Former Ecuadorian VP arrested after police broke into embassy has long faced corruption accusations

QUITO, Ecuador — Ecuadorian authorities took the extraordinarily unusual step of breaking into a foreign embassy to arrest a former vice president facing corruption charges. The move earned the administration of President Daniel Noboa swift condemnation from fellow leaders as well as diplomats. Police on Friday night entered the Mexican Embassy in Ecuador’s capital, Quito, … Read more

Iranian commander renews vow to avenge Syria strike attributed to Israel that killed 2 generals

ISFAHAN, Iran — A top military commander Saturday renewed Iran’s promise to retaliate after an airstrike earlier this week widely blamed on Israel destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria, killing 12 people, including two elite Iranian generals. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, Iran’s joint chief of staff, told mourners gathered for the funeral of Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahdi … Read more

Christiania, Copenhagen’s hippie oasis, wants to rebuild without its illegal hashish market

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The now-aging hippies who took over a derelict naval base in Copenhagen more than 50 years ago and turned it into a freewheeling community known as Christiania want to boot out criminals who control the community’s lucrative market for hashish by ripping up the cobblestoned street where it openly changes hands. Over … Read more

Israel finds the body of a hostage killed in Gaza, while talks will resume on a cease-fire

CAIRO — Israel’s military said Saturday it had recovered the body of a 47-year-old farmer who was held hostage in Gaza, while negotiators prepared to begin another round of talks on brokering a cease-fire and securing the release of the remaining hostages, six months into the war. Israel’s army said it had found the body … Read more

Half a year into the war in Gaza, here’s a look at the conflict by the numbers

JERUSALEM — The Israel-Hamas war has stretched on for half a year and become one of the most destructive, deadly, and intractable conflicts of the 21st century. Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 cross-border attack, Israel has pummeled the Gaza Strip, displacing the vast majority of the population and causing many to flee to Gaza’s southernmost city, … Read more

Pro-Western diplomat faces an ally of populist premier in a race for Slovakia’s presidency

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Voters in Slovakia headed to the ballot stations Saturday to elect a successor to Zuzana Čaputová, the country’s first female president and a staunch backer of neighboring Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion, who isn’t seeking a second term. Former Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok won the first round of voting … Read more

A Soyuz capsule carrying 3 crew from the International Space Station lands safely in Kazakhstan

MOSCOW — A Russian space capsule with two women and one man safely landed in a steppe in Kazakhstan on Saturday after their missions aboard the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-24 carrying Russia’s Oleg Novitsky, NASA’s Loral O’Hara and Marina Vasilevskaya of Belarus touched down southeast of the remote town of Dzhezkazgan at 12:17 … Read more

US and China plan talks on economics, including manufacturing ‘overcapacity’ issue, Yellen says

GUANGZHOU, China — The U.S. and China agreed to hold talks that will address a key American complaint about China’s economic model, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on the second day of an official visit to China. The two sides will hold more talks and create two new economic groups dedicated to growth in domestic … Read more

Israel says its strike that killed aid workers was a mistake. Rights groups say it was no anomaly

CAIRO — Two basic mistakes, according to the Israeli military. First, an officer overlooked a message detailing the vehicles in the convoy. Second, a spotter saw something in one car – possibly a bag – that he thought was a weapon. Officials say the result was the series of Israeli drone strikes that killed seven … Read more

More than 600 people still stranded in Taiwan, 3 days after earthquake that killed at least 12

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Rescuers were planning to bring in heavy equipment on Saturday to try to recover two bodies buried under boulders on a hiking trail, three days after Taiwan’s strongest earthquake in 25 years. Four more people remain missing on the same Shakadang Trail in Taroko National Park, famed for its rugged mountainous terrain. … Read more