Israeli forensics experts examine remains handed over by militants in Gaza

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel on Tuesday said it had received remains handed over by Palestinian militants in Gaza to the Red Cross. They were believed to be one of the two hostages still in the territory: an Israeli and a Thai national. Israel’s government said the “findings” were taken for forensics testing. Palestinian media said they were discovered in Gaza’s northern town of Beit Lahiya. The remains of 26 hostages taken in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war have already been returned since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire began on Oct. 10.

US-Russia talks on Ukraine were ‘constructive’ but work remains, Putin adviser says

(AP) — Talks between Russia and the U.S. on ending the nearly four-year war in Ukraine were constructive, but much work remains. Yuri Ushakov, a senior adviser to President Vladimir Putin, spoke to reporters on Wednesday after a lengthy session at the Kremlin. Putin met U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner as part of a renewed push by the Trump administration to broker a peace deal. Both sides agreed not to disclose the substance of the talks. Putin’s aide says that “so far, a compromise hasn’t been found” on the issue of territories, without which, he said, the Kremlin sees “no resolution to the crisis.”

More than 1,300 dead from floods in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand

BATANG TORU, Indonesia (AP) — Emergency crews are racing to reach survivors and recover bodies after catastrophic floods and landslides in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia. The death toll has surged past 1,300, with nearly 900 people missing. Days of heavy monsoon rains have left thousands stranded. On Tuesday, authorities reported 744 deaths in Indonesia, 410 in Sri Lanka, 181 in Thailand and three in Malaysia. In Indonesia, rescuers are struggling to access villages on Sumatra island due to washed-out roads and collapsed bridges. Helicopters and boats are deployed, but worsening weather and damaged infrastructure are slowing operations.

Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández freed after Trump pardon

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — The wife of former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández says he has been released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons has confirmed his release from a penitentiary in West Virginia on Monday. Hernández was sentenced last year to 45 years for aiding drug traffickers. His wife thanked Trump for the pardon, saying it ends nearly four years of hardship. Hernández was arrested in 2022 at U.S. request and convicted in New York. Trump, speaking Sunday on Air Force One, said he believed Hernández was set up and that Hondurans had asked for his release.