‘Family values’ African charter condemned by rights groups as regressive and dangerous

5 June 2026 at 08:00

Draft treaty claims sexual and reproductive health and rights are an existential threat to the African family

An African treaty that rejects longstanding international human rights obligations moved a step closer to becoming policy this week as governments across the continent met in Ghana.

The draft African charter on family, sovereignty and values, seen by the Guardian, asserts that African values and culture are under attack from “foreign ideologies” and urges states to withdraw from any agreements that do not align with the principles of the charter, including the 2003 Maputo protocol, which promotes gender equality and protects the reproductive and health rights of women and girls.

A Pentagon list overhaul puts Mormon church's Christian identity back in the spotlight

PBS NewsHour

By: Deepa Bharath · Associated Press

11 June 2026 at 21:30

Utah U.S. Senators Mike Lee and John Curtis, both Republicans and Latter-day Saints, challenged the Pentagon's exclusion of their faith from its list of Christian religions.

Crowds turn out in Barcelona for pope blessing Sagrada Família’s final tower

The Guardian World news

By: Stephen Burgen in Barcelona

10 June 2026 at 18:50

As completion of 144-year basilica nears, questions swirl over resemblance of church to architect’s original plans

It has been a long wait but 144 years after work began, Pope Leo XIV has blessed the recently completed central tower of Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família church in the presence of members of the Spanish royal family, the prime minister and hundreds of bishops.

With the completion of the Jesus Christ tower, the tallest of 18 in the temple, the basilica has reached its full height of 172.5 metres. It is now not only the world’s tallest church but Barcelona’s tallest building. It was consecrated in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI.