World Boxing rose to prominence after the IOC cut ties with the International Boxing Association in 2023. Absent a global organization for the sport, the IOC oversaw the boxing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which then was disrupted by unsubstantiated claims by the IBA that Khelif has XY chromosomes and should not have competed as a woman. The resulting outcry became a dominant story of the Paris Games and continued to resonate into last fall’s U.S. presidential election. (Carpenter, The Washington Post)
Read MoreMany U.S. corporations this year stopped supporting Pride events that celebrate LGBTQ+ culture and rights, causing hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget shortfalls ahead of the summer festivities and raising questions about corporate America’s commitment to the cause. The moves come as President Donald Trump has shown antipathy for trans protections and has attempted to roll back some LGBTQ+ friendly federal policies. (Rodriguez, AP News)
Read MoreThree women and two doctors are suing Kansas over a law that nullifies a person’s decisions about end-of-life care if they are pregnant in what appears to be the first such lawsuit since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and a constitutional right to abortion. The women, one of whom is pregnant, argue that preventing pregnant people’s advance medical directives from being acted upon violates their rights to personal autonomy and equal protection under the Kansas Constitution, according to a petition filed Thursday in a state district court. (Somasunderam, The Washington Post)
Read MoreEight people were arrested after pro-transgender demonstrators clashed with Christian protesters. Christian activists with Mayday USA organised a demonstration outside Seattle City Hall on Tuesday that descended into aggressive scenes after it was swarmed by pro-transgender counter-protesters. Footage of the incident shows a woman and three children surrounded by counter-protesters who heckled and pointed at her. (Henderson, The Telegraph)
Read MoreMost Wednesdays, Chris Hilliard finalized plans for evening Bible study at the church he’s pastored in North Carolina for nearly a decade, but on the Wednesday of Feb. 12, he instead “tried to O.D. on medication,” he told Baptist Press. “I say tried,” he emphasized. “I didn’t take a lethal dose because God intervened.” “No one, and I mean no one, saw this coming,” Hilliard said of his experience. (Chandler, Baptist Press)
Read MoreThe proposal is set out in the annual report of the Assembly Trustees, which warns that the Church is “at a tipping point in terms of its financial viability”. In December, the Church had 245,000 members, representing a 5.5-per-cent fall on 2023, and a decline of 35 per cent over the decade. The operating budget deficit stands at £5.9 million, while the free reserves available to cover the Church’s day-to-day charitable activities totalled £51.2 million at December — about five months of operating costs. (Davies, Church Times)
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