Researchers compared two rituals - one involving only praying and singing, the other requiring participants to pierce their bodies with hooks, skewers and needles

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A car burns during clashes between residents and Muslim Brotherhood members and Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi supporters outside Cairo University

Egypt protests latest: Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel

FCO advising against travel to all regions except resorts on the Red Sea in South Sinai and those resorts on the Egyptian mainland in the Red Sea governorate

Get me out of here - Tuscany, Cornwall, Andaman Sea island

Now... In July, i-escape.com is offering a week at a luxury hotel near Lucca in Tuscany for £519pp. Surrounded by olive groves and vineyards, the four-star Tenuta San Pietro offers an outdoor pool and fine Italian restaurant. Flights extra. i-escape.com

On death row in an Egyptian prison – the retired British businessman who swears he was framed

Alastair Beach meets Charles Ferndale, the convicted  drug-smuggler imprisoned  on the banks of the Nile

Get me out of here - rural Portugal, Mauritius, Egypt

Now... Depart this month for a break in rural Portugal. Sunvil has four nights' B&B at two Pousadas (historic hotels) split between Estremoz and Alcacer do Sal, with TAP flights from Heathrow to Lisbon, car hire and one dinner for £542 per person. Sunvil.co.uk

A scene from 'The Impossible'

DVD & Blu-ray review: The Impossible (12)

Juan Antonio Bayona (114mins)

Hidden Europe: Don't just book it...

Thomas Cook, March 1873

A Grand Canyon-style ocean floor hidden deep under the Red Sea

Navy discovers 250 metre-deep ‘Grand Canyon’ beneath the waves of the Red Sea

The Devonport based ship created 3D images of the canyon, which was found after the ship left the Egyptian port of Safaga

Former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, seeks refuge in Indian Embassy to avoid arrest

The former President of the Maldives has taken refuge at the Indian Embassy in Male after a court ordered his arrest.

Iranian navy flexes its muscles in Strait of Hormuz

Iran's navy has begun manoeuvres in the area of the Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world's oil passes.

Ian Williams is aiming for a fourth world title this year

Ian Williams makes it five out of five in Monsoon Cup

A perfect opening set of five wins in his opening five races put Ian Williams and his Team GAC Pindar in a strong position for crossing the first hurdle of a place in the quarter finals of the Monsoon Cup in Malaya.

Simon Calder's Holiday Helpdesk: What do you know about company we're considering for our anniversary trip?

Every day our travel guru answers your travel questions

Prime Minister David Cameron is considering stationing warplanes in the Persian Gulf amid rising tension in the region

Britain meets Gulf allies over growing tensions in Iran

Saudi Arabia and the UAE fear there may be attempts to block a vital oil supply route

Action against Iran: UK and US hold talks over military bases

Discussions have taken place between British and American officials over the use of UK bases in the event of military action against Iran, Downing Street indicated today.

Publication of photos of Michaela McAreavey triggers family outcry

The publication of crime scene photographs of murdered honeymooner Michaela McAreavey's body by a Mauritian newspaper marks a new low, her family said.

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Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

Special report: How my father's face turned up in Robert Capa's lost suitcase

The great war photographer was not one person but two. Their pictures of Spain's civil war, lost for decades, tell a heroic tale
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The unmade speech: An alternative draft of history

Someone, somewhere has to write speeches for world leaders to deliver in the event of disaster. They offer a chilling hint at what could have been
Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Funny business: Meet the women running comedy

Think comedy’s a man's world? You must be stuck in the 1980s, says Holly Williams
Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

Wilko Johnson: 'You have to live for the minute you're in'

The Dr Feelgood guitarist talks frankly about his terminal illness
Lure of the jingle: Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life

Lure of the jingle

Entrepreneurs are giving vintage ice-cream vans a new lease of life
Who stole the people's own culture?

DJ Taylor: Who stole the people's own culture?

True popular art drives up from the streets, but the commercial world wastes no time in cashing in
Guest List: The IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Guest List: IoS Literary Editor suggests some books for your summer holiday

Before you stuff your luggage with this year's Man Booker longlist titles, the case for some varied poolside reading alternatives
What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

Rupert Cornwell: What if Edward Snowden had stayed to fight his corner?

The CIA whistleblower struck a blow for us all, but his 1970s predecessor showed how to win
'A man walks into a bar': Comedian Seann Walsh on the dangers of mixing alcohol and stand-up

Comedian Seann Walsh on alcohol and stand-up

Comedy and booze go together, says Walsh. The trouble is stopping at just the one. So when do the hangovers stop being funny?
From Edinburgh to Hollywood (via the Home Counties): 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Edinburgh to Hollywood: 10 comedic talents blowing up big

Hugh Montgomery profiles the faces to watch, from the sitcom star to the surrealist
'Hello. I have cancer': When comedian Tig Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on

Comedian Tig Notaro: 'Hello. I have cancer'

When Notaro discovered she had a tumour she decided the show must go on
They think it's all ova: Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Bill Granger's Asia-influenced egg recipes

Our chef made his name cooking eggs, but he’s never stopped looking for new ways to serve them
The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

The world wakes up to golf's female big hitters

With its own Tiger Woods - South Korea's Inbee Park - the women's game has a growing audience
10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

10 athletes ready to take the world by storm in Moscow next week

Here are the potential stars of the World Championships which begin on Saturday
The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

The Last Word: Luis Suarez and Gareth Bale's art of manipulation

Briefings are off the record leading to transfer speculation which is merely a means to an end