Pope Francis is, or rather was, well known as a football man and, in particular, as a committed supporter of the San Lorenzo club in his native Argentina, so it rather came as a shock when he recently confessed that he had never seen his fellow countryman Lionel Messi in action.

A boat loaded with people in a Good Friday procession has capsized in high waves off eastern Indonesia, leaving dozens of people missing and at least seven dead.

Helen Flanagan has sparked outrage after she was allowed to travel 200 miles on a train for free.

KURT COBAIN:

Three members of the provocative punk band Pussy Riot have been found guilty of hooliganism, in one of the most closely watched cases in recent Russian history.

Pope Benedict XVI is to wrap up his visit to Cuba with an open-air Mass in the shrine of the Cuban revolution, and a meeting with Fidel Castro.

Cuban faithful celebrating Christmas say they have plenty to cheer this year as they prepare for the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, the first visit by a pontiff to the Communist-run island since John Paul II’s historic tour nearly 14 years ago.

IN 1961 the town of San Sebastian de Garabandal in the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain had only 80 households.

A FAMILY in New York may have had an unfinished €300 million (€216m) Michelangelo painting hanging on their living room wall for a year.

Hundreds of thousands of people turned out for an outdoor mass celebrated by the pope today at the Portuguese shrine of Fatima.

HUNDREDS of people have been flocking to a house in a Paris suburb over recent weeks to see an icon of the Virgin Mary “shed tears of oil”, according to the owner.

Modern-day pilgrims finishing one of the oldest trails in existence have been warned against sealing their triumph the traditional way for fear of catching swine flu.

Richard Branson concedes to being a “Virgin bride” preparing for what he hopes will be a long-term marriage with Brawn GP and Formula One.

'X-Men' star Hugh Jackman is set to go from comic book character to comic book creator after teaming up with screenwriter Marc Guggenhaim for a new sci-fi thriller.

Pope Benedict XVI made a pilgrimage to a famous shrine to the Virgin Mary today, where he planned to celebrate an open-air Mass for more than 30,000 faithful and make a case that faith is still a force for good in Europe.

Pop superstar Janet Jackson has reportedly been ordered to lose weight immediately - or face being dumped by her record label.

US online casino Golden Palace has paid for Britney Spears’ alleged home pregnancy test.

Virgin chief Richard Branson today urged the elimination of barriers on air travel between Britain and India to help increase the number of flights and lower prices.

Spain's Crown Prince Felipe married former TV anchorwoman Letizia Ortiz before a sea of dignitaries today, putting a commoner in line to be queen for the first time in Spanish history.

The Sex Pistols hit God Save The Queen upset radio watchdogs a quarter of a century after the band originally upset authorities with the controversial track.

The author of a book about Welsh rockers Manic Street Preachers is urging readers not to buy the volume after he accused the publishers of ‘‘butchering’’ a crucial section.

Exhausted singer Mariah Carey told her own website she did not ‘‘know what’s going on with life’’ before checking into hospital, it emerged today.