They responded to Far and Wide, a website which had warned potential visitors the central London landmark is also “so darn crowded” with “herds of tourists.”

A spokesman was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: “Over a million people visited the Abbey last year… all appear to have enjoyed their visit or their moment of worship.”

The attraction was among 30 sites – which also included Stonehenge in Wiltshire – featured in a list of “Overhyped, overrated tourist traps to avoid at all costs”.

While acknowledging the Abbey is “impressive”, the article also reminded visitors they will need to go elsewhere if you want to see the resting place of William Shakespeare or the place when Prince Charles and Princess Diana got married.

It continues: “There are a lot of famous churches and cathedrals in the UK; make sure this is one you really want to see.”

In its own response, Jennifer Davies, the lead at English Heritage for Stonehenge, told the Daily Mail: “People flock from all over the world to experience this enduring symbol of mystery and ancient achievement.

“Last year, 1.5 million visitors came to Stonehenge… we’re sorry this writer didn’t see it that way”.

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Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hassaké-Nisibi has said Kurdish authorities in north-east Syria are determined to drive out Christians from the region.

The senior church leader has claimed that the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria (DFNS), the Kurdish self-governing regional authority, has been unfairly closing Christian schools.

Archbishop Hindo told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the DFNS has targeted 85-year-old Christian institutions because of their refusal to comply with the new Kurdish curriculum.

“The Kurdish officials had assured us that they would not even look at the private [Catholic] schools, but they not only looked at them, they closed them,” he said.

“For years I have been saying that the Kurds are trying to eliminate the Christian presence in this part of Syria.

“Since the beginning of the year, the local government has already taken possession of about 100 state-run schools and introduced their own curriculum and textbooks.”

“They do not want us to instruct pupils in the liturgical language, Syriac, and they do not want us to teach history because they prefer to drum their own history into the heads of pupils.”

He expressed concern that Kurdish forces will close the remaining Christian schools and has urged the international community to take action.

“The West cannot keep silent, Archbishop Hindo said.

“You are…

International Bible translation charity Wycliffe Associates said it wants to begin Bible translation in hundreds of languages in Indonesia in the next six months after church bombings earlier this year.

The charity said attacks on Christian churches as recently as May, where 13 people died in three church bombings on the same day, haven’t deterred Indonesian Christians from wanting to see the Bible translated into their respective languages.

Bruce Smith, CEO of Wycliffe Associates said: “People are so hungry for hope, desperate for the truth of God’s Word even in remote areas, even in areas of intense persecution.”

More than 700 languages are spoken across Indonesia, and Wycliffe Associates has received multiple requests from Christians there who want to translate the Bible for their own language groups.

Smith added: “Now the word is out Christians all over this 13,000-island nation are pleading for the training and tools to get started translating the Scriptures into their own heart language.”

Wycliffe Associates hopes to provide 1,021 computer tablets with translation software to mother tongue translators in Indonesia.

“Translators are waiting and ready, willing to risk everything in order to offer God’s Word to their people,” Smith said.

“But until they have the tools, their people-after waiting for decades-can only keep waiting. I believe the time is now.”

To…

Following the creation of South Sudan in 2011, a civil war erupted in December 2013 and more than 4.3 million people have been forced to flee their homes as a result. There are 1.84 million internally displaced and 2.5 million refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries due to the conflict.

Juma Mariel works for African Leadership and Reconciliation Ministries (ALARM), which partners with UK charity Tearfund.

He told Premier conflict in South Sudan has had a major impact on people who live there.

The conflict is the key driver of food insecurity undermining both agricultural and livestock production, disrupting livelihoods and forcing people to flee.

“It has reduced the level of literacy that people are supposed to have and the level of development has also continued to deteriorate,” Mariel said.

“The level of understanding in that aspect is that people have learned how to deal with hard situations and they also have not been able to move forward in their lives.”

There have been several peace processes and initiatives which have sought to bring peace to the war-torn country. However, they have been characterised by delays, extensions and lack of implementation from the warring parties and the violence has continued.

Leading up to Mariel’s meeting with MPs, he told Premier he will share messages from local people.

‘I’ll inform them about the recommendations from…

At least eleven people were killed and twelve injured over the weekend in a drive-by shooting in the Du community of Jos in Plateau state, officials have confirmed.

According to eyewitnesses, shots were fired on people in their shops and on the road using semi-automatic weapons before the terrorists sped off minutes later.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide’s (CSW) Chief Operations Officer, Scot Bower voiced his concerns in a statement and said: “CSW extends its deepest condolences to all who have lost loved ones in these latest attacks.

“We are particularly disturbed by reports that a woman who survived a militia attack in Plateau state was subsequently killed in cold blood by soldiers who should have been safeguarding her community.

“The government must regain the trust of vulnerable communities, not only by providing timely and adequate protection, but also by ensuring this murder is investigated in a swift and transparent manner, with any identified suspects facing trial or court martial.

“Once again. CSW urges the federal and state governments to prioritise rehabilitation and justice for traumatised survivors, and to refrain from victimizing them further.

“We also echo local appeals for the international community and relevant UN officials to raise the relentless loss of life in the indigenous communities of central Nigeria with the government, and to urge it to…