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UNION TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — State police troopers came to the rescue of a bear cub found in a ditch along the side of a major interstate highway in northern New Jersey.

Troopers Rescue Bear Cub

Troopers from the Perryville station responded shortly before 1:40 p.m. Wednesday to milepost 12.2 on I-78 eastbound in Union Township. The animal was by itself, officials said.

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The bear was soon safely secured and taken back to the state police barracks, where it was later turned over to staffers with the state's Environmental Protection Department, who were caring for the animal.

It's not clear how the cub ended up in the ditch or how long it had been there before it was spotted. Details on the bear's condition were not available Friday.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian strikes killed at least eight people across Ukraine on Friday, including in a "massive" missile and drone attack near the capital, local authorities reported.

Russia Ukraine War

Ukrainian officials claim the Kremlin is changing its tactics to increase civilian suffering, shifting to daytime barrages and preparing to target more key infrastructure.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signaled Kyiv's opennessto a potential Easter truce. The holiday is celebrated on April 12 in Ukraine and Russia.

Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine is preparing for a shift in Russian aerial tactics, with intelligence indicating that future attacks will move beyondenergy infrastructure.

Russia's Defense Ministry said 192 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea.

'I have no words'

"The Kyiv region is once again under a massive Russian missile and drone attack," said Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the regional military administration, in a Telegram post on Friday.

Kalashnyk said one person died and at least eight others were wounded in strikes on three of Kyiv's satellite towns — Bucha, Fastiv and Obukhiv. Earlier in the week, residents of Buchamarked the fourth anniversaryofatrocities committed in the town by Russia's invading forces.

Obukhiv resident Lesia Podoriako, 37, told The Associated Press she was at work with her child when she learned her building had been struck.

"I found out about it through Telegram channels. Then all my friends and acquaintances started calling me, telling me that our building was attacked. I have no words. The main thing is that everyone is alive and healthy," she said.

Another person was killed in Ukraine's northern Sumy region after a Russian guided aerial bomb struck an apartment block, local Gov. Oleh Hryhorov reported. Authorities in the Kherson, Zhytomyr, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions also reported casualties from Friday's attacks.

Ukrainian officials highlighted what they said were increased daytime attacks by Russia, which they said could lead to more civilian deaths. For months, Moscow pummeled Ukraine with nighttime missile and drone strikes that could involve hundreds of drones at a time.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said in a post on X that "almost half a thousand drones and cruise missiles" attacked Ukraine overnight.

"This is how Moscow responds to Ukraine's Easter ceasefire proposals — with brutal attacks," Sybiha said.

Kyiv floats an Easter ceasefire

Zelenskyy on Thursday signaled Kyiv's continued openness to a potential truce on Easter, which falls next week according to the Julian calendar followed by Orthodox churches in Ukraine and Russia.

Zelenskyy told reporters that the proposal had been communicated to Moscow through U.S. channels. He added that the Kremlin's response remains unclear.

Zelenskyyhas previously offered a ceasefire for the Easter period— but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier this week that Moscow wants a lasting peace settlement, not a temporary truce.

President Vladimir Putinunilaterally declareda 30-hour ceasefire last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it.

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A change in Russian tactics?

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials said Russia was increasingly striking the country during the day, an apparent departure frommonths of nighttime barrages.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation within Ukraine's defense ministry, said that the daytime strikes aimed to "increase civilian casualties."

"That is why the combined attack is carried out on a working day, using a large number of drones and missiles," Kovalenko wrote on Friday in a Telegram post.

Zelenskyy told reporters on Thursday that Ukraine is preparing for Russian aerial attacks that could target water systems, logistics and other critical networks. Aftermonths of sustained strikes on power facilities, Kyiv now expects increased pressure elsewhere.

"According to intelligence documents we have received, the Russians will target logistics – railways and other infrastructure. They will also target the water supply," Zelenskyy said at a press briefing.

Around midday on Friday, Russian forces dropped five aerial bombs on the city of Kramatorsk, in eastern Ukraine. At least two people were killed and three were injured, according to a Telegram update by Vadym Filashkin, who heads the regional military administration.

