A community organisation supported by church and other partners has been forced to close its offices in Mbare, Zimbabwe, after being threatened by ruling party militia.

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu of South Africa has urged the drug company, Novartis, to stop its court action against patent laws in India, which he says will harm the interests of the poorest and most vulnerable in society.

Tackling poverty and witnessing to the Gospel message are among the first shared concerns of the newly constituted Christian Churches Together in the USA, a pan-church body which celebrated its official launch in Pasadena, California, at a 6-9 February 2007 gathering.

The head of the world's largest inter-Christian body says that the role of churches in combating prejudice and offering an alternative vision of justice and peace is a key component of their Gospel calling

UK chancellor Gordon Brown and other finance ministers at the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations meeting which opened tyesterday in Essen, Germany, must fulfill their two-year-old promise to stop international financial institutions imposing damaging economic policies on developing countries, according to Christian Aid and other church-related development NGOs.

UK-based international development and advocacy agency Christian Aid is backing British international development secretary Hilary Benn's criticism of the new Chinese loans policy to Africa.