Pope Francis, an avid supporter of Argentine football team San Lorenzo, has committed a cardinal sin by becoming a member of a rival club, although it's for a good cause.

Instead of a manger in Bethlehem, Jesus will arrive this Christmas in a badly burned clearing in the Amazon rainforest, a black baby born to a black virgin with indigenous cherubs looking on.

The U.S. envoy on international religious freedom on Tuesday voiced concern about France, warning against "heavy-handed" measures as President Emmanuel Macron targets radical Islam.

A women's university football match in China descended into farce and was eventually called off after players were told that they were not allowed to have dyed hair, state media said Tuesday.

Strolling through the alleyways of war-torn Syria's capital, Rania Kataf snaps photos of the city's famed houses, capturing their nooks and crannies for posterity.

Bethlehem lit up its Christmas tree on Saturday evening but without the usual crowds, as novel coronavirus restrictions put a damper on the start of Christmas festivities in the holy city. 

After separating from her husband in 2007, Katie Marcoux and her two young daughters moved in with her parents for financial reasons. She expected to stay a year at most.

Thirteen years later, Marcoux -- now remarried -- still lives in the house, along with her parents and one of her daughters. 

The end of the Brexit transition period on December 31 will introduce new rules for European Union students who want to study in Britain during the 2020-21 academic year.

The Marist Brothers congregation in Spain said Thursday that 25 minors were sexually abused by former teachers of Roman Catholic religious order at its schools the country.

The order launched an commission to investigate sexual abuse at its schools after a court in 2019 sentenced a former teacher to nearly 22 years in jail for abusing four students from 2006 to 2020 in Barcelona.

While many Namibians have names originating from the ex-colonial power Germany, a newly-elected municipal councilor has overnight romped to prominence not because of his victory but because he is called Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler Uunona, 54, a politician of the ruling SWAPO party was last week elected local government councilor for Ompundja constituency in northern Namibia, with 85 percent of the ballots cast.