliament has approved a new anti-terror bill to replace the state of emergency when it expires on November 1. But rights groups fear the law will erode civil liberties and militarize French society. So is Paris creating a permanent police state with innocent civilians caught in the crosshairs, or is this a necessary step by the government to keep the peace?

A married Bollywood filmmaker had been convicted for raping an American student. But Delhi's High Court now says he's not guilty, ruling the woman refused his sexual advances too feebly. Critics are concerned the judgment sets a worrying precedent, in a country with already low conviction rates. And it's triggered debate about what constitutes consent.

Politicians in Uganda brawled for days over a proposed change to the constitution that would allow 73-year-old leader Yoweri Museveni to extend his rule, beyond the current age cap of 75. The bill passed its first hurdle in parliament after most of its opponents were barred, or boycotted the session to protest what they say is a crackdown on dissent. So, is Museveni just an elderly victim of a discriminatory law? Or is this the ruling party's attempt at keeping him enthroned for life?

From man-made climate change to the threat of nuclear war, there seems to be plenty of evidence that humankind might be its own worst enemy. Israeli professor, Yuval Noah Harari, has charted our history as a species from our humblest beginnings until today, and now he's tackling the future. Thanks to new technology and artificial intelligence, will we achieve near immortality, or is the future for the human race a bleak one?

Officials from the US and Bangladesh are meeting in Washington this week to draft a plan to manage the massive influx of Rohingya fleeing neighbouring Myanmar.

President Donald Trump has already signed off on an aid package worth 32 million dollars, but a longer-term solution is needed. In just the past month, more than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have been forced to leave their homes because of a crackdown by Myanmar's military.

64-year-old Stephen Paddock fired indiscriminately on a packed crowd with an automatic rifle from the 32nd floor of a Vegas Strip hotel.

He managed to stockpile a large cache of weapons in his Mandalay Bay hotel room, from where he opened fire on thousands of people at an outdoor concert below as quickly as police reacted to what was happening, they couldn't stop the gunman from killing dozens and injuring hundreds more. This was by no means the first mass shooting in recent US history, but it is the worst. And again it brings the controversial issue of US gun control laws into focus.

UNICEF's Deputy Executive Director talked last week about the effect groups like Boko Haram have on the education of children. The comments came around the same time a UNESCO report showed just how bad the situation is both in and out of classrooms.

Six out of ten children and teenagers worldwide aren't meeting even basic proficiency in reading and math. War and poverty are two of the main reasons for low levels of learning, but the latest research shows that while children might be in a classroom, the standard of teaching often leaves them without a full education.

Turkey and Russia previously announced their relationship had fully recovered from the previous 18 months. But this week Turkey criticised a Russian bombing in Syria's Idlib province, where Moscow and Ankara are meant to be creating 'de-escalation zones'. At the same time, economic interests seem more aligned than ever... with Turkey agreeing to buy the Russian S-400 missile defence system. That's seen by some as a snub to NATO. These issues are all likely to be on the agenda during Putin's visit to Turkey on Thursday.