That hope was boosted Friday with the news that Roger D. Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, had arrived in the capital city of Damascus along with two other top U.S.

In a shock move this morning, Russian President Putin apologized to the presidents of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan for the ...

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told the Azerbaijani leader, Ilham Aliyev, in a phone call, “that the tragic incident took place in Russian airspace.” By Anatoly Kurmanaev Flight ...