Elsewhere in Ukraine on Friday, a Russian drone strike damaged a bus in the southern city of Kherson, leaving the driver seriously wounded and at least eight passengers hurt, according to regional officials.

Separately, authorities reported sustained attacks on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, beginning on Thursday and continuing into early Friday. Drone strikes near the city center caused several injuries. Two people later died in hospital, local Gov. Oleh Syniehubov wrote in separate Telegram updates.

Bohdan Hladykh, head of Kharkiv's Department of Emergency Situations, said Russia struck the city at least 20 times during the day on Thursday with explosive drones.

Zelenskyy says battlefield situation has stabilized

Meanwhile, Zelenskyy told reporters that the battlefield situation has stabilized, with recent intelligence assessments pointing to the most favorable conditions for Kyiv in months. Whilefighting remains intense across eastern sectors, Ukrainian forces have disrupted Russian offensives in recent weeks and regained limited ground.

"On Wednesday I received a report from our intelligence and an analysis from British intelligence. I received MI6's assessment of the situation at the front: right now, it is the best situation for Ukraine in the past 10 months," the Ukrainian leader said at a press briefing Thursday.

Zelenskyy added that Ukraine has invited U.S. negotiators to visit Kyiv, as part of ongoing discussions onsecurity guaranteesand abroader framework for ending the war. Recent talks have involved senior American officials as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, with Ukraine seeking clearer commitments on long-term defense support and responses to any future Russian aggression.

Ukrainian drones target Russia

Two people were hospitalized on Friday following a Ukrainian drone strike on Russia's Leningrad region, over 1,100 kilometers (684 miles) from the border, said regional Gov. Alexander Drozdenko reported, who added that the drones also set fire to an "unoccupied" building within the Morozov industrial zone.

The settlement of Morozov houses a state-owned plant that makes explosives and components for ammunition, including solid fuel used in Topol-M missile systems. The plant was put under U.S., EU and other Western sanctions following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Twelve people, including at least three Russian soldiers, were injured in a Ukrainian drone strike late Thursday on Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported.

Four drones were downed during the night on the approach to Moscow, mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported Friday. He did not reference any casualties or damage.

Associated Press journalists Vasilisa Stepanenko in Obukhiv and Derek Gatopoulos in Kyiv contributed.

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar's parliament on Friday electedMin Aung Hlaing,a general who ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in 2021 and kept an iron grip on power for the past five years, as the country's new president.

Myanmar President

The move marks a nominal return to an elected government but is widely considered as an effort to keep the army in power after anelection organized by the militarythat opponents and independent observers deemed neither free nor fair, and ascivil war rages.

Transitioning to an elected government is also seen as a way to improve frosty relations with some Southeast Asian neighbors following the military takeover. China and Russia have supported the military administration, while Western powers imposed sanctions.

Min Aung Hlaing won an expected lopsided victory

Min Aung Hlaing was one of three nominees for the president's post, but was virtually guaranteed the job as lawmakers from military-backed parties and appointed members from the army hold a commanding majority in parliament.

The vote was held in the newly renovated parliament building in the capital, Naypyitaw, which wasdamaged in last year's earthquake.

Aung Lin Dwe, speaker of parliament's combined upper and lower house, announced that Min Aung Hlaing won 429 out of the 584 votes.

The two runners-up become vice presidents. Nyo Saw, a former general, had served as an adviser to Min Aung Hlaing, and Nan Ni Ni Aye, an ethnic Karen politician from the pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party, will be the country's first female vice president. All three are expected to be inaugurated next week.

Min Aung Hlaing, who holds the rank of senior general, earlier this week relinquished his post of commander-in-chief because the constitution prohibits the president from simultaneously holding the top military position. A close aide, Gen. Ye Win Oo, took over the powerful job.

Meanwhile, much of the country remains enmeshed in a bloody civil war.

Opposition group says struggle for real change continues

Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government — Myanmar's main opposition organization, which views itself as the country's legitimate government — charged that Min Aung Hlaing is responsible for numerous war crimes, and his easy assumption of the presidency proved that the political change some countries had hoped for will not materialize.

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"Myanmar people do not accept it. The revolution will continue with great momentum," he told The Associated Press..

The 69-year-old Min Aung Hlaing had been the military chief since 2011. Under the military-imposed constitution, he held significant powers even before overthrowing Suu Kyi's government.

