The Most Rev Justin Welby said on social media on Tuesday that he was “personally very sorry for this terrible atrocity” after visiting the site of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in the north-west Indian city of Amritsar.

More than 300 people were killed and 1,200 injured when troops under British command fired into a crowd of protesters in April 1919.

Mr Welby posted on Facebook that visiting the site had aroused a “sense of profound shame” at what had happened.

He added: “I feel a deep sense of grief having visited the site of the horrific Jallianwala Bagh Massacre today in Amritsar, where a great number of Sikhs, as well as Hindus, Muslims and Christians, were shot dead by British troops in 1919.

“I have no status to apologise on behalf of the UK, its government or its history.

“But I am personally very sorry for this terrible atrocity.

“It is one of a number of deep stains on British history.

“The pain and grief that has transcended the generations since must never be dismissed or denied.”

In 2013 David Cameron became the first serving prime minister to visit the site of the 1919 massacre, bowing his head in honour of the hundreds of people killed.

Writing in a book of condolence, he said the episode was “deeply shameful” and should never be forgotten.

But he stopped short of apologising, saying that this would not be appropriate as the killings were condemned…

Despite being a manifesto pledge, Theresa May’s government u-turned on the idea of allowing new free schools more freedom on their admissions policies.

The current law means they’re only allowed to select 50 per cent of pupils on grounds of faith.

Critics of the cap say faith schools have to decimate against pupils of their own faith.

For example, a Catholic school can’t automatically select Catholic pupils once they’ve exceeded 50 per cent capacity – going against the Church’s commitment to provide a Catholic school place for every Catholic child in their respective dioceses.

It means the Catholic Church has been hesitant to commit to opening new schools.

Calling on ministers to re-evaluate during a debate in the House of Commons, Conservative MP Sir Edward Leigh said: “Since the Government broke their manifesto pledge to allow the opening of Catholic free schools by removing the faith cap, the Catholic Education Service has had to find 50,000 new places.

“Despite a convoluted plan by the previous Secretary of State to open new voluntary-aided schools, not a single new Catholic voluntary-aided school has opened and only one is out for consultation. Now we have a new Secretary of State, will he bring some vim and vigour to this and try to fulfil our manifesto pledge?”

In his response, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “I promise my right honorable friend…

The Salvation Army, which runs churches and social action projects for old people, people in poverty and those caught in human trafficking across the country, received £63.6 million in 2018/19 from legacies alone. 

Topping the list was the Capricorn Fund who received a one-off donation of £435.3m but after that Cancer Research was the most beneficial, followed by the RNLI then Macmillan Cancer Support. 

Speaking to Premier, Salvation Army’s Legacy Fundraising Manager, Jackie Birch, said: “It’s amazing, absolutely amazing. A lot of the people that leave us gifts in their will don’t actually have a relationship with us. I just think it’s wonderful that whatever it is the Salvation Army is doing out in the community is having a massive impact about the way people feel about us.”

“I think part of it is because people see the Salvation Army as an organisation that can be trusted. We’re visible in the community because the Salvation Army is actually at the heart of community and people see what we’re doing,

“Sometimes it’s because we’ve helped a family member. We have a lot of people who tell us it’s because of granddad in the war or dad in the Second World War and other people are actually using our services themselves.

“Almost half of the income that is donated to the Salvation Army actually comes through gifts in wills and the reason that’s so important is that…

Edinburgh Pentlands MSP, Gordon Macdonald, tabled a motion praising leaders at St Nicholas Church in Sighthill for “being a positive and welcoming presence for all in the community.”

The motion was signed by 12 other cross-party MSPs in August.

There will be month-long celebrations including a service led by Rt Rev Colin Sinclair, the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

Rev Dr Tom Kisitu, the minister at St Nicholas Church said it’s a momentous year for the church.

“It is a time to give thanks for our 80 years of life and work, as a local parish church.

“I know some might ask why we celebrate, especially at a time when our church, the Church of Scotland, struggles in many ways to remain relevant and unmistakably visible in a fast-moving nation and on an evolving Scottish ‘landscape’.

“Our response is, why not celebrate? Why not celebrate God’s mighty hand on, in and through a community of faith and action like St Nicholas Church, which only 50 years ago, had the largest Sunday school in Scotland, peaking at just over 1000 children!

“As we celebrate 80 years of existence as a local parish church, we’re following the practice of looking back to see, understand and appreciate God’s footprints in our life, and our work must enrich (and indeed be followed by) the living of our lives together, forwards – as we break new ground, take new actions and…

Family and friends of Nora Quoirin gathered in Belfast to say farewell in the church where she was baptised as a baby, St Brigid’s.

The body of the 15-year-old from London was cremated earlier on Tuesday morning.

Nora was found dead after a 10-day search around the Malaysian jungle resort of Dusun last month.

The teenager – who was born with the brain defect holoprosencephaly and was described by her family as “vulnerable” – disappeared on August 4.

Nora lived in London and was the daughter of French-Irish parents Sebastien and Meabh Quoirin.

Unidentified mourners arriving for the funeral mass of Nora Quoirin at St Brigid’s Church, Belfast. The 15-year-old died after disappearing from the Malaysian jungle resort of Dusun during a family holiday in August

The principal celebrant for the funeral service was parish priest Fr Edward O’Donnell, who was joined by Fr Pat Kelly, Nora’s great uncle.

Addressing a packed church, Fr O’Donnell reflected on the girl’s baptism as he told mourners of the joy Nora had brought to her family in her short life.

He described her as “gentle and innocent”.

Meabh Quoirin arriving for the funeral mass of her daughter Nora at St Brigid’s Church, Belfast.

“Nora was very special, she brought so much joy to Meabh and…

The role of speaker’s chaplain involves saying daily prayers in the chamber, conducting a weekly service in the parliament’s chapel and taking pastoral care of MPs and their staff.

Rev Preb Rose Hudson-Wilkin has been the chaplain since 2010 but in November she will become the Bishop of Dover.

The Speaker, John Bercow MP, whose role it is to chair Commons debates, announced on Monday that he will be standing down as speaker and MP at the next election, or on 31st October if that comes first, which lead to a series of tributes to him by MPs.

However, it was a point of order by David Lammy MP that prompted the speaker to turn the House’s praise to his chaplain when he said: “Thank you also for appointing Rose Hudson-Wilkin as chaplain when the establishment might have preferred a different choice”.

Mr Bercow responded: “I want to endorse in triplicate what he’s just said about the Rt Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, great servant to parliament, in her place in the under gallery now – the source of comfort and inspiration to me for the last nine years.”

She shook her head bashfully as he continued: “There has not been a single day, when I have not felt delighted and reinforced in my insistence – and it was my insistence – my insistence, that Rose would be appointed to that role. There is always scope for legitimate difference…