US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has arrived in St. Petersburg for talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Russian media reported. According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, the meeting is scheduled to take place at the Konstantinovsky Palace during the first half of the day. He said the war in Ukraine would be the main subject of the discussion. Ushakov also described the talks between Putin and Witkoff as a planned event that had been agreed in advance. He added that

US special envoy Steve Witkoff has travelled to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin, after Ukraine’s leader said American intelligence support on lethal Russian attacks was now functioning again. Kyiv had alleged that the United States had recently limited the sharing of this intelligence, contributing to Ukrainian deaths. Washington dismissed the accusation as outrageous. Volodymyr Zelensky made the comments after holding talks with Witkoff in Oslo on Tuesday, a meeting later

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said Ukraine received no advