Volodymyr Zelenskky: “No matter what happens, the frontline and Ukraine’s positions are always exactly where our infantrymen are. They are the foundation of the army – all those who physically hold and retake positions. “Motorized infantry, assault, mountain assault, mechanized, and rifle units. Units that, on the ground, through their strength, their actions, and their resilience, determine whose flag flies over this land. “I thank each of our warriors, all combat brigades that are doing their utmost to destroy the occupier and defend Ukraine. I thank everyone who delivers the necessary frontline results for Ukraine. Happy Infantry Day. Glory to...

Authorities in Switzerland said Wednesday a man who returned from South America and traveled on a cruise ship hit by a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus and is receiving treatment. Swiss authorities didn’t specify when exactly the patient was on board the MV Hondius, which is currently anchored off Cape Verde. A statement from the Federal Office of Public Health said that the man “returned to Switzerland after travelling on the cruise ship on which there were a number of hantavirus cases.” —AP’s earlier story follows below. South African health authorities have identified the Andes strain of...

Russia fired dozens of drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday, disregarding a unilateral ceasefire announced by Kyiv that began at midnight. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Ukraine hadn’t abided by its own ceasefire, saying that air defenses shot down 53 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions, the illegally annexed Crimean peninsula and the Black Sea between Tuesday evening and dawn Wednesday. Five people were killed by a Ukrainian drone strike on the city of Dzhankoi in Crimea, according to Russia-installed Gov. Sergei Aksyonov. He reported the casualties just after midnight, but posted about the attack itself...

The University of Michigan has issued a formal apology after a history professor lauded pro-Palestinian student protesters in a commencement speech over the weekend. The remarks — and the ensuing apology — have set off cascading recriminations, with pro-Israel advocates calling to slash the school’s funding as others accuse university officials of bowing to political and donor pressure. In a speech on Saturday at the universitywide commencement ceremony, Derek R. Peterson, a professor of East African history and outgoing chair of the faculty senate, credited “pro-Palestinian student activists who have over these past two years opened our hearts to the...

A number of Australian women with alleged ties to Islamic State group militants will be arrested and face criminal investigations if they return from Syria, police said Wednesday. The Australian government had been alerted Wednesday that four women and nine children had booked flights from Damascus to Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said. He did not say when they were expected to arrive. Australian Federal Police since 2015 have been investigating the behavior of Australians who had traveled to the Islamic State group’s so-called caliphate that had been centered in Syria, Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett said. Investigations had included...

A man with multiple aliases used the name of the famed Astor family to dupe a Mexican billionaire out of around $450 million in a bogus stock-backed loan scheme, according to a newly unsealed U.S. indictment and other court records. Vladimir Sklarov, 63, also known as Gregory Mitchell and Mark Simon Bentley, set up a sham company, Astor Asset Group, that purported to be a legitimate and experienced loan provider that was connected to the Astors, federal prosecutors said. The storied New York family included John Jacob Astor, one of the wealthiest men in America in the mid-19th century. Although...

A former FedEx driver was sentenced to death on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to killing a 7-year-old girl he took from her Texas home while delivering a Christmas gift. Jurors in a Fort Worth courtroom decided on Tanner Horner’s punishment after hearing about a month of testimony and evidence that included audio of Athena Strand’s last moments from inside his delivery van. Horner, 34, pleaded guilty to capital murder last month in the 2022 killing just as his trial began. Athena’s body was found two days after she was reported missing from her home in the rural town of...

China’s foreign minister called for a comprehensive ceasefire in the Iran war and said his country was “deeply distressed” by the conflict that has lasted two months. Wang Yi made the comments Wednesday after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beijing for the first time since the war with the U.S. and Israel started Feb. 28. The Chinese comments could inject new energy into stalled efforts to push for an agreement between the United States and Iran that would end the war. They followed an earlier statement by U.S. President Donald Trump that he was pausing...