The Economist.

Hello, you're listening to the free edition of the World in Brief from The Economist.

As a reminder, if you subscribe to The Economist, you'll get access to a deeper look at the day ahead, updated three times a day.

If you're already an Economist subscriber, visit

economist.com slash espresso, or visit our Espresso app to start listening. Here's today's

free edition.

This is the world in Britain, from The Economist.

Thank you. This is the world in Britain, from The Economist. Our top stories.

The funeral of Pope Francis took place in St. Peter's Square in Rome.

Thousands of people attended the service, among them leaders from around the world.

It was followed by Francis's entombment

in Santa Maria Maggiore, which is among the oldest of Rome's basilicas. The conclave, the

assembly of cardinals that will elect the next pope, is expected to open between May 6th and 10th.

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in St. Peter's Basilica before the Pope's funeral.

The White House described the conversation as, quote, very productive, and Mr. Trump later wrote

on his social media platform of Vladimir Putin, quote, maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just

tapping me along and has to be dealt with differently, suggesting perhaps toughened sanctions.

Russia claimed success on the battlefront, asserting that all Ukrainian troops had been forced

out of Russia's Kursk region. The troops

entered Russia last summer and at one point occupied 1,200 square kilometers. But in the face of a

Russian army boosted by North Korean soldiers, they have been in retreat for some time. Ukraine

denied Russia's claim, calling it a propaganda ploy.

...