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Protesters rally with various Hindu organisations after two women entered the Sabarimala temple in Kochi, India, Jan. 2, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram V
India houses a potpourri of religions, castes, sub castes, and denominations. While 80 percent of Indians are considered ‘Hindus,’ many smaller denominations, castes, and tribes are clubbed under the term. When the Court passes a judgement on one particular religious group, it could have a bearing on other groups as well.
Activist Pastor Evan Mawarire is taken into a vehicle by police outside his home in Harare, Zimbabwe, Jan. 16, 2019. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo/File Photo
A Zimbabwean activist pastor detained in a security crackdown following violent anti-government protests asked the High Court on Friday to release him on bail but the judge said he would only be able to make a decision next week.
Pope Francis waves from his Popemobile as he arrives for World Youth Day in Panama City, Panama, Jan. 23, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero
Pope Francis wasted no time wading in on the standoff over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall on Wednesday as he started his trip to Panama, saying on the plane from Rome that hostility to immigrants was driven by irrational fear.
Volunteers and archaeologists work at an archaeological dig near caves in the Qumran area in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Jan. 15, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
In the cliffs high above the Dead Sea archaeologists chip away with pick axes, hoping to repeat one of the most sensational discoveries of the last hundred years - the finding of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The scrolls, a collection of manuscripts, some more than 2,000 years old, were first found in 1947 by local Bedouin in the area of Qumran, about 20 km east of Jerusalem.
They gave insight into Jewish society and religion before and after the time of Jesus, and spurred a decade of exploration, before the search fizzled.
Recent finds have stirred fresh excitement however, and archaeologists are probing higher and deeper than before. Hundreds of caves remain unexcavated and the experts are racing against antiquities robbers.
DACA supporters hold signs during the Women's March rally in Las Vegas, Nev., Jan. 21, 2018. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo
The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily closed the door on President Donald Trump's effort to end protections for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants with the justices again silent on Tuesday on three related appeals.
With the lower court’s ruling against the administration and the high court not yet taking action, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program remains in place for now, essentially maintaining the status quo for current DACA recipients. DACA protects about 700,000 immigrants, often called "Dreamers" based on the name of the Dream Act legislation that failed to pass Congress, from deportation and provides them work permits, though not a path to citizenship.
The flag of diversity flutters at the U.S. Embassy in San Jose, Costa Rica June 3, 2016. REUTERS/Juan Carlos Ulate/File Photo
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday let President Donald Trump enforce his policy barring certain transgender people from joining or staying in the military as the justices put on hold lower court rulings blocking the plan on constitutional grounds.
Nathan Phillips, center, prays with other protesters near the main opposition camp against the Dakota Access oil pipeline near Cannon Ball, N.D. Feb. 22, 2017. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester
A Catholic school in Kentucky condemned a group of its students, many of whom wore "Make America Great Again" hats, after they were recorded harassing a Native American Vietnam veteran in a video that went viral on Saturday.
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A federal judge on Tuesday rejected the Trump administration's plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census questionnaire. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan said the 18 U.S. states, 15 cities and various civil rights groups that challenged Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross' addition of the question proved it was more likely than not that they would be harmed if it were added.
Yamina Inzunza is accessing new programs available for former foster care students in California. Photo courtesy Youth Today
Studies show that foster youth are the most likely to drop out of school and least likely to graduate high school, much less attend and graduate from college. In California, about 50 percent of foster students graduated from high school in the 2016-17 school year, compared to about 83 percent for all other students, according to the state Department of Education.
Cover of Wylde. Photo courtesy Cave Pictures Publishing on Facebook.
Myth-making is something the creative forces at Cave Pictures Publishing, a new comics publisher, are fascinated by. The publisher aims to use the medium’s possibilities in ways that bring together faith-oriented audiences who may be new to comics, and long-time fans of the medium looking for thematic depth. Wylde, a western-themed horror comic, is currently available on ComiXology. The Light Princess, an adaptation of the George MacDonald fairy tale, arrives in February.
Federal air traffic controller union members protest the partial U.S. federal government shutdown in a rally at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 10, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Erns
Hundreds of furloughed federal employees chanting "we want to work" gathered for a union-led march to the White House on Thursday, the 20th day of a partial government shutdown over U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding.
"Hey, hey, ho, ho, shutdown's got to go" protesters shouted as they assembled in the bitter cold outside of the AFL-CIO union headquarters, hoisting signs reading "Trump: End the Shutdown," "Reopen Govt" and "Let Me Do My Job."
Image via PBS documentary Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story
It was this harsh sentence that did not take into account her age and circumstances at the time that sparked an outcry among activities and celebrities alike, calling for her release.
LOS ANGELES - AUG 09: Regina King arrives to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Annual Grants Banquet on August 9, 2018 in Hollywood, CA. Shutterstock.
While accepting a Golden Globe last night, actress Regina King made “a vow” to hire “50 percent women” on every project she produces in the next two years.
Image via PBS documentary, Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story
Tennessee Gov, Bill Haslam commuted the sentence of Cyntoia Brown Monday morning, the Tennesean reports. Haslam has ordered Brown’s early release set for Aug. 7, after 15 years in prison. Brown is an alleged sex trafficking victim who, at age 16, killed a 43-year-old man who had picked her up and taken her to his home.
Pope Francis attends an audience with members of the Diplomatic Corps at the Vatican, Jan. 7, 2019. Ettore Ferrari/Pool vie REUTERS
Pope Francis warned on Monday against a resurgence of nationalist and populist movements and criticized countries that try to solve the migration crisis with unilateral or isolationist actions.
Members of the U.S. House are administered the oath of office by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) during the start of the 116th Congress, Jan. 3, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
As the Democratic speaker, Pelosi will oversee a sweeping series of investigations of Donald Trump, his business interests and the first two years of his presidency, while pursuing a distinctly Democratic legislative agenda.
The Chesapeake Bay in Md. Shutterstock.
Stormwater pollution is the fastest growing source of pollution in the Chesapeake Bay watershed—a 64,000 square mile drainage basin that sprawls across parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, New York, and Washington, D.C. One of the contributors: religious congregations.
“The assumption should be that Christian Americans, along with Americans of all faiths and backgrounds, would of course welcome new members of Congress regardless of their religious affiliations.”
Protesters hold a portrait of Hindu deity “Ayappa” as they take part in a rally called by various Hindu organisations after two women entered the Sabarimala temple, in Kochi, India, Jan. 2, 2019. REUTERS/Sivaram
Two women defied a centuries-old ban on entering a Hindu temple in the Indian state of Kerala on Wednesday, sparking protests and calls for a strike by conservative Hindu groups outraged by their visit.