Australian law allows religious schools to reject gay students, PM says

(CNN)Prime Minister Scott Morrison said religious schools in Australia are already legally allowed to deny students a place based on their sexual orientation, following criticism of a leaked report that proposes allowing schools to bar them.Morrison was commenting on the contents of a leaked report on religious freedoms, reigniting debate about what constitutes unlawful discrimination...

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Mexican couple arrested with body parts in stroller may have killed 20

(CNN)A couple arrested in Mexico while pushing a baby stroller filled with human body parts may have killed up to 20 women, according to the chief investigator on the case.The man and woman were detained Thursday in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec on suspicion of murdering 10 female victims. However, the male suspect has since claimed that they are responsible for twice as...

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Michael's not done yet -- path of destruction stretches north from Florida

(CNN)Hurricane Michael's deadly trail of devastation now stretches from the Florida Panhandle, where it wiped away a coastal city, to the Carolinas, where it triggered flash floods that turned roads into rivers. And the threat continues overnight.Now a tropical storm with winds of 50 mph, Michael is expected to gain strength as it passes into Virginia and moves into the western...

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Man who punched woman in viral video sentenced to 6 months in prison

(CNN)A man has been sentenced to six months in prison for punching a woman in the face in Paris when she told him to "shut up" after she said he sexually harassed her, a spokesman for the Paris prosecutor told CNN on Thursday.The sentence also included a suspended term of six months. The man was not named by the prosecutor.Closed-circuit TV footage that showed the moment the man...

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Vladimir Putin plays hockey and cuddles a puppy in new 2019 calendars

Moscow (CNN)In their book "Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin," Russia analysts Fiona Hill and Clifford Gaddy note Russian President Vladimir Putin's "endless number of guises," all meant to telegraph his status as Russia's First Person."As president and prime minister, Mr. Putin has turned himself into the ultimate political performance artist," they wrote. "Over the last several...

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Blasphemy ruling could signal strength of hardliners in Pakistan

(CNN)On Monday, Pakistan's Supreme Court heard the final appeal of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy in November 2010.The verdict, not yet issued, could well signal if the hardline Islamists, who seek to create a full-blown theocracy, are gaining influence throughout the country and helping to shape its future.Bibi's case began on June 14, 2009, when...

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Senators pressure Trump to investigate disappearance of Saudi journalist

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump is facing new pressure to investigate the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and determine whether to impose sanctions on those responsible after receiving a letter from a bipartisan group of senators Wednesday.The letter, which triggers an "investigation and Global Magnitsky sanctions determination" was penned by the top Republican...

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World's longest flight live updates: Preparing for take off

Singapore (CNN) — Spending nearly 19 hours cooped up in an airplane may sound nightmarish to some, but when Singapore Airlines flight SQ22 takes off from its home airport bound for New York, it's going to be a dream for others.The record-breaking flight, involving a brand-new Airbus A350-900ULR (Ultra Long Range), will usher in a new era for air passengers and make the world just...

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