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SAMARRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Several thousand Iraqis protested on Friday against Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in Samarra and other Sunni Muslim strongholds after he moved to sideline two Sunni leaders from his power-sharing government.

Iraq faces its worst crisis in a year after Maliki sought Sunni Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi's arrest on terrorism charges and moved to fire ...

In silent meditation, the Falungong members did not flinch when a shirtless, tattooed man slapped them on the head, or when a burly female security agent dragged a dried palm leaf across their faces.

Vietnamese practitioners of Falungong -- a Buddhist-inspired traditional Chinese spiritual discipline practised in more than 70 countries.-- say treatment like this has become routine. They say communist ...

The brother of an Al-Qaeda chief was among six militants killed in the restive southern Yemeni province of Abyan, where five soldiers also died in overnight clashes, local officials said on Thursday.

Five Qaeda suspects died when their positions in Bajdar, on the outskirts of the provincial capital Zinjibar, were shelled in an attack that "might have come from US ...

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - There are no computers at Maoz Hatorah, an ultra-Orthodox Jewish boys school on the outskirts of Israel's bustling high-tech commercial hub, Tel Aviv.

In the classrooms, English, mathematics and science lessons are kept to a minimum.

"If we devote our time to secular studies there will be none left for faith," the headmaster said.

Most ultra-Orthodox Jewish ...

South African President Jacob Zuma was Wednesday at the centre of a row over his comments that Christianity had brought in orphans and retirement homes.

South Africa's Times newspaper Wednesday quoted Zuma, a Christian, as saying: "Long before the arrival of religion and (the) gospel, we had our own ways of doing things.

"Those were the times that the ...

The Vatican on Wednesday hosted an unusual Latin competition for Christmas between schoolchildren from Austria and Liechtenstein, with participants allowed to call on cardinals for help.

The test entitled "Puer Natus Est" ("A Child is Born") included translations of liturgical texts from Latin into German, as well as a quiz on the Catholic Church but -- unlike most exams -- participants can ...

URBANDALE, Iowa (Reuters) - Two prominent Iowa religious conservative leaders endorsed Republican Rick Santorum on Tuesday, bolstering his longshot presidential bid and dealing a blow to front-runner Newt Gingrich two weeks before the state's kickoff nominating contest.

Bob Vander Plaats, head of the influential Christian group Family Leader, and Iowa Family Policy Center head Chuck Hurley backed Santorum after the ...

(Reuters) - "American Idol" runner-up David Archuleta has told fans he will become a full-time missionary for the Mormon Church in the next stage of his life.

Archuleta, 20, made the tearful announcement at a concert in his hometown of Salt Lake City on Monday to cheers and applause from the audience.

"I have chosen to serve a full-time mission for ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two prominent Iowa religious conservative leaders endorsed Republican Rick Santorum on Tuesday, bolstering his longshot presidential candidacy and dealing a blow to front-runner Newt Gingrich two weeks before the state's kickoff nominating contest.

Bob Vander Plaats, head of the influential Christian group Family Leader and Iowa Family Policy Center head Chuck Hurley backed Santorum after the Family ...

Fresh fighting between suspected Al-Qaeda militants and army troops in Yemen's restive Abyan province have killed two soldiers and 13 Islamists, military officials said on Tuesday.

During Monday's clashes in southern Yemen the army fired artillery rounds on positions held by fighters of the Al-Qaeda linked Partisans of Sharia (Islamic law) group, killing 13 Islamists, the officials said ...