French fugitive ‘The Fly’ is being extradited to France after his arrest in Romania

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — An official in Romania says that the notorious French fugitive who staged a deadly escape that killed two guards last year is being extradited to France from Romania. That comes days after his arrest of Mohamed Amra in Bucharest ended a nine-month international manhunt. Amra, nicknamed “The Fly,” was arrested near a shopping center in Bucharest on Saturday after being identified by Romanian police. On Sunday, the Bucharest Court of Appeal approved his extradition request. An official at Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the legal case was still ongoing, confirmed to The Associated Press that Amra was handed over to French authorities at an airport near Bucharest.

Vatican says Pope Francis is critical but stable with no new respiratory crises

ROME (AP) — The Vatican says that Pope Francis remains in critical but stable condition. Vatican officials say that his blood parameters are stable, as he battles double pneumonia while continuing to work from the hospital. The Vatican’s evening update said the 88-year-old pope underwent a follow-up CAT scan in Tuesday evening to check the lung infection. But it provided no details of what the scan showed, suggesting the results weren’t back yet. Doctors said regardless he hadn’t had any further respiratory crises, and that his prognosis remained guarded. “In the morning, after receiving the Eucharist, he resumed work activities,” the Vatican statement said.

UK suspends some financial aid to Rwanda over violence in eastern Congo

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — U.K. authorities are punishing Rwanda over its support of the rebels who now control two major cities in eastern Congo. The measures announced on Tuesday include pausing direct financial aid that doesn’t include support to the poorest Rwandans. The U.K. also will stop “high-level attendance at events hosted by” Rwanda’s government. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that the U.K. government would also limit trade promotion activities with Rwanda. The statement said that British authorities will also coordinate with others “on potential new sanctions designations.” Other measures include the suspension of future defense training assistance to Rwanda and a review of export licenses for the Rwandan army.

UK to raise defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027

LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the U.K. will raise defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027. Starmer made the committment on Tuesday. The United Kingdom currently spends 2.3% of gross domestic product on defense. The government had previously set a 2.5% target without setting a date. The announcement comes as European countries scramble to bolster their collective defense. U.S. President Donald Trump has transformed American foreign policy that seemingly sidelines Europe as he looks to quickly end the war in Ukraine. Trump has long questioned the value of NATO and complained that the U.S. provides security to European countries that don’t pull their weight. Starmer is due to meet Trump at the White House on Thursday.