Two court decisions announced this week have received contrasting responses from American Humanists. A decision ordering the removal of a religious banner from a state school in Rhode Island was applauded by Humanists, whereas a Supreme Court decision to exempt religious groups from laws against employment discrimination was strongly criticized.

In March, Nigeria's notorious witch hunter, Helen Ukpabio, is organising a “Deliverance Session” in the United States, according to infomation posted on the web site of the Liberty Gospel Church. The event is slated for March 14-25 at Liberty Gospel Church in Houston, Texas. The program is said to be “12 days of battling with the spirit for freedom.”

Sponsored by the country's major secular organizations. Saturday 24 March 2012. See: www.reasonrally.org

The American Humanist Association is launching a holiday advertisement campaign aimed to raise awareness of discrimination against nonbelievers in America. The billboards and full-page newspaper ads contain the message, “Bias Against Atheists is Naughty, Not Nice,” and features Santa Claus making up his “naughty” list. The ads are placed in cities across the United States where atheists have experienced discrimination due to their lack of belief in a traditional god.

There are more godless groups in the world than ever before. The International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), the world union of Humanist, atheist, rationalist, freethought and ethical culture groups, now has 117 member organizations from 38 countries. At the World Humanist Congress in Olso, five new member organizations joined the IHEU, taking it to the highest membership figure in its six decade history.

At the World Humanist Congress, held every three years, the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) gives awards for outstanding service to Humanism. At the August 2011 Congress in Oslo, IHEU gave awards to activists and leaders from India, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA.

The theme for this year’s World Health Day—on April 7, 2011—was “Combat Drug Resistance”. It raised the alarm about the future of public health across the world.

Antibiotics and other antimicrobial miracle drugs have been extremely beneficial for many of the dramatic advances in human health. But can the benefits of miracle drugs be sustained?

"The continued government sponsorship of the National Day of Prayer threatens the foundation of church and state separation that this country thrives on," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, "the president of the United States has no business recommending prayer to a diverse nation, many of whom do not rely on prayer."

IHEU president Sonja Eggerickx was among a distinguished roster of speakers at the 70th Annual Conference of the  American Humanist Association. The conference, from April 7 through 10, 2011, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was attended by more than 450 people. Sonja gave the following brief summary of the IHEU and its activities: