For many, the schism that has wracked the United Methodist Church seemed inevitable, though it was an outcome few wanted. The departure of a quarter of the church’s approximately 30,000 congregations illustrates the fallout of a prolonged and messy divorce, sparked by disagreements over issues of sexuality and gender identity. (Ramirez, USA Today)
Read MoreAfter vandals attacked three Hindu temples in the San Franscisco Bay Area within two weeks, Hindu advocates are urging temples across the United States to increase their vigilance and security measures. (Karmarkar, Religion News Service)
Read MoreLast year was about 1.48C warmer than the long-term average before humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels, the EU's climate service says. Almost every day since July has seen a new global air temperature high for the time of year, BBC analysis shows. (Poynting & Rivault, BBC News)
Read MoreThe popular newsletter service Substack is removing five pro-Nazi newsletters after an anti-censorship row that saw some of its top writers threaten to quit. The San Francisco start-up, which is backed by some of Silicon Valley’s leading investors, said it would remove the newsletters – just days after it insisted that doing so would threaten its free speech credentials. (Titcomb, The Telegraph)
Read MoreAttorney General Merrick Garland on Friday called the wave of threats against government workers and public servants a “deeply disturbing spike.” (Ellison, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThis past summer, a congressional subcommittee heard testimony about the discovery of nonhuman “biologics” at U.F.O. crash sites. In “The Little Book of Aliens” (2023), the astrophysicist Adam Frank argues that we’re closer than ever to being able to look for possible signs of civilization in outer space — just in time for a population that feels alienated from life on Earth. Thomas, NYT Style Magazine)
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