Carey Lodge

• Persecuted Christians in Iraq urge government to act against ISIS, two years after exodus

  Two years after being forced from their homes by Islamic State, Christians in Iraq are urging their government to liberate the Nineveh Plain from militant control.

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  Machete-wielding attacker in Belgium was 'soldier' of Islamic State, terror group says

  Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a machete attack in Belgium on Saturday that seriously injured two female police officers.

• Priest who converted from Islam: 'Clergy at risk of jihadi attacks'

  A UK priest who converted from Islam to Christianity has warned that more clergy could be at risk of being targeted by jihadists following the killing of Father Jacques Hamel in Rouen, France, by extremists last month.

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  'They say we are infidels': How the Church in the Middle East endures amid intense persecution

  Journalist and editor of WORLD magazine, Mindy Belz, has reported on the ground in the Middle East for more than a decade. She speaks to Christian Today about the plight of Christians in Iraq.

• Coptic Church head urges unity in Egypt following sectarian violence

  Egyptians must unite in the face of violence, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church said on Thursday.

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  China's Muslims under threat of religious persecution

  China's president Xi Jinping, who has been accused of implementing draconian laws against religion since taking office in 2012, spoke directly to Chinese Muslims today – signifying a possible crackdown on a group that has so far avoided his harsh measures.

• Iraq: 'Garden of Eden' named World Heritage Site

  The area includes a site considered by many to be city of Ur of the Chaldees mentioned in the Bible, believed to have been the birthplace of Abraham and his brother Haran.

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  Religious organisations urged to step up work to end Aids

  Faith-based organisations have re-committed to ending HIV and Aids, as the UN gathers for its 21st International Aids Conference in Durban, South Africa.

• Nigeria: Quarter of a million children starving in Boko Haram's Borno state

  Nearly a quarter of a million children are suffering from life-threatening malnourishment in Boko Haram's home state of Borno in Nigeria, and one in five are at risk of dying, UNICEF said on Tuesday.

• Assyrian church attacked and burned by militants in Syria

  Gunmen detonated explosives inside an Orthodox Assyrian church on Monday, setting fire to ancient icons and reducing much of its contents to ashes.

• New video appears to show kidnapped priest Fr Tom Uzhunnalil being beaten by militants

  A video purporting to show the beating of Fr Tom Uzhunnalil, the priest kidnapped by militants in Yemen, has surfaced online.

• Paul Harcourt: It's been a difficult season for New Wine, but we've come out strong

  Paul Harcourt is taking on the lead role at New Wine after a turbulent few months for the charismatic evangelical network of churches.