DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ An Anglo-Saxon Celebration of the Senses in Silver
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jane Coombs | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

In a smaller display case, mounted on a vertical panel, is a large, disc-shaped pin that gleams beneath a small light fixture. About 4.5 inches in diameter and slightly convex, this ninth-century accessory bears a magnificent etched design in burnished silver and niello, a black metallic substance pressed into the grooves. Originally worn at the shoulder to fasten a cloak, the Fuller Brooch (named after its 20th-century donor) is one of the best preserved examples of Anglo-Saxon metalwork and the earliest known depiction of the five senses in art. A similar mix of wit and profundity is readily apparent in the Fuller Brooch’s complex iconography. Many suspect it bears the influence of Alfred the Great (reigned 871–899), a learned Anglo-Saxon king who sparked a revival of religion and literacy after his subjects weathered years of brutal Viking attacks.

☆ Ukraine sanctions 22 associated with Russian Orthodox Church
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Oleksandr Kozhukhar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KYIV, Jan 24 (Reuters) - Ukraine has imposed sanctions on 22 Russians associated with the Russian Orthodox Church for what President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said was their support of genocide under the cloak of religion. According to a decree issued by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the list includes Mikhail Gundayev, who represents the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Council of Churches and other international organizations in Geneva. Russian state media reported that Gundayev is a nephew of the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill. The sanctions are the latest in a series of steps Ukraine has taken against the Russian Orthodox Church, which has backed President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine that is now entering its 12th month. "Sanctions have been imposed against 22 Russian citizens who, under the guise of spirituality, support terror and genocidal policy," Zelenskiy said in his nightly address late on Monday.

☆ Israel’s Judicial Reforms Could Strengthen Religion’s Role in Public Life
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Dov Lieber | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Protesters take to the street to oppose the Israeli government’s judicial-reform plan, which could allow the passing of laws permitting discrimination against LGBT people. TEL AVIV—For three weekends now, tens of thousands of Israelis have taken to the streets of Tel Aviv and other cities to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to weaken the Supreme Court, which would allow his conservative government to strengthen the role of religion in public life. Banners across the city center on Saturday called for the end of Mr. Netanyahu’s carefully assembled coalition, the most right-wing and religious government in Israel’s history, over the planned overhaul. Some 100,000 people turned out, making it one of the biggest protests in years.

☆ A bored hacktivist browsing an unsecured airline server stumbled upon national security secrets including the FBI's 'no-fly' list. She says what she found reveals a 'perverse outgrowth of the surveill
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

A Swiss hacker says she found a copy of the FBI's "no-fly" list on an unsecured server. "The ever-expanding scope of these lists are due to the revelations of people in the course of investigations," Gray told Insider. When looking at the list, crimew told Insider, "you start to notice just how young some of the people are." crimew told Insider. "I just hope they maybe learned their lesson the second time," crimew told Insider.

☆ Wisconsin Republicans block 'conversion therapy' ban
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Wisconsin Republicans voted Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to try to change LGBTQ clients’ gender identities and sexual orientations — a discredited practice known as conversion therapy. A ban on conversion therapy was passed in 2020 by a state board within the Democratic governor’s administration overseeing licensing for mental health professionals. At least 20 states and the District of Columbia have outlawed conversion therapy for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a pro-LGBTQ rights think tank. He said that’s all that’s at issue, not whether conversion therapy is morally or ethically right or wrong. “(The ban on conversion therapy) is necessary to protect the mental health of children in our state,” Herstand said.

☆ ‘The Huxleys’ Review: Darwin’s Bulldog and the Line He Bred
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Richard Davenport-Hines | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Thomas Huxley thought “the smallest fact is a window through which the Infinite may be seen.” His ideas moved from minute particulars to universal propositions. In 1869 he coined the word “agnostic’” to denote a method of thinking that required empirical data rather than biblical revelation to accept the existence of God. The Huxley tenets entailed wrestling with conscience, psychological stresses, spiritual anxiety, and anguish. Her focus is on two eminent scientific thinkers, Thomas (1825-1895) and his grandson Julian Huxley (1887-1975), but she does not provide a conventionally structured family biography following a neat chronological sequence. His descendants became investigators and thinkers who worked with high intensity to clarify some of the boldest, most contentious ideas of the 19th and 20th centuries.

