Now is the time to continue the trend toward nuclear disarmament, four global, regional and national ecumenical bodies have told leaders of NATO, the EU, the USA and Russia.

Amnesty International has called on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to retract his recent statement that criticising the outcome of June’s presidential election is "a crime".

The arms trade is undermining democracy in countries around the globe, according to Andrew Feinstein, a former MP in South Africa, who was nicknamed “Mr Clean” by the media for his determination to investigate corruption.

US President Barack Obama has signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crime Prevention Act, which strengthens existing US laws. The move has been welcomed by the United Church of Christ.

Reports are emerging of a possible settlement that will allow President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras to resume his elected position, following a coup earlier in the year and intense international efforts to restore him.

Human rights campaigners have welcomed the decision of the Colombian Supreme Court to allow citizens to opt out of obligatory military service because of religious, moral or philosophical objections.

The governing body of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has approved a statement that prepares for a significant action of reconciliation with churches of the Mennonite and Anabaptist families, apologising for past persecution.

Representatives of international and faith-based relief organizations are emphasising that widespread public awareness is necessary in order to tackle the problems of forced labour and human trafficking.

Bishop Margot Kässmann, the first woman to lead the Protestant church in Germany, has pledged to work to promote Christian unity and action for justice and peace.

A top-level delegation of international Christian leaders has visited Washington DC to advocate for the cessation of widespread human rights violations in Honduras.