A church leader who has just returned from a meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has said that interfaith dialogue should be a model for diplomacy in tensions such as those between Western states and Iran.

In advance of today's (Wednesday’s) votes in Parliament on the geographical distribution of casino premises licences, campaigners including churches and other faith communities have been reiterating their opposition to the proposals to place a super-casino in Manchester.

A man who disrupted a service marking the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade has gained support from Christians of African descent.

Christians have given evidence to the United Nations concerning the estimated two million refugees that have fled Iraq since the invasion in 2003, urging Britain and US to open their doors to them.