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Silvio Berlusconi, scandal-scarred ex-Italian leader, dies at 86

Silvio Berlusconi, the boastful billionaire media mogul who was Italy's longest-serving premier despite scandals over his sex-fueled parties and allegations of corruption, died Monday, according to Italian media. He was 86.

Berlusconi's Mediaset television network announced his death with a smiling photo of the man on its homepage and the headline: "Berlusconi is dead."

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Philippines' volcano spews lava down slopes putting thousands on alert

The Philippines' most active volcano was gently spewing lava down its slopes Monday, alerting tens of thousands of people they may have to quickly flee a violent and life-threatening explosion.

More than 12,600 people have left the mostly poor farming communities within a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) radius of Mayon Volcano's crater in mandatory evacuations since volcanic activity increased last week. But thousands more remain within the permanent danger zone below Mayon, an area long declared off-limits to people but where generations have lived and farmed because they have nowhere else to go.

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From GPS-guided bombs to electronic warfare, Russia improves weaponry in Ukraine

Ukrainian troops are probing Russian defenses as spring gives way to a second summer of fighting, and Kyiv's forces are facing an enemy that has made mistakes and suffered setbacks in the 15-month-old war. But analysts say Moscow also has learned from those blunders and improved its weapons and skills.

Russia has built heavily fortified defenses along the 1,000-kilometer (600-mile) front line, honed its electronic weapons to reduce Ukraine's edge in combat drones, and turned heavy bombs from its massive Cold-War-era arsenal into precision-guided gliding munitions capable of striking targets without putting its warplanes at risk.

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Bus in Australian wine region rolls over, killing 10 and injuring 25

A bus carrying wedding guests rolled over on a foggy night in Australia's wine country, killing 10 people and injuring 25, police said Monday.

The 58-year-old driver was arrested and being held at a Cessnock police station and will be charged, Police Assistant Commissioner Tracy Chapman said. She would not detail the allegations, including whether speed was a factor, but told reporters "there is sufficient information ... for us to establish that there will be charges."

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Zelensky says 'counteroffensive, defensive actions' taking place in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that counteroffensive and defensive actions are underway against Russian forces, asserting that his top commanders are in a "positive" mindset as their troops engaged in intense fighting along the front line.

The Ukrainian leader, at a Kyiv news conference alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, responded to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's comment a day earlier that Ukraine's counteroffensive had started — and Ukrainian forces were taking "significant losses."

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Trump blasts indictment as 'baseless' at first events since charges unsealed

Former U.S. President Donald Trump has blasted his historic federal indictment as "ridiculous" and "baseless" during his first public appearances since the charges were unsealed, painting the 37 felony counts as an attack on his supporters as he tried to turn dire legal peril to political advantage and project a sense of normalcy.

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Syria Kurds to try IS fighters after home countries refuse to repatriate them

The Kurdish-led authority in northeast Syria has announced that hundreds of fighters with the Islamic State group held in prisons around the region will be put on trial after their home countries refused to repatriate them.

The statement by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria said it still calls for the creation of an international tribunal to put those fighters on trial. It called on the United Nations, international rights groups and local organizations to help facilitate the trials.

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US says Iran helping Russia build drone factory east of Moscow

Iran is providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow as the Kremlin looks to lock in a steady supply of weaponry for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, according to a U.S. intelligence finding released by the White House.

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5 killed in explosion at rocket and explosives factory in Turkey

An explosion at a rocket and explosives factory has killed five workers, Turkey's defense ministry said.

The explosion occurred early on Saturday in the district of Elmadag, on the outskirts of the capital, Ankara.

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Vatican: Pope sitting up, working from an armchair after abdominal surgery

Pope Francis was "progressively improving" and sitting in an armchair working Friday, following surgery to remove intestinal scar tissue and repair a hernia in his abdominal wall, the Vatican said.

After a restful night, Francis had breakfast and read the newspapers from his armchair, spokesman Matteo Bruni said in a statement. He quoted doctors as saying Francis' condition was "progressively improving and the post-operative course is smooth."

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