This is an update of news from International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU). You can find the full versions of these news stories on their web site. They’re also on twitter, Facebook and YouTube.Visit www.iheu.org/newsletter to subscribe. IHEU condemns Holy See for undermining democracy and human rights Speaking at the 18th session of the UN Human Rights Council on 23 September, IHEU representative Cathy Buchs condemned the Vatican for attempting to undermine democracy and human rights by insisting that child abuse cases be judged under the churches’ own rules of canon law rather than the laws of the state….

Gastro pub on the waterfront.

GALHA’s annual lunch. This years guest speaker is award-winning journalist Patrick Strudwick. Patrick writes for newspapers and magazines that include The Observer, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent and Gay Times. See the link for ticket details.

Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource forums are usually very polite affairs, without any confrontation, but there was one occasion a couple of years ago when a couple of people, including me, got rather angry. A Muslim man raised the subject of male circumcision. The question was out of order, since we were there to discuss Hazel Blears’ document Face to Face and Side by Side with representatives of local government. The man wanted to know why Muslims can’t have circumcisions on the NHS.

Should be worth listening to, to try to understand why some women value their religion, while others suffer because of it. ‘What has religion done for woman?‘ is on Radio 2 next Tuesday, 25th October, at 10pm.

According to James Ussher, the 17th century Anglican Bishop of Armagh, the first day of creation began at nightfall preceding Sunday, October 23, 4004 BC, so it’s 6015 years old today. And according to Harold Camping, the American Pastor who’s revised his predictions several times (because none of them were right), the world should have ended on Friday. Both of them got their sums wrong, the sillies.

The Age of Stupid is an independently made film starring the late Pete Postlethwaite as a man who’s left alone to ruminate on how humanity has destroyed itself. Please note that we will be in our new venue, the Inter-Faith Centre at University Campus Suffolk in Ipswich (see map).

Have you made a will? It’s amazing how few people do, yet not having a will can cause your family all sorts of problems. If you haven’t, make a will in November through Will Aid and you’ll be helping other people at the same time. A local solicitor writes your will, then instead of paying their fee you are invited to make a donation to Will Aid. The suggested minimum donation is 85 for a basic single will or 125 for a pair of basic mirror wills.

Enter the UCS car park at Long Street from the junction opposite the Waterfront Building off Fore Street, Fore Hamlet, Back Hamlet and Duke Street. The West Building is at the top right corner of the car park (see campus map). To enter, press the button marked ‘SIFRE’ (you might need a torch to see the buttons after dark). The Inter-Faith Centre (marked SIFRE) is on the 1st floor. Either use the stairs then go straight ahead to the far end of the corridor, then turn left, or turn left at the entrance and go along the corridor for the lift.

From November 2011, we’ll meet in the Inter-Faith Centre in the West Building at University Campus Suffolk, Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource‘s base. There is ample car parking. Hope to see you there. UCS website with directions.

Commonwealth leaders are meeting in Perth, Australia. You may have read about this in news stories about a change to the constitution that will allow the daughters of any future UK monarch to have an equal right to the throne. This was agreed unanimously. However, there is another issue that’s just as important, of not more so. Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary General of the Commonwealth, has made a courageous speech calling on each of the Commonwealth nations to finally end discrimination and criminalization of LGBT people.

There are many atheists and self-styled humanists who are so anti-religious that they don’t want to know anything about it. When they talk about Islam, say, it becomes evident that they know very little about Muslims, and have probably never knowingly spoken to one. As far as they’re concerned, Islam is a threat, and that’s all there is to it. When it comes to our quality of life, what matters is how people behave, not what they believe.

By the end of today, the world’s population is expected to reach 7 billion. It has almost doubled since the late ’60s and is expected to reach 10 billion within the century. This is potentially catastrophic for several reasons; the effect on the environment of human activity; the demand for dwindling resources, including food and water, and the impossibility of ensuring a decent quality of life for everyone. How can we prevent the population from continuing to increase, and reverse the trend?

As car ownership increases worldwide, many people might imagine that biofuels are the answer to pollution. However, many create greater greenhouse gas emissions than the oil-based fuels they’re meant to replace and the companies that produce them have few scruples about taking land off poor people to produce them. See this report from Action Aid of one such land grab, and sign their petition. How a biofuels land grab has desroyed an African village.

Have you voted in New Humanist magazine’s annual Bad Faith Award poll? This year’s nominees are Michelle Bachmann, Rick Perry, Anjem Choudary, Nadine Dorries, Tom MacMaster and Melanie Phillips. Click here to cast your vote by 28 November. Hard to choose, isn’t it?