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  • News We Love: Farm matches furry friends with older adults, veterans, first responders

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    AND FIRST RESPONDERS. OUR JENNIFER FRANCIOTTI WAS THERE TO SEE THE REACTION. THEIR ANIMALS YOU’D EXPECT TO SEE ON A FARM. BUT ON THIS DAY. HAVE YOU BEEN HERE WHEN WE’VE HAD THE HORSES HERE BEFORE? MANY HORSES. AWESOME AND AMAZING, ALONG WITH MANY AND BELLE ARE MAKING A HOME VISIT TO RESIDENTS OF BRIGHTVIEW AVONDALE IN BEL AIR. WE BRING THEM IN BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO CONNECT WITH THEM. THERE’S SO MUCH INVOLVED. IT’S A FEEL GOOD, BUT IT’S ALSO A WONDERFUL WAY TO WORK ON TACTILE AND MOBILITY. THE MENAGERIE IS FROM WELLSPRING OF LIFE FARM IN MONKTON. THEIR MASH UNIT, WHICH STANDS FOR MOBILE ANIMAL SERVICES FOR HEROES, IS PROVIDED TO ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY VETERANS AND FIRST RESPONDERS THROUGH ITS HEROES, HORSES, HOUNDS AND HARRY GOATS PROGRAM. FOR SOME, IT’S THEIR FIRST TIME EVER BEING ABLE TO TOUCH A HORSE. FOR OTHERS, IT’S THEIR FIRST TIME INTERACTING WITH A CRAZY GOAT. AND SO IT’S A FUN TIME. BUT THERE’S ALSO A LOT OF MEANING BEHIND IT. WITH EVERY BRUSH AND SMILE FROM BOTH HUMAN AND CANINE, IT’S A WELCOME VISIT FOR RESIDENTS. I THINK IT’S REALLY COOL. THEY DIDN’T GET UPSET. THEY DIDN’T DO ANYTHING, AND I GOT TO PET IT AND I LOVE IT. IT’S LIKE BEING AT HOME. SO YEAH, SHE’S A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE GIRL. BUT ONE RESIDENT IN PARTICULAR IS TO THANK FOR THIS VISIT FOR HIS SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY. ARMY VETERAN RAY COLUMBO. AND RAY SAYS THE PROGRAM IS PARTICULARLY HELPFUL TO VETERANS SUFFERING FROM PTSD. MOST ANYTHING THAT WILL HELP GIVE THEM A SENSE OF CALM, PEACE, CONNECTION. OFTENTIMES, HUMANS CAN’T PROVIDE THAT, AND ANIMALS WHO DON’T TALK BACK DO PROVIDE THAT SENSE OF CALMNESS AND PEACE. IT’S A PEACE THAT YOU TOO CAN HELP PROVIDE. WELLSPRING OF LIFE IS LOOKING FOR MORE VOLUNTEERS. IT’S JUST A LOT OF FUN, BUT IT’S ALSO A WONDERFUL WAY TO GET HEALING BECAUSE YOU’RE YOU’RE GIVING BACK TO OTHERS. THESE GUYS CAN GO ANYWHERE. THEY CAN EVEN GO INSIDE HOSPITALS. SO IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE MASH UNIT TO COME TO YOU, JUST LOG ON TO O

    News We Love: Farm matches furry friends with older adults, veterans, first responders

