Have a very happy Purim! And remember, it’s a mitzvah to drink until one cannot tell the difference between “cursed be Haman” and “blessed be Mordecai”!

The Supreme Court have upheld an earlier judgment that a Jewish school in Brent, north London “racially discriminated” against a boy by rejecting him because his mother was not born Jewish.
JFS – formerly the Jews’ Free School – went to the Supreme Court after three judges at the Court of Appeal ruled in June that the admissions rules were unfair. Today, the Supreme Court failed to overturn the decision, the Daily Telegraph reports.
It is …

Russia and the Vatican have agreed to establish full diplomatic relations, the BBC reports.
Until now, Moscow only had an office of representation at the Vatican. The new status means full-fledged embassies will be established in Moscow and Rome.
The announcement comes after President Dmitri Medvedev met Pope Benedict XVI while on a visit to Italy.
The move follows improvements in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Vatican.

Russian Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church may start healing the 950-year schism, as a Belorussian official invited the leaders of both churches to have a meeting in Minsk, and Russian President Dmitri Medvedev is to meet the Pope in Rome.
Speaking during an online news conference today, Leonid Gulyako, an official in charge of religious and ethnicity affairs, said Belarus was an ideal place for the historic meeting, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports.
“In Belarus, …

The Pope is to waive his own rules so he can preside in person over the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman during the papal visit to Britain next year, the Daily Mail reports.
In an unprecedented decision, Benedict XVI will take charge of the ceremony which will confer the title “Blessed” on the Victorian convert from Anglicanism.
The Pope has previously insisted that all beatifications – the last step before sainthood – are carried out by …

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, United States say they are obligated to keep paying retirement benefits to six priests who church officials have confirmed are paedophiles, the AP reports.
The diocese filed for bankruptcy protection last month. Officials had told the judge the church would not make any payments to priests accused of sexual abuse without a court order, even if the abuse had not been substantiated.
But in a filing yesterday, the diocese said they have …

Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will examine documents of the Church of Scientology after claims of abuse and torture by the Hollywood celebrity “religion”.
Rudd said that he was aware of Independent Senator Nick Xenophon’s call for a Senate inquiry into Scientology, The Australian reports.
Xenophon has referred seven letters from ex-scientologists – which he tabled in the Senate last night – to the NSW Police for investigation.The letters allege a litany of abuses, including coerced …

More than half of all Britons believe that creationism and other theories about the origins of life should be taught alongside evolution in school science lessons, The Times reports.
According to a study, published to coincide with a British Council symposium on science education, three-quarters of adults support the teaching of evolution, but only one in five thinks this should be to the exclusion of theories such as creationism and intelligent design.
National Curriculum guidelines stipulate that …

Forty convicted Islamic terrorists are back on the streets after being released from jail, and another 50 plotters, including al-Qaida trained Sohail Qureshi, will be free soon, The Sun reports.
East London dental assistant Qureshi – seized while trying to travel to Afghanistan to attack British troops – is one of 25 Islamic fanatics due to be freed within 12 months. A further 25 will be out within three years, and 40 more are already free men.
At …

Conservative leader David Cameron and Prime Minister Gordon Brown have sent the Jewish community their Rosh Hashanah messages, Jerusalem Post reports.
“I am delighted to send my warmest wishes on the occasion of Rosh Hashana. The New Year is always a time both for thinking about, and being thankful for, events that have passed, and for anticipating the months ahead. I hope it is a period of tranquillity and blessing for you and your families,” Cameron …

The Egyptian Interior Ministry has reportedly initiated an unprecedented campaign against people suspected of breaking the traditional Ramadan fast in public, the Jerusalem Post reports.
If confirmed, the arrests mark a higher level of intolerance from the authorities towards manifestations of secularism.
The alleged arrests were reported in several Egyptian newspapers and in the pan-Arab al-Arabiyya, but a human-rights activist advised caution with regards to the reports and said that currently they have not been substantiated.
“We’ve been …

According to researchers, humans are programmed to believe in God because it gives them a better chance of survival, the Daily Mail reports.
A study into the way children’s brains develop suggests that during the process of evolution those with religious tendencies began to benefit from their beliefs – possibly by working in groups to ensure the future of their community.
The findings of Bruce Hood, professor of developmental psychology at Bristol University, suggest that magical and …

The founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, was exposed as a fraud 30 years ago by British diplomats who were investigating his qualifications, The Times reports.
The science-fiction writer, who invented a religion now followed by celebrities such as Tom Cruise, awarded himself a PhD from a sham “diploma mill” college that he had acquired, the diplomats found.
Such was the climate of fear and paranoia surrounding Scientology that the US believed the sect had sent bogus …

Creeping Sharia posted a video excerpt of Jewish-French filmmaker Pierre Rehov’s documentary “Suicide Killers”, where wannabe suicide bombers express their beliefs on if they’d be really getting 72 virgins, in paradise, if they blew themselves up among “infidels”.
These are actually astonishing interviews with failed would-be terrorists – and thank God they had failed in their attempts. They actually believe that they would be given, in addition to the 72 virgins, money in paradise – whatever …

A new survey revealed that about two thirds of the Israeli public want the Temple rebuilt, including about half of secular Israelis, Ynet reports.
Initially, the respondents were asked what happened on Tisha B’Av (Ninth of Av), and showed impressive knowledge. Ninety-seven percent responded that the Temple was destroyed, while only 2% said they did not know.
The second question was whether respondents wanted to see the Temple rebuilt. Sixty-four percent responded favorably, while 36% said no. …

An atheist summer camp, supported by scientist Richard Dawkins, has been launched in Somerset, as an alternative to religious camps for youngsters, the Telegraph reports.
Camp Quest UK, which is being held near Bath, offers 24 places. Its website claims the camp is for the children of “atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and all those who embrace a naturalistic rather than supernatural world view”.
I suppose one could rightfully ask, what is taught in an atheist summer camp, especially …