Parliament members were elected in three phases in December and January. Major opposition parties, including Suu Kyi's former ruling National League for Democracy, were either blocked from running or refused to compete under conditions they deemed unfair. Suu Kyi, 80, is serving a 27-year prison term on charges widely viewed as politically motivated.

Myanmar was under military rule from 1962 to 2016, when Suu Kyi's party won a landslide election victory. It won an even greater mandate in the 2020 polls, but the army staged a takeover in 2021 before the new parliament could convene.

Peaceful protests against military rule were then put down with deadly force, pushing pro-democracy activists toturn to armed resistanceand ally themselves with ethnic minority groups who have been battling for greater autonomy for decades.

Deadly repression birthed ongoing civil war

Security concerns meant voting in the recent election could be held in only 263 of the country's 330 townships.

Nearly 8,000 activists and civilians have been killed since the 2021 army takeover, and some 22,872 political detainees are imprisoned, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group that tracks rights violations.

The military's major reliance onairstrikes— 1,140 strikes in 2025 alone, according to the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project — accounts for hundreds of civilian casualties.

"If Min Aung Hlaing thinks that an official civilian title will shield him from prosecution for the many grave violations of international law that he is accused of overseeing as head of the military, that is not how international justice works," Amnesty International Myanmar researcher Joe Freeman said in statement.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague in 2024 beganan investigation into charges of crimes against humanityafter the chief prosecutor applied for an arrest warrant for Min Aung Hlaing over the military's brutal persecution of the Rohingya minority.

At long-awaited hearings at theInternational Court of Justicein January this year,Myanmardefended itself against accusations that it was responsible for genocide against theRohingya. The West African country ofGambiafirst filed the case in 2019.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military launched a rescue operation Friday after local Iranian state media said an American fighter jet went down oversouthwestern Iranand at least one crew member ejected.

APTOPIX Iran War

Israel is helping the United States with the search and rescue operation, according to an Israeli military officer briefed on the information who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of a U.S. announcement.

Social media footage showed American drones, aircraft and helicopters flying over the mountainous region where the Iranian channel said at least one pilot bailed out of the fighter jet.

It would mark the first time the U.S. has lost aircraft in Iranian territory and marks a dramatic escalation in the war since it began five weeks ago. It was not clear if the jet was shot down or crashed. The number of crew on board was not immediately known.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that President Donald Trump has been briefed. The statement did not include any additional information. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command didn't immediately respond to several messages seeking comment.

Television anchor urges residents to hand over pilot

An anchor on a channel affiliated with Iranian state television urged residents to hand over any "enemy pilot" to police and promised a reward for anyone who did. The channel is in Kohkilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, an intensely rural and mountainous region that spans over 15,500 square kilometers (5,900 square miles).

Authorities also urged the public to search for the pilot in neighboring Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

Throughout the war, Iran has made a series of claims about shooting down piloted enemy aircraft that turned out not to be true. Friday was the first time that Iran went on television urging the public to look for a suspected downed pilot.

An on-screen crawl earlier urged the public to "shoot them if you see them," referring to social media footage circulating of what appeared to be U.S. aircraft in the area. The channel showed metal debris in the back of a pickup truck while making the announcement but provided no other immediate details.

Iran targets a desalination plant and a refinery

The claim came after Kuwait's Mina al-Ahmadi oil refinery came under Iranian attack, and the state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corp. said firefighters were working to control several blazes.

Kuwait also said an Iranian attack caused "material damage" to a desalination plant. Such plants are responsible for most of the drinking water for Gulf states, and they have become a major target in the war.

Sirens also sounded in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia said it had destroyed several Iranian drones, and Israel reported incoming missiles.

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Authorities in the United Arab Emirates shut down a gas field after a missile interception reportedly rained debris on it and started a fire.

Activists reported strikes around Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, but it wasn't immediately clear what was hit. A day earlier, Iran said the U.S. hit a major bridge, which was still under construction,killing eight people.

In Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion in its fight with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah militant group, an Israeli drone strike on worshippers leaving Friday prayers near Beirut killed two people, according to the state‑run National News Agency

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began on Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes. In a review released Friday, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a U.S.-based group, said it found that civilian casualties were clustered around strikes on security and state-linked sites "rather than indiscriminate bombardment" of urban areas.

