World
Egypt: Coptic Church slams church building law after string of attacks on Christians
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church has attacked "complexities and obstacles" in amendments to the long-awaited church building draft law which Christians hope will boost their ability to build new churches.

Mauritania: Anti-slavery activists sentenced to up to 15 years in prison
Thirteen anti-slavery activists in Mauritania have been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison despite calls from human rights activists to release them and reports that they have been tortured.

We mustn't turn our back on Syria's children
Omran Daqneesh has become a symbol of those forgotten in the bloody conflict raging in Syria. The innocent children who have become victims of an unimaginable horror that continues to unfold month after month, year after year.

German interior minister backs ban on burqas
The burqa "does not belong" in Germany, the country's interior minister said on Friday as a fierce debate raged over face covering and intergration.

Strasbourg: Jewish man stabbed in knife attack
A Jewish man was stabbed today in Strasbourg, France, but police are ruling out terrorism as a motive, according to local media.

South Sudan accused of recruiting child soldiers as civil war looms
Child soldiers' recruitment has spiked in the last week as South Sudan's government prepares for a renewed civil war, an internal United Nations document said according to The Associated Press.

Mosque construction near Leaning Tower of Pisa under fire
Plans to build a mosque near Italy's famous leaning tower of Pisa have come under fire from campaigners.

Trump says he regrets past remarks that 'caused personal pain'
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump apologised on Thursday for past remarks that "may have caused personal pain" as he sought to refocus his message in the face of falling opinion poll numbers in his first speech since shaking up his campaign team this week.

Christian parents told to keep their kids away from Satanic clubs
The conservative Christian group Family Research Council (FRC) has advised parents across the US to keep their kids away and not let them fall into the trap of so-called "After School Satan Club" that The Satanic Temple group is planning to launch in public schools.

Christians should help protect children in conflict areas, Church says
The Holy See has already called on the United Nations and local governments to step up efforts to protect young children in war-torn areas.

French President Hollande grateful for Pope's support after terror attacks but stays defiant over country's secularism
French President François Hollande met with Pope Francis on Wednesday to discuss the death of an elderly French priest Jacques Hamel at the hands of Islamist militants.

ISIS boils 6 men alive in vats of tar
Last time, they used nitric acid. This time, it's boiling tar.

More than 17,000 killed in Syria's brutal prisons since 2011
Almost 18,000 people have died in Syria's state prisons since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Amnesty International said today, in a damning report that warned torture is a "routine occurrence" in government detention facilities.

Kazakhstan: Elderly Christians faced with fines, church raids and property confiscations
Seven members of a Baptist congregation in East Kazakhstan Region face being fined later this month for meeting to worship without state permission, Forum 18 reported.

Synagogue discovered from Jesus' time confirms accuracy of New Testament, says archaeologist
The ruins of an Israeli synagogue allegedly confirms New Testament portrayals of Jesus' life as accurate.

Clinton accused of favouring 'extremist' policies that would 'punish' Catholics
An article by Hillary Clinton in a local Utah newspaper in which she promotes herself as a defender of religious freedom has provoked criticism from Catholics and senior academics in the US.