The British Humanist Association (BHA) has welcomed the author, comedian, presenter, and director Stephen Fry to its membership and as a Distinguished Supporter of Humanism. The news comes during a busy membership drive month in which the BHA has announced that it has doubled in size in the last five years, to 10,000 members, and wants to double again--in just half the time.

The American Humanist Association (a founding member organization of the International Humanist and Ethical Union) has praised President Obama's comments at the National Prayer Breakfast, expressing gratitude that in his remarks the President included and commended nontheists among those who are leading relief efforts in Haiti. "The compassion and decency of the American people is expressed… by Americans of every faith, and no faith, uniting around a common purpose, a higher purpose," Obama stated at the event this morning, 4 Feb. 2010.

Nigerian Humanists have won the latest round in an ongoing battle with witch hunters. Today, 4 Feb. 2010, the Federal High Court in Calabar struck out the case brought against Leo Igwe, International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) Representative in West Africa, by Helen Ukpabio of the Liberty Gospel Church.

The National Secular Society (an IHEU member organization in the UK) has announced a large-scale campaign of protest against the state visit of the Pope to Britain in September.

Homophobia is the greatest test Humanists are facing today in Uganda. As I write this piece, demonstrators - a bunch of youth led by Uganda's thieving and hypocritical pastors are - covering the entire Kampala city with vehicles loaded with mega-speakers and hundreds of youth shouting all sorts of insults at the Danish embassy, very near to my office, and all other foreign embassies that have recently come out to speak for tolerance and a need to observe human rights laws.

The full text of this issue is now available. The November 2009 issue of International Humanist News has been published. This edition includes reports from Humanist groups around the world as well as news of IHEU campaigns at the United Nations.

IHEU representative Leo Igwe reports that the police in Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria have arrested a "prophet" named Gideon Peter over the alleged murder of two children during an attempt to exorcise them of witchcraft. The arrest is positive news for IHEU’s campaign to stamp out child abuse committed by so-called witch hunters.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) is calling for the removal of the automatic right of Church of England bishops to sit in Parliament. The call has come in advance of an event being held this evening, Jan. 27, 2010, by Labour Humanists which asks, “Should the bishops be evicted from the House of Lords?” The event, chaired by David Aaronovitch and including speakers Polly Toynbee and The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, has attracted a capacity audience, indicating a renewed public interest in this issue.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has condemned votes in the House of Lords last night, January 25, which removed the requirement for discrimination against gay people by religious organisations to be "proportionate."

Greece has a new Humanist group. The Humanist Union of Greece (HUG) was launched this month, January 2010, and already has 65 members.