More than two dozen people have died in Gulf states and the occupied West Bank, 19 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S.service membershave been killed.

More than 1,300 peoplehave been killedand more than 1 million displaced in Lebanon. Ten Israeli soldiers have also died there.

Iran is keeping a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz

World leadershave struggledto end Iran's stranglehold on the strait, which has had far-reaching consequences for the global economy and has proved to be itsgreatest strategic advantagein the war.The U.N. Security Council wasexpected to take up the matteron Saturday.Trump has vacillated on America's role in the strait, alternately threatening Iran if it doesn't open the waterway and telling other nations to "go get your own oil." On Friday, he said in a post on social media that, "With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE."Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard, were around $109 Friday, up more than 50% since the start of the war, when Iran began restricting traffic through the strait.Iran's former top diplomat suggests terms to end the war

World leadershave struggledto end Iran's stranglehold on the strait, which has had far-reaching consequences for the global economy and has proved to be itsgreatest strategic advantagein the war.

The U.N. Security Council wasexpected to take up the matteron Saturday.

Trump has vacillated on America's role in the strait, alternately threatening Iran if it doesn't open the waterway and telling other nations to "go get your own oil." On Friday, he said in a post on social media that, "With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE."

Spot prices of Brent crude, the international standard, were around $109 Friday, up more than 50% since the start of the war, when Iran began restricting traffic through the strait.

Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif — a diplomat with long experience negotiating with the West who remains close to a pragmatic wing of Iran's leadership — wrote on Friday in Foreign Affairs magazine that the time has come to end what he referred to as a stalemate.

The U.S. and Iran have proposed dueling plans, and Zarif's proposal included elements of both in a sign part of Iran's leadership might be willing to negotiate.

Iran "should offer to place limits on its nuclear program and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an end to all sanctions — a deal Washington wouldn't take before but might accept now," he wrote.

It's not clear how much to read into the proposal from Zarif, who has no official position in Iran's government, but would likely not have published such a piece without at least some authorization from senior leaders.

Rising reported from Bangkok and Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut, Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Michelle L. Price in Washington contributed to this report.

Connor Tomlinson and Georgie Harris met on a blind date during season 3 of Love on the Spectrum

NEED TO KNOW

• The premiere episode of season 4 saw them still together, but navigating some issues

• The couple ultimately split after a rocky trip to London

Warning:Love on the Spectrumseason 4 spoilers ahead!

It was "whoa" at first sight forConnor Tomlinson and Georgie Harris.

The couple quickly hit it off after meeting on season 3 ofNetflix'sLove on the Spectrum. On their first date, they bonded over their shared role as the oldest siblings in their respective families and their love ofThe Dragon Prince.

Yet the season ended just three dates into their relationship, leaving fans to wonder how things were progressing. Georgie gave fans an update onInstagramin April 2025, writing, "I am happy to finally be able to say that Connor and I are still together and having a great time. I can't wait to see him again soon."

However, season 4 opened with the couple navigating some issues, including Connor feeling distant from her. Ultimately, after a trip to London, they broke up off-camera.

So where areLove on the Spectrum's Connor and Georgie now? Here's everything to know about their lives after their split.

Who are Connor Tomlinson and Georgie Harris?

Connor and Georgie are two Georgia-based romantic hopefuls who saw sparks fly on season 3 ofLove on the Spectrum.

Connor showed symptoms of neurodivergence as early as 2 years old, though he wasn't officially diagnosed with level 1 autism until the age of 5, as his mother Lise Smith told theNew England Center for Children(NECC).

Though Connor has said he initially thought he was "sick," he came to realize that "having level 1 autism grants certain gifts," he explained on a November 2025 episode of theKeep It Alohapodcast. "I'm able to remember things better. I feel like my thinking power is doubled, so I'm able to problem solve."

Before becoming a reality star, he worked at Kroger, bagging groceries, sweeping and retrieving carts. Since appearing on season 2 of the show, Connor was the grand marshal for the State of Georgia's Special Olympics event in May 2024 and a keynote speaker at the upcoming Best Buddies national gala, per the NECC.

