JERUSALEM (AP) — About one-quarter of Israel’s first graders study in ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools that give short shrift to subjects like reading, science and math. Another quarter study in underfunded classes in the Arab sector. Israeli high school students rank below average among developed countries on international tests. A growing chorus of critics is warning that this is a toxic educational mix that will compromise Israel’s ability to continue generating dazzling technology, an enviably long list of Nobel laureates and... Read more

GOT THE NOD: A file-sharing group that considers itself a spiritual organization says Sweden has recognized it as a religious community. THE BACKDROP: The development comes amid a global crackdown on file-sharing websites often used to illegally download movies, TV shows and music. JUSTIFICATION: The group’s leader says some 3,000 members meet every week to share files of music, films and other content they consider holy and regard copying as a sacrament. The public authority responsible for such decisions was... Read more

WASHINGTON (AP) — Prominent conservative leaders want their rank and file to quickly get behind a single presidential candidate, fearful that persistent splits will help Mitt Romney win the Republican nomination. The former Massachusetts governor narrowly won the Iowa caucuses when conservative voters divided their support among several challengers, and the worry is that the same thing will happen in South Carolina, Florida and beyond if Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry all stay in the race. “Conservatives are... Read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Christian ministers and Muslim leaders said Thursday they’re joining to oppose police surveillance of ethnic groups in New York City. The Faith and Freedom Alliance includes Protestant pastors from mostly black congregations in New York, some of them veteran activists who were put under police surveillance during the civil rights protests of the 1960s. The group had its first meeting on Thursday at a church in Harlem. A series of stories by The Associated Press revealed... Read more

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A file-sharing group that considers itself a spiritual organization said Thursday that Sweden has recognized it as a religious community. According to documents provided by spiritual leader Isak Gerson, 20, his Church of Kopimism received that approval in late December. The public authority responsible for such decisions was closed for the day and couldn’t be reached to confirm the approval, which comes amid a global crackdown on file-sharing websites often used to illegally download movies, TV shows... Read more

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A file-sharing group in Sweden that considers itself a spiritual organization says the government has recognized it as a religious community. Isak Gerson, 20, said Thursday that his Church of Kopimism received that approval in late December, but the government agency was closed for the day and couldn’t be reached to confirm that. Gerson said the church’s roughly 3,000 members meet every week to share files of music, films and other content they consider holy and regard... Read more

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) — Seventeen former Haitian street children are suing the Society of Jesus, Fairfield University in Connecticut and others, alleging they failed to protect the children from a man who sexually abused them at a school he founded in Haiti. The lawsuits bring to 21 the number of alleged victims suing Douglas Perlitz and the others. Perlitz was sentenced in 2010 to nearly 20 years in prison for sexually abusing children. The lawsuits seek $20 million for... Read more

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Egypt’s net international reserves plunged by another $2 billion in December, bringing the decline in reserves to 50 percent since the start of 2011, when a mass uprising that drove former President Hosni Mubarak from power battered the economy. The most recent drop in reserves reflected an economic crisis in Egypt that has gained momentum with the nearly yearlong political turmoil building since Mubarak was pushed from power. The bleeding of reserves threatened to seriously impair... Read more

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Seventeen former Haitian street children are suing Fairfield University in Connecticut, the Society of Jesus and others alleging they failed to protect them from a man who sexually abused them at a school he founded in Haiti. The lawsuits bring to 21 the number of alleged victims suing Douglas Perlitz and the others. Perlitz was sentenced in 2010 to nearly 20 years in prison for sexually abusing children. The lawsuits seek $20 million for each... Read more

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is predicting that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will win her state’s pivotal Southern primary. Haley says she believes that Romney’s Mormon religion will not be a liability in South Carolina. Evangelical voters are a potent force in GOP politics in South Carolina, and some believe that Mormons falsely claim to be Christians. The child of immigrants from India, Haley points out that South Carolinians elected her, a 38-year-old Indian woman,... Read more