WORLD NEWS

Venice Is Saved! Woe Is Venice.

China Draws Lessons From Russia’s Missteps in Ukraine

New recruits of the People’s Liberation Army at a send-off ceremony in eastern China. Experts studying Russia’s war have said that Moscow’s manpower shortfall shows that China needed to keep its ground forces strong.

Pope Francis Returns to Vatican After Hospital Stay

Pope Francis leaving the hospital in Rome on Saturday. The Vatican said he would take part in all of the Holy Week celebrations.

Security Force or Anti-Arab Militia? Israelis Feud Over Far-Right Plan

Itamar Ben-Gvir in Jerusalem in October.

Gift of a Stethoscope to a Refugee Child Inspired a Career of Caring

Waheed Arian, a doctor in Chester, England, was once an asylum seeker from Afghanistan.

Thailand’s Unemployed Elephants Are Back Home, Huge and Hungry

Elephants are a common sight on the streets of Ban Ta Klang village, in Thailand. Here, a mahout rides his elephant past a sculpture of a mythical, multiheaded elephant in February.

For Ukrainian Convicts, a Strange Odyssey Through Russian Prisons

Oleksandr Fedorenko in his hometown, Pryluky, in Ukraine, last month. He had been in prison in Kherson when he was forcibly taken into Russian territory.

Oscar Pistorius, Olympian Convicted of Murder, Is Denied Parole

Oscar Pistorius in the high court in Pretoria, South Africa, in 2014.

French Anger at Macron Seeps Into Bordeaux

Sanna Marin, Finland’s Political Rock Star, Could Be Slipping

Prime Minister Sanna Marin of Finland in Brussels in December. Ahead of the election, the country’s three main parties are essentially tied in the polls.

Trump Indictment Is a First for the U.S. but Not for Other Nations

Former President Donald J. Trump in March. The United States has been an outlier in its reluctance to charge a former leader, until now.

Putin Allies Must Decide Whether to Host a Wanted Man

A photograph released by Russian state media of President Vladimir V. Putin at a Russia-Africa conference in Moscow in March. South Africa has faced particular scrutiny since the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Putin, because it may host him this summer.

As Israel’s Crises Pile Up, a Far-Right Minister Is a Common Thread

Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister, seated, in a meeting at the Parliament in Jerusalem this month.

In Arrest of US Reporter, Russia Doubles Down on Isolation From West

A photograph released by Russian state media of President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday. The Kremlin left little doubt that Mr. Putin had personally approved the arrest of a Wall Street Journal journalist.

Bring the Kids Along

Far-Left Canadians Susceptible to Russian Influence Too

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War I, in Paris in 2018.

Russia Pounds Eastern Ukraine but Hasn’t Secured Decisive Breakthrough in Offensive

Ukrainian soldiers monitoring the movements of Russian troops on the front line in Toretsk in eastern Ukraine.

Why Is Finland the Happiest Country on Earth? The Answer Is Complicated.

Henna and Niklas Hukari, siblings who play badminton in the rural community of Toholampi, are among more than a dozen Finns we spoke with about how optimism manifests in their lives.

Inside Saudi Arabia’s Global Push for Nuclear Power

Looking over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi officials are exploring options to work with countries other than the United States to develop a nuclear energy program.

Israeli Police Fatally Shoot Arab Outside Jerusalem Holy Site

Crowds of worshipers outside the Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, on Friday in Jerusalem.

Russia and Ukraine Step Up Recruitment, Bracing for Fights Ahead

Ukrainian soldiers monitor movements of Russian troops from their fortified position on the front line in Toretsk, eastern Ukraine, on Wednesday.

Espionage Charge Adds Hurdle to Freeing a Reporter Detained in Russia

Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, is accused by Russia of trying to gain illicit information about the country’s “military-industrial complex.”

Bodies of 8 Migrants Found in River Along U.S.-Canadian Border

Volunteers searching the marshland for bodies of missing migrants on Friday in Akwesasne, Quebec.

What I’m Reading: Presidential Indictment Edition

Times Square in Manhattan after the news broke on Thursday that a grand jury had voted to indict former President Donald Trump.

Now Playing in China: Putin-Aligned Artists Shunned in the West

The Russian maestro Valery Gergiev, who has been shunned by the West, conducted the Mariinsky Orchestra in Beijing.

Evan Gershkovich, WSJ Reporter Detained in Russia, Likely to Spend Months in Prison

Lefortovo, a high-security prison in Moscow where the American reporter Evan Gershkovich is reportedly being held on espionage charges.

Belarus, Echoing Russia, Raises Prospect of Nuclear Conflict

A photograph provided by the Belarusian Presidential Press Service shows President Aleksandr G. Lukashenko delivering a state-of-the nation address in Minsk, Belarus, on Friday.

In Finland, Leaders Celebrate NATO Membership Progress

Turkish lawmakers voting on Finland’s bid to join NATO in Ankara, the capital, on Thursday.

Pope Is Expected to Be Released From the Hospital on Saturday

Pope Francis met with children during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday before he was taken to the hospital.

