In The Media

Despite concerns about separation of church and state, the Ohio Senate passed a bill that would allow public school students to pray, attend religious clubs and "See You at the Pole" gatherings, distribute religious material, wear religious clothing and turn in work expressing their faith beliefs.

Cleveland.com

Switzerland's lower house of parliament approved draft legislation on Thursday to let same-sex couples marry in a country that has lagged other parts of western Europe in gay rights.

Reuters

Philip Manshaus admitted to killing his stepsister and storming a mosque near Oslo last year, saying he was inspired by other far-right attacks.

The New York Times

Border closures have trapped women seeking safe terminations and exposed the plight of those who cannot afford to travel.

The Guardian

Police in Guatemala have arrested two men and two women on suspicion of murder after a respected indigenous Maya spiritual guide was tortured, doused in gasoline and burned to death after being accused of witchcraft.

The Guardian

For the first 15 years of his life, Ben Shenton lived in a doomsday cult that thought the world would soon end. Instead the police arrived one day and plunged him into a new and unfamiliar world: the real one.

BBC

An ill man who did not want to live with a stoma has died after a judged ruled life-support treatment could end. Christian Concern had called for a review of the High Court decision to allow him to die.

BBC

'Isis bride' Shamima Begum is set to appeal against a ruling that she cannot return to the UK to challenge the removal of her British citizenship.

LBC

Relaxing of lockdown for places of worship only helps Christians, prominent Muslims and Jews have said, claiming that the new rules bring more challenges than they solve.

The Telegraph

Human rights campaigners have called on Saudi Arabia to release blogger Mohamad al-Bokari, who was detained after stating his support for LGBT+ rights.

Pink News

A 20-year old Dalit man was allegedly chased and beaten to death in Pimple Saudagar suburb of Pune, reportedly over an inter-caste relationship with a woman belonging to an "upper caste".

Indian Express

Spurred on by US.anti-racism protests, Dalit campaigners have called on India to acknowledge centuries of oppression they have endured.

The Hindu

Tanzania's president is claiming the country is free of the coronavirus because of the power of prayer, six weeks after his government stopped publicly updating virus data.

AP News

An atheist was jailed for an additional five months for refusing to live in a Christian homeless shelter requiring residents to study the Bible and attend worship services.

Patheos (The Friendly Atheist)

Cindy had been forced to give up a high-powered corporate career at age 35 and struggled for decades with a handful of painful diseases. When it finally became clear that no drug could relieve her intense suffering, she chose voluntary assisted death, a procedure that's not legal in her home state.

CNN

Academy bosses running a Sikh free school have said they will look at mounting a legal challenge against a decision to hand the school to another trust following a damning Ofsted verdict.

TES

The government's adviser on extremism is investigating whether it's possible to ban behaviour that leads people to hate each other.

BBC

Church of England bishops have been accused of "utter hypocrisy" for publicly supporting the Black Lives Matter movement while failing to address racism in their dioceses.

The Guardian

Circumcision ceremonies have resumed after circumcisers in some communities suspended them for two months because of the threat of coronavirus.

The JC

Anger at the Fishmongers' Hall and Streatham terror attacks must not "distort the lessons" of what took place, the government has been warned. The stabbings, which were both committed by Islamist extremists who had been released from prison, sparked proposed new laws to keep terrorists in jail for longer.

The Independent

U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign legislation calling for sanctions on Chinese officials responsible for oppressing Uighur Muslims, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday without offering a time frame for the signing.

Reuters

In 2014, after undertaking a brief tour of Xinjiang, Xi instructed the cadres of the Communist Party of China to "show absolutely no mercy" to its Uighur Muslim population.

The Critic

Thousands of women have contacted a hotline in just three months as the coronavirus lockdown complicates access.

The Telegraph

Fighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) drove into Felo village before shooting and crushing residents under their vehicles.

The Telegraph

Blaspheming is a part of everyday religious and philosophical discourse and practice, says Leo Igwe.

Sahara Reporters

The Prime Minister is set to unveil a range of measures to ease the lockdown and restart the economy from June 15, including holding weddings outdoors, sources say. It is not currently legally possible to marry outside in England or Wales without a fixed shelter.

Mirror

Four British universities have distanced themselves from a radical Islamic preacher - who was banned from the UK for his extremist views - after they were listed as 'approved exam centres' for an online college he runs.

Mail Online

Archbishop of Cardiff George Stack confirmed that a wedding service involving a young couple took place at St Alban-on-the-Moors in Splott, Cardiff, on Tuesday May 12 after pictures appeared on Facebook.

ITV

Christian leaders have welcomed the government's announcement that places of worship in England will be allowed to reopen for individual prayer from 15 June, but Muslim and Jewish leaders said the move was not appropriate for the way they practise their faith.

The Guardian

The Parish Church of St Giles, Exhall (Coventry) has issued a statement regarding their decision which saw Margaret Keane's family barred from inscribing their mother's gravestone with a phrase in Gaelic.

The Irish Post

A bishop has urged Catholics to resist efforts to liberalise abortion laws on Guernsey.

Catholic News Agency

The government is allowing federal pandemic aid to pay for clergy salaries, something that once would have been unthinkable.

The New York Times (£)

Yoga has no place "in the life of Christians," the governing body of the Church has ruled. It said it intervened after Greek media recommended yoga as a way to combat stress during coronavirus quarantine.

BBC

The arrest and incarceration of Mubarak Bala has compelled a review of the role of religion in Nigeria's nation building and development, says Leo Igwe

The Nigerian Voice

An online petition signed by more than 100,000 people to ban 'conversion therapy' will now be considered for a debate in Parliament.

BBC

A judge last week ruled that the man, who is sedated on an intensive care ward, should be allowed to die because he had previously made it clear he did not want to live with a permanent stoma, a surgical hole in the stomach to which a colostomy bag is attached to collect digestive waste.

Mail Online

The government will not change the regulations governing abortions in Northern Ireland in response to an assembly vote, Brandon Lewis has said.

BBC

Sunday trading laws could be suspended for a year in a move the government hopes will stimulate the economy.

The Guardian

By 2021, schools across the country are expected to include lessons about LGBTQ equality and history in their educational plans.

Edinburgh Live

Writing to the council, Jawad Khan, chairman of the Birmingham Council of Mosques, says that an increase is necessary to allow friends and family the chance to read the Salat ul Janazah prayer before laying their loved ones to rest.

Express & Star

Reform Judaism is set to commission an independent review into its safeguarding culture.

Jewish News

You'd be forgiven for missing the news that a Conservative MP is attempting to restrict our abortion laws, says Vicky Spratt.

Refinery 29

A court in Russian-controlled Crimea jailed a Jehovah's Witness for six years on Thursday after finding him guilty of organizing the activities of a banned extremist organization, part of a crackdown rights activists say violates religious freedom.

Reuters

After nearly three months, Facebook and Instagram have unblocked the #Sikh hashtag, saying the block occurred "mistakenly" after a user reported the hashtag in March.

Religion News Service

Churches will be allowed to reopen for individual prayers from mid-June, though singing and mass gatherings will remain banned to stop the spread of coronavirus. We're quoted.

Mail Online

Christopher Lowson, the Bishop of Lincoln, was suspended over allegations he "failed to respond appropriately to safeguarding disclosures".

The Telegraph

The government has been investigating child abuse within the UK's strictly Orthodox Jewish communities as part of a wider Home Office report into group-based offending, aimed at safeguarding vulnerable children.

The JC

The new relationships and sex education curriculum, which has aroused deep concern within the Charedi community, is to be delayed by the government because of the coronavirus outbreak.

The JC