Latest News
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Civil partnership, religiously celebrated, moves closer
Quakers are celebrating the result of a dramatic vote in the House of Lords, which would for the first time allow the use of religious premises and religious language in same-sex civil partnership ceremonies. If the proposal becomes law, it would lead to same-sex partnerships celebrated in Quaker Meetings receiving… -
Children of women in prison may lose contact time
The government has come under fire for a reorganisation of women’s prisons that is likely to result in the children of prisoners having less contact with their mothers. While women’s prisons were previously classified as open, semi-open or closed, the government has turned the two semi-open women’s prisons – Morton… -
Punished for thinking?
Friends have criticised the decision of a military court to sentence a former soldier to nine months’ imprisonment for refusing to participate in military action in Afghanistan. Joe Glenton, 27, became convinced that the war in Afghanistan was wrong after fighting there for seven months. He was convicted on 5… -
CND visits fifteen embassies
Members of the Christian Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CCND), including Friends, have called on fifteen London-based embassies to ask what steps their countries are taking towards achieving international nuclear disarmament. CCND’s action, on 1 March, comes ahead of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, due to take place in… -
Now is the time for nations to commit to a world free of nuclear weapons, say UK churches
An alliance of UK churches, including Quakers, last week launched a campaign, entitled Now is the Time, to press governments to put all bomb-grade material under international control and commit to making the use and possession of nuclear weapons illegal through a new Nuclear Weapons Convention. The churches are voicing… -
Same-sex marriage amendment passes in House of Lords
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West Yorkshire Quakers speak out for equality
Quakers in West Yorkshire have spoken out against the growing gap between rich and poor. They joined with a range of other church groups to call on politicians to tackle economic inequality as a greater priority than economic growth. Along with other members of the West Yorkshire Ecumenical Council (WYEC),… -
Swansea group challenges Tesco labelling
A group of 100 Swansea residents and shoppers are seeking to prosecute the supermarket chain Tesco over their sale of goods produced in Israeli settlements on Palestine’s West Bank. The campaigners have signed a letter to the Swansea Trading Standards Office, urging them to begin prosecution proceedings. They were due… -
JRCT sells Vedanta shares due to alleged human rights abuses
The Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) has sold almost £2million worth of shares in the Indian-based mining company Vedanta due to the company’s alleged abuse of human rights and the environment. JRCT, a Quaker institution, had been in discussions with Vedanta about their concerns for nine months before making their…
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Calls for better alcohol labelling
Quaker activists have backed calls for compulsory health warnings on alcohol. They have warned the government not to rely solely on voluntary agreements with the alcohol industry. The government recently found that only fifteen per cent of alcoholic drinks provide enough information about unit measurements and health risks, despite an…
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