The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has welcomed promising new adult stem cell treatments for patients suffering from heart disease and strokes.

Faith leaders "should shout from the rooftops that AIDS is not a punishment from God but a medical condition which is preventable", the former leader of South Africa's Anglican church, Archbishop Njongo Ndungane, has declared.

Congolese Catholic bishops have issued a "cry of grief and protest" about the murderous situation in their country - calling for more concerted action from the UN, the authorities and the international community.