A joint initiative by 14 Vietnamese and international organisations, including Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has called for the release of 165 people arrested for their religious or political beliefs.

However, according to the advocacy group, the challenges of obtaining information about prisoners in the country mean that the real number is likely to be higher.

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas welcomed the initiative and said: “Our research consistently finds that Christians and other religious communities in Vietnam continue to experience violations of their right to freedom of religion or belief.

“In particular, Christians from indigenous people groups suffer a double discrimination as both religious and ethnic minorities.”

The NOW! Campaign has urged the government of Vietnam to immediately release “all prisoners of conscience”, which is “anyone who has been arrested for his/her political, religious or conscientiously held beliefs, ethnic origin, sex, colour, language, national or social origin, economic status, birth, sexual orientation or other status, who has not used violence or advocated violence or hatred”.

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Thomas explained the vital role prisoners of conscience play in the Southeast Asian country.

He said: “In addition, a significant number of human rights defenders in Vietnam belong to religious communities.

“These individuals play a vital role in promoting the right to freedom of religion or belief.

“We call on the Vietnamese…

The English author, who penned more than 200 books, died in June, aged 91, following a short illness.

The service came a week after Bond’s new book was announced at St. Paul’s.

In Paddington At St Paul’s, chaos ensues when the bear is mistaken for a choirboy during a visit to the London landmark.

Bond’s daughter, Karen Jankel, said during the announcement: “If the outpouring of wonderful messages of condolence we received from my father’s fans is anything to go by, there will be many people who will be delighted to learn there is another Paddington book to look forward to.

“Our family feel immensely proud that we will be honouring his life at St Paul’s Cathedral and the fact that this is the setting for his final story makes it very special indeed.”

HarperCollins Children’s Books executive publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh added: “We are deeply honoured to be publishing the final Paddington story from our most cherished author, Michael Bond.

“Paddington At St Paul’s is Michael’s parting gift to all his fans – a simply classic Paddington story, brimming with curiosity, charm and affectionate exuberance.”

Bond became a beloved giant of children’s literature after his first book, A Bear Called Paddington, was published in 1958, about the bear from Peru who loves marmalade.

On their platinum wedding anniversary, a full celebratory peal will sound from Westminster Abbey, where the 21-year-old future monarch Princess Elizabeth walked up the aisle to marry her dashing Greek and Danish prince in 1947.

At 1pm on Monday November 20, the Abbey’s Company of Ringers will begin a complicated peal consisting of 5,070 changes or sequences, with the 70 a nod to the special anniversary.

It will take the team of 10 ringers around three hours and 20 minutes to complete, as they deliver the tribute without a break.

It is a historic tradition that the Abbey bells are rung for significant royal occasions and anniversaries, and the Queen is the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum wedding anniversary.

The fairy-tale royal wedding was a morale boost in the tough years that followed the Second World War and millions of people tuned in to listen to the ceremony on the wireless.

Royals and dignitaries gathered inside the Abbey, waiting for the young royal bride, whose Norman Hartnell wedding dress was hand-embroidered with more than 10,000 pearls and crystals.

War-time leader Winston Churchill summed up the occasion as “a flash of colour on the hard road we travel”.

For austerity reasons, very little extra seating was provided inside the gothic Abbey, with the number of guests kept to 2,000.

In contrast to later royal weddings, the only flowers in the Abbey were in large vases either side of…

Most Rev Justin Welby said the advice, distributed to 4,700 head teachers, sought to prevent bullying and was not about “sexual ethics”.

The leader wrote for the Anglican Communion News Service on Monday after several conservative Christian figures suggested the Church was sending a liberal and damaging message about gender identity.

Archbishop Justin said: “The Church of England is committed to an education that enables people to live life in all its fullness, and fulfils the words of Jesus in John 10:10: “I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.

“This guidance helps schools to offer the Christian message of love, joy and the celebration of our humanity without exception or exclusion.”

His comments came after Christian Concern warned the new advice marked a “missed opportunity” to provide clarity in a culture marked by gender “confusion”.

Tim Dieppe from the campaign group told Premier: “The Church shouldn’t be encouraging people to transition their gender, particularly children.

“People cannot legally change their change until they’re 18-years-old and I don’t know why the Church is going out of its way to exchange gender reassignment.”

Guidance, contained in the Church of England’s new Valuing All God’s Children report said nursery and primary school children ought to be free to try “the many cloaks of identity” without being labelled or…