By ELENA BECATOROS

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Activists taking part in a flotilla seeking to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza said Wednesday that some of their boats were attacked by drones overnight while sailing south of Greece.

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The Global Sumud Flotilla said it was attacked during the night by “unidentified drones and communications jamming.” It said that “at least 13 explosions” were heard on and around several flotilla boats, while drones or aircraft dropped “unidentified objects” on at least 10 boats.

No casualties were reported but there was damage to the vessels and “widespread obstruction in communications,” it added. Activists posted a brief video showing what appeared to be an explosion on or near one of the vessels. Greece’s coast guard did not report any distress calls.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to questions regarding the attack.

The flotilla, which organizers say includes about 50 vessels and participants from dozens of countries, is carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, including food and medicine, for Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has accused organizers of being linked to Hamas, an accusation organizers reject. Israel has proposed that the activists unload their aid in the Israeli port of Ashkelon for it to be transported into Gaza, saying it will not accept any breach of its blockade.

Italy sending a frigate

Italy condemned the attack and activated a navy frigate to be on hand for possible rescue operations, Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said.

Crosetto said the Italian Navy’s frigate Fasan, which was sailing north of Crete, was “already heading towards the area for possible rescue operations.” Italy has informed Israel about the decision.

“In a democracy, demonstrations and forms of protest must also be protected when they are carried out in accordance with international law and without resorting to violence,” Crosetto said.

Italy’s Foreign Ministry meanwhile said its computer systems had been overwhelmed by a “mail bombing” campaign in which thousands of what it said were fake emails flooded its servers after the attack on the flotilla.

Earlier Wednesday, the Global Sumud Flotilla had sent out an urgent appeal to its supporters asking them to email the ministry demanding it take a firm position to condemn the attack on the flotilla, protect the participants and put diplomatic pressure on those responsible.

The emails “had the effect of hindering the work” of the ministry’s crisis unit, which has been the main point of contact for Italian citizens aboard the flotilla, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told lawmakers earlier this month he had personally called Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to urge Israel to respect the rights of Italian activists participating in the flotilla.

Tajani said at the time that 58 Italians were in the flotilla, including some lawmakers.

The European Union also warned against the use of any force.

“The freedom of navigation under international law must be upheld,” said Eva Hrncirova, a European Commission spokesperson.

UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan called for an investigation, saying “attacks and threats against those trying to deliver aid to and support the hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza who are suffering famine and starvation defy belief.”

Defiant activists

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who is on board one of the boats, called the strikes a “scare tactic” and implored the flotilla’s supporters to stay focused on Gaza rather than on the activists.

“We were aware of the risks of these kind of attacks and that’s not something that’s going to stop us,” Thunberg said on a livestream. “The most important thing isn’t that we were hit by drones. Drones are something that Palestinians experience 24-7.”

Italian activist Simone Zambrin said drones “have been flying over our heads for days now” and on Wednesday “dropped devices at our boats, damaging both the sails and the hearing of some of our crew members.”

She said Israel was trying “to instill fear because it is afraid of our arrival.”

Supporters watch as a boat that is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla departs to Gaza to deliver aid amidst Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian territory, in the Tunisian port of Bizerte, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Anis Mili)

Greg Stoker, an American activist on board one of the boats, said in a social media post that the vessel’s radio communications also suffered interference, with the jammers playing an ABBA song over the radio channel the flotilla was using.

Attacks on the flotilla

The flotilla has reported several attacks since it set sail from Spain on Sept. 1, including two while some of its boats were in Tunisian waters.

Activists say it’s the largest attempt to date to break the Israeli maritime blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has now lasted 18 years, long predating the current war in Gaza. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas from importing arms, while critics consider it collective punishment.

The Italian fleet of the Global Sumud Flotilla departs from the port of Siracusa, Italy, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (Sebastiano Diamante/LaPresse via AP)

The almost two-year war has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry does not say how many were civilians or combatants, but says around half were women and children.

The world’s leading authority on hunger crises said last month that Israel’s blockade and ongoing offensive had already pushed Gaza City into famine. More than 300,000 people have fled the city in recent weeks as Israel has ordered the population to move south, but an estimated 700,000 remain, according to U.N. agencies and aid groups.

The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas stormed into Israel and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 others hostage. Israel says its operation in Gaza is aimed at pressuring Hamas to surrender and return the remaining 48 hostages, about 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive. Most of the rest were released in ceasefires or other deals.

Activists have launched several flotillas aimed at breaking the blockade over the years, nearly all of them intercepted by Israel. Another vessel said it was attacked by drones in May in international waters off Malta. An overland convoy traveling across North Africa also attempted to reach the border but was blocked by security forces aligned with Egypt in eastern Libya.

In 2010, Israeli commandos raided the Mavi Marmara, a boat participating in an aid flotilla attempting to breach the maritime blockade of Gaza, killing 10 Turkish activists in clashes on board.

Associated Press journalists Samuel Metz in Rabat, Morocco; Nicole Winfield and Patricia Thomas in Rome; Samuel McNeil in Brussels and Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

Construction will start Monday on a $9.85 million maintenance project to improve the Interstate 94 bridges over the St. Croix River, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Crews will replace the modular joints on both eastbound and westbound bridges. They also will make concrete surface repairs at the west abutments and piers, place a new polymer overlay on the bridge decks and replace pavement markings.

