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Mon, 02 Dec 2019
Christmas shoebox children gifts 'not sustainable'
Well-wishers should be discouraged from taking part in an annual Christmas shoebox gift appeal over environmental concerns, it has been argued.
BBC
Women should be allowed to carry out early abortions at home, say medical leaders
Women should be allowed to carry out early abortions at home, medical leaders have said.
The Sun
Divorce rate falls for heterosexual couples in England and Wales
The divorce rate for opposite sex couples in England and Wales has plunged to its lowest level for almost half a century.
The Guardian
US abortions hit record low since Roe v Wade
Abortion rates continue fall in the US, decreasing by nearly a quarter in less than a decade, new data has revealed.
DailyMail.com
Almost 4,000 women in Ireland have undergone female genital mutilation
Almost 4,000 women living in Ireland have undergone female genital mutilation since 2011, a charity has said.
Irish Mirror
Fri, 29 Nov 2019
Group of bishops pledges to oppose liberalisation of abortion laws
A group of Catholic bishops in the Church of England has pledged to oppose attempts to further liberalise abortion.
Christian Today
Boris Johnson backs teaching about LGBT people during interview
The prime minister has said it is "unequivocally right" that children should be taught about LGBT issues.
ITV News
Politicians in Scotland unite in defence of Catholic schools during Holyrood debate
MSPs have condemned "unacceptable" attacks on Catholic schools and rejected claims that faith-based education could fuel sectarianism during a debate at Holyrood.
Tes
C of E publishes ‘faith-sensitive’ guide for relationships, sex and health education
The Church of England has published a new charter and resources for C of E schools teaching relationships, sex and health education.
Premier Christian Radio
Manchester woman jailed over terrorist offences
A Manchester woman who had Islamic State instructions on how to plan a terrorist attack on her phone has been jailed.
Manchester Evening News
Parents found guilty in Ireland's first FGM trial
The parents of a young girl who is deemed to have undergone female genital mutilation have been found guilty of allowing the act to take place.
TheJournal.ie
Tip of boy’s penis cut off in cultural circumcision in Canada
A nine-day-old boy has had the tip of his penis cut off during a circumcision in Canada. The boy's mother, who is of African descent, said circumcision is part of her family's culture.
Wellston Journal
Boys to be admitted to Scotland's last all-girl state school despite Muslim objections
The last state all-girls school in Scotland is to admit boys for the first time in 2021. The Muslim Council of Scotland was among those who objected to the proposal earlier this week.
BBC
Utah moves to ban LGBT+ ‘conversion therapy’
Plans to ban so-called conversion therapy in the US state of Utah have won backing from the Mormon church, meaning the state is on its way to outlawing the practice.
The Independent
‘The Muslim Sanskrit professor boycotted over his religion in India’
Students in the northern Indian city of Varanasi are up in arms over a Muslim professor hired to teach Sanskrit. They say that a person of Islamic faith cannot teach a language often associated with ancient Hinduism.
BBC
Thu, 28 Nov 2019
Church of England bishops urged to oppose decriminalisation of abortion
Dozens of clergy and lay members of the Church of England have signed an open letter calling on bishops to oppose the decriminalisation of abortion. The letter comes in the face of proposals by Labour and the Lib Dems.
Christian Today
Dozens of MPs sign pledge to protect the unborn
Eighty MPs have signed a pledge on abortions which includes a measure to lower the upper time limit for performing them.
Christian Today
Justin Welby speaks out on election campaign during BBC interview
The archbishop of Canterbury has told the BBC he is "very concerned" about the manipulation of truth in the current "febrile and excitable" political climate.
BBC
Muslim group objects to move to make Glasgow school co-educational
The Muslim Council of Scotland has accused Glasgow City Council of "complete disregard for the voice of BME communities" during a consultation on the future of a local girls' school.
Evening Times
Jonathan Miller, writer and director, dies aged 85 – NSS quoted
Sir Jonathan Miller, the writer, theatre and opera director and an NSS honorary associate, has died at the age of 85.
The Guardian
Most people support age-appropriate education which refers to LGBT people
New research indicates that 25% of people say relationships & sex education should not include LGBT issues, while 59% support including topics such as gender identity and sexuality at an age-appropriate level.
The Independent
Western Australia set for marathon assisted dying debate
Western Australian MPs look set to endure marathon sittings as the government pushes to finally pass voluntary assisted dying laws.
Yahoo News
UN investigators eye 160 Islamic State militants over Yazidi massacres
United Nations investigators have so far identified 160 Islamic State militants accused of massacres of Yazidis in northern Iraq in 2014 and are building legal cases against them, the head of the team told the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
Reuters
Hungary pulls out of Eurovision amid rise in anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
Hungary will not participate in next year's Eurovision song contest, amid speculation the decision was taken because the competition is "too gay" for the taste of the country's far-right government and public media bosses.
The Guardian
Catholic Church’s opposition to faith-based admissions cap called “specious” after it accepts restrictions at new school in Peterborough
A Catholic diocese preparing to open a new voluntary-aided school has accepted that 20% of pupils will initially be admitted based on where they live. This has led to accusations that its opposition to a 50% cap on faith-based admissions was "specious".
