World News at a Glance

Netanyahu’s Wife Indicted on Fraud Charges in Israel

Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, was indicted Thursday on charges that she improperly spent close to $100,000 of state money, using much of it to hire well-known chefs to cater private meals, while covering up that the prime minister’s residence already employed a full-time cook. Benjamin Netanyahu was not named in the indictment, though he is the subject of a handful of separate corruption investigations. The charges announced against Sara Netanyahu include breach of trust, though she does not hold a formal public position, and cover the years 2010 through 2013.

5 Men in ‘Wolf Pack’ Pamplona Rape Case Are Released on Bail

Five men who were found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at the July 2016 running of the bulls festival in Pamplona, Spain, were released on bail Thursday. In the case, seen as a landmark for women’s rights in Spain, a regional court panel of three judges ruled 2-1 that the men be released on bail of 6,000 euros (nearly $7,000) pending the appeal of an April ruling in which they were sentenced to nine years in prison for “continuous sexual abuse.” Shortly after the judges’ decision was announced Thursday, women took to the streets of Pamplona and other Spanish cities.

Benetton ‘Migrants’ Ads Draw Outrage for Using Photos of Real Migrants

Benetton, the Italian fashion retailer, was back in the news this week for an ad that strikes at the heart of an issue bedeviling European borders: migration. The company repurposed two photographs from recent migrant rescue operations by staff members from the Franco-German charity SOS Méditerranée for an advertising campaign, drawing howls of protest that the ads were insensitive and exploitive. One image depicted charity workers handing out life jackets to migrants on an overflowing raft off the coast of Libya. The other showed migrant women and their children at an aid station in Italy.

Trump Seeks Meeting With Putin Even as Allies Seek to Isolate Russia

President Donald Trump hopes to meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in the next few weeks even as the American leader increasingly clashes with European allies over how to counter Moscow’s assertive actions in Europe and the Middle East. Trump is sending his national security adviser, John Bolton, to Moscow to discuss a possible meeting. Trump is already scheduled to attend a NATO summit in Brussels next month, followed by a long-delayed visit to Britain. He could presumably add a stop in another country like Austria to see Putin.

New Zealand’s Leader Gives Birth to Girl

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand gave birth to her first child, a girl, on Thursday, making her the first world leader in almost three decades to give birth while in office. Ardern, who announced the birth on social media, did not say whether a name had been chosen. Ardern, 37, whose youth and surprise rise to power have made her a global celebrity, delivered her baby at the country’s largest public hospital, in Auckland. Once she entered the hospital Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters officially assumed the role of acting prime minister.

Turkey Election Will Test Love for Erdogan’s Megaprojects

From soaring bridges to a giant mosque to plans for the world’s biggest airport, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has used gargantuan building projects as an engine of growth and a signature way of leaving an indelible stamp on his nation. As he campaigns for re-election Sunday, Erdogan has promised his most ambitious project yet: a canal that would bisect the country and create a Turkish-owned trade route, which he says would make Turkey a great power. The election is shaping up as an up-or-down vote on how Erdogan has transformed Turkey during 15 years in charge.

South Sudan’s Opposing Leaders Meet to Try to End Civil War

The two leaders at the center of the brutal civil war in South Sudan, which plunged the world’s youngest nation into a humanitarian crisis, have met face to face for peace talks for the first time in several years. South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir, met Wednesday night with his former vice president, Riek Machar, who leads the country’s main opposition forces, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Yet as the day of talks proceeded Thursday, the two sides were clear that there was no conclusion on a potential peace deal.

John Oliver, Having Mocked Chinese Censorship, Is Censored in China

In a 20-minute segment about China that aired Sunday on the satirical news show “Last Week Tonight,” host John Oliver brought up President Xi Jinping’s resemblance to Winnie the Pooh. That, among other delicate references, seems to have touched a nerve in China, where the British comedian has now been censored on a major social media platform — just as the cartoon bear had been. Attempts to create posts containing the words “John Oliver” on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging platform, resulted in an error message Thursday saying the post may violate “rules and regulations.”