News.com.au: Tasmania has become the first Australian jurisdiction to make gender optional on birth certificates. The controversial reforms were passed by the state’s lower house Wednesday afternoon on the casting vote of Liberal Speaker Sue Hickey, who voted against her…

ZeroHedge, by Tyler Durden: The ‘patient’ Fed has been lamenting the “lack of inflation” for far too long. It is about to get its wish. American food merchants are struggling to import fruits and vegetables from Mexico as wait times at port…

Lori Arnold at Christian Headlines: The Equality Act, a sweeping new piece of legislation that elevates sexual orientation and gender identity above religious freedoms, passed the House Judiciary Committee last week and could face a floor vote as early as…

Tyler Durden at ZeroHedge: At [the] moment the US carrier strike group ordered deployed to the CENTCOM Persian Gulf region area of command has traversed the Suez Canal, and as multiple B-52 bombers have also landed in Qatar in response…

The ABC: Israel Folau’s clash with Rugby Australia (RA) over his fundamentalist religious social media posts has prompted nine prominent Christians to send letters about the protection of religious freedom to Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten. Folau was stood down…

RT: Blocking payments to individuals or groups by financial service firms impedes freedom of speech in a free society, journalist Ben Swann has told RT, following reports that MasterCard is allegedly on course to censor the far-right. The New York-based…

AP: by NICOLE WINFIELD: Pope Francis issued a groundbreaking law Thursday requiring all Catholic priests and nuns around the world to report clergy sexual abuse and cover-up by their superiors to church authorities, in an important new effort to hold…

Courtney Grogan at CNA: Pope Francis called on nations to work toward a global common good Thursday, particularly in confronting climate change, human trafficking, and nuclear threats. “In the current situation of globalization not only of the economy but also…

Courtney Grogan at CNA: Pope Francis Friday offered a critique of capitalism’s impact on the environment, calling for a response that hears “the cry of the Earth and the cry of the poor.” “The precarious condition of our common home…

John Whitehead at Global Research: Children, young girls – some as young as 9 years old – are being bought and sold for sex in America. The average age for a young woman being sold for sex is now 13…

Barna: Barna conducted its annual State of the Bible survey, in partnership with American Bible Society, to examine behaviors and beliefs about the Bible among U.S. adults. The results show that, despite shifting cultural trends, Americans still read the Word,…