France will hold a historic joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles on Monday to enshrine the right to an abortion in its constitution, making it the first country in the world to do so. The extraordinary Versailles parliament session and approval of the measure by a three-fifths majority in both houses is required to officialize the change to the constitution. With both houses already approving the measure, Monday's joint session at Versailles is expected to pass it. (Beardsley, NPR)
Read MoreThe rules were announced on the dance floor by a mic-carrying emcee to more than 200 clubgoers blanketed by thick smoke machine fog: ”Rule No. 1: No twerking. Second rule: No drinking. And a third rule: No smoking.” The last unspoken rule seemed obvious by then: No secular music — the playlist would be all Christian. (Henao & Wardarski, AP News)
Read MoreA chemical attack that injured a dozen people in the South London suburb of Clapham a month ago has sparked the resurgence of a national debate over the UK’s asylum system and the church’s involvement with migrant converts. The suspected perpetrator, Abdul Ezedi, was an Afghan refugee who came to Britain illegally in 2016 and was granted asylum in 2020 on appeal after his two previous applications had been denied. (Thompson, Christianity Today)
Read MoreGhana 's parliament passed a highly controversial anti-LGBTQ+ bill on Wednesday that could send some people to prison for more than a decade. The bill was introduced to parliament three years ago and criminalizes members of the LGBTQ+ community as well as its supporters, including promotion and funding of related activities and public displays of affection. (AP/NPR)
Read MoreA Lifeway Research study sponsored by the Evangelical Immigration Table found evangelicals are increasingly concerned about the number of recent immigrants to the US but still believe Christians have a responsibility to care for those who are in the country illegally. While most want to secure the border to prevent additional illegal immigration, evangelicals also advocate for a path to citizenship for those already in the country. (Earls, Christianity Today)
Read MoreMore than one in eight people in the world are clinically obese, as the number passed one billion for the first time. It is now the leading form of malnutrition, with the number of people considered underweight falling to below 550 million. (Searles, The Telegraph)
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