Pope Francis had an informal, lighthearted speaking style.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of trying to create an “impression of a ceasefire,” saying Russian forces continued attacks after President Vladimir Putin’s declaration of an Easter truce.

The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Chuch has suspended a priest who participated in services for the late opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Some Eastern Orthodox churches will be observing Christmas on Sunday.

Ukraine’s parliament has overwhelmingly voted to advance legislation seen as effectively banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church over its ties to Moscow.

A small number of Russian Orthodox priests are publicly opposing their leader's support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and they're suffering the consequences.

In an escalation of Russia’s anger at Ukraine and its Western backers, Russia refused to speak at a U.N. Security Council meeting called to discuss Moscow’s recent attacks on Odesa.

Pope Francis’ peace envoy will meet with President Joe Biden in Washington this week as part of the Holy See’s peace initiatives for Ukraine.

Russian Orthodox believers are celebrating Trinity Sunday with Russia’s most famous icon transferred from a museum to Moscow’s main cathedral despite the keepers’ vociferous protests.

Pope Francis has urged Hungarians to open their doors to others as he wrapped up a weekend visit with a plea for an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

A Kyiv court has ordered a leading priest to be put under house arrest.

Orthodox Christians packed churches on Friday evening for Christmas Eve services, a holiday darkened for many by the conflict raging between Orthodox neighbors Russia and Ukraine.

South Africa’s lawmakers have postponed until next week a debate on the damning report that has resulted in calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to step down.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party says it will vote against any attempts to impeach President Cyril Ramaphosa in Parliament on Tuesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa looked relaxed and shared a joke with journalists as the African National Congress party’s national working committee is discussing his political fate.

Ukraine has banned the activities of religious organizations “affiliated with centers of influence” in Russia and says it will examine the links between the Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox churches.

South Africa’s president might lose his job as he faces possible impeachment over claims that he tried to cover up the theft of millions of dollars stashed inside a couch on his farm.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces calls to step down after a parliamentary probe found he may have breached anti-corruption laws in connection with the alleged theft of a large amount of money from his Phala Phala game farm.

Ukrainian counter-intelligence services have turned their sights on some Orthodox clergy whom they suspect of pro-Russian sentiment and activity.

Living in the shadow of one of South Africa’s largest coal-fired power stations, residents of Masakhane fear job losses if the facility is closed as the country moves to cleaner energy.

Russia’s military says it will withdraw from the only Ukrainian regional capital it’s captured but Ukrainian officials and analysts warn it could be a trap.

Ukraine’s president has suggested he’s open to peace talks with Russia but is sticking to Kyiv’s demands.

Russian-appointed authorities in the occupied Ukrainian city of Kherson say power is being partially restored following what they have called a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on power lines.

As Russians seized parts of eastern and southern Ukraine in the opening stages of the war, mayors, civilian administrators and others say they have been abducted, threatened or beaten to force their cooperation.

Russian investigators have raided the home of Ksenia Sobchak, the glamourous daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s one-time boss, in a move that has sent shockwaves through the country’s political scene.

South Africa will allow a $500 million superyacht linked to sanctioned Russian billionaire Alexey Mordashov to dock in Cape Town despite attempts from the city’s mayor to get its entry blocked.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial troop mobilization for the war in Ukraine, independent media outlets, human rights activists and draftees themselves have painted a bleak picture.

A South Africa government spokesman says peace talks to end Ethiopia’s devastating Tigray conflict have begun there.

French President Emmanuel Macron says it's up to Ukraine to decide the time and terms of peace with Russia.

Ukrainian forces are bombarding Russian positions in the occupied and illegally annexed southern Kherson region.

At least 11 Russian soldiers have been killed in a shooting incident that underlines the challenges posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hasty mobilization.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expects his troop mobilization for combat in Ukraine to end in about two weeks.

Ukrainian forces have scored more gains in their counteroffensive across a broad front.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied allegations of money laundering while being questioned by lawmakers over a scandal that threatens his position and the direction of Africa’s most developed economy.

The patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church says Russian soldiers who die in the line of duty in Ukraine have all of their sins forgiven.