JERUSALEM— Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in for the sixth time as prime minister of Israel on Thursday, having been propelled back to the premiership by a coalition of ultranationalist and religious parties that will wield unprecedented power. Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition aims to expand Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, give lawmakers greater control over the top court and make changes to matters of religion and state. His coalition will include six right-wing parties, five of which are religiously conservative, and will control 64 of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament, or Knesset. The new government is set to be the most right wing in Israel’s history, according to political analysts, and caps a decadeslong rightward shift among the electorate.

☆ Israeli businesses decry calls to revise anti-discrimination law
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Several leading Israeli businesses pledged on Monday to strengthen their internal anti-discrimination rules following remarks by hard-right members of Israel's incoming government seen as undermining gender equality and minority rights. "Recent calls for revoking basic rights heard in the political arena in Israel are of grave concern to our society," Wiz said in a statement. His political rivals have accused the veteran conservative leader of being vulnerable to his far-right allies’ policy demands. Maoz says he is not anti-gay but is opposed to the LGBTQ movement and has called for the cancellation of the annual Jerusalem gay pride march. Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Ari Rabinovitch, Gareth Jones and Howard GollerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Dec 15 (Reuters) - A New York appeals court on Thursday ruled that Yeshiva University must formally recognize an LGBTQ student group, rejecting the Jewish school's claims that doing so would violate its religious rights and values. The ruling by the Appellate Division in Manhattan marked the latest setback for the university in its fight to avoid recognizing Y.U. Pride Alliance, in a statement said the ruling affirmed that the school "cannot discriminate against its LGBTQ+ students by continuing its refusal to recognize the YU Pride Alliance." YU Pride Alliance agreed in September to hold off on forcing Yeshiva to recognize it while the school pursued its appeals after the school briefly halted all student club activities. read moreIt did so after the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision earlier that month declined to block the New York judge's June ruling requiring it to recognize the club.

☆ Iran executes second protester after rapid trial as EU plans more sanctions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Iran executed a second detained protester on Monday, its state media reported, after a rapid trial as unrest and anger toward the government continue to boil over around the country. Cranes have been commonly used for public hangings since the early days of the Islamic Republic after its establishment in 1979. Iran has long held what activists and other governments say are sham trials in order to imprison or execute critics of the state. "No lawyer, no due process, tortured confession, sham trial. He was hanged for 'waging war against God.'

WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERSWASHINGTON, Dec 2 (Reuters) - The United States on Friday designated China, Iran and Russia, among others, as countries of particular concern under the Religious Freedom Act over severe violations, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Blinken in a statement said those designated as countries of particular concern - which also include North Korea and Myanmar - engaged in or tolerated severe violations of religious freedom. The United States has expressed grave concerns about human rights in the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, which is home to 10 million Uyghurs. The other countries designated as countries of particular concern were Cuba, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Religious Freedom Act of 1998 requires the president – who assigns the function to the secretary of State – to designate as countries of particular concern states that are deemed to violate religious freedom on a systematic and ongoing basis.

At face value, this act seems like a step forward by codifying federal same-sex and interracial marriage rights. At best, it is a preemptive Band-Aid should the Supreme Court try to overturn Obergefell v. Hodges, which cited the Fourteenth Amendment to legalize same-sex marriage. But in no way does this act federally legalize “marriage equality” across the United States. The protections to religious liberty were late additions to the bill, in order to secure the support of Senate Republicans like Utah’s Mitt Romney. Of course, the irony in this situation is that federal marriage equality isn’t even guaranteed under the Respect for Marriage Act.

☆ Vatican Says China Broke Agreement on Bishops
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Francis X. Rocca | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Pope Francis spoke during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at The Vatican this week. ROME—The Vatican accused China of violating a power-sharing agreement on the appointment of bishops, expressing growing frustration over its relationship with Beijing as the latter seeks to tighten control of religion. Chinese officials installed a Catholic bishop as leader of a diocese unrecognized by Rome, the Vatican said in a statement Saturday, adding that the move broke a 2018 agreement and the spirit of dialogue between the two parties.

