World

Republican leaders slam Obama for bowing to Iran's 'humiliation' of U.S. with 'illegal' detention of its sailors
U.S. Republican leaders castigated President Barack Obama for "pretending" that all's well with the country's relations with Iran despite its "illegal" seizure and detention of 10 American sailors and their two patrol boats on Tuesday.

Anglican Primates agree to set fixed, common date for Easter
Anglican leaders meeting in Canterbury this week have agreed for the first time to work with Orthodox Christian leaders to move towards a fixed date for Easter.

Archbishop of Canterbury apologises for 'hurt and pain' caused to gay community
The Archbishop of Canterbury today announced the next Lambeth Conference will be in 2020, indicating the success of this week's gathering of Anglican Primates in preserving the unity of the Anglican Communion.

Iraqi Shia 'firebrand' calls for Christian homes to be returned
A radical cleric turned politician has called for Christian homes stolen to be returned to their rightful owners.

Christians face obscene persecution â let's not be afraid to say so
Tribal, ethnic or historic grudges can often be part of the cause. This needs to be acknowledged. Yet we can't merely say 'it's complicated.' We must acknowledge Christians are sometimes targeted just because they're Christians.

Turkey: Christians fear state interference in churches
Religious minorities fear that state interference in churches could increase, after a request was made for the government to fund the salaries of clergy and pastoral workers.

Southern Baptist mission board laying off staff to cut costs
The International Mission Board of the giant Southern Baptist Convention is to close its communications centre in Richmond, Virginia at the end of April .

Gay MP and former vicar quits Church of England over its stance on homosexuality
A former Vicar who resigned his living and became an MP after deciding being gay was incompatible with priesthood has now left the Anglican Church altogether.

The Pope took 2,000 homeless people, refugees and prisoners to the circus in Rome
The Vatican hosted 2,000 homeless people, refugees and prisoners at the Rony Roller circus on Thursday afternoon, where medics were also on hand to give free check-ups to those who needed it.

Catholic peer attacks government's failure to protect Christians fleeing ISIS' 'campaign of total annihilation'
A Catholic peer has delivered a blistering attack on the government for disregarding the plight of Christian Syrian refugees while prioritising Muslims and gay people.

Ebola: New case in Sierra Leone just hours after West Africa marked clear of the virus
Just hours after the World Health Organisation said the Ebola outbreak was over, Sierra Leone has confirmed a new death from the disease.

Pastors at high risk of stress and psychological problems in Sweden
Priests, pastors and ministers are working more hours than teachers and those in the tech industry according to separate research. That's despite figures showing that Sweden has one of the lowest rates of church attendance in the West.

Episcopal Church Primate pledges to stay in the Anglican Communion
The US Episcopal Church will continue to "walk" with the 37 other provinces of the Anglican Communion in spite of being sanctioned by their fellow Primates for consecrating gay bishops and approving gay marriage.

Iran says it has removed core from Arak reactor in key nuclear deal step
Removal of the core from the Arak reactor will largely eliminate its ability to yield nuclear bomb-grade plutonium.

Bring Back Our Girls: Nigeria announces fresh investigation into Chibok kidnappings
A statement said a panel would be announced soon by the National Security Adviser.

Britain could see EU reform deal struck in weeks, officials say
The British foreign minister and a senior EU official both said a deal was taking shape that could be struck within weeks.