Beleaguered former South African President Jacob Zuma has said he is ready to make a surprise return to politics by standing for a top position when the ruling African National Congress holds a conference in December.

President Vladimir Putin says he won’t hesitate to use nuclear weapons to protect Russian territory, a threat that comes as Moscow is poised to annex swaths of Ukraine that Moscow has taken over after hastily called referendums there.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has an urgent meeting scheduled with his Cabinet to discuss an electricity crisis which has led to unprecedented levels of nationwide power blackouts.

President Joe Biden is praising South Africa as a vital voice on the global stage.

Pope Francis says Vatican will keep open paths of dialogue with Russia, even if doing so is uncomfortable.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday.

Pope Francis has told the Russian Orthodox hierarchy and other faith leaders that religion must never be used to justify the “evil” of war.

Pope Francis has begged for an end to Russia’s “senseless and tragic war” in Ukraine as he arrived in the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan.

Pope Francis is traveling to Kazakhstan this week to participate in a conference of world religious leaders, with Russia's war in Ukraine clouding the visit.

Pope Francis is asking for prayers to accompany him this week for what he calls his “pilgrimage of peace” in Kazakhstan.

President Joe Biden will host South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at the White House this month as the administration looks to draw African nations closer to the U.S. The announcement comes as South Africa and many of its neighbors have staked out neutral ground on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

South African president Cyril Ramaphosa faced a grilling by lawmakers in Parliament as they demanded answers from him on his handling of the theft of millions of dollars from his farm.

South African workers have demonstrated against the country’s rising cost of living including record-high fuel prices and increased costs for basic foods.

As the war in Ukraine nears its six-month mark, Russia faces multiple problems in the territory it has taken over.

The new king of South Africa’s Zulu nation Misuzulu kaZwelithini was enthroned in a colorful ceremony Saturday before hundreds of supporters in a rural part of KwaZulu-Natal province.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the U.S. will support efforts lead by Kenya and Angola to put an end to the violence in Congo’s east and to help solve the central African nation’s crisis with Rwanda.

The Vatican says Pope Francis will travel next month to Kazakhstan.

Pope Francis says he can no longer travel like he used to because of his strained knee ligaments.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party begins its key policy conference on Friday beset by internal divisions and the country’s economic woes.

The Ukrainian military has used a U.S.-supplied precision rocket system to deliver a morale-lifting knockout punch to a bridge Russia used to supply its forces in an occupied region of southern Ukraine.

Russia has targeted Ukraine’s Black Sea regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv with airstrikes despite a deal that was supposed to allow grain shipments from ports to resume.

Russian missiles have struck Ukraine’s Black Sea port of Odesa just hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed deals to allow grain exports to resume from there.

Ukrainian forces have damaged a bridge that is key to supplying Russian troops in southern Ukraine.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has paid tribute to the long-serving deputy secretary-general of his ruling African National Congress party Jessie Duarte, who died Sunday after a long battle with cancer.

Nightly protests in North Macedonia over the last week have left dozens of people injured.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the deaths of 21 teenagers in a nightclub tragedy is a crime and South African officials must increase steps to prevent alcohol from being illegally sold to youths.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is to attend the funeral in East London Wednesday for 21 teenagers who died in a mysterious tragedy at a tavern almost two weeks ago.

South Africans are struggling in the dark to cope with increased power cuts that have hit households and businesses across the country.

South African authorities are seeking answers after 21 underage teenagers partying after the end of exams died in a mysterious weekend incident at a nightclub.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has opened a meeting of leaders of major developing countries by saying the world should oppose unilateral sanctions and efforts by some countries to maintain their political and military power.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has received the final chapter of a report on an extensive judicial investigation into corruption.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa could face criminal charges and is already facing calls to step down over claims that he tried to cover up the theft of millions of dollars in U.S. currency that was hidden inside furniture at his game farm.

Britain has announced a new round of sanctions against Russia.

Pope Francis has blasted the “ferocity and cruelty” of Russian troops in Ukraine while praising the “heroism” and “courage” of Ukrainians to defend their land.