☆ Bill Gates has 5 new book recommendations for your holiday reading list
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Stranger in a Strange Land" — Gates' favorite sci-fi book from his youth, he noted — is the story of a human who was raised on Mars, by Martians. This holiday season, billionaire Bill Gates is gifting you a list of five books to read while you're hopefully enjoying some much-deserved downtime. We need to learn to learn from our mistakes without obsessing over them," Gates wrote. The name comes from Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleyev, who formulated the first version of the periodic table in 1869. It's "the best book I've ever read on the periodic table," Gates wrote.

☆ Faith groups split over bill to protect same-sex marriage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

Among U.S. faith leaders and denominations, there are sharp differences over the bill advancing in the Senate that would protect same-sex and interracial marriages in federal law. Meanwhile, many left-of-center faith leaders are cheering the bill, including some who planned a Thursday morning rally at the U.S. Capitol. A final Senate vote is expected soon, and the measure — if approved — would then return to the House for consideration of Senate changes. An opinion at that time from Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that an earlier high court decision protecting same-sex marriage could also come under threat. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, an American Baptist pastor who is president of Interfaith Alliance and is part of a same-sex marriage.

☆ United Airlines to pay $305,000 to a Buddhist pilot who refused to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

United Airlines will pay $305,000 to a Buddhist pilot who refused to attend AA on religious grounds. United agreed to accommodate staff from non-Christian faiths in its program in the future. A step to regaining the certification in United's HIMS occupational substance abuse treatment program involves attending AA meetings. United rejected his suggestion of using the Buddhism-based peer support group Refuge Recovery as an alternative, the commission said. To resolve the lawsuit, United will pay the pilot $305,000 in back pay and damages and reinstate him into its HIMS program while allowing him to attend a non-12-step peer recovery program.

☆ The Culture War Behind Iran’s Protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Kian Tajbakhsh | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Iran’s feminist uprising poses a stark challenge to the Islamic regime that has held power since 1979. Since September the world media has been awash in images of men and women demonstrating in the streets. Indeed, the protesters’ opponents have more than power on their side; they have significant numbers, too. Most of the surveys that can be considered reliable show a slow liberalization of Iranian attitudes toward the imposition of religious values on society. But they also show the persistence of a significant minority—between 10% and 20% of the population—that favors a religious government, including the mandatory hijab.

☆ Pope ends Bahrain trip with visit to Gulf's oldest church
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yara NardiMANAMA, Bahrain, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis departed from Bahrain on Sunday after a four-day trip that culminated with a visit to the Gulf's oldest Catholic church, where he told bishops, priests and nuns to remain united as they ministered to the faithful in the majority Muslim area. Many Catholics also visit from neighbouring Saudi Arabia, which bars public worship by non-Muslims. At the end of the church service, Pope Francis thanked King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa for Bahrain's "exquisite hospitality". Pope Francis' visit, where he closed an East-West dialogue hosted by Bahrain, continues his policy of improving ties with the Islamic world following a historic visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019. Thousands of Catholics in Bahrain and from around the Gulf poured into a stadium to hear the Pope say Mass on Saturday.

☆ Pope, in Bahrain, condemns rearmament pushing world to 'the brink'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

AWALI, Bahrain, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Friday appealed to religious leaders to help bring the world back from "the brink of a delicate precipice" and oppose a new race to rearm that he said was redesigning Cold War-era spheres of influence. The visit continues the pope's policy of improving ties with the Islamic world following a historic visit to Abu Dhabi in 2019, the first by any pope to the Arabian peninsula. Apparently referring to Ukraine, Francis condemned a situation where "a few potentates are caught up in a resolute struggle for partisan interests, reviving obsolete rhetoric, redesigning spheres of influence and opposing blocs". The cathedral was built on land donated by the king and one of the monarch's sons welcomed him to the church. On Saturday, the pope was due to say Mass for an estimated 30,000 people at Bahrain's National Stadium.

