World

Evangelical candidate leads polls as gay marriage debate dominates Costa Rica's election
Conservative evangelical Christian Fabricio Alvarado Munoz has an effective lead of almost 14 percentage points over ruling party hopeful Carlos Alvarado Quesada in the race to be Costa Rica's next president, an opinion poll showed on Friday.

Russia expels 23 British diplomats as crisis deepens
Russia's response was more robust than expected.

Archaeologists uncover 3,600-year-old tomb that could shed new light on Biblical city
Archaeologists have found an untouched 3,600-year-old burial chamber that could offer some clues into the history of the ancient Canaanite city of Megiddo.

Murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero's brother says he forgives killers
The younger brother of murdered Archbishop Oscar Romero has said he forgives his killers â but wishes they had been brought to justice.

Florida bridge collapse: Prayers offered as four dead in 'tragic' incident
Donald Trump offered his prayers after a newly-installed pedestrian bridge in Florida collapsed on Thursday, killing four people and leaving several others critically injured.

Refugees stream out of eastern Ghouta as Syrian army closes in
Thousands of Syrians fled a rebel pocket in eastern Ghouta on Thursday and crossed by foot to army positions as troops seized more ground in the opposition stronghold.

Two Dead Sea Scrolls never before displayed in public to be shown in US exhibition
Two Dead Sea Scrolls never before displayed in public will be part of a vast exhibition of ancient artefacts from Israel going on display at a museum in Denver, Colorado, tomorrow.

10 happiest countries in the world are among the least religious
The world's happiest countries are also among the least religious, according to a new UN report out today.

Dozens dead as more violence hits central Nigeria
Three more villages in Nigeria's central Plateau State came under deadly attack yesterday as Fulani herdsmen continued their killing spree in the country's volatile Middle Belt.

A thousand Christians from around the globe warn of 'death-dealing forces' in the world today
More than 1,000 evangelicals and missionaries from the World Council of Churches' Conference on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) have issued a 'Call to Discipleship' warning of 'death-dealing forces' and the 'shocking accumulation of wealth' in the world today.

Russian Orthodox Church insists it is not backing Putin in election
The Russian Orthodox Church has insisted it will not back Vladimir Putin in upcoming presidential elections on Sunday.

Why did the Vatican redact a letter from Pope Benedict XVI about Pope Francis?
The Vatican has admitted that it altered a photo sent to the media of a letter from the retired pope Benedict XVI which praised Pope Francis, blurring a paragraph in which Benedict said he would not read about Francis's theology.

OnePlus 6 specs rumors: Handset more powerful than Samsung Galaxy S9? AnTuTu benchmark score leaked
Assuming the leak is accurate, patrons can expect OnePlus 6 to be faster than the Samsung Galaxy S9 and even the iPhone X. The former device which also sports Snapdragon 845 clocked-in at 241,470 in the AnTuTu test while Apple's 10th anniversary iPhone scored 226,000.

Catholic hospital and nuns attacked in India amid growing violence against Christians
Suspected Hindu extremists used a bulldozer to demolish the wall of a Catholic mission hospital and attacked staff, including nuns, in the latest incident in Madhya Pradesh state in central India which has seen growing violence against Christians.

Blasphemy laws against Christians in Pakistan highlighted at UN
The abuse of Christians in Pakistan was highlighted at the United Nations with a warning religious minorities are 'systematically persecuted'.
Mike Pence: We will see end of legal abortion in our lifetime
Mike Pence has predicted the end of legal abortion in the US 'in our lifetime'.