The federal government said it continues the negotiations with Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram, about Leah’s release.

The statement said: “Lines of communications remain open with the kidnappers, ISWAP, to secure the release of Leah Sharibu. Contrary to false reports, she is alive – [we have been] given assurances by our security agencies – and the government is committed to her safe return, as well as all other hostages to their families.”

Leah was abducted along with over 100 of her classmates from the Government Girls Science and Technical College in Dapchi, Yobe state, on 19th February 2018.

While the others were released within a month, Leah, the only Christian in the group, remains in captivity as she was ordered, but refused, to give up her faith.

In October 2018, ISWAP announced that it will keep Leah as a slave for life.

UK Christian charity Open Doors, which supports persecuted Christians, said it’s shameful Leah still hasn’t been rescued, but the update brings some hope.

Dr Matthew Rees, Head of Advocacy at Open Doors UK and Ireland, said: “Leah Sharibu was kidnapped because she is a girl and held captive because she is a Christian. She embodies the incredibly vulnerable position of Christian women in northern Nigeria.

“It is outrageous that Leah remains in captivity, abused as a PR tool and…

Members of Christian Climate Action were amongst protesters at the Defence and Security Equipment International Fair (DSEI), an event which connects governments and national armed forces around the world with the arms industry and is hosted at London’s Excel Centre. 

The protesters were arrested on Tuesday morning as they plotted to disrupt the biggest arms fair in Europe from setting up. 

Angela Ditchfield, one of those arrested, said: “As the climate and ecological emergency worsens, more and more people will be queuing up to profit from social collapse and warfare.  

“As Christians we are compelled to resist this injustice and show solidarity with the victims of war.” 

The DSEI arms fair begins next week and will host 1600 exhibitors. The guest list includes military delegations from 67 countries.

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Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara says the remains were removed from Kalliyankadu cemetery in the presence of a judge, a medical officer and police and were taken to a hospital mortuary.

They will remain there with police protection until the government provides a new burial site.

An official last week said the remains consisted only of a head, but Mr Gunasekara said they also included some other body parts.

Hundreds of people had protested against the burial of Mohamed Azar, who attacked Zion Church in Batticaloa town, killing 27 people and wounding more than 70 others.

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Rev. Dan Reehil sent an email to the parents of students at St Edward Catholic School in Nashville, Tennessee and informed school staff about his decision.

According to the vicar, the email states: “These books present magic as both good and evil, which is not true, but in fact a clever deception. The curses and spells used in the books are actual curses and spells; which when read by a human being risk conjuring evil spirits into the presence of the person reading the text.”

Harry Potter is a seven part fictional book series about the adventures of a young wizard and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Rev Reehil said he consulted exorcists in the US and Rome before making his decision to remove the books.

Rebecca Hammel, the superintendent of schools for the Catholic Diocese of Nashville, said the pastor had the final say in the matter because the Catholic Church doesn’t have an official stance on the issue.

“Each pastor has canonical authority to make such decisions for his parish school,” Hammel said. “He’s well within his authority to act in that manner.”

Hammel added that she does not know what prompted their removal, but the fact that the school opened a new library may have been a factor.

“I know that in the process they were going through and kind of weeding out some of the content in hopes of sprucing it up and improving the…

Actor Stephen Baldwin said Justin and Hailey know marriage is a holy commitment and want the wedding to reflect that.

He told US entertainment news site TMZ: “I just think that as Christians and as believers they understand that if you don’t have God’s spirit working in your marriage it just makes it more and more difficult to make it work and have peace and find happiness,” he told TMZ.

“Weddings and marriage are supposed to be a holy commitment, one onto another.”

His statement comes after the couple’s save the date was revealed.

Baldwin said it will be a “very fun wedding” in South Carolina with a lot of “their pastor friends and Christian friends around them”.

“My only job is just walking my princess down the aisle,” he added.

Justin and Hailey married last September in a civil ceremony.

In an interview with Vogue Magazine Justin revealed that the two waited until they were married to have sex.

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