Could assisted suicide be legalised?
On Saturday, the Government said that MPs and peers will be given a free vote on an assisted dying bill. The private members bill, introduced by former Labour lord chancellor…
Blog
Like it or not, the ritual slaughter debate is about much more than animal rights
They may find it uncomfortable, but opponents of halal and kosher who simply point to the evidence need to acknowledge the context in which the argument occurs, says Paul Sims
What risk do foreign fighters in Syria pose on their return?
This month marks three years since the bloody civil war in Syria broke out. As the violence rages on, European policy-makers have been increasingly concerned about the potential impact on…
European Parliament passes a progressive resolution in support of secularism
In a welcome step, the European Parliament last week adopted a progressive resolution on fundamental rights in the European Union. The resolution addresses a wide variety of topics from citizenship…
Exam board condones religious schools’ redaction of evolution questions
A freedom of information (FOI) request by the National Secular Society (NSS) has revealed that the OCR examination board is willing to permit the redaction of evolution questions on its…
“Blasphemous” image edited out of Katy Perry video on YouTube following complaints
A pendant depicting the Arabic word for “Allah” has been edited out of the video for “Dark Horse”, the latest single by pop star Katy Perry, following complaints that the…
The rise of Hindu nationalism in India
Following on from the recent decision by Penguin India to withdraw Wendy Doniger’s book The Hindus: An Alternative History as a result of legal pressure from fundamentalists, Sunny Hundal has…
Background: why Uganda’s president just approved an anti-gay law
Yesterday, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a harsh anti-homosexual bill into law. The wide-ranging bill outlines strict penalties for homosexual acts, defined as touching another person “with the intention of…
Bishops round on Government benefit cuts
Are clerical criticisms of Cameron welcome, or should faith leaders stay out of politics?
The Spring 2014 New Humanist is out now!
Adam Curtis interviewed; sacred art from Dante to Tavener; the science of happiness and more...
Thirteen years after the invasion, how much have women’s lives improved in Afghanistan?
Some positive steps might have been taken, but abuses continue, writes Samira Shackle
Anti-abortion ‘counselling’ services peddling misinformation to vulnerable women
Could abortion make you more likely to sexually abuse your children? To develop breast cancer? To become sterile? The answer to all these questions is, of course, no. But that…
Penguin India withdraws “disrespectful” book about Hinduism
Publishing giant agrees to pulp book and acknowledges that it "respects all religions worldwide"
London South Bank University Students’ Union bans poster with Flying Spaghetti Monster
An atheist student society at London South Bank University has been banned from displaying posters at the University’s “refreshers fair” because they were deemed “offensive”. The South Bank Atheist Society’s…
Vatican rejects UN’s child abuse report
“Outdated, interfering and ideological”. This is how the Vatican reacted to the UN Committee on the Right of the Child (CRC) report on the Holy See’s handling of Catholic Church’s…