Syria's conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, but it has also seen the country's irreplaceable heritage dug up and sold, damaged by war and wilfully destroyed.

From pre-historic settlements and ancient markets, to Greco-Roman ruins and Crusader castles, Syria is a repository of treasures from different ages and cultures.

The American Catholics who will meet Pope Francis on his U.S. visit later this month are widely accepting of non-traditional families, according to a Pew survey out Wednesday.

While 90 percent of U.S. Catholics said that a household headed by a married mother and father -- traditionally supported by the Catholic Church -- is ideal for raising children, large majorities see single, unmarried and divorced parents as acceptable.

Christian schools in Israel stayed shut Tuesday, delaying the start of the new academic year, in a funding dispute with authorities in the Jewish state.

The strike action affects around 33,000 pupils, mostly Muslim Israeli Arabs, at 47 schools run primarily by the Roman Catholic church.

The exiled Tibetan government says there is no cause for celebrating 50 years since China formed the Tibetan Autonomous Region, and insists Tuesday instead marks a half-century of occupation and control over the once-independent Himalayan nation.

The Tibetan government-in-exile issued the statement as China was reveling in lavish celebrations marking the 70th anniversary of Japan's World War II defeat.

A German state minister sparked a social media storm Tuesday after calling a beloved German pop singer a "wonderful Negro" during a TV debate on Europe's migrant crisis.

The Twitter hashtag #Neger (Negro) topped trending topics in Germany the morning after Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann used the term for Roberto Blanco, who is of Afro-Cuban origin.

Islamic State militants have destroyed two of the most important temples in the UNESCO-listed Syrian city of Palmyra, as they press their campaign to wipe out some of the Middle East's most important heritage sites.

The United Nations released satellite images Monday confirming the ancient city's most famed shrine, the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel, had been blown up a week after the destruction of the temple of Baal Shamin.

Christian schools in Israel and east Jerusalem have threatened to stay closed for Tuesday's start of the new academic year over a financing dispute with the government, an official said.

Some 33,000 students attend some 45 Christian schools, which employ 3,000 teachers in Israel and east Jerusalem.

India's Jain community scored a legal victory Monday when the Supreme Court temporarily lifted a ban on the traditional ritual of Santhara, or fasting to death.

Thousands of Jains protested across India last week after a court in the western state of Rajasthan ruled that Santhara was a form of suicide, which is illegal in India.

London's Notting Hill Carnival kicked off with a riot of color despite grey skies on Sunday, in a celebration of Caribbean culture reputed as Europe's biggest street party.

Performers on stilts and wearing bright pink wigs, and dancers in feathered headdresses and rainbow outfits entertained the crowds that packed the streets of west London.

Leaders of the Philippines' dominant Catholic church have called on individuals and politicians to actively oppose same-sex marriage, after new efforts by activists to have same-sex unions legalized in the conservative nation.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) issued a statement Sunday saying individuals should refuse to take part in ceremonies celebrating same-sex relationships and politicians should resist legalizing marriages of homosexual couples.