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.

Giant gold cubes designed to be defaced and a large-scale tribute to Hong Kong's lowly cardboard sellers took center stage as Art Basel opened its doors in the city Tuesday.

VIP guests flooded into the sprawling two-floor exhibition at the harbourfront convention center, with more than 200 galleries from around the world hoping collectors will bite, despite China's economic downturn. 

Visiting U.S. President Barack Obama paid homage Monday to Cuban independence hero Jose Marti, a figure who draws rare bipartisan reverence.

Honoring a man whose writing is still read by young Cubans, Obama touched a wreath and signed a memorial book at the foot of a statue in the heart of Havana's government district.