Pope Benedict unwittingly performed an exorcism of two men possessed by the Devil in the very heart of the Vatican, according to the Catholic Church's best-known exorcist, Father Gabriele Amorth.

Contrary to his claim, during his twelve-year enthronement at Bridgeport, Egan repeatedly failed to investigate priests where there were obvious signs of abuse, according to The Hartford Courant. His diocese had to settle the cases and awarded victims some $12-15 million in damages.

Muslim clerics in Canada have issued a fatwa against so-called “honor killings” a week after three members of an Afghan family in Montreal were convicted of the murders of four relatives.

Tensions between religion and science will persist unless believers recognise that skepticism is a hallmark of science.

Outward displays of belief in God have become a proxy for trustworthiness in the US. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP

[That documentary] allows us to think out of the comfortable narrative that has been concocted for us by the state and its right-wing allies. Watching it allows us to digest opinions wildly diverse from ours and still give them their due consideration and appreciation. This is what made me happy.

"Governments do not have the authority to say what marriage is or to change its nature or to decree that people of the same sex can marry."

Physicists have confirmed the ultimate speed limit for the packets of light called photons - making time travel even less likely than thought.

"The fact that I have had thousands of messages from around the world speaks for itself about the impact and the way people feel," he said.

A Jewish rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a stray dog it feared was the reincarnation of a lawyer who insulted its judges, reports say.