Spotlight
Hungary and Ukraine will begin high-level consultations on the rights of Ukraine's ethnic Hungarian minority, the countries' foreign ministers said on Monday, an early sign that strained relations between Budapest and Kyiv could improve under Hungary's new government.
Bilateral ties between the neighboring countries had eroded for years under the pro-Russian government of former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, which refused to provide Ukraine with money or weapons to assist in its defense against Russia's full-scale invasion.
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Russia targeted eight regions of Ukraine in its latest nighttime drone and missile barrage, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday, with local authorities reporting that the strikes wounded more than two dozen civilians, including three children.
Russian forces fired 524 attack drones and 22 ballistic and cruise missiles, Zelenskyy said. Dnipro and the surrounding central region of Ukraine bore the brunt of the attack, officials said.
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The cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak has docked at the Dutch port of Rotterdam for disinfection, wrapping up a troubled journey that put international health authorities on alert.
The MV Hondius was carrying 25 crew members and two medical personnel as it reached Rotterdam on Monday morning, after all the passengers disembarked elsewhere.
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The Israeli military intercepted Monday boats off the coast of Cyprus, part of the latest wave of flotilla activists attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza.
More than 50 vessels departed from the port in Marmaris, Turkey, last week in what the organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla described as the final leg of their planned journey to Gaza's shores.
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Iran 's foreign minister said a lack of trust is the biggest obstacle in negotiations to end the war with the U.S., saying Friday that Tehran would be open to diplomatic help, particularly from China, to help ease tensions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said contradictory messages have "made us reluctant about the real intentions of Americans."
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As the song demands: "Let's go!"
The Colombian superstar Shakira and Afrobeats icon Burna Boy have teamed up for "Dai Dai," the official song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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A two-day meeting of foreign ministers from the BRICS nations concluded in New Delhi on Friday without a joint statement because of "differing views among some members" on the situation in the Middle East, host India said.
The differences highlighted the challenge of maintaining unity within the bloc as it seeks to expand its influence.
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The British government faces weeks of uncertainty as embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepares for a leadership challenge from the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who can't formally launch his bid until he finds a way back into Parliament.
Burnham's path to Westminster is far from certain. He will first have to overcome a strong challenge from the anti-immigrant Reform UK party in a special election for the parliamentary seat that was vacated to make way for him.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that a Russian missile attack on a Kyiv apartment building the previous day killed 24 people, including three children.
Emergency workers finished digging through the building's rubble after more than a day, Zelenskyy said on X.
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A third round of direct talks between Israel and Lebanon kicked off in Washington Thursday, days before the expiration of a truce that reduced but did not stop the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Lebanese officials are hoping that the two-day negotiations will yield a new ceasefire deal and pave the way for tackling a series of thorny issues, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and the disarmament of Hezbollah.
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