The global financial crisis should not derail progress on fighting poverty worldwide, religious leaders have said, adding that the current financial market turmoil makes attempts to tackle deprivation all the more urgent.

Amidst rapid social and political changes in Eastern and Central Europe, leading representatives of theological institutions in the region gathered in Romania recently to seek more mutual cooperation and development.

The current global financial crisis is not a counsel of despair, says Patrick Hynes. It is an opportunity to review our priorities and invest practically for change through agencies like Oikocredit.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeos, seen by many of the world's Orthodox Christians as their spiritual leader, has said he backs the bid by Turkey to join the European Union if the Muslim-majority nation meets human rights standards.

The Middle East Quartet (EU, Russia, UN, USA) is failing - making inadequate progress towards improving the lives of Palestinians or improving the prospects for peace - according to a new report by leading humanitarian and human rights organisations.

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development has issued a strong statement on the economic crisis, urging the Bush administration and Congress to focus on finance as a moral issue.