IHT Quick Read: June 28 NEWS President Obama, who has begun a weeklong trip to Africa, had been hoping to meet with the ailing Nelson Mandela, as he did in 2005, when he was a senator. Michael D. Shear reports from Dakar, Senegal. As European leaders from 27 countries once again trudged off to Brussels on Thursday, this time to discuss how to help their millions of unemployed, few could have any illusion about whose wishes carried the most weight: those of Chancellor Angela Merkel and her country, Germany. European finance ministers made progress early Thursday morning toward a long-sought uniform approach to bank regulation on the Continent with an agreement to require shareholders and creditors to take significant losses when banks collapse. James Kanter and Jack Ewing report from Brussels. Ireland slid into its second recession in three years during the first quarter, the government reported Thursday. Liz Alderman and David Jolly report. France can no longer rely on tax increases to fix its finances. That was the conclusion on Thursday of the state auditor who warned that President François Hollande's government would have no choice but to cut billions of euros in spending if it was to meet European Union deficit targets by 2015. David Jolly reports from Paris. As the Senate voted on an immigration bill that would let Silicon Valley companies import engineers from abroad, the labor lobby says eligible workers in the United States are being passed over. Somini Sengupta reports from San Francisco. EDUCATION The weeklong test called the baccalauréat is the sole element considered in awarding high school diplomas, but critics say it has evolved into an exceptionally inefficient way to weed out the least proficient students. Scott Sayare reports from Paris. FASHION The opening of the spring 2014 men's season in Paris ranged from Raf Simon's "baby boy" to Kim Jones's American road trip at Louis Vuitton. Suzy Menkes on the shows. ARTS Starting on Monday, tickets are going to replace the popular metal tags used as admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Michael Silverberg and Randy Kennedy report. Images of players slipping and falling have been the predominant ones from the first four days of Wimbledon. On Thursday another ingredient was added to the embarrassing slide show: rain. Mark Webber, 36, a driver for the reigning world champion Red Bull team, said Thursday that he is retiring from Formula One at the end of the season. He will join Porsche in a multiyear contract to race in its new sports car program starting in 2014. Brad Spurgeon reports from Stuttgart.