Religion and politics

Ultra-Orthodox Jews argue with Israeli border police officers during a protest over the coronavirus lockdown restrictions, in Ashdod, Israel, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021. As he seeks re-election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a straightforward strategy: Count on the rock-solid support of his ultra-Orthodox political allies and stamp out the coronavirus pandemic with one of the world’s most aggressive vaccination campaigns. But with ultra-Orthodox communities openly flouting safety guidelines and violently clashing with police trying to enforce them, this marriage of convenience is turning into a burden. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Ultra-Orthodox unrest threatens Netanyahu re-election hopes

Jan. 28, 2021 1:07 AM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — As he seeks reelection, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has turned to a straightforward strategy: Count on the rock-solid support of his ultra-Orthodox political allies and stamp out the coronavirus pandemic with one of the world’s most aggressive vaccination campaigns....

President Joe Biden signs an executive order on climate change, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

EXPLAINER: Executive orders can be swift but fleeting

Jan. 28, 2021 12:12 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden arrived at the White House ready to wield his pen to dismantle Donald Trump’s legacy and begin pushing his own priorities. Presidents Trump and Barack Obama both relied on executive orders and other presidential directives to get some of their most controversial...

FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2017, file photo, then Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is seen at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Former Gov. Brownback said he plans to make promoting racial reconciliation a focus of his life as a private citizen after more than a quarter century in politics. Brownback, stepped down as the country's ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom last week after Democrat Joe Biden took office. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)

Ex-Kansas Gov. Brownback to focus on racial reconciliation

Jan. 27, 2021 5:14 PM EST

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback said he plans to make promoting racial reconciliation a focus of his life as a private citizen after more than a quarter century in politics. Brownback, 64, stepped down as the country's ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom last week...

People gather in Warsaw, Poland Wednesday Jan. 27, 2021 to protest after the country's top court on Wednesday confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation's strict anti-abortion law. The Constitutional Tribunal published the justification of its decision, which means it can now be officially printed and take immediate effect. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

New protests as Polish court seals divisive abortion ruling

Jan. 27, 2021 4:32 PM EST

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — New anti-government protests broke out in Polish cities Wednesday, shortly after the country's top court confirmed its highly divisive ruling that will further tighten the predominantly Catholic nation’s strict anti-abortion law. The unrest shows growing discontent among many...

House Majority Leader Sheryl Williams Stapleton sits at her desk during the opening day of the legislative session on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Stapleton later introduced a bill that would outlaw hair and head covering discrimination in schools and workplaces. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio)

New Mexico lawmakers consider hair discrimination bill

Jan. 27, 2021 4:10 PM EST

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A bill to protect New Mexico students and workers from discrimination stemming from hairstyles or religious coverings cleared its first legislative hurdle Tuesday, winning a unanimous endorsement from the House Education Committee. Native American and Black supporters shared personal...

Child sexual abuse lawsuit 'window' moves near referendum

Jan. 27, 2021 4:05 PM EST

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state House has given its final approval to a proposal to change the Pennsylvania Constitution to give those who say they were victims of child sexual abuse a retroactive two-year “window” in which to file civil lawsuits, no matter how long ago the alleged abuse...

FILE - This June 30, 2020 file photo, shows the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ma'ale Efrayim in the Jordan Valley. West Bank Jewish Population Stats, a pro-settler group says Israel’s West Bank settler population has grown at a far higher rate than the country as a whole over the last four years, a period coincides with the Trump administration’s unprecedented acceptance of settlement activity. The Palestinians and much of the international community view the settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty, File)

Report: Israeli settler population surged during Trump era

Jan. 27, 2021 1:34 PM EST

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's West Bank settler population has grown at a far higher rate than the country as a whole over the last four years, a pro-settler group said Wednesday, a period that coincides with the Trump administration's unprecedented acceptance of settlement activity. The report by West Bank...

A wreath is laid at the monument to the Heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto in Warsaw, Poland, on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, as part of world observances of the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi German death camp Auschwitz. Some 1.1 million people, mostly Jewish, were killed during World War II. Most observances were held online, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and only few people attended the ceremony at the monument.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Auschwitz survivors mark anniversary online amid pandemic

Jan. 27, 2021 1:30 PM EST

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A Jewish prayer for the souls of the people murdered in the Holocaust echoed Wednesday over where the Warsaw ghetto stood during World War II as a world paused by the coronavirus pandemic observed the 76th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Most International Holocaust...

A Holocaust survivor receives the COVID-19 vaccine from Health Minister Marek Krajci, right, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Bratislava, Slovakia, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021. Hundreds of Holocaust survivors in Austria and Slovakia were poised to get their first coronavirus vaccinations, acknowledging their past suffering with a special tribute 76 years after the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp, where the Nazis killed more than 1 million Jews and others. (Dano Veselsky/TASR via AP)

'We owe this to them': Shoah survivors in vaccine spotlight

Jan. 27, 2021 12:59 PM EST

VIENNA (AP) — Hundreds of Holocaust survivors in Austria and Slovakia got their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine Wednesday, an acknowledgement of past suffering and a tribute to resilience 76 years after Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland. More than 400 Austrian...

FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, file photo, farmers participate in a tractor protest rally towards the capital during India's Republic Day in New Delhi, India. A sea of tens of thousands of farmers riding tractors and horses stormed India’s historic Red Fort on Jan. 26, a dramatic escalation of their protests, which are posing a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. They are demanding the repeal of laws passed by Parliament in September that they say will favor large corporate farms, devastate the earnings of many farmers and leave those who hold small plots behind as big corporations win out. (AP Photo/Dinesh Joshi, File)

EXPLAINER: Why India's farmers are revolting against PM Modi

Jan. 27, 2021 11:25 AM EST

NEW DELHI (AP) — A sea of tens of thousands of farmers riding tractors and horses stormed India’s historic Red Fort this week — a dramatic escalation of their protests, which are posing a major challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The AP explains what is at the heart of two...

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