AP

BY SAMY MAGDY Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — A paramilitary group in Sudan attacked a city in the western Darfur region, killing more than 30 people, an activist group said, in the latest deadly offensive on an area that is home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people. The Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and

By GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Transnational organized crime groups in East and Southeast Asia are spreading their lucrative scam operations across the globe in response to increased crackdowns by authorities, according to a U.N. report issued on Monday. For several years, scam compounds have proliferated in Southeast Asia, especially in border areas

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis died on Easter Monday at the age of 88. Here are the key things to know about the death of the Argentine pontiff, history’s first from Latin America, who presided over the Catholic Church for more than 12 years. The timing and cause of Pope Francis’ death Francis died

VATICAN CITY (AP) — A popular saying in Vatican circles is that if you “enter a conclave as pope, you leave as a cardinal.” It implies the sacred and secretive process is no popularity contest or campaign, but rather the divinely inspired election of Christ’s Vicar on Earth by the princes of the church. Still,

By ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian attacks during the 30-hour Easter ceasefire unilaterally declared by President Vladimir Putin over the weekend killed three people in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, a regional official said Monday. Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of Kherson’s administration, wrote on Telegram that the casualties occurred over the last

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The canonization of the first millennial saint, Carlo Acutis, has been postponed due to the death Monday of Pope Francis, the Vatican announced. Acutis was to be canonized next Sunday in St. Peter’s Square on the occasion of the Jubilee celebration for adolescents. In the months leading up to the expected

By The Associated Press Pope Francis died Monday at age 88. The Vatican said Francis suffered a stroke which led to a coma and his heart to fail, as he recovered from a five-week hospitalization for double pneumonia. History’s first Latin American pontiff charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The death of a pope starts a centuries-old ritual involving sacred oaths by the cardinals electing a successor, the piercing of ballots with a needle and thread after they’re counted, and then burning them to produce either the white or black smoke to signal if there’s a new leader for the

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Key events in the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who became Pope Francis and died on Monday: Dec. 17, 1936: Jorge Mario Bergoglio is born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children to Mario Jose Bergoglio, an accountant from Italy, and Regina María Sívori, the daughter of Italian immigrants.

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press LYON, France (AP) — Church bells tolled in mourning. Well-wishers flocked into pews. Tributes to Pope Francis poured in from around the world on Monday after the Vatican announced the pontiff’s death at age 88. The 266th pope was praised for his groundbreaking steps to honor the poor and the

By KANIS LEUNG Associated Press HONG KONG (AP) — China will sanction United States officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have “performed poorly” on Hong Kong issues, the foreign ministry announced. The U.S. in March sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in “transnational repression” and

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis, history’s first Latin American pontiff who charmed the world with his humble style and concern for the poor but alienated conservatives with critiques of capitalism and climate change, died Monday. He was 88. The Vatican said Francis died of a stroke that put him

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — The death of a pope sets in motion a series of carefully orchestrated rites and rituals well before the conclave to elect his successor begins. They involve the certification of death and public display of his body for the faithful to pay their respects, followed by

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Some takeaways about the life of Pope Francis, who died Monday: Background Jorge Mario Bergoglio was born Dec. 17, 1936, to Italian immigrants in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the eldest of five children. He was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1969 and led the religious order in Argentina during the country’s murderous