US Supreme Court rules in favour of Catholic foster care agency, in narrow win for religious rights
RNS A city-funded foster and adoption agency that opposes same-sex marriage on religious grounds can be exempted from serving such couples, the US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. In a unanimous ruling, the justices once again showed they were receptive to claims by religious groups – in this case Catholic Social Services, which refuses to […]
COVID-19 cases surge in Africa, less than 0.8 per cent of people fully vaccinated, say officials
Nairobi, KenyaReuters COVID-19 cases rose by over 20 per cent week-on-week in nearly two dozen African countries and progress on vaccinating Africans is proceeding slowly, with just 0.79 per cent of people on the continent fully vaccinated, senior health officials said on Thursday. “Africa is in the midst of a full blown third wave…We’ve seen […]
US baker fined for refusing to make transgender transition cake
Denver, Colorado, USAP A Colorado baker who won a partial victory at the US Supreme Court in 2018 for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple violated the state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a birthday cake for a transgender woman, a state judge has ruled. In Tuesday’s ruling, Denver District […]
Health Insight: Hiking workouts aren’t just good for your body – they’re good for your mind too
In an article first published on The Conversation, LINDSAY BOTTOMS outlines the benefits of hiking…
Refugees in India, elsewhere hit hard by COVID-19 impact: rights report
Mumbai, IndiaReuters At least 200,000 refugees are among the worst affected by India’s COVID-19 outbreak as they have no access to welfare schemes or free healthcare, a report by an international consortium of rights groups said on Wednesday. “The stateless in India have not received economic relief packages provided by the government…they don’t have a […]
On the Screen: ‘Energetic and magical’ – ‘In The Heights’, Broadway’s original hip hop hit, comes to Hollywood
MARCUS CHEONG watches the film of Lin Manuel Miranda’s experimental hip-hop musical debut…
Rift on Communion policy as US Catholic bishops open meeting
AP Divisions flared quickly on Wednesday as US Catholic bishops opened a national meeting highlighted by a sensitive agenda item – whether to take initial steps toward a possible rebuke of politicians, including President Joe Biden, who receive Communion while supporting abortion rights. Some said the issue was so important and contentious that all the […]
Brazil’s Bolsonaro says aid for poor to rise nearly 60 per cent due to food costs
Brasilia, BrazilReuters Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro said in a TV interview that his government would raise monthly payments under a popular welfare program to 300 reais from 190 reais starting in December. If confirmed, the 58 per cent rise announced by Bolsonaro in an interview with the Record TV channel late on Tuesday would be […]
Faith groups among those granted money from US billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott
RNS A number of faith-based groups were among the nearly 300 recipients of $US2.7 billion in grants announced Tuesday by billionaire philanthropist MacKenzie Scott to organizsations addressing a range of social issues. Scott, who was formerly married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, wrote in a Medium post that she and her husband, Dan Jewett, worked with researchers, […]
Rising tensions: Idle church plots fuelling “grabbing” in Uganda
JOHN SEMAKULA reports from Uganda on rising tensions between churches and some of those living on church lands…