Embroiled in controversy, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday refused to answer questions about his alleged cover-up of a theft of large amounts of cash from his farm, saying only that he will appear before his party’s integrity committee over the accusations.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was confronted in Parliament Thursday by opposition politicians who pressed him to step down from office pending a criminal investigation into allegations that he covered up a theft from his rural game farm.

The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has been removed from the latest round of European Union measures to punish Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the insistence of Hungary.

The war in Ukraine took a starring role on the opening night of the 75th Cannes Film Festival and it has rarely been far out of frame since.

South Africa’s neutral stance on Russia’s war in Ukraine was a major topic of conversation as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meets Tuesday with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, to end his three-nation tour of Africa.

The Vatican’s financial trial has taken a surreal turn with a defendant asserting she escorted two emissaries of Russian President Vladimir Putin into the Holy See to negotiate the return of relics to the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian filmmaker Kirill Serebrennikov, one of the few Russian filmmakers at this year's Cannes Film Festival, says “art is always against war."

The Vatican’s foreign minister is heading to Kyiv this week as the Holy See seeks to balance its concern for Ukrainians with its efforts to keep open a channel of dialogue with Russia.

The NHL is wrapping up the first round of the playoffs with a rare treat.

Finland’s leaders have come out in favor of applying to join NATO, and Sweden could do the same within days.

Vladimir Tarasenko had three goals in the third period to break open a tied game and series, and the St. Louis Blues pushed the Minnesota Wild to the edge of elimination with a 5-2 victory in Game 5.

Jordan Kyrou and David Perron each scored twice, Jordan Binnington made 28 saves in his first start this postseason and the St. Louis Blues beat the Minnesota Wild 5-2 to even the best-of-seven Western Conference series at 2-2.

Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 29 shots, and the Minnesota Wild beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.

Kirill Kaprizov had a hat trick and Joel Eriksson Ek scored twice for the Minnesota Wild, who snapped back at the St. Louis Blues with a 6-2 victory to even their first-round playoff series at one game apiece.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa faces daunting political challenges including being defied within his party over his anti-corruption drive and derided as ineffective by the opposition.

Pope Francis hasn’t made much of a diplomatic mark in Russia’s war in Ukraine: His appeals for a truce have gone unheeded, and his planned meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church was called off.

Pope Francis has told an Italian newspaper that he has offered to travel to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin to try to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, and suggested the invasion might have been provoked by NATO’s eastward expansion.

Hundreds of Ukrainian refugees are camping out in Mexico City and waiting for the U.S. government to allow them into the country.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa abandoned his Workers’ Day speech in the northwestern city of Rustenburg after striking mineworkers stormed the stage.

Carnegie Hall plans a return to a relatively full schedule next season for the first time since 2018-19, presenting about 150 events that include Kirill Petrenko’s first New York appearances as music director of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Moscow's membership in the Group of 20 remains firmly intact.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has met with Pope Francis at the Vatican as the war in Ukraine cast a shadow over two leaders who have long sought closer ties with Russia.

Declaring a national state of disaster, South Africa has allocated $67 million to help those hit by floods that have killed at least 448 people in the eastern city of Durban and the surrounding KwaZulu-Natal province.

Heavy rains and flooding have killed at least 341 people in South Africa’s eastern KwaZulu-Natal province, including the city of Durban, and more rainstorms are forecast in the coming days.

With tensions around the war in Ukraine as a backdrop, the Cannes Film Festival plans to host some 35,000 people as the movie industry looks to reclaim its pre-pandemic glamour.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says flooding in the Durban area has taken at least 259 lives and is a “catastrophe of enormous proportions.”.

Malaysian authorities say two European divers have been rescued by fishermen but a third, a 14-year-old Dutch, had died, four days after they disappeared off a southern Malaysian island and drifted some 70 nautical miles.

A plane, fishermen and and jet skiers have joined an expanded search entering a third day for three Europeans, including two teenagers, who disappeared while diving off a southern Malaysian island.

Pope Francis has kissed a battered Ukrainian flag that was brought to him from the Ukrainian city of Bucha and called again for an end to the war.

With declining cases of COVID-19, South Africa has ended its national state of disaster, the legal framework used for two years to impose restrictions to combat the pandemic.

Pope Francis says he is still working on arranging a meeting with the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, despite that leader's seeming justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.