Roundup: Interfaith events, oppressive countries, biodiversity, Syria, design, rendition, income control

Visit to Auburn Mosque, interfaith worship events

News from the Committee on Relations with Other Faiths.

Which countries are most free — and most oppressive?

As Libya, Egypt and a handful of African countries have become more open and democratic in the past year, Mali and some of its neighbors have become dramatically less so, according to a new report from the democracy watchdog Freedom House.

Report says 54 countries helped CIA after 9/11

Some 54 countries helped facilitate the Central Intelligence Agency’s secret detention, rendition and interrogation program in the years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a new human rights report that documents broad international involvement in the American campaign against Al Qaeda.

Income control costs ‘more than it’s worth’

Welfare groups are calling for both sides of politics to reconsider income management after the Auditor-General found that it cost more than half the value of the dole to administer.

Beacon of talent shines at DesignTECH exhibition

A floating beacon which can amplify lifesavers’ messages to swimmers at the beach has been included in this year’s DesignTECH exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum.

Warning about deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria

The United Nations humanitarian arm has warned that the ongoing conflict in Syria, which will soon enter its third year, will lead to a sharp spike in the number of people needing urgent aid, including food, clean water and vital medical services.

Is an ethic of biodiversity enough?

If we are to save the biosphere we need to acknowledge that the biosphere requires ethical consideration in its own right, and that a mere ethic of biodiversity will not do the job.