AP

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin, who created the celebrated ballets “Anna Karenina” and the “Carmen Suite,” has died in Germany at age of 92, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater said Friday. He and his wife of 57 years, legendary ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, dominated the Soviet and Russian cultural scene for the latter part of the

By REGINA GARCIA CANO and KONSTANTIN TOROPIN Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is continuing to boost its military forces near Venezuela to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels — even after a U.S. strike destroyed what President Donald Trump said was a drug-carrying boat operated by the Tren de Aragua gang.

By MEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press MEXICO CITY (AP) — More than 14,000 mainly Venezuelan migrants who hoped to reach the United States have reversed course and turned south since U.S. President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown began, according to a report published Friday by the governments of Colombia, Panama and Costa Rica. The phenomenon, known as

By The Associated Press Gaza City is now a dangerous combat zone, Israel says, adding that it is in the “initial stages” of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation. Israel also said it had recovered the body of a hostage and the remains of another, and vowed its military offensive would return more.

By AHMED MOHAMED AND OPE ADETAYO Associated Press NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) — At least 49 people died and nearly 100 are still missing after a boat carrying migrants capsized this week, the Mauritanian coast guard said Friday. Authorities said the boat came from Gambia and capsized Tuesday morning off the coast of Mheijrat. “The boat

By WAFAA SHURAFA, SAM METZ and JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel declared Gaza’s largest city a combat zone and recovered the remains of two hostages on Friday as the army launched the start of a planned offensive that has drawn international condemnation. As the military announced the resumption of

By BABAR DOGAR and MUNIR AHMED Associated Press NAROWAL, Pakistan (AP) — Rescuers in Pakistan raced to evacuate tens of thousands of people stranded by floods, with many left without food or medical supplies Friday as the government struggled to provide aid and prevent Lahore and other cities from deluges. The floods in the eastern

By NINIEK KARMINI and ACHMAD IBRAHIM Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Protests erupted for a fifth day Friday in multiple cities and tensions soared across Indonesia, a day after a delivery rider was allegedly run over by a police armored vehicle during clashes between riot police and students protesting lawmakers’ allowances. Protesters marched to

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN Associated Press TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A visit by a pair of U.S. senators to Taiwan has drawn criticism from China, which claims the island as its own and objects to any contact between officials of the two sides. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, a Mississippi Republican, and Nebraska Republican

By HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that Ukrainian officials want to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump and European leaders next week to discuss recent developments in efforts to end the three-year war with Russia. The proposed meetings appeared designed to add momentum to the push

By PAPITCHAYA SCHWARZ and GRANT PECK Associated Press BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s Constitutional Court on Friday dismissed Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, ruling that she violated ethics rules in a phone call with a high-ranking Cambodian official. The decision ends the term of the nation’s youngest prime minister and delivers the latest blow to the powerful

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — President Javier Milei of Argentina on Thursday fired back at his political opponents and defended his influential sister against claims that she and other close associates profited from a bribery scheme within the country’s disability agency. In his first major remarks on the corruption scandal, Milei accused his rivals of

By SAM McNEIL Associated Press BRUSSELS (AP) — European defense ministers pledged Friday to ramp up support for Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia, a day after a Russian air assault on Kyiv killed 23 people and badly damaged a European diplomatic compound. Outrage over the attack propelled Europe’s leaders to condemn Russia even before