The Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman has condemned Ukrainian drone attacks on two Russian “shadow fleet” oil tankers in the Black Sea

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Pope Leo XIV encouraged Turkey to be a source of stability and dialogue in a world riven by conflict, as he opened his first foreign trip as pope on Thursday with a plea for peace amid efforts to end wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Pope Leo XIV completes pilgrimage to Turkey, meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and religious leaders while promoting peace and unity before traveling to Lebanon.

A turkey captured residents’ attention in Batesville after Thanksgiving when it was spotted near a busy road, appearing to debate whether to cross.

Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his visit to Turkey on Sunday before heading to Lebanon, where he aimed to bring a message of hope to its long-suffering people and bolster a crucial Christian community in the Middle East. He preached similar messages of peace and unity, within his own Catholic community and more broadly, during his earlier stops in Turkey.

A case of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a commercial turkey flock of about 18,000 birds in Hamilton County, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

On the final morning of his trip to Lebanon, Pope Leo XIV paused before the ruins of the Beirut port explosion, praying in silence and placing a wreath in memory of the victims. In one of the most emotional moments of his trip, he also met family members of those killed and survivors still carrying the wounds of the Aug. 4, 2020, blast.

Pope Leo XIV has held prayers at the Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Istanbul, supporting Christian unity and minorities in Turkey.

In central Turkey, beneath the arid plains surrounding Lake Tuz, a silent geological shift is underway. A fault zone once thought to mirror the lateral motion of neighboring systems is instead tearing open the crust,