Latest Religion and politics News
Lawsuits target Virginia school board sex-assault response
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A pair of lawsuits that for years has plagued Virginia's largest school system with allegations that it ignored students' accusations of sex assaults are back in front of federal judges. One of the lawsuits includes allegations of horrific abuse suffered by...
India Hindus begin pilgrimage in Kashmir amid heavy security
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Thousands of Hindu devotees began an annual pilgrimage Thursday through mountain passes and meadows to an icy Himalayan cave in Indian-controlled Kashmir amid heavy security in the Muslim-majority region. Officials say pilgrims face heightened threat of...
New Zealand designates Proud Boys a terrorist organization
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand's government has declared that American far-right groups the Proud Boys and The Base are terrorist organizations. The two groups join 18 others including Islamic State that have been given an official terrorist designation, making it...
Drug killings leave agony, savage facet to Duterte's legacy
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — When Emily Soriano recounts how her 15-year-old son was gunned down with four friends and two other residents while partying in a Philippine slum six years ago, she weeps in grief and anger like the massacre happened yesterday. Police concluded at the...
Abortion ruling prompts variety of reactions from states
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies. Some Republican-led...
Pelosi receives Communion in Vatican amid abortion debate
ROME (AP) — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Pope Francis on Wednesday and received Communion during a papal Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, witnesses said, despite her position in support of abortion rights. Pelosi attended the morning Mass marking the feasts of St. Peter...
Hard-line conservative Reps. Boebert, Miller win primaries
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two of Congress’ staunchest conservatives repelled more centrist alternatives to lock up Republican nominations on Tuesday, even as the party’s voters chose to turn out a six-term incumbent in Mississippi. Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller won her primary...
FBI opens sweeping probe of clergy sex abuse in New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The FBI has opened a widening investigation into sex abuse in the Roman Catholic Church in New Orleans going back decades, a rare federal foray into such cases looking specifically at whether priests took children across state lines to molest them, officials and others familiar...
Hindu man killed as religious tensions boil in India
NEW DELHI, India (AP) — Tensions were high Wednesday in the western Indian city of Udaipur, a day after police arrested two Muslim men accused of slitting a Hindu tailor's throat and posting a video of it on social media, in a brutal attack representing a dramatic escalation of communal violence...
Sen. Mike Lee brushes off opponents to win Utah GOP primary
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (AP) — Sen. Mike Lee won Utah’s Republican primary Tuesday, brushing off attacks from two challengers who criticized him for his unwavering loyalty to former President Donald Trump and uncompromising lawmaking style. Lee’s decisive victory marked a win for...
