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Turkish F-16 Jet Crash Kills Pilot

Wreckage of the plane scattered near Istanbul–Izmir highway highway (Photo circulated on social media)
Wreckage of the plane scattered near Istanbul–Izmir highway highway (Photo circulated on social media)
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Turkish F-16 Jet Crash Kills Pilot

Wreckage of the plane scattered near Istanbul–Izmir highway highway (Photo circulated on social media)
Wreckage of the plane scattered near Istanbul–Izmir highway highway (Photo circulated on social media)

A Turkish fighter jet crashed near a highway shortly after takeoff early Wednesday, killing the pilot, state media reported, citing the defense ministry.

Radio and tracking information with the aircraft, which took off from Balikesir at 12:56 am (2156 GMT Tuesday), was lost soon after departure, the ministry said according to the official Anadolu Agency.

A search and rescue operation was launched and the wreckage was located.

"Our pilot was martyred. The cause of the accident will be determined following an investigation by the crash examination team," the ministry said, offering condolences to the pilot's family.

The aircraft went down near a section of the Istanbul–Izmir highway, scattering debris across a wide area, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

In November, Türkiye suspended flights by its C-130 cargo planes after one crashed in neighboring Georgia while returning from Azerbaijan, killing all 20 people aboard.

Other F-16s, manufactured by US firm Lockheed Martin, have crashed in recent months.

In January, a Taiwanese F-16 crashed into the sea during a routine mission. Its pilot, who ejected offshore, was reported missing.

In Poland, an F-16 crashed in August while rehearsing for an air show, killing its pilot.

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World

First Ukrainian Military Plant Starts Operations in Britain, Ukraine’s Ambassador Says 

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
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First Ukrainian Military Plant Starts Operations in Britain, Ukraine’s Ambassador Says 

Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 
Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, speaks on stage as people gather in Trafalgar Square to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in London, Britain, February 24, 2026. (Reuters) 

The first Ukrainian drone production plant has started its operations in Britain, Ukraine's ambassador Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said on Wednesday.

"Ukraine is ‌fighting a ‌war amid ‌constant ⁠missile strikes, infrastructure destruction ⁠and threats to production facilities. Therefore, the launch of production in the ⁠UK has a ‌deep strategic ‌logic," Zaluzhnyi ‌said on the ‌Telegram app.

"This is not a shift of the center ‌of gravity away from Ukraine. It ⁠is ⁠an expansion of our joint capabilities and the creation of a second line of defense that guarantees continuity of production."

World

Ukrainian Attack on Russian Fertilizer Plant Kills Seven 

Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Ukrainian Attack on Russian Fertilizer Plant Kills Seven 

Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Local residents walk past heated tents during a power outage in Odesa on February 18, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

A Ukrainian drone attack on a fertilizer plant in Russia's western Smolensk region killed seven people and wounded 10 others, Russian officials said Wednesday.

The plant, just outside the Russian town of Dorogobuzh, lies around 290 kilometers (180 miles) from the Ukrainian border.

Unverified images published on social media purported to show the plant in flames early Wednesday, with columns of smoke billowing into the night sky.

"The enemy struck PJSC Dorogobuzh, a civilian plant producing nitrogen fertilizer," Smolensk region governor Vasily Anokhin said in a post on Telegram.

Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said later seven people were killed, updating a previous toll, in what would be one of the deadliest attacks on a Russian industrial site of the four-year war.

Ukraine fired "at least 30 drones equipped with explosive devices," causing "significant damage" it said in a statement.

Rescuers had on Wednesday morning contained the fires, while authorities were considering evacuating residents from the neighboring village for their safety, governor Anokhin added.

The plant was also attacked in December last year, according to Russian media reports.

Ukraine, which denies targeting civilians, did not immediately comment.

Ukraine has fired thousands of drones over the Russian border since Moscow launched its Ukraine offensive in 2022, some of which have landed hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

The strikes often target Russia's oil and gas industry and other industrial sites and have caused billions of dollars of damage.

Kyiv says the attacks are fair retaliation for Russian strikes on its own civilians that have killed hundreds and crippled Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

World

Pope Leo to Tour Four African Countries in First Major Overseas Trip of 2026 

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
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Pope Leo to Tour Four African Countries in First Major Overseas Trip of 2026 

Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)
Pope Leo XIV waves to the crowd during the weekly general audience at St Peter's Square in The Vatican on February 18, 2026. (AFP)

Pope Leo will visit four countries across Africa from April 13-23, the Vatican announced on Wednesday, with the pontiff making his first major overseas trip in 2026. 

The pope will also make a one-day visit on March 28 to Monaco, the microstate on the French Riviera, and will visit Spain from ‌June 6-12, ‌the Vatican said. 

In Africa, Leo ‌will ⁠visit Algeria, Angola, ⁠Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon. He is expected to draw large crowds, urge world leaders to support development on the continent, and highlight efforts at Catholic-Muslim dialogue. 

Leo, elected in May to succeed the late Pope Francis as head of the 1.4-billion-member Church, has made ⁠only one overseas trip so far, visiting ‌Türkiye and Lebanon in ‌November and December on a visit originally organized for ‌Francis. 

Vatican officials and African Church leaders say the upcoming ‌papal tour in Africa is a sign of the priority the Church places on the continent. 

About 20% of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics live on the continent, according to Vatican statistics. 

Wednesday's Vatican announcement did not give full programs for the pope's upcoming trips, only naming the countries he will be visiting. 

As part of the trip to Spain, Leo is expected to visit the Canary Islands, which has become a major point of entry for migrants trying to get to Europe.