Dr Peter Saunders, who is the campaigns director of Care Not Killing, said the country’s highest court was correct on Tuesday to deny Noel Conway the right to take his legal battle further.

Explaining his opposition to allowing assisted dying, Dr Saunders told Premier: “It would inevitably lead to pressure being placed on vulnerable people – especially those who are elderly, sick, disabled or depressed – to end their lives so as not to be a burden to others; that is why the blanket ban is there.”

Mr Conway (pictured in May 2018), who has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, wants to be able to receive medical assistance to die when he has less than six months to leave and still have mental capacity.

The 68-year-old retired lecturer from Shrewsbury lost a Court of Appeal bid in June 2018 to challenge a decision by the High Court to reject his argument that a ban on assisted dying infringes upon his human rights.

He said: “All I want is the option to die peacefully, with dignity, on my own terms, and I know that the majority of the public are behind me.

“It is downright cruel to continue to deny me and other terminally-ill people this right.

Explaining their decision, the justices said only Parliament could alter the law on assisted dying. Mr Conway said supporters of legal assisted dying would campaign at…

At least 350 Christian-owned properties were occupied by Iraqi officials according to an investigation by Iraq television network al-Sumaria.

The TV investigation also found Iraq’s government only prevented 50 properties being sold in the Niniveh plains.

Shlemon Audish Warduni, auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, told the network: “The numbers are unclear but this is real and serious.

“For some time, Christian houses and properties have been the object of seizures or illegal occupations and this is unfair.”

Tens of thousands of Christians remain displaced following the ISIS insurgency in 2014.

The UK’s Prime Minister has pledged her support of Christians who are persecuted in Iraq and other countries around the world.

Earlier in the year, she told MPs: “We stand with those persecuted Christians. We will be looking to see what more the Government can do to support them.”

Despite ISIS’ hold on the Nineveh Plains ending in November 2017, after nearly three years occupation, there are reports of extremist violence elsewhere in the country.

Archbishop Al-Shamani told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need: “An international peace-keeping force should be stationed on the Nineveh Plains.

“We want a guarantee that our freedom and our security will be upheld.”

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The American missionary was killed trying to evangelise to the Sentinelese, one of the most isolated tribes in the world.

The hunter-gather’s live in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and are cut off from the outside word.

John Allen Chau was reportedly killed with arrows when he arrived at the Islands on 17th November.

Indian official’s attempts to retrieve his body have been unsuccessful.

Reports suggest that the rescue efforts have been put on hold so as not to disturb the protected Sentinelese tribespeople.

People are forbidden by law from visiting the Sentinelese and the tribesmen have repeatedly treated outsiders with hostility.

The isolation of the tribe means contact with others could pose a significant health risk, as they may have no immunity to common illness.

Posting a statement on John’s social media feed, his family expressed their grief: “He was a beloved son, brother, uncle, and best friend to us.

“To others he was a Christian missionary, a wilderness EMT, an international soccer coach, and a mountaineer. He loved God, life, helping those in need, and he had nothing but love for the Sentinelese people.”

They added: “We forgive those who reportedly responsible for his death”

Reuters reported that that before he was killed, Chau wrote he was “doing this to establish the kingdom of Jesus on the Islands…Do not blame the natives if I am killed.”

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But Johan Huibers from The Netherlands estimates renting tugboats to transport the motorless vessel could cost $1.3 million.

Speaking with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency while holding a Bible, he said: “My preferred destination for the ark is Israel.

“It may sound scary, but I believe everything written in this book, cover to cover.

“This is a copy of God’s ship. It only makes sense to take it to God’s land.”

The 60-year-old had planned to sail the ark to Israel sooner but wildfires hampered his plans.

Opened to the public in 2012, after a four-year construction project, it was constructed according to the specification’s God gave Noah for his ark (as recorded in Genesis). It measures 390 feet long and 75 feet high.

Huibers, a businessman, felt inspired to build his to-scale replica of Noah’s ark when he was reading about it to his children one evening in 1993.

Huibers completed his first replica in 2006 but it was only 230 feet long – owing to size restrictions on canal-faring vessels in his home country.

For the past two years, his full-size model has been open to tourists on the Maas River in The Netherlands.

Earlier this year, Premier reported how a replica of Noah’s ark caused chaos at a port after it broke free during Storm Eleanor.

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The Trussell Trust says demand for its emergency three-day food parcels has already been rising this year. Usage typically spikes during Christmas.

Bosses say benefits-related issues remain the top factor and that they are meeting families whose payments are not covering essentials spending.

Area manager, Matt Marney told Premier: “We don’t feel that it’s acceptable that anybody would need to rely on the use of a foodbank.

“We’re working very diligently to try and implement change so that we’re not needed.”

The Christian charity distributed 160,000 food packages last December – 49 per cent more than the monthly average for last year.

No one should need a #foodbank at any time of year. But this Christmas we’re expecting to see more support needed than ever before. This isn’t right. We need to move towards a future where everyone has enough money coming in > https://t.co/BT7yaOGBYC pic.twitter.com/gvvvPV8V1V

— The Trussell Trust (@TrussellTrust) November 27, 2018

It said a five-week delay experienced by families moving onto Universal Credit was also fuelling demand.

Appealing for help this Christmas, Matt Marney added: “I think it’s really important, if people are wishing to donate to foodbanks, they look at items that [foodbanks] need.”

“If you’re wanting to donate, please donate early in December; that gives our volunteers time to sort and process the food and…

The two men and two women, aged between 27 and 60, were detained at their hotel on Langkawi Island – a popular tourist destination (pictured below) – last Tuesday.

They were sent back to their home country, Finland, after being accused of “disturbing religious harmony” and handing out Christian material to workers in the coastal city of Jalan Pantai Chenang.

Proselytising of Muslims by people of other religions is illegal in Malaysia.

According to Langkawi police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim, it was decided the group would not be prosecuted. Each member could have been jailed for up for five years if found guilty.

The office of Malaysia’s attorney-general will send a letter to Finland’s embassy to express discontentment over the behaviour of the missionaries.

Officers had seized more than 300 booklets which featured Bible verses from them.

Almost two-thirds of Malaysia’s 31 million people are Muslim.

World Watch Monitor, an organisation highlighting religious persecution around the world, quoted a source who said the group’s arrests marked the third incident of its kind in recent weeks.

According to the source, five Nigerians and six locals have been detained for similar activities elsewhere in Malaysia.

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