Mass with pope Francis in Egypt begins

Pope Francis delivered on the reforms promised years ago by allowing any baptized Catholic — man or woman — to lead major departments at the Vatican.

The three leaders discussed food security in Cairo as the Russian invasion of Ukraine sparks concerns about economic stability. Israel is also seeking to strengthen its alliances against Iran.

Pope Francis took an elevator to board his flight to Malta to "avoid unnecessary strain." The trip to Malta comes one day after he apologized to Canada's indigenous communities for abuses at residential schools there.

More than 120 priests and employees of the Catholic Church in Germany have come out as queer and launched a campaign demanding an end to discrimination against LGBTQ people. DW met with one of them in Frankfurt.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah's family hopes that his UK citizenship can secure his release from prison. The activist has spent much of the past decade behind bars, along with many other Egyptian political prisoners.

The Russian Orthodox Church supports the invasion of Ukraine. But in Germany, a Russian Orthodox monastery is providing shelter and safety to Ukrainian refugees. Politics, they say, are left at the door.

The mobile app Tekeya provides suppliers and restaurants in Egypt with a platform to sell their surplus food at reduced prices to customers who order via the application. Meals can also be donated to charities registered on Tekeya.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu, on trial for corruption, says the pontiff gave his blessing for payment to a UK security firm to facilitate the release of a Colombian nun being held by an al-Qaeda affiliate in Mali.

Authorities say the suspect was a Chinese immigrant who harbored grievances against Taiwan. He is facing one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder.

Egyptian influencers, especially women, have become the target of a crackdown by authorities. At least a dozen women have been prosecuted since 2020 for ''attacking family values''. Two of them, Haneen Hossam and Mawada al-Adham, were sentenced to three and six years in jail on charges of "attacking society's values" and "inciting human trafficking". Like many TikTokers, they made videos of themselves dancing and lip-synching to music. For more on the crackdown, we speak to Souleimene Benghazi, an Egypt and Tunisia campaigner at Amnesty International.

A video taken after the incident showed people lying dead on the ground and women were heard screaming in the background.

The German company said it has sealed the biggest order in its history to build the world's sixth-largest rail network. Tracks will connect cities along the Nile with the Red and Mediterranean seas.