Georgie, who is also on the spectrum, has been open about her struggle with self-expression. In April 2025, she wrote onInstagram, "People with autism may have trouble expressing or understanding their feelings which can end up with them shutting down. When we shut down we end up not hearing what people have to say and it takes a while for our brain to recalibrate to function what people are saying."

When did Connor and Georgie first meet?

Connor and Georgie first met on a blind date duringLove on the Spectrumseason 3. Connor was immediately smitten by his new love interest, whom he came to refer to as his "demi-goddess."

"Whoa. Who is that?" he said after meeting her for the first time.

At one point during their second outing, he was captured by cameras talking about his date on the way to the bathroom. "She is something else," he whispered, adding, "Where have you been all my life?"

Are Connor and Georgie still together?

Ultimately, Connor and Georgie dated for a year. They even spent their first Valentine's Day with each other, where they went to Medieval Times, he told PEOPLE in April 2025. Connor upgraded Georgie to the "queen's package," which allowed them to get front row seats to the joust.

However, season 4 saw the couple navigating a series of emotional issues, with Connor expressing difficulty gauging Georgie's interest in the first few episodes. "It almost feels like I'm being rejected," he said on the show.

Though Georgie confirmed that she views Connor romantically, she admitted that she pulls away when he tries to get physically close to her. "I don't mean to make you feel that way," she said. "I think, maybe, 'cause I've never kissed, like, a boy ... I'm still trying to learn that it's okay to kiss you 'cause you are my boyfriend."

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The couple ultimately traveled to London together, where Georgie met Connor's grandfather and visited his late grandmother's grave. However, the trip wasn't easy at times.

"When Georgie and I were in Hyde Park, I was trying to be romantic, but it seemed like she was more transfixed by the honeybees and the ladybugs than she was with me," he told his mom in a conversation recapping the vacation.

When Smith asked him how that made him feel, he replied, "Like I was invisible."

Connor later told PEOPLE in April 2026 that during the trip, he "noticed Georgie didn't seem as hyped by this as I was."

"That made me concerned," he said. "Anyone else would've thought themselves blessed to be here."

The couple ultimately split off-camera, with Connor announcing the news at costarsMadison Marilla and Tyler White's engagement party.

"Georgie and I are no longer together," he told theLove on the Spectrumgroup, though he confirmed that they will remain friends. "We reached an understanding. We're two wonderful people, but two very different people."

He later confessed to Dani Bowman that while he was going through "heartache," he and Georgie weren't "cut out for each other."

Where are Connor and Georgie now?

Despite their breakup, Connor told PEOPLE that the relationship and his experience onLove on the Spectrumhas changed him profoundly.

"I feel like I've grown greatly as both a TV star and as a man," he said. "I never even dated before going on that show. I was always too afraid, too nervous that I'd say the wrong thing and it would derail the whole thing. Now I feel my confidence is soaring."

He continued, "I feel like I can do anything. Now that everyone knows me, I feel like I could make something of myself."

Connor left his job at Kroger in November 2025, marking what he called "the end of a seven-year era."

Since then, he has worked with the Georgia General Assembly to help pass Georgia's Rio's Law, designed to help law enforcement officers identity people with autism or developmental disabilities through a specialty license plate before approaching their vehicles.

The bill was unanimously passed into office on March 25, 2026. "Getting to testify for this bill was one of the greatest honors of my life," Connor wrote onInstagram. "I am so proud to be a voice for my community. The autism and neurodivergent community deserves safety, dignity, and understanding, and today, the state of Georgia agreed. Unanimously."

Meanwhile, Georgie has also continued community outreach, posting about her work with philanthropies likeFoster LoveandTwo Sparrows Villageon Instagram.

In March 2026, Georgie announced the death of her beloved dog, Duke. "We were lucky to have an extra 6 months with Duke," shewrote. "On February 15th, 2026 at 3pm it was time for us to lay Duke to rest and for him to join our Lord in heaven. Below is a video of some of my favorite photos. I hope you enjoy it. If you listen carefully you might hear Duke's howl."

Connor showed his support for his ex-girlfriend, commenting, "So sorry, Georgie I know how much you loved Duke."

Read the original article onPeople