    Updated: 9:14 PM PST Jan 15, 2026

    Editorial Standards ⓘ

    Residents at an older adult living facility in met some special visitors Thursday.Residents at Brightview Avondell in Bel Air, Maryland, got up close and personal to see farm animals, like mini horses named Minnie and Belle.The menagerie of animals came from Wellspring of Life Farm. The farm’s Mobile Animal Services for Heroes unit provides animal visits to active-duty military, veterans and first responders through its Heroes, Horses, Hounds and Hairy Goats program.”We bring them in because we want people to connect with them. It’s a good feeling, but it’s also a wonderful way to work on tactile mobility,” said Dawn Leung, the farm’s executive director and program coordinator. “For some, it’s their first time ever touching a horse. For others, it’s their first time interacting with the crazy goat. So, it’s a fun time, but there’s also a lot of meaning behind it.”With every brush and smile from everyone involved, it’s a welcome visit for residents.”I think it’s really cool. They didn’t get upset, they didn’t do anything. I got to pet them,” said Kathy Deane, a resident.Video below: Fluffy bunnies draw a crowd at farm show”I love it,” said Doris Lockwood, a resident. “It’s like being at home. She’s a beautiful little girl.”The residents have one neighbor in particular to thank for the animals’ visit: Army veteran Ray Columbo, who said the program is particularly helpful to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.”(The animals) help give them a sense of calm, peace, connection. Oftentimes, humans can’t provide that. Animals don’t talk back and they do provide that sense of calm and peace,” Columbo said.It’s a peace that anyone can help provide as Wellspring of Life seeks more volunteers.”It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a wonderful way to get healing and get back to others,” Leung said.The animals can go anywhere, even inside hospitals. So anyone who would like the MASH unit to visit can get more information at the following website.

    Residents at an older adult living facility in met some special visitors Thursday.

    Residents at Brightview Avondell in Bel Air, Maryland, got up close and personal to see farm animals, like mini horses named Minnie and Belle.

    The menagerie of animals came from Wellspring of Life Farm. The farm’s Mobile Animal Services for Heroes unit provides animal visits to active-duty military, veterans and first responders through its Heroes, Horses, Hounds and Hairy Goats program.

    “We bring them in because we want people to connect with them. It’s a good feeling, but it’s also a wonderful way to work on tactile mobility,” said Dawn Leung, the farm’s executive director and program coordinator. “For some, it’s their first time ever touching a horse. For others, it’s their first time interacting with the crazy goat. So, it’s a fun time, but there’s also a lot of meaning behind it.”

    With every brush and smile from everyone involved, it’s a welcome visit for residents.

    “I think it’s really cool. They didn’t get upset, they didn’t do anything. I got to pet them,” said Kathy Deane, a resident.

    Video below: Fluffy bunnies draw a crowd at farm show

    “I love it,” said Doris Lockwood, a resident. “It’s like being at home. She’s a beautiful little girl.”

    The residents have one neighbor in particular to thank for the animals’ visit: Army veteran Ray Columbo, who said the program is particularly helpful to veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

    “(The animals) help give them a sense of calm, peace, connection. Oftentimes, humans can’t provide that. Animals don’t talk back and they do provide that sense of calm and peace,” Columbo said.

    It’s a peace that anyone can help provide as Wellspring of Life seeks more volunteers.

    “It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a wonderful way to get healing and get back to others,” Leung said.

    The animals can go anywhere, even inside hospitals. So anyone who would like the MASH unit to visit can get more information at the following website.

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  • Thousands of nurses go on strike at several major New York City hospitals

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    Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.Nurses were to start walking off the job at 6 a.m. at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

    NEW YORK —

    Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

    Nurses were to start walking off the job at 6 a.m. at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

    About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

    The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

    The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

    The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

    The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

    Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

    The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

    The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

    Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

    Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

    “Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

    The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

    It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

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  • U-Haul truck drives through crowd of anti-Iranian regime protesters in Los Angeles

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    Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.The U-Haul truck, with a window and side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.Watch video from the scene aboveThe driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.The police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt. Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.A banner attached on the truck said ““No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah,” an apparent reference to a U.S.-backed coup that year that toppled then Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.The August 1953 coup stemmed from U.S. fears over the Soviet Union increasingly wanting a piece of Iran as Communists agitated within the country. The ground had been laid partially by the British, who wanted to wrest back access to the Iranian oil industry, which had been nationalized earlier by Mossadegh.The coup toppled Mossadegh and cemented the power of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It also lit the fuse for the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw the fatally ill shah flee Iran and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini usher in the theocracy that still governs the country.A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran before the Islamic Revolution,, had gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday.Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

    LOS ANGELES —

    Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.

    The U-Haul truck, with a window and side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.

    Watch video from the scene above

    The driver, a man who was not identified, was detained “pending further investigation,” police said in a statement Sunday evening.

