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The long-running campaign against Lodge House open-cast coal mine, near Shipley in Derbyshire hit a peak the other week, with 3 independent actions in the same week.

Local action groups, dispirited after central government overruled the local planning refusal of permission, have started getting active again. This follows Earth First!'s Leave it in the Ground campaign earlier in the summer - a mass trespass followed by two noise demos outside UK Coal's Yorkshire HQ, plus the squatting of the farm house. Bodge House was finally evicted - during the Camp for Climate Action - though it took the forces of darkness 9 days.

More recently there was another Picnic in the Park trespass, a handful of EF!ers stopped work one afternoon, and locals held a demo at the entrance to the site.

Leave it in the Ground EF! campaign | Derby EF! campaign blog | Local action group | Coal Action Network

UK protests against open-cast background | Picnic in the Park | June UK Coal noise demo | July UK Coal noise demo | Bodge House occupied & evicted | Picnic in the Park the sequel | EF! digger-diving protest | Local demo

The CEO of the Refugee Legal Service has said that the Minister for Immigration should be exercising humanity and sharpening up his department's decision-making instead of attacking human rights advocates.

Calls for proper debate about the disestablishment of the Church of England were renewed this week with a call for the severing of the Church-crown link by economist, Blair loyalist and leading Labour peer Lord Desai.

How strange that the Church of England tries to justify Establishment on biblical grounds, says leading biblical scholar Chris Rowland, when the prophetic tradition and Jesus point in such a different direction.

Religious freedom and interreligious dialogue will be on the agenda of an international inter-church team visiting Pakistan next week, meeting representatives from churches, the Muslim community and government.

Israel is collectively punishing innocent civilians by withholding and controlling food and medicine to Gaza, says Christian Aid. Despite repeated calls from the international community, Gaza remains closed to food and medicine.

Free Church denominations have called for justice and compassion for asylum seekers, following a statement from Immigration Minister Phil Woolas criticising human rights groups and lawyers for assisting the vulnerable.

Fifteen masked Israeli settlers from the illegal outpost of Havat Ma'on attacked three Palestinian shepherds who were grazing their flocks in a valley south of the outpost, and Christian peacemakers who were with them.

A 70 year old Catholic priest who has led campaigns against torture, faces excommunication by the Vatican tomorrow following his active support for women's ordination.

Christians in the Liberal Democrats have added their voice to the growing condemnation of the Government's decision to close Britain's largest dedicated human trafficking police unit next year.

While all aid workers including U.N. staff, on the orders of the Sri Lankan authorities, withdrew from the Vanni region which is held by Tamil rebels, the pastors decided to stay.

As many Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Advent and Christmas in the security of their homes and communities, they are being invited to pray for justice, peace and security for Palestine and Israel - and to send a prayer or a peace message to Bethlehem.

Lawyers, charities and church workers have described as "extraordinary" and "deplorable" comments by UK Immigration Minister Phil Woolas suggesting that people seeking asylum should not have access to full British justice.

There are five different individuals on the BNP's list - which has now been removed from the site on which it was posted - listed with the title "Rev" or "Revd".

Great Britain’s top toilet habit is reading, with more than 14 million people choosing to look at books, magazines and newspapers to pass the time while they are on the porcelain throne, according to a survey published to mark World Toilet Day today.

Church leaders are being encouraged to help make 2009 ‘a year to remember’ for young people and the Church with the launch of an interdenominational Year of the Child, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the United Nations’ International Year of the Child.

A member of the Church of England's general synod who supports a greater role for women in the church says that in 10 years half of all full-time clergy will be women, but moves to consecrate female bishops is not keeping pace.

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.

The British Humanist Association (BHA) has urged on the British government to push ahead with legal reform on organ donation which would have the effect of requiring people to opt out rather than opt in to the donation system.

One in four young people from across all religions are being bullied because of their religious beliefs. That is finding of a report by Beatbullying, the UK’s leading bullying prevention charity, published today.