AP

By JILL LAWLESS Associated Press BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — There’s one word you hear more than any other in Basel during the Eurovision Song Contest: Sauna. The northern Swiss city isn’t known as an epicenter of steamy wood-cabin relaxation, but the small municipality of Vora in Finland is, and three local performers have made saunas

By JUSTIN KABUMBA AND MARK BANCHEREAU Associated Press GOMA, Congo (AP) — Congolese authorities have accused Rwanda’s army and the M23 rebel group it backs of murdering dozens, kidnapping thousands more and committing rape, torture and looting in the war-torn country’s east. The alleged crimes were committed between May 10 and 13 against civilians accused

ANTALYA, Turkey (AP) — Estonia warned on Thursday that Russia appears willing to defend with military force its shadow fleet of aging tankers dodging international sanctions to keep oil revenue and equipment flowing, even through the territorial waters of European countries. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that a Russian fighter jet entered NATO airspace

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Thursday that the organization’s procurement agency is cooperating with police investigating corruption and fraud allegations involving the purchase of military equipment. The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) helps the 32 members of the world’s biggest security alliance and their partners to buy defense equipment and other

By MEHMET GUZEL, HANNA ARHIROVA and SUZAN FRASER Associated Press ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Russia and Ukraine are set to hold their first direct peace talks in three years, both countries said Thursday, but hopes for a breakthrough remained dim after Russian President Vladimir Putin spurned an offer by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet

By MARI YAMAGUCHI Associted Press TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s air force has begun emergency safety inspections on all of its nearly 200 military training aircraft after one of the planes crashed minutes after takeoff, officials said Thursday. The T-4 training aircraft, operated by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, or JASDF, and carrying two service members,

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s airport authority will start to limit access to Madrid’s airport during some parts of the day as a preventive measure to stop more homeless people from sleeping in its terminals. Only travelers with boarding passes, airport employees and those accompanying someone with a ticket will be allowed to enter the airport

By MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Multiple airstrikes hit Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis overnight into Thursday, killing more than 50 people in a second consecutive night of heavy bombing, while another airstrike in the north of the Palestinian territory left more than a dozen people

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Lawmakers in Colombia on Wednesday once again blocked President Gustavo Petro’s efforts to overhaul the country’s labor laws, this time by rejecting a referendum that would have asked voters whether workdays should be limited to eight hours and whether workers should receive double pay if they work during holidays. Petro asked

By MOLLY QUELL Associated Press ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — A gleaming spiral staircase jutting from the roof of a former Dutch warehouse overlooks the waterway where millions of Europeans once boarded ships bound for a new life in the United States. The twisting path, intended to represent migrants’ unexpected journeys, stands on the Fenix museum,

By VANESSA GERA Associated Press WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A war next door in Ukraine.Migration pressure at borders. Russian sabotage across the region. Doubts about the U.S. commitment to Europe’s security. In Poland’s presidential election Sunday, security looms large. So do questions about the country’s strength as a democracy and its place in the European

By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press VATICAN CITY (AP) — Before becoming Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost presided over one of the most revolutionary reforms of Pope Francis’ pontificate by having women serve on the Vatican board that vets nominations for bishops. But he also has said decisively that women cannot be ordained as priests,