Without naming the two main US presidential candidates, the pontiff decried abortion and restrictions on immigration. Pope Francis has encouraged Catholics in the United States to vote in the November elections, saying they should “choose the lesser evil” while criticising both of the leading candidates. In remarks on Friday while flying to Rome from Singapore, the pope named neither the Republican nor Democratic presidential nominees: former President Donald...

City council in third largest city in Netherlands approves the new rules, which will apply from January. The Hague will ban street advertising for fossil fuels, according to a notice published on the Dutch city’s website, as a number of cities worldwide crack down on publicity for fossil fuels and high-emissions sectors. The Municipal Council in the third largest city in the Netherlands voted on Thursday to approve...

The US State Department says Russia’s RT network has ‘moved beyond being a media outlet’ and has cyber-capabilities. The United States has issued new sanctions against Russia’s state media outlet RT, accusing the television network of taking part in covert “influence and intelligence operations” around the world and weapons procurement for the Russian military. In a statement on Friday, the US State Department said RT — previously known...