Turkey's foreign minister said Tuesday that Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have reached “a consensus and common understanding” on some issues.

Mevlut Cavusoglu said the two sides made “the most meaningful progress” since the start of the war at a meeting in Istanbul on Tuesday. He said the meeting would be followed by a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers.

Television ratings for the Oscars rebounded somewhat from last year's record low, but the event clearly doesn't have the appeal to viewers that it once had.

Sunday's ceremony reached an estimated 15.36 million viewers, according to preliminary Nielsen company numbers released by ABC. A more detailed estimate is expected Tuesday, with elements like out-of-home viewing added.

Making the quarterfinals at a tournament used to be no big deal for Naomi Osaka. It was only a shock if it didn't happen.

Things are a bit different now.

A map of the world flashes cyber threat warnings. Into view across the big-screen-covered wall comes live video from World Cup stadiums. Then there's the incident alarm panels for all eight venues in Qatar.

This command center for the World Cup is all quiet and calm. By November, however, it will be at the heart of operations for the most high-profile sporting event to be staged in the Middle East.

Europe's already high gas prices have gyrated since Russian President Vladimir Putin announced plans to have importers pay for Russian natural gas in rubles instead of dollars and euros.

Here's a look at some of the implications of such a move:

Iran offered its support on Tuesday for a ceasefire plan put forward by rebels it backs in Yemen's war, saying it could be an "appropriate platform" for ending the conflict.

The Huthi rebels on Saturday announced the proposal and offered peace talks on condition Saudi Arabia stops its air strikes and blockade of Yemen and removes "foreign forces".

Clashes between U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters and members of the Islamic State group killed at least three people inside a restive camp in northeastern Syria that houses IS families, local Kurdish authorities and an opposition war monitor said Tuesday.

The clashes broke out late Monday night at al-Hol in Syria's province of Hassakeh, when Kurdish fighters exchanged fire with an IS sleeper cell, according to Shixmus Ehmed, head of the Kurdish-led administration's department for refugees and displaced. He spoke to The Associated Press via voice messages Tuesday.

Israeli security services raided the homes of at least 12 Arab citizens and arrested two suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group in a crackdown sparked by recent deadly attacks, authorities said Tuesday.

Hours before the raid, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the recent assaults inside Israel, which killed six people, marked a "new situation" that required stepped-up security measures.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Morocco Tuesday to discuss recent shifts in the diplomatic dynamic in the Middle East and North Africa that could upend some of the region's long-standing disputes.

A day after an unprecedented gathering in Israel's Negev Desert with the Israeli foreign minister and their counterparts from four Arab nations that have normalized relations with Israel, Blinken was holding talks with senior Moroccan officials to look at opportunities for expanding those ties.

Russia's military said Tuesday it would "fundamentally" cut back operations near Ukraine's capital and a northern city, potentially a significant concession by Moscow since it invaded its neighbor more than a month ago.

Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin said the move was meant "to increase trust" in talks aimed at ending fighting, as negotiators met face-to-face after several rounds of failed negotiations. But Russia's troops have been bogged down and struggling to make major advances recently.