An effigy of U.S. presidential contender Donald Trump -- a hated figure for many in Mexico -- was set ablaze late Saturday in a contemporary twist on a Holy Week ritual.

A smiling figure of the billionaire American businessman went up in flames during the Easter eve "Burning of Judas," a tradition in which Mexicans torch effigies of the devil -- and of public figures they dislike.

Japanese artist Tatsuo Miyajima's new work "Time Waterfall" has been shrouded in dense fog for most of the week, his trademark numbers partly hidden as they cascade down Hong Kong's tallest building.

But despite the heavy weather, Miyajima is still hopeful that his creation will deliver a message to the bustling city's residents: to be in the moment.

Thousands of hardline Islamists on Friday staged protests across Bangladesh against an imminent court hearing on scrapping the state religion of the Muslim-majority nation.

More than half of Russians believe the Soviet dictator Stalin was a wise leader, a new poll by Levada independent polling center showed Friday.

Levada found 57 percent of Russians said they entirely or generally agreed that Stalin was a "wise leader who made the USSR powerful and prosperous." 

The veteran Algerian writer Boualem Sansal weighed in Thursday to defend his compatriot Kamel Daoud, who is at the center of storm over his claim that sex "is the greatest misery in the world of Allah".

Daoud, who won France's top literary prize the Prix Goncourt last year, sparked outrage for an article he wrote in France's Le Monde daily in the wake of the wave of sexual assaults in Cologne on New Year's Eve.

A radar scan of William Shakespeare's tomb has discovered signs of tampering with his final resting place that lend credence to a story about his skull being stolen in the 18th century, researchers said.

Archaeologists used ground-penetrating radar on the grave, which is protected by a curse, for a documentary airing on Saturday to mark the 400th anniversary of the famous playwright's death.

The tomb where Jesus is said to have been buried before his resurrection in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher is to undergo major restoration, church officials said Wednesday.

The Vatican said Wednesday it is well on the way to opening its archives on Argentina's "Dirty War", which could bring new evidence to light on the fate of missing victims.

A Bavarian brewer has sparked outrage in Germany by producing a "Border Fence" label that appears to use Nazi symbols to criticize the mass refugee influx.

Italian and Swiss police have recovered priceless archaeological artifacts stolen from Italy and stored by a notorious British antiquities dealer, the culture ministry said Tuesday.

The haul, worth nine million euros ($10 million), was discovered in 2014 in a storage unit at the Geneva Freeport rented by Britain's disgraced Robin Symes, a giant in the illegal antiquities trade with ties to Italian tomb raiders.