☆ Israel's Netanyahu, charged with corruption, is set for a dramatic comeback in 5th election since 2019
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks at a ceremony in Jerusalem, April 13, 2021. Debbie Hill | ReutersVotes are being counted after Israelis cast their ballots in the country's fifth election since 2019. This would be a controversial and dramatic comeback for the lightning-rod politician, whom Israelis tend to either love or hate. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, and is currently charged with multiple counts of corruption with investigations and legal proceedings ongoing. In order to lead the government in Israel, a party has to win a majority of 61 seats — the magic number — in Parliament.

☆ Judge rules for California baker over same-sex wedding cake
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A California judge has ruled in favor of a bakery owner who refused to make wedding cakes for a same-sex couple because it violated her Christian beliefs. Kern County Superior Court Judge Eric Bradshaw ruled Friday that Miller acted lawfully while upholding her beliefs about what the Bible teaches regarding marriage. “I’m hoping that in our community we can grow together,” Miller told the Bakersfield Californian after the ruling. The decision comes as a Colorado baker is challenging a ruling he violated that state’s anti-discrimination law by refusing to make a cake celebrating a gender transition. That baker, Jack Phillips, separately won a partial U.S. Supreme Court victory after refusing on religious grounds to make a gay couple’s wedding cake a decade ago.

The Vatican values its agreement with Beijing partly because it recognizes Pope Francis as head of the Catholic Church in China. The Vatican and Beijing have renewed an agreement on the appointment of bishops that Rome views as a necessary compromise to keep Chinese Catholics united, but that critics view as acquiescence to the Chinese government’s growing control of religion. The Holy See Press Office announced on Saturday that the two parties had extended the agreement, first signed in 2018 and renewed in 2020, for another two years.

☆ India bans Islamic group PFI, accuses it of terrorism
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Krishna N. Das | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A man walks past the old office of Popular Front of India (PFI) Islamic group, in New Delhi, India, September 28, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree FadnavisSummary Bans imposed on PFI, eight affiliates for five yearsGovernment says PFI involved in 'terrorism'PFI dissolves itself - statementPFI student wing CFI decries 'vendetta'NEW DELHI, Sept 28 (Reuters) - India declared the Popular Front of India (PFI) Islamic group and its affiliates unlawful on Wednesday, accusing them of involvement in terrorism and banning them for five years, after authorities detained more than 100 PFI members this month. The PFI's now-banned student wing, the Campus Front of India (CFI), called the government action a political vendetta and propaganda. The government said in a notification it had banned the PFI and affiliates CFI, Rehab India Foundation, All India Imams Council, National Confederation of Human Rights Organisation, National Women's Front, Junior Front, Empower India Foundation and Rehab Foundation, Kerala. The PFI came together in late 2006 and was launched formally the next year with the merger of three organisations based in south India.

☆ Cuba approves same-sex marriage in unusual referendum
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The code would allow surrogate pregnancies, broader rights for grandparents in regard to grandchildren, protection of the elderly and measures against gender violence. President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who has promoted the law acknowledged questions about the measure as he voted on Sunday. The measure had been approved by Cuba’s Parliament, the National Assembly, after years of debate about such reforms. But there is a strong strain of social conservatism in Cuba and several religious leaders have expressed concern or opposition to the law., worrying it could weaken nuclear families. That has meant a greater opening not only the once-dominant Roman Catholic Church, but also to Afro-Cuban religions, protestants and Muslims.

☆ Miami Herald editorial says Gov. DeSantis' is 'flirting' with Christian nationalism and warns of white supremacy link
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis' "Christian nationalist shtick." The publication warned that Christian nationalism, growing in popularity in the GOP, has links to white supremacy. The editorial concluded that Democrats must do more to counter Christian nationalist rhetoric. Ron DeSantis' "flirting with Christian nationalism," warning that it overlaps with white supremacy. But, the newspaper's editorial board warns that Christian nationalism can have dangerous appeal beyond just religion.

Search resuls for: "of Religion"

25 mentions found