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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

There are a lot of questions surrounding this year's Tony Awards — and not just about who might win.

The Hollywood writers' strike has left much of Sunday's telecast with unknowns. There will be performances from the nominated musicals, pre-recorded montages of the plays and acceptance speeches. Everything else seems up in the air.

President Joe Biden has called the smoke from Canadian wildfires in the eastern U.S. "another stark reminder of the impacts of climate change" and said cabinet officials are monitoring the impact on travel and air quality.

More than 600 firefighters and other personnel from the U.S. have been deployed to Canada to respond to the wildfires there, Biden said in a statement Thursday, adding that he offered additional help to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

With Lionel Messi on his way to Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo already in Saudi Arabia, it's time for soccer's next global superstar to emerge.

Step forward Erling Haaland, the Norwegian goal machine who has smashed his way through defenses in a record-breaking first season with Manchester City.

Inter Milan will play in its fifth Champions League final when it faces Manchester City in Istanbul on Saturday.

The three-time champion will be bidding for its first title since it won the treble of the Serie A, the Italian Cup and the Champions League under José Mourinho in 2010.