    The police statement said one person was hit by the truck but nobody was seriously hurt. Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

    A banner attached on the truck said ““No Shah. No Regime. USA: Don’t Repeat 1953. No Mullah,” an apparent reference to a U.S.-backed coup that year that toppled then Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh.

    The August 1953 coup stemmed from U.S. fears over the Soviet Union increasingly wanting a piece of Iran as Communists agitated within the country. The ground had been laid partially by the British, who wanted to wrest back access to the Iranian oil industry, which had been nationalized earlier by Mossadegh.

    The coup toppled Mossadegh and cemented the power of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It also lit the fuse for the 1979 Islamic Revolution, which saw the fatally ill shah flee Iran and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini usher in the theocracy that still governs the country.

    A huge crowd of demonstrators, some waving the flag of Iran before the Islamic Revolution,, had gathered Sunday afternoon along Veteran Avenue in LA’s Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. Police eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. only about a hundred protesters were still in the area, ABC7 reported.

    Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday.

    Los Angeles is home to the largest Iranian community outside of Iran.

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  • Trump ‘inclined’ to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela

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    President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro.“I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.”Video above: President Trump asks oil giants for $100B to restart Venezuela’s oil industryDuring a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government.Some, however, weren’t convinced.“If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” said Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company.An ExxonMobil spokesperson did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.Also on Friday, Trump signed an executive order that seeks to ensure that Venezuelan oil revenue remains protected from being used in judicial proceedings.The executive order, made public on Saturday, says that if the funds were to be seized for such use, it could “undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela.” Venezuela has a history of state asset seizures, ongoing U.S. sanctions and decades of political uncertainty.Getting U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela and help rebuild the country’s infrastructure is a top priority of the Trump administration after Maduro’s capture.The White House is framing the effort to “run” Venezuela in economic terms, and Trump has seized tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, has said the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, and plans to control sales worldwide indefinitely.Seung Min Kim reported from West Palm Beach, Florida.

    ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE —

    President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is “inclined” to keep ExxonMobil out of Venezuela after its top executive was skeptical about oil investment efforts in the country after the toppling of former President Nicolás Maduro.

    “I didn’t like Exxon’s response,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One as he departed West Palm Beach, Florida. “They’re playing too cute.”

    Video above: President Trump asks oil giants for $100B to restart Venezuela’s oil industry

    During a meeting Friday with oil executives, Trump tried to assuage the concerns of the companies and said they would be dealing directly with the U.S., rather than the Venezuelan government.

    Some, however, weren’t convinced.

    “If we look at the commercial constructs and frameworks in place today in Venezuela, today it’s uninvestable,” said Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest U.S. oil company.

    An ExxonMobil spokesperson did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

    Also on Friday, Trump signed an executive order that seeks to ensure that Venezuelan oil revenue remains protected from being used in judicial proceedings.

    The executive order, made public on Saturday, says that if the funds were to be seized for such use, it could “undermine critical U.S. efforts to ensure economic and political stability in Venezuela.” Venezuela has a history of state asset seizures, ongoing U.S. sanctions and decades of political uncertainty.

    Getting U.S. oil companies to invest in Venezuela and help rebuild the country’s infrastructure is a top priority of the Trump administration after Maduro’s capture.

    The White House is framing the effort to “run” Venezuela in economic terms, and Trump has seized tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, has said the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan crude, and plans to control sales worldwide indefinitely.

    Seung Min Kim reported from West Palm Beach, Florida.

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  • Russian attacks kill at least 6 in Ukraine while US peace plan is discussed

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    Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least six people in overnight strikes that hit city buildings and energy infrastructure, while a Ukrainian attack in southern Russia killed three people and damaged homes, authorities said.The large-scale attacks come during a renewed U.S. push to end the war that has raged for nearly four years and talks about a U.S.-brokered peace plan. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Russian officials for several hours in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press.Driscoll, who became part of the U.S. negotiating team less than two weeks ago, is heading up the latest phase of talks involving the terms of a possible peace plan with Russia.The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, would not offer details on how long the negotiations were expected to last or what topics were being discussed, but noted the Ukrainians were aware of the meeting and all sides have indicated they wanted to reach a deal to halt the fighting as quickly as possible.Russia fired 22 missiles of various types and over 460 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, noting that four drones flew into Romania and Moldova.”What’s crucial now is for all partners to move toward diplomacy together, through joint efforts. Pressure on Russia must inevitably work,” Zelenskyy wrote.Kyiv targeted in latest attackThe Russian strikes knocked out water, electricity and heat in parts of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Video footage posted to Telegram showed a large fire spreading in a nine-story residential building in Kyiv’s eastern Dniprovskyi district.Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said two people were killed and five were injured in Dniprovskyi and another residential building in the central Pecherskyi district was badly damaged.Liubov Petrivna, a 90-year-old resident of a damaged building in the Dniprovskyi district, told the AP “absolutely everything” in her apartment was shattered by the strike and “glass rained down” on her.Petrivna said she didn’t believe in the peace plan now under discussion: “No one will ever do anything about it. Putin won’t stop until he finishes us off.”In a subsequent attack wave, four people were killed and three were injured in a strike on a nonresidential building in Kyiv’s western Sviatoshynyi district, according to the head of Kyiv city administration, Tymur Tkachenko.Strikes hit energy infrastructureUkraine’s energy ministry also said energy infrastructure had been hit, without describing the extent of the damage. Ukraine’s emergency services said six people, including two children, were injured in a Russian attack on energy and port infrastructure in Odesa region.Three people were killed, and eight more were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s southern Rostov region overnight. The casualties occurred in the city of Taganrog, not far from the border in Ukraine, Gov. Yuri Slyusar said in an online statement Tuesday.The attack damaged private houses and multistory residential blocks, unspecified social facilities, a warehouse and a paint shop, Slyusar said.Russian air defenses destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and the occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday, noting that 116 of the drones were shot down over the Black Sea.Peace efforts going in ‘right direction’The attacks followed talks between U.S. and Ukraine representatives in Geneva on Sunday about a U.S.-Russia brokered peace plan.Oleksandr Bevz, a delegate from the Ukrainian side, told The Associated Press the talks had been “very constructive,” and the two sides were able to discuss most points.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday morning that Moscow has not received the updated peace plan.French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Ukraine “goes in the right direction” but also cautioned it must not be “a capitulation” enabling Russia to later renew hostilities.The French head of state said any peace deal with Moscow must include robust security guarantees for Ukraine and, more widely, for Europe and he insisted the size of Ukraine’s armed forces shouldn’t be restricted so it can defend the country in peacetime.Macron was speaking to broadcaster RTL before a video conference meeting later Tuesday of countries, led by France and the UK, that could help police any ceasefire with Russia.”We want peace but we don’t want a peace is that is, in fact, a capitulation. That is to say it puts Ukraine in an impossible position, that in the end gives Russia the freedom to keep going, to go further,” Macron said.Peace proposals that Ukraine has been discussing with Trump administration envoys and European allies “goes in the right direction: peace,” but parts of it need to be improved, he said.”No one can replace the Ukrainians in saying which territorial concessions they are prepared to make,” said the French leader, who sounded skeptical about the plan’s chances of success. “There’s only one person who doesn’t want peace: it’s Russia.”___Toropin reported from Washington. John Leicester in Paris contributed.

    KYIV, Ukraine —

    Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least six people in overnight strikes that hit city buildings and energy infrastructure, while a Ukrainian attack in southern Russia killed three people and damaged homes, authorities said.

    The large-scale attacks come during a renewed U.S. push to end the war that has raged for nearly four years and talks about a U.S.-brokered peace plan. Army Secretary Dan Driscoll met with Russian officials for several hours in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, a U.S. official confirmed to The Associated Press.

    Driscoll, who became part of the U.S. negotiating team less than two weeks ago, is heading up the latest phase of talks involving the terms of a possible peace plan with Russia.

    The U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations, would not offer details on how long the negotiations were expected to last or what topics were being discussed, but noted the Ukrainians were aware of the meeting and all sides have indicated they wanted to reach a deal to halt the fighting as quickly as possible.

