N. Korean held in South after fleeing
SEOUL, South Korea — An unidentified North Korean man crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas and is in South Korean custody, the South’s military said Friday.
The South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the military identified and tracked the individual near the central-west section of the military demarcation line and conducted a “guiding operation” before taking the man into custody Thursday night.
The Joint Chiefs said it notified the U.S.-led United Nations Command about the incident and had not detected any immediate signs of unusual military activity by the North.
According to the Joint Chiefs, a South Korean military team approached the unarmed North Korean man after detecting him and, after identifying themselves as South Korean troops, guided him safely out of the mine-strewn Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.
Border tensions have flared in recent months as the two Koreas have traded Cold War-style psychological warfare, with North Korea sending thousands of trash-filled balloons toward the South and South Korea blasting anti-Pyongyang propaganda through loudspeakers.
Wildfires continue in Greece, Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey — A new wildfire in Greece prompted evacuations in coastal areas south of Athens on Friday, as firefighters in neighboring Turkey remained locked in a battle to contain flames tearing through forested hillsides in the west.
Wildfires that broke out in at least five locations across Turkey’s Aegean coastal province of İzmir — fueled by soaring temperatures, strong winds and low humidity — have killed two people, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands and damaged more than 200 homes.
Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumakli said Friday that firefighters, supported by water-dropping aircraft, remained on the ground battling a deadly wildfire near the town of Odemis for a third day. Elsewhere, emergency crews worked to halt the spread of a new blaze that broke out late Thursday near the district of Buca.
The fire near Odemis claimed two lives — a forestry worker who died Thursday trying to contain the flames, and an 81-year-old resident who succumbed to smoke inhalation, according to authorities.
“Our intense air and land fight to control the fires in Odemis and Buca” continues, the minister said on X without providing further details.
A wildfire that broke out Wednesday near the popular vacation destination of Cesme was contained Friday, Yumakli said. The fire prompted the evacuation of three neighborhoods and caused temporary road closures.
Explosion in Rome injures at least 40
ROME — A gas station explosion early Friday in southeastern Rome injured at least 40 people, including 11 police officers and one firefighter, but immediate rescue intervention avoided a much more tragic outcome, local authorities and rescuers said.
The explosion was heard across the Italian capital shortly after 8 a.m. and sent up a huge cloud of dark smoke and fire visible from several areas of the city.
Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri said local police and firefighters rushed to the area after receiving a report of a gas leak. Two explosions followed after they arrived, he added.
“Local police immediately evacuated a sports center nearby, while other officers evacuated buildings on the other side of the gas station, avoiding a much more serious tragedy,” Gualtieri said.
Police said at least 24 residents were injured, including two who were in “severe conditions,” and hospitalized at Rome’s Casilino hospital.
Eleven of the injured are from law enforcement corps — police and carabinieri — and one is a firefighter, they said, adding that they are not in life-threatening conditions.
Iran sees 1st flight after suspension
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport has welcomed its first foreign flight since the resumption of international air travel after a 20-day suspension, local media reported Friday.
According to Student News Network, Mehdi Ramezani, spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization, confirmed the Flydubai flight from the United Arab Emirates landed Wednesday after extensive security and diplomatic coordination.
The landing marks a “new phase of stability” for Iran’s aviation sector, Ramezani said, after recent tensions with Israel. He added that it represented a return to calm and intelligent management of the nation’s airspace.
International flights will gradually resume to specific destinations in coordination with authorities, to meet public needs and restore air links, he said.
Iran and Israel agreed to a ceasefire last month after a bloody 12-day conflict that saw Israel striking hundreds of Iranian military infrastructure targets and nuclear-related sites, and Iran firing missiles at Israel in return. The truce was brokered by the U.S. after it dropped 30,000-pound “bunker-busting” bombs on three of Iran’s key nuclear sites.