Schools Week
'These Sikh and Hindu "leaders" who compete over racism don't speak for us – they're an embarrassment'
Sunny Hundal says Britain has created an awful dynamic where self-appointed figures who claim to speak on behalf of minorities instead use them like pawns in a game for power and influence.
The Independent
Wed, 27 Nov 2019
Anti-LGBT primary school protests permanently banned from outside school in Birmingham
Demonstrations against LGBT inclusive education have been permanently banned outside a primary school.
BBC
Evangelical church plans grammar school in NI
An evangelical church schools' network plans to open a voluntary grammar school in Northern Ireland.
BBC
British Muslims are getting WhatsApps urging them to vote out 14 "pro-Israel" Tory MPs
British Muslims are being targeted with WhatsApp messages from a group urging them to vote out 14 Conservative candidates accused of "supporting Israel" and being 'Islamophobes'.
BuzzFeed
UK public buildings to be lit red in honour of religious freedom
More than 120 public building across the UK will be lit red on Wednesday to recognise the importance of religious freedom.
Premier Christian Radio
Fears rise for Christian freedoms in China as BBC Panorama reveals "re-education camps" for Muslims
Concerns have risen for the religious freedoms of Christians in China following a BBC Panorama programme on the oppressive treatment towards minority Muslims.
Premier Christian Radio
Call to scrap blasphemy laws in Australian state of Victoria
An MP will table a bill in Victoria's parliament on Wednesday to abolish the state's blasphemy laws.
Nine.com.au
Egypt court sides with woman against unequal inheritance law
An Egyptian woman says she's scored an important legal victory against her country's inheritance laws, which grant female heirs half of what they grant men.
AP News
Man arrested over FGM in Kenya
Police in Riaranga village, Nyamira County, are holding a 70-year-old man suspected to have been involved in the circumcision of his two granddaughters.
Citizen Digital
Tue, 26 Nov 2019
D-day on bid to keep anti-LGBT protesters away from Birmingham school
A judge will today rule on whether to extend a protest exclusion zone around a Birmingham primary school targeted by demonstrations against LGBT equality teaching.
Birmingham Live
Labour to launch race and faith manifesto
The Labour party is to unveil a specific 'race and faith manifesto' today.
The Guardian
Vatican accused of harbouring bishop wanted for alleged sexual abuse of young priests
The Vatican has been accused of harbouring a bishop wanted for alleged sex abuse offences.
The Telegraph
Child abuse survivor challenges C of E review process
The Church of England's national safeguarding team has commissioned a former director of adult's and children's services to review its handling of allegations relating to an abusive bishop. But a survivor of the bishop, who previously called the review process "worse than useless", says his position hasn't changed.
Church Times
Chief rabbi attacks Labour antisemitism record
The chief rabbi has said the Labour party is not doing enough to root out anti-Jewish racism.
BBC
‘The need to talk openly about assisted dying’
Family members, care professionals and a police and crime commissioner call for a change in UK law on assisted dying in this letter.
The Guardian
Ex-CoE prep school teacher jailed for abusing boys in cupboard
A former geography teacher at a private Church of England prep school who sexually abused a string of pupils he lured into his storage cupboard has been jailed for more than five years.
Evening Standard
An Argentine court has convicted two priests of abusing deaf children at a Catholic-run school
An Argentine court has convicted two priests of abusing deaf children at a Catholic-run school.
The Washington Post
Mon, 25 Nov 2019
‘Parents hope secular education victory leads to repeal of law’
There are calls for an end to compulsory collective, broadly Christian worship in non-religious state schools after a Church of England academy trust agreed to provide an alternative in one school.
The Observer
'Allow no escapes': leak exposes reality of China's vast prison camp network
The internal workings of a vast chain of Chinese internment camps used to detain at least a million people from the nation's Muslim minorities are laid out in leaked Communist Party documents published on Sunday.
The Guardian
Labour vows to rip up Victorian-era abortion laws in manifesto
Labour has vowed to rip up Victorian abortion laws by overhauling historic legislation which contains criminal sanctions for women and doctors.
The Independent
Chickens facing slaughter in pain and fear, partly to meet halal demand
About 250m chickens slaughtered annually in the UK are placed in electric water baths, despite the availability of more humane methods of slaughter. This is partly to meet demand among Muslims for chicken slaughtered according to halal principles. Millions of these chickens end up being eaten by non-Muslims.
The Times (£)
Anti-abortion group working with religious group to target pro-choice MP Stella Creasy
An anti-abortion group under investigation by the police has been accused of trying to interfere in the general election by working with a religious organisation to target a prominent Labour figure.
The Observer
Pakistan summons Norway’s ambassador over burning of Quran
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says it has summoned Norway's ambassador to convey concern over the fact that a man burned Islam's holy book and was caught on video. The man who burnt the Quran in the video was physically attacked.
The Washington Post
Church of England reviews its handling of sexual abuse case
The Church of England has ordered an independent review into its handling of a sexual abuse case that resulted in four bishops and an archbishop being accused of failing to respond properly to a victim's disclosures.
The Guardian
British roofer fined after calling New Zealand mosque shootings suspect a 'hero' on Facebook
A British roofer has been convicted of a hate crime after hailing the suspect accused of the New Zealand mosque shootings as a 'hero' on Facebook.
Mail Online
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