KIEV -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that the next meeting aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine conflict would take place in the United States on Saturday.
In a post on X, Zelensky said that a Ukrainian delegation had departed for the talks, with a priority "to do everything possible to create the conditions for a dignified peace." (Ukraine-Peace)
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DAEJEON, South Korea -- A large-scale fire broke out Friday at an automotive parts manufacturing factory in Daejeon in South Korea, leaving 55 people injured and 14 others missing, local fire authorities confirmed.
Fire officials on site told Xinhua that, at around 10:30 p.m. local time, an initial structural safety diagnosis was completed, and rescue teams had entered the building from the second floor to begin search operations. (South Korea-Fire)
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MOSCOW -- Two people were killed after a light aircraft crashed Friday in the city of Kolomna in suburban Moscow, TASS news agency reported, citing regional emergency authorities.
The regional branch of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said it had received a report of the crash at 15:40 Moscow time (1240 GMT), near 102 Kirov Street in the Kolomna urban district. (Russia-Crash)
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GENEVA -- The Swiss Federal Council said on Friday that Switzerland has halted the export of war materiel to the United States during the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.
In a statement, the Federal Council said that "exports of war material to the USA cannot currently be authorized," as the country is "involved in an international armed conflict." (Switzerland-United States-Iran)
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TEHRAN -- Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Friday offered condolences over the "martyrdom" of Intelligence Minister Esmaeil Khatib, who was killed in a U.S. and Israeli strike, according to a statement published on the leader's official website.
In a message to President Masoud Pezeshkian and cabinet ministers, issued two days after Tehran confirmed Khatib's death, Khamenei expressed sympathy to the minister's family and colleagues at the Intelligence Ministry. He urged officials and staff to redouble efforts to ensure national security in his absence. (Iran-Supreme Leader-Condolence) ■
