“We’ve just been hit at the heart of our liberty.” Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, after gunmen killed 12 people at the editorial offices of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Another five were killed in other shootings around Paris, plus…

“You cannot provoke. You cannot insult the faith of others. You cannot make fun of the faith of others. There is a limit.” Pope Francis, after the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks in Paris in which 17 people died. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30835625

The Mormon Church has decided to back certain gay rights, but with one caveat, if the rights of religious groups are protected too. Church leaders said they would support anti-discrimination laws for LGBT people if gay rights advocates and the…

Chile has proudly approved civil unions between same-sex couples giving them many of the rights that married couples have, such as property inheritance, health plan coverage and pension benefits. Some benefits are even greater than traditional marriage. The bill also…

“The greatest miracle of all time… is the universe. It is the miracle of all miracles, one that ineluctably points with the combined brightness of every star to something—or Someone—beyond itself.” Eric Metaxas, Wall Street Journal, December 25, 2014. “A…

The worst drought in history is spreading from São Paulo to Rio de Janeiro and beyond. Taps have run dry and lights have gone out across large swaths of Brazil affecting more than 4 million people by rationing and rolling…

In 1966 Carl Sagan announced that there are only two important criteria for a planet to support life, which meant that a septillion planets (1 with 24 zeros) were capable of supporting life in the universe. Now researchers have learned…

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation says court warrants are not required when deploying cell-site simulators (nicknamed “stingrays”) in public places. Stingrays are decoy cell towers, often deployed on small aircraft that capture locations and identities of tens of thousands…

A new study published in the journal Public Health Nutrition by the U.S. National Institutes of Health has revealed that regular eating of commercially produced baked goods can lead to depression. So before you reach for the brownies, croissants, muffins…

Ebola is now the disease with the most deaths on the planet since it was discovered in 1976. The current outbreak has now killed more than 8,600 people through January 21, 2015, more than all other known Ebola outbreaks combined….

Japan has had a pacifist constitution since the end of World War II. Authored by the United States, article 9 of the Japanese constitution prohibits the use of force to settle disputes. Now Japan’s re-elected prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who…

“The best way to honor Pope John Paul II, truly one of the great men, is to take his teaching seriously; is to listen to his words and put his words and teachings into action here in America. This is…