Lebo Diseko

Sister Susan Francois and the Sisters of St Joseph of Peace use their small holdings in major corporations to file shareholder resolutions and pressure boards over human rights, climate change, Indigenous land rights and racial justice. Their proposal asking Palantir to assess the human-rights impact of software used by U.S. immigration authorities received 13% of the vote, which Francois views as significant because the company’s founders control nearly half of the voting shares. The sisters have also challenged Citigroup’s fossil-fuel financing and previously pressured Colgate-Palmolive over sexism in advertising. Francois argues that success is not limited to winning votes: publicly raising issues and forcing them onto corporate agendas can produce gradual change. Although the sisters acknowledge the irony of earning investment income from companies they criticize, they say those funds support the care of elderly nuns and that remaining inside centers of power is necessary to influence corporate decisions.

Bishop of Northampton David Oakley appeared via videolink at Westminster Magistrates' Court, accused of two counts of rape against a female under 16. The alleged incidents took place in Staffordshire between February 2000 and February 2001, when he was a Catholic priest. He was not asked to enter a plea, and the case was sent to the Old Bailey for a plea hearing on 10 September. Oakley was released on bail with conditions barring contact with the alleged victim and her family, and has withdrawn from public ministry while retaining his title as bishop.

UK authorities arrested at least eight people in an investigation into online forums promoting drug‑facilitated sexual assault, identifying 270 individuals linked to a network sharing abusive material. The National Crime Agency coordinated with international law enforcement, leading to the identification of more than 150 suspected offenders and victims, and four additional online communities. Prosecutors and police emphasized the severity of the crimes, the vulnerability of victims, and the need for coordinated action, while survivor Gisèle Pelicot’s case underscored the scale and hidden nature of such abuse.