The westbound bridge will get complete spot painting of its bridge pin and hanger system while the sidewalk railing will be replaced on the eastbound bridge, according to WisDOT.

The project also includes the repair of the retaining wall on the Wisconsin approach. Crews will replace the block wall crossing under and adjacent to I-94 and parallel to the pedestrian path, WisDOT officials said.

Most of the work will be done in 2026, but some of the work, including the widening of the shoulders, will be done this fall and should be complete in mid-October.

During construction, the interstate will remain open to traffic, but motorists will encounter lane and shoulder closures during off-peak travel times.

In addition, work is expected to result in nighttime closures of ramps from eastbound I-94 to northbound Wisconsin 35 and southbound Wisconsin 35 to westbound I-94.

For more information visit projects.511wi.gov/i94stcroixriverbridges/.

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The college football season is only a month old and the coaching carousel has already started spinning — with UCLA, Virginia Tech and now Oklahoma State looking for new leaders.

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck was a top candidate for the UCLA opening in February 2024, with a significant offer from the Bruins. But Fleck turned it down, and the Bruins went on to hire Deshaun Foster, who went 5-7 in his first year and was fired Sept. 14 after an 0-3 start.

The Pioneer Press understands there is nothing brewing between UCLA and Fleck this time around, but the fellow Big Ten program might not have the only nationwide opening during this cycle that could involve Fleck.

“His name’s going to come up at every job,” Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle told the Pioneer Press two days after the UCLA and Virginia Tech jobs opened. “I think that’s a good thing for Minnesota, because we have somebody that people want and people recognize what he’s done.”

There was little turnover among head coaches at the Power Four conference level a year ago, which has national reporters projecting this year to be much busier. Three schools already have a head start.

“I want him to stay here as long as he wants to be here because, again, (of) what he’s done with our program, on and off the field,” Coyle continued. “When I talk about P.J., I talk about (wife) Heather, too. She’s a big part of everything going on here, (for) which I’m grateful for both of them. They’ve been the ultimate change agent.”

Coyle has said similar things about Fleck over the years, and the AD has been trying to back it up in writing.

In July, Fleck received a one-year contract extension, which included increased retention bonuses but smaller buyout totals. He is set to make $6 million annually in a deal that runs through Dec. 31, 2030.

While Fleck has netted contract extensions on a nearly annual basis, one industry source told the Pioneer Press this latest one was a smart move from Coyle to try to stay a step ahead of the market.

The retention bonuses begin at $1 million this year and increase to $1.2 million in 2026. From there, the bonuses go up $100,000 each year to $1.6 million in 2030. Those annual sums are split evenly and paid on Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 each year.

Fleck’s salary, including retention bonuses, is now tied for 11th in the 18-team Big Ten, per documents the Gophers athletics department presented to the Board of Regents at its July meeting.

The retention bonuses are considered hooks to help keep Fleck in Minnesota, but Fleck’s buyout structure — the real teeth in keeping Fleck at the U — went down from his last deal. Combined, it’s in the same ballpark.

In the new terms, if Fleck leaves his contract, his buyout structure went down from $7 million to $5.5 million in Year 1; $5 million to $4.5 million in Year 2, $4 million to $3 million in Year 3 and incrementally downward from there.

“His buyout was just working with him, having conversations with him and his agent,” Coyle said. “He’s been here nine years. He’s been very loyal to us. We appreciate him.”

Fleck is 60-40 overall at Minnesota, with a 34-36 record in the Big Ten. After two tough, initial years in 2017-18, Fleck is 29-23 in conference play. He has produced winning seasons in three of the last four full seasons, while the Gophers’ NIL (name, image and likeness) budget pales in comparison to top teams in the conference and country.

“I fit at Minnesota,” Fleck said at Big Ten media days in July. “You know why I fit in Minnesota? Because I’ve always been able to do a little more with a little less. That’s my life.”

“We are not the highest paid roster in the Big Ten; I think all of you (reporters) know that; that is not a secret,” Fleck added. “But my job is to do more with less. That is my job, and I can find a way to do that with the right fit. I’m the right fit for Minnesota. I don’t give myself a new contract.”

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By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told world leaders Wednesday that the world is in “the most destructive arms race in human history” and called on the international community to act against Russia now, asserting that Vladimir Putin wants to expand his war in Europe.

“We are now living through the most destructive arms race in history,” Zelenskyy said at the U.N. General Assembly. “Ukraine is only the first and now Russian drones are already flying across Europe, and Russian operations are already spreading across countries, and Putin wants to continue this war by expanding it.”

Zelenskyy’s comments came a day after he met with President Donald Trump, who expressed support for Ukraine’s efforts and criticized Russia.

Trump said Tuesday that he believed Ukraine could win back all territory lost to Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s repeated calls for Kyiv to make concessions to end the war.

In a bleak view of today’s world, Zelenskyy said the reality today is that international law and international institutions like the United Nations cannot help nations survive.

“Weapons decide who survives,” he said. “There are no security guarantees except friends and weapons.”

The Ukrainian president said even being part of NATO didn’t prevent Russia from sending drones into Polish airspace and Russian fighter jets from entering Estonian airspace.

He said neighboring Moldova is defending itself again from Russian interference.

Zelenskyy said Georgia is already being lost and becoming dependent on Russia, and so is Belarus. “Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova, too,” he said, stressing that the country needs funding and energy support, not just “political gestures.”

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