Pope Francis remains in critical condition, according to the Vatican, with blood tests showing mild signs of kidney failure “which is currently under control,” the Vatican said Sunday, as the 88-year-old pontiff battles pneumonia in both his lungs. It added that Francis, who was hospitalized over a week ago, has…
Germany’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is set to return to power with the far-right Alternative for Germany as second-largest party, exit polls show, after snap elections dominated by concerns over immigration, the economy and the return of Donald Trump. The CDU’s party headquarters were filled with cheers and applause…
A British couple in their 70s who run education programs in Afghanistan have lost contact with their family after being detained by the Taliban early this month, their children say. The family urged the Taliban authorities to release Peter and Barbie Reynolds. Their four adult children said the couple have…
In a war dominated by the unexpected, few imagined Ukraine’s fourth year at war would so firmly question the security of all of Europe. The most basic tenets have crumbled in this war. Russia’s military superpower status has weakened, and the Kremlin’s inner circle overcame an uprising. Drones have altered…
New Zealand raised fresh concerns Monday over nearby live-fire drills conducted by Chinese warships armed with “extremely capable” weapons, an unprecedented show of firepower last week that analysts say are part of Beijing’s ongoing plan to build a blue-water navy with global reach. A Chinese Navy formation held two live-fire…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday hailed Ukraine’s “absolute heroism” as he marked the third anniversary of Moscow’s full-scale invasion, and as European leaders began arriving in the capital Kyiv in a show of support for the embattled country. “Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of…
Some 7,000 people have died since January in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), its prime minister told a high-level meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday. Some 450,0000 people are without shelter after 90 displacement camps were destroyed, Judith Suminwa Tuluka added. The M23’s…
Germany’s political system is set up to exclude extremists. Yet the country is waking up to a new political reality that has lurched to the right with the once outcast Alternative for Germany (AfD) party now firmly established in German politics. The country’s mainstream conservatives, as polls predicted, won the…
There’s been a lot of wild speculation surrounding gold’s bullish run. When you consider a gold investment, you’re likely to think of the more common factors that come into play: inflation, geopolitical uncertainty, and central bank demand. But there’s more to the mix now, especially in light of the Trump…
Let me start by reminding everyone that I believe the most important relationship in the stock market is how consumer discretionary stocks (XLY) perform relative to consumer staples stocks (XLP). This ratio (XLY:XLP) has a VERY strong positive correlation with the S&P 500. In other words, when the S&P 500…