A young Argentinian boy broke free of his mother's clutches to play with Pope Francis during a Vatican audience Wednesday, much to the pontiff's delight.

In Saint Petersburg's largest communal apartment, people barely talk to each other. Living conditions here are dismal and most residents dream of leaving the place for good.

Located in the center of the former imperial capital, the "kommunalka" flat occupies the entire ground floor of a building, with 34 rooms coming off a corridor almost 100 meters (330 feet) long.

After rolling pyramid-shaped dice, Iraqi Kurdish artisan Hoshmand Muwafaq shifted his pebble around an ornate board, his handmade recreation of one of the Middle East's oldest and most popular games.

Originating nearly 5,000 years ago in what would become Iraq, the Royal Game of Ur mysteriously died out -- until Muwafaq resurrected it by making his own decorated wooden board.

After more than three decades together, Wang Tien-ming and Ho Hsiang finally decided to tie the knot when Taiwan's top court ruled last year that same-sex marriage must be legalized.

Thousands marched proudly through Delhi's street Sunday in the first gay pride parade since the India's highest court decriminalized homosexuality.

Participants waved rainbow flags and placards emblazoned with "Love Wins" and "Adios 377" -- a reference to the colonial-era law banning gay sex that was struck down in September.

With banners and slogans against sexism and related crimes, thousands protested in Spanish cities on Sunday to mark international day for the elimination of violence against women.

Star trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, famed for his award-winning film soundtracks and mixing of eastern and western sounds, was handed a suspended prison sentence for sexual assault on Friday by a French court.

Maalouf, 37, was found guilty of assaulting a 14-year-old schoolgirl who was doing work experience at his music studio in a suburb southeast of Paris in 2013.

South Korea on Wednesday announced the formal shutdown of a controversial Japanese-funded foundation created to help former wartime sex slaves -- a move that will further sour ties between the neighbours.

The United States failed on Monday to water down a U.N. resolution on combating sexual harassment and violence against women despite backing from Russia, China, India, several Muslim countries and the Vatican.

President Donald Trump's administration sought to scrap language in the non-binding resolution on access to reproductive health care services, safe abortions and recognizing the right of women to decide on matters related to their sexuality.

Spain's Catholic Church wants to "eradicate" cases of sexual abuse of minors within the church and not cover them up, the president of the Spanish bishops' conference said Monday.

As in other countries, Spain's Catholic hierarchy is under pressure from local scandals and cases elsewhere that have seen critics accusing it of dragging its feet in delivering a response to abuse allegations.