Britain’s two biggest unions are threatening strike action at 13 more primary schools against plans to force them to become academies.

Leeds beat Wakefield 38-18 in their Challenge Cup fourth-round tie at Headingley last night. Zak Hardaker scored two tries for Leeds and Ryan Bailey, Danny McGuire, Karl Ablett, Ben Jones-Bishop and Paul McShane also crossed the line.

Starring: Michael Sheen, David Rees Talbot

Twenty-two people have been killed and 36 injured when the roof of a Catholic church in rural Nigeria collapsed during services.

If you want proof of the extent to which ‘early music’ is now enshrined in our culture, look no further than the packed Wigmore Hall on Easter Sunday, where the a cappella group Stile Antico were singing Renaissance motets which not so long ago would have drawn a small cohort of sandalled beardies and flower-maidens.

Scrapping public holidays could add £18 billion to the nation's annual economic output, according to a think-tank.

A fatigued-looking Pope Benedict threw his weight behind a United Nations plan to end bloodshed in Syria in his Easter Sunday message yesterday, calling for "an immediate commitment" to peace efforts there.

Outgoing Archbishop of Canterbury and Catholic leaders take on highly charged political subjects

Pope Benedict XVI used his Easter Sunday message to urge the Syrian regime to heed international calls to end bloodshed and commit to dialogue.

Young people's hostility towards faith is not as extreme as society perceives with many taking the issue of religion seriously, the Archbishop of Canterbury will say in his Easter sermon.

Thousands of Christians celebrated Easter Mass in Jerusalem in an array of processions and prayer sessions.

How did an instrument of Roman torture end up becoming a club badge for pious Christians? The cross was supposed to inspire terror, and those crucified made into a public spectacle of Roman imperial power. Crucifixion sent a message: we, the Romans, are in control. Defy us and die a horrible death.

Two Chinese artefacts stolen in a break-in at a university museum are estimated to be worth £2 million, according to police.

Christians should wear a cross on their clothes every day as "a symbol of their beliefs", according to the head of the Catholic church in Scotland.