News
Rising food prices are 'global crisis' - un chief
Rising food prices have developed into a global crisis, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday.
Malaysia Catholic paper turns to court over 'Allah'
A Roman Catholic newspaper asked the court on Friday to overturn a government ruling prohibiting it from using the word "Allah" in its publication.
Archbishop attacks Britain's growing debt culture
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, echoing growing unease over debt-ridden Britain, said on Friday the poor are being crippled by personal debt and called for greater scrutiny of "doorstep" loan companies.
UK inflation expectations hits record high in April
Britons' expectations of inflation in the next 12 months hit a record high in April, according to a survey released on Friday which will worry Bank of England policymakers concerned about rising price pressures.
Innocent schoolboy machine-gunned in bed
An innocent 15-year-old schoolboy was sprayed with bullets from a machine gun as he lay in his own bed after becoming the victim of mistaken identity during a gang war, a London court heard on Friday.
Archbishops want end to Zimbabwe mayhem
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have issued a joint statement concerning the deteriorating situation of ordinary people in Zimbabwe and calling for "a civil society movement that both gives voice to those who demand an end to the mayhem that grows out of injustice, poverty, exclusion and violence".
Double honour for co-ordinator of CofE's unity work
Prebendary Dr Paul Avis, General Secretary of the Council for Christian Unity, has been appointed as a chaplain to Her Majesty The Queen.
London mayoral candidate takes BBC, ITV to court over censorship
A London mayoral candidate is taking the BBC and ITV to the High Court for 'censoring' his party Election Broadcasts in the run up to the May 1 elections.
Eritrea forcing Christian ministers into military camps
The Eritrean Government is reportedly sending some leaders of the Eritrean Orthodox Church to military training camps, a persecution watchdog group reports.
Southern Baptists now a 'declining denomination'
For the first time, Southern Baptists can say membership has reached a tipping point and the nation's largest Protestant denomination is now declining, says one long-time Southern Baptist.
Satanic cults in fashion in Rome, warns Vatican exorcist
Satanic cults are on the rise in an unexpected location - Rome, says a Catholic priest.
Bush assures Abbas on statehood
U.S. President George W. Bush assured Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday that Palestinian statehood remained a high priority in his final 10 months in office despite faltering peace talks.
U.S. says North Korea gave Syria nuclear assistance
The United States on Thursday released photographs of what it said was a Syrian nuclear reactor built with North Korean help, in an effort to pressure Pyongyang to fully disclose its nuclear activities.
Rice price surge frustrates and puzzles Asians
From the airconditioned supermarkets of Tokyo to the open-air stalls of Manila reactions across Asia to record leaps in the price of rice vary from fear and frustration to a nonplussed shrug of the shoulders.
Torch arrives in Japan under security tight
Japan called for calm but braced for trouble with tight security on Friday, as low-key protests began ahead of its leg of the Olympic torch relay, following emotional scenes at other venues around the world.
Car bomb kills at least three in NW Pakistan
A car bomb outside a police station killed at least three people and wounded 15 in Mardan town in northwest Pakistan on Friday, a senior police officer said.