    Russia fired 22 missiles of various types and over 460 drones at Ukraine overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, noting that four drones flew into Romania and Moldova.

    “What’s crucial now is for all partners to move toward diplomacy together, through joint efforts. Pressure on Russia must inevitably work,” Zelenskyy wrote.

    Kyiv targeted in latest attack

    The Russian strikes knocked out water, electricity and heat in parts of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Video footage posted to Telegram showed a large fire spreading in a nine-story residential building in Kyiv’s eastern Dniprovskyi district.

    Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said two people were killed and five were injured in Dniprovskyi and another residential building in the central Pecherskyi district was badly damaged.

    Liubov Petrivna, a 90-year-old resident of a damaged building in the Dniprovskyi district, told the AP “absolutely everything” in her apartment was shattered by the strike and “glass rained down” on her.

    Petrivna said she didn’t believe in the peace plan now under discussion: “No one will ever do anything about it. Putin won’t stop until he finishes us off.”

    In a subsequent attack wave, four people were killed and three were injured in a strike on a nonresidential building in Kyiv’s western Sviatoshynyi district, according to the head of Kyiv city administration, Tymur Tkachenko.

    Strikes hit energy infrastructure

    Ukraine’s energy ministry also said energy infrastructure had been hit, without describing the extent of the damage. Ukraine’s emergency services said six people, including two children, were injured in a Russian attack on energy and port infrastructure in Odesa region.

    Three people were killed, and eight more were wounded in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s southern Rostov region overnight. The casualties occurred in the city of Taganrog, not far from the border in Ukraine, Gov. Yuri Slyusar said in an online statement Tuesday.

    The attack damaged private houses and multistory residential blocks, unspecified social facilities, a warehouse and a paint shop, Slyusar said.

    Russian air defenses destroyed 249 Ukrainian drones overnight above various Russian regions and the occupied Crimea, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday, noting that 116 of the drones were shot down over the Black Sea.

    Peace efforts going in ‘right direction’

    The attacks followed talks between U.S. and Ukraine representatives in Geneva on Sunday about a U.S.-Russia brokered peace plan.

    Oleksandr Bevz, a delegate from the Ukrainian side, told The Associated Press the talks had been “very constructive,” and the two sides were able to discuss most points.

    Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday morning that Moscow has not received the updated peace plan.

    French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that a U.S.-brokered peace plan for Ukraine “goes in the right direction” but also cautioned it must not be “a capitulation” enabling Russia to later renew hostilities.

    The French head of state said any peace deal with Moscow must include robust security guarantees for Ukraine and, more widely, for Europe and he insisted the size of Ukraine’s armed forces shouldn’t be restricted so it can defend the country in peacetime.

    Macron was speaking to broadcaster RTL before a video conference meeting later Tuesday of countries, led by France and the UK, that could help police any ceasefire with Russia.

    “We want peace but we don’t want a peace is that is, in fact, a capitulation. That is to say it puts Ukraine in an impossible position, that in the end gives Russia the freedom to keep going, to go further,” Macron said.

    Peace proposals that Ukraine has been discussing with Trump administration envoys and European allies “goes in the right direction: peace,” but parts of it need to be improved, he said.

    “No one can replace the Ukrainians in saying which territorial concessions they are prepared to make,” said the French leader, who sounded skeptical about the plan’s chances of success. “There’s only one person who doesn’t want peace: it’s Russia.”

    ___

    Toropin reported from Washington. John Leicester in Paris contributed.

