ISTANBUL — A Turkish-flagged fishing boat was attacked and sank off the northern Black Sea coast, leaving one sailor dead and four others wounded, the Turkish Coast Guard said late Friday. The Duru 67 was attacked west of Sevastopol in Crimea earlier Friday, according to a Coast Guard Command statement. The peninsula was illegally seized … Read more
BUCHAREST, Romania — A maritime drone that is being used in the war in neighboring Ukraine exploded Friday at a Black Sea port in Romania but did not cause any casualties, the Defense Ministry said. It said the drone self-detonated in the port of Constanta at around 10:30 a.m., and that the area had already … Read more
KYIV, Ukraine — KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday called for face-to-face negotiations in a public letter addressed directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The letter, the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian … Read more
BEIJING — Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week, both countries announced Friday, in what will be his first visit in nearly seven years. His trip will the latest in a series of steps by China to reinforce its close ties with its nuclear-armed neighbor, whose leader Kim Jong Un has … Read more
VIENNA — The U.N. nuclear watchdog has been unable to inspect nuclear facilities in Iran affected by the war last June according to a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog circulated to member states and seen Thursday by The Associated Press. The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that it “cannot provide any information on … Read more
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — A massive black cloud rising above the St. Petersburg skyline from a Ukrainian drone strike set a gloomy tone for the opening of President Vladimir Putin’s annual showcase of Russia’s economic achievements. With Putin set to arrive Thursday in his hometown that is hosting the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, the … Read more
IRBIL, Iraq — One of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed armed groups said Tuesday it would begin putting its weapons under government control, a major step in the new government’s effort to bring militias that have long operated on their own under state command. Asaib Ahl al-Haq said it had formed a committee to oversee the … Read more
SEOUL, South Korea — An explosion and fire occurred at a defense company in South Korea on Monday, killing five people and injuring two others, officials said. The deadly incident happened at a worksite run by Hanwha Aerospace in the South Korean city of Daejeon. Other details, including the cause of the explosion, were not … Read more
BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Tough-on-crime outsider Aberaldo de la Espriella took the lead in Colombia’s presidential race in the first round of voting Sunday night, setting up a runoff with Iván Cepeda, an ally of Colombia’s outgoing President Gustavo Petro who questioned the results of the election. With no candidate taking an outright majority of the … Read more
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli forces are making their deepest incursion inside Lebanon since they withdrew from the country over a quarter-century ago, despite a nominal U.S.-brokered ceasefire and the first direct talks between the countries in decades. The Israeli advance also presents a challenge in the emerging deal to extend the Iran war ceasefire … Read more