Devotees in the fervently Catholic Philippines marked Good Friday by being nailed to crosses and whipping their backs bloody, in extreme acts of devotion that attracted thousands of spectators.

The annual ritual in scorching hot farmlands just outside of Manila is one of many colorful outpourings of faith in the Southeast Asian nation, where 80 percent of its 100 million people are Catholics.

The Muslim and Christian populations could be nearly equal by 2050, with Islam expected to be the fastest-growing faith on the planet, according to projections released Thursday.

The Pew Research Center's religious profile predictions assessed data from around the world on fertility rates, trends in youth population growth and religious conversion statistics.

Germany said Wednesday experts had established a Camille Pissarro painting from the Cornelius Gurlitt art trove was looted by the Nazis and should be returned to the heirs of its rightful owners.

The oil painting from 1902 entitled "La Seine vue du Pont-Neuf, au fond le Louvre" (The Seine seen from the Pont Neuf) is "absolutely certain" to have been looted by Hitler's regime, the German culture ministry said.

Hollywood screen icon Lauren Bacall's carefully collected personal mementos fetched $3.64 million on the auction block, Bonhams said Wednesday.

There were hundreds of items up for grabs at the two-day sale -- including housewares, furniture, fine art, jewelry and clothing -- and all of them sold, the auction house said.  

In deeply religious Thailand, monks have long been revered. But badly behaved clergy, corruption scandals, and the vast wealth amassed by some temples has many asking if something is rotten at the heart of Thai Buddhism.

From selfies on private jets to multi-million dollar donations from allegedly crooked businessmen, Thailand's monks are coming under increasing fire for their embrace of commercialism. 

A decade after his death, John Paul II is still revered in his native Poland with billboards, CDs and other collectibles underscoring his popularity, but experts say the church here is struggling without him.

During his epic 26-year pontificate the only Polish-born pontiff became a pillar of national unity in his homeland and reinforced the Church's role in the overwhelmingly Catholic nation.

A work by world-renowned graffiti artist Banksy has been sold for less than $200 in war-ravaged Gaza, where a homeless family says they were "tricked" into parting with the valuable collector's item.

At the end of February, the artist, who chooses to remain anonymous, released an online video showing three works he painted on walls of homes in the Gaza Strip destroyed in Israeli air strikes.

Picasso masterpiece "Les Femmes d'Alger" went on show for the first time in Hong Kong Wednesday ahead of an auction where it is tipped to smash the world record price for a painting.

The 1955 piece depicts women in a harem and is the final work in a 15-painting series which pays homage to the 19th century artist Delacroix, who Picasso admired.

The Dutch royal family will return a painting in its collection after discovering that the Nazis confiscated it from Jewish owners, the palace said on Tuesday.

The discovery was made by independent research commissioned by the palace in 2012 into art objects acquired since the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933.

Hollywood screen icon Lauren Bacall's personal possessions from the precious to the mundane hit the auction block in New York, drawing plenty of fans Tuesday.

Collectors were jostling for a memento of the Oscar-winner from among more than 200 items from fine art to kitchenware, and avant-garde to kitsch.