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  • 3 bodies recovered likely those of 2 Australians and American who went missing, prosecutors say

    3 bodies recovered likely those of 2 Australians and American who went missing, prosecutors say

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    Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.While there has not yet been confirmation based on forensic examination, physical characteristics — including hair — means there is a high likelihood that the bodies are those of the three tourists, local TV network Milenio reported, citing chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez.“It is presumed that (the bodies) are the ones being investigated,” an employee of the state prosecutors’ office who was not authorized to be quoted by name told The Associated Press.“A fourth body was located. It is not related to the three foreigners. The fourth body had been there for a long time,” the official added.The site where the bodies were discovered near the township of Santo Tomás was near the remote seaside area where the missing men’s tents and truck were found Thursday on a remote stretch of coast.The men — identified by family members as brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad — went missing Saturday. They did not show up at their planned accommodations over the weekend.The U.S. State Department said: “We are aware of those reports (of bodies) and are closely monitoring the situation. At this time we have no further comment.”Baja California prosecutors had said Thursday that they were questioning three people in the case. On Friday, the office said the three had been arrested and charged with a crime equivalent to kidnapping. It was unclear if they might face more charges.María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the chief state prosecutor, said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was linked to the three people being questioned about the missing foreigners.

    Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.

    While there has not yet been confirmation based on forensic examination, physical characteristics — including hair — means there is a high likelihood that the bodies are those of the three tourists, local TV network Milenio reported, citing chief state prosecutor María Elena Andrade Ramírez.

    “It is presumed that (the bodies) are the ones being investigated,” an employee of the state prosecutors’ office who was not authorized to be quoted by name told The Associated Press.

    “A fourth body was located. It is not related to the three foreigners. The fourth body had been there for a long time,” the official added.

    The site where the bodies were discovered near the township of Santo Tomás was near the remote seaside area where the missing men’s tents and truck were found Thursday on a remote stretch of coast.

    The men — identified by family members as brothers Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad — went missing Saturday. They did not show up at their planned accommodations over the weekend.

    The U.S. State Department said: “We are aware of those reports (of bodies) and are closely monitoring the situation. At this time we have no further comment.”

    Baja California prosecutors had said Thursday that they were questioning three people in the case. On Friday, the office said the three had been arrested and charged with a crime equivalent to kidnapping. It was unclear if they might face more charges.

    María Elena Andrade Ramírez, the chief state prosecutor, said evidence found along with the abandoned tents was linked to the three people being questioned about the missing foreigners.

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  • 10 killed after 2 Malaysian military helicopters collide during training session

    10 killed after 2 Malaysian military helicopters collide during training session

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    Two Malaysian military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 people on board, the navy said.The helicopters were rehearsing at a naval base in northern Perak state for the navy’s 90th anniversary celebration next month when the accident occurred, the navy said in a brief statement.“All victims were confirmed dead on site,” it said, adding that the remains have been sent to the hospital to be identified.A video circulating on social media purported to be of the incident showed several helicopters flying low in a formation. One of the helicopters veered sideways and clipped the rotor of another helicopter, causing both to plunge and crash.Seven crew members were aboard the AW139 maritime operation helicopter, the navy said. That aircraft is produced by AgustaWestland, which is a subsidiary of the Italian defense contractor Leonardo. Three other crew members were on a Fennec lightweight helicopter, manufactured by European multinational defense conglomerate Airbus.Local media reported that the AW139 crashed at a sports complex at the naval base, while the Fennec hit a nearby swimming pool.The navy said it will launch an investigation to determine what caused the accident.

    KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia —

    Two Malaysian military helicopters collided and crashed during a training session on Tuesday, killing all 10 people on board, the navy said.

    The helicopters were rehearsing at a naval base in northern Perak state for the navy’s 90th anniversary celebration next month when the accident occurred, the navy said in a brief statement.

    “All victims were confirmed dead on site,” it said, adding that the remains have been sent to the hospital to be identified.

    A video circulating on social media purported to be of the incident showed several helicopters flying low in a formation. One of the helicopters veered sideways and clipped the rotor of another helicopter, causing both to plunge and crash.

    Seven crew members were aboard the AW139 maritime operation helicopter, the navy said. That aircraft is produced by AgustaWestland, which is a subsidiary of the Italian defense contractor Leonardo. Three other crew members were on a Fennec lightweight helicopter, manufactured by European multinational defense conglomerate Airbus.

    Local media reported that the AW139 crashed at a sports complex at the naval base, while the Fennec hit a nearby swimming pool.

    The navy said it will launch an investigation to determine what caused the accident.

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