First plane lands at London’s Heathrow since a fire cut power to Europe’s busiest airport

LONDON (AP) — The first plane has landed at London’s Heathrow Airport since a fire at an electrical substation shuttered Europe’s busiest air travel hub. The British Airways jet touched down on Friday about 18 hours after the airport was closed due to a massive power outage. Heathrow had canceled all flights for the day but was able to resume some after electricity was restored. More than 1,300 flights to and from Heathrow were affected, flight tracking service FlightRadar 24 said. The impact is likely to last several days, as passengers try to reschedule their travel and airlines work to reposition aircraft and crews.

Top Russian official meets North Korea’s Kim and thanks him for support in Ukraine war

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A top Russian security official met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Friday and thanked him for the country’s support of Moscow’s war efforts in Ukraine, according to Russian state media. The meeting came after reports that North Korea recently sent additional troops to Russia to aid its war efforts. Russia’s state-run news agency, Tass, reported that Sergei Shoigu, Russia’s Security Council secretary, during a meeting with Kim conveyed a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who extended his greetings and vowed to give “utmost attention” to implementing agreements reached in their recent summits.

Russian drones strike Ukrainian city of Odesa

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones have pummeled the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odesa, injuring three people and sparking fires. The attack late on Thursday night underlined Moscow’s intention to pursue aerial attacks even as it agreed to temporarily halt strikes on energy facilities. The head of the Odesa region, Oleh Kiper, said the city suffered “local emergency power outages” in three of its districts, an indication that the energy infrastructure of the city could have been damaged. Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders this week. But it remained unclear what possible targets would be off limits to attack.

Sudan’s military says it has retaken Khartoum’s Republican Palace

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s military says it retook the Republican Palace in Khartoum, the last heavily guarded bastion in the capital of rival paramilitary forces, after nearly two years of fighting. Social media videos showed its soldiers inside giving the date as the 21st day of Ramadan, which was Friday. The fall of the Republican Palace — a compound along the Nile River that was the seat of government before the war erupted and is immortalized on Sudanese banknotes and postage stamps — marks another battlefield gain for Sudan’s military. It has made steady advances in recent months under army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan.