Portugal and Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d'Or award for the fourth time Monday after claiming the European Championship and Champions League titles in 2016. Ronaldo is now one short of his La Liga rival Lionel Messi's record tally of five. "For me it's a great...

Pope Francis appealed to Syrian President Bashar Assad in a personal letter to ensure that international humanitarian law is respected so that civilians are protected and aid can get to them, the Vatican said Monday. In the letter, given to Assad by the Vatican ambassador in Damascus, the...

Russia is insisting on changes to a framework for ending bloodshed in eastern Aleppo, Syria that are "unacceptable," a U.S. official said Monday. Syrian President Bashar Assad, backed by Russia, is now close to taking back full control of Aleppo, which was Syria's most populous city before...

 France announced its first cyber-warfare army unit Monday, aimed at increasing the country's hacking skills as concerns grow in Europe and the United States about Russian capabilities. Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian likened the impact of hacking on warfare to the effect of the...