C of E and the Catholic representatives have told the House of Commons they will fight to maintain their powers to discriminate in cases of employment and against limits proposed in the Equality Bill.

Following the hundreds of thousands who took to the streets yesterday, a new wave of protests has begun in Iran about claims of election fixing and lack of freedom. Amid a state clamp-down, the internet is being used to assist protesters.

Against the backdrop of a sharp rise in anti-migrant rhetoric, the general secretary of the World Council of Churches has said the Bible is the "ultimate immigration handbook" and that Christians should stand with the oppressed.

The government has sparked heavy criticism by announcing that an official inquiry into the Iraq war will be held in private and not report until after the general election.

Church groups have joined thousands of demonstrators in the Makati area of Manila to denounce plans by some lawmakers to amend the 1987 constitution in a way perceived as a ploy to prolong the term of the President.

A statement about electoral reforms made by Gordon Brown yesterday, which could include the end to the first-past-the post voting system in general elections, has been given a cautious welcome by democracy campaigners who also expressed concern.

Unlock Democracy, the bi-partisan campaign for political and constitutional reform, says that Gordon Brown's gestures towards changes in the voting system are "a textbook example of how not to do electoral reform."

A conference seeking to consolidate the legacy of the World Council of Churches' historic anti-racism efforts will take place from 14-17 June in Doorn near Utrecht in the Netherlands. The task is still a vital one.

Dismay and concern have been expressed by church leaders following election gains by British National Party - with the churches being challenged to combat the narrow nationalist and "Christian nation" rhetoric the far-right is using.

Churches and communities were encouraged to become involved in the struggle to combat deadly gang culture at a conference organised by the Baptist Union of Great Britain and Street Pastors in central London on 4 July.

Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kiun has urged China to change its stance on the crackdown 20 years ago against peaceful protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Today is the 20th anniversary of the crackdown.