• Pope Francis granted a leave of absence to Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican’s de facto finance chief who has been charged with sexual assault, so that he could return to Australia to defend himself. [The New York Times]

• A court in Russia convicted five Chechens in the 2015 assassination of Boris Nemtsov, an opposition leader. His family dismissed the trial as a cover-up. [The New York Times]

• In a Parisian suburb, a man was arrested after apparently attempting to drive into a crowd outside a mosque. No one was injured. [France 24]

• In Greece, the cleanup after a lengthy strike by garbage collectors has begun. [Kathimerini]

• Prosecutors in Macedonia are seeking to arrest Nikola Gruevski, a former longtime prime minister, on charges that include election fraud. [Balkan Insight]

• Our former Hong Kong bureau chief, now in Shanghai, writes that the former British colony is losing its luster 20 years after its return to China. [The New York Times]

Smarter Living

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.