Donald Trump Indicted

Donald Trump.

In a Land With No Soccer, Group Hopes to Use It to Score Climate Goals

Marshall Islands’ delegation at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Eurozone Inflation Falls to 6.9%, as Energy Prices Ease

With its arrest of an American reporter, Russia doubles down on isolation.

A photograph released by Russian state media of President Vladimir V. Putin on Monday. The Kremlin left little doubt that Mr. Putin had personally approved the arrest of a Wall Street Journal journalist.

In Taiwan’s Waters, a Hunt for Tiny, Wriggling ‘Gold’

Fishing for glass eels along the Lanyang River in Yilan County in northeastern Taiwan.

Your Friday Briefing

Donald Trump has created an aura of legal invincibility that the indictment threatens to puncture.

Turkey Approves Finland’s NATO Membership, a Defeat for Putin

President Sauli Niinisto of Finland and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey met in Ankara earlier this month.

In Berlin, King Charles Lauds Germany’s Support for Ukraine

King Charles III of Britain, front center, after delivering a speech at the Bundestag in Berlin on Thursday.

Five Arrested in Migration Center Fire That Left 39 Dead in Mexico

Asylum-seeking migrants, mostly from Venezuela, crossing the Rio Grande into the United States on Wednesday, two days after at least 39 migrants died in a fire at a detention center in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

6 U.S. Service Members Suffered Traumatic Brain Injuries in Syria Attacks

Brig. Gen. Patrick S. Ryder, the Pentagon spokesman, said eight militants were killed in a retaliatory U.S. airstrike in Syria last week.

Your Friday Briefing: Trump Indicted

The indictment kicks off a new and volatile phase in Donald Trump’s post-presidential life.

Days After Netanyahu Fired Him, Israel’s Defense Minister Is Still on the Job

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, was fired on Sunday but has remained in his post because he did not receive a notification letter.

Kushner Firm Got Hundreds of Millions From 2 Persian Gulf Nations

Jared Kushner attending the Future Investment Initiative conference in Saudi Arabia last year. Mr. Kushner’s private equity firm has received investments from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

At Least 35 Are Killed in India When a Temple’s Well Cover Collapses

An accident victim was carried toward an ambulance at the site of the disaster on Thursday in Indore, India.

Vatican Repudiates ‘Doctrine of Discovery,’ Used as Justification for Colonization

Pope Francis meeting with Indigenous leaders during his trip in Canada, last year.

U.S. Puts Sanctions on Man Accused of Working on Russia-North Korea Arms Deal

Macron, Trying to Move Past Pension Fury, Announces Water Plan

President Emmanuel Macron of France in Savines-le-Lac on Thursday.

Bankers Are Convicted of Allowing a Putin Ally to Deposit Millions in Swiss Accounts

Outside a court in Zurich this month during the Gazprombank case.

A.I., Brain Scans and Cameras: The Spread of Police Surveillance Tech

Dubai’s police run next-generation surveillance systems from a headquarters north of the city’s downtown skyscrapers and malls.

Police Missteps Contributed to Canada’s Deadliest Shooting Rampage, Inquiry Says

A memorial service for an officer killed in the line of duty during a mass shooting in April 2020 in rural Nova Scotia. A commission investigating the killings found a litany of missteps that contributed to the death toll.

Studies Link Common Childhood Viruses to Rare Hepatitis Cases

Why This Colombian Town Still Celebrates Christmas in February

Dancing during Christmas celebrations in Quinamayó, Colombia, last month.

Sailboat Crew Rescued After Hitting Whale in Pacific Ocean

Pope ‘Gradually Improving’ After First Night in the Hospital

Pope Francis was helped to a car after a weekly audience in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday. He was later taken to a hospital for treatment for a respiratory infection, the Vatican said.

Bolsonaro Returns to Brazil, Ending Self-Imposed Exile

Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, waving to supporters outside the Liberal Party’s headquarters in Brasília on Thursday.

A Mexican Grandmother Finds the Right Recipe for Culinary Stardom

Bradley Coss and his mother, Cruz Ortiz, watch Doña Ángela’s YouTube cooking videos from their home in El Paso. “You can see in my mom the genuine joy it brings her to watch those videos.” Mr. Coss said.

The Biggest Battle in Ukraine

Ukrainian military on the street of Bakhmut in December 2022.

Under the Taliban, Afghanistan Is Trying to Make Due With Less

Amanullah, the pulao master at a popular restaurant in Kabul, preparing to serve the morning’s first customers last month. Since the Taliban took over, what people eat has changed.

Ukraine Goes Dark: NASA Images Drive Home a Nation’s Anguish

Ukrainians in a Hidden Command Post See Bakhmut Going Their Way

The military operations of a major Ukrainian battle group defending the city of Bakhmut from an unnamed location in eastern Ukraine.

Russia Detains Wall Street Journal Reporter, Accusing Him of Espionage

Mr. Gershkovich has worked for The Journal in Moscow since January 2022.