As Pope Francis Ails, Outlandish Rumors Run Wild

On Tuesday night, outside the Rome hospital where Pope Francis is being treated for a complex lung infection, the 8th King of Rome, a self-described “trash influencer” embarked on a secret mission. He wore a wig, hid his pink-and-blue-dyed beard behind a surgical mask and then ventured inside the hospital to show his followers what … Read more

Wednesday Briefing – The New York Times

Putin said he’d accept a cease-fire for energy targets During a call with President Trump, President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he would accept a halt to strikes on energy infrastructure in Russia’s war with Ukraine, as long as both sides honored it, according to the Kremlin. But the Russian leader did not agree to … Read more

Putin Agrees to Temporarily Halt Strikes on Ukraine’s Energy Targets, Kremlin Says

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia agreed on Tuesday during a phone call with President Trump to halt strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the Kremlin said in a statement, but restated his concerns about a broader 30-day cease-fire that the United States and Ukraine had agreed upon and proposed to Russia. The result seemed to … Read more

UK Aims to Cut Billions in Welfare Amid Budget Crunch

Britain’s center-left government outlined plans on Tuesday to curb spiraling welfare costs as it attempts to juggle a difficult set of competing objectives: saving public money, incentivizing work and protecting the most vulnerable. The announcement follows weeks of tense internal debate within the governing Labour Party, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, about how to … Read more

E.U. Hatches a Plan to Lure Investors Back to Europe

America’s once highflying stock markets are stumbling, and their counterparts in Europe are faring much better. Shares in European companies have comfortably outperformed the S&P 500 in recent months, as President Trump’s trade war has prompted investors to revisit their assumptions. Officials in Brussels say that the rally could be even bigger. The European Commission, … Read more