Romanian prosecutors say they have launched a criminal investigation against Calin Georgescu, the perceived far-right frontrunner in last year’s canceled presidential election seen as an ally of Russia.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that his contacts with U.S. President Donald J. Trump and his administration had “inspired hope” as both sides began talks on how to restore relations and end the war in Ukraine.

Massive protests were underway in Greece on Friday on the second adversary of the nation’s deadliest train crash after a report blamed human error, outdated infrastructure, and significant systemic failures for the head-on collision killing 57 people.

Two young men in Indonesia’s strict Islamic-ruled Aceh province were publicly caned Thursday after an Islamic Shariah court convicted them of having sex with each other, witnesses said.

Poland’s Supreme Court has thrown out an appeal by the Swedish furniture giant IKEA against a Christian employee who was fired for criticizing the LGBTQ+ movement quoting the Bible.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned Wednesday that Iran had accelerated its production of near-weapons-grade uranium amid mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump effectively launched a trade war against the European Union, saying the 27-nation bloc was formed “to screw” the United States and that he seeks to introduce 25 percent tariffs on imported EU goods.

While hosting the first Cabinet meeting since his recent inauguration, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Wednesday that war-torn Ukraine “could forget about” joining the NATO military alliance.

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has survived a vote of no confidence in parliament over his controversial deal with China, which protesters said threatened the country’s future as a “Christian nation.”

European Union leaders are preparing an emergency summit after Germany’s likely new chancellor suggested that the transatlantic NATO military alliance may effectively collapse by June.

Iran has reportedly put its defense systems around its nuclear sites on high alert amid fears of an imminent attack by Israel and the United States.

War-torn Ukraine has agreed with the United States to jointly develop its natural resources in an effort to ease tensions and advance the prospects of a U.S.-backed ceasefire with Russia, several officials said Tuesday.

The United Nations Security Council approved a US-led resolution on Russia’s war in Ukraine on Monday, following its earlier rejection by the General Assembly.

In a turnaround, U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced Monday that Russia would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a peace deal, and French President Emmanuel Macron said a truce could be agreed upon within weeks.

The United States voted against a European-backed resolution in the United Nations General Assembly that demanded Russia immediately withdraw its forces from Ukraine, reaffirm Ukraine’s territorial integrity, and strongly condemned Russia’s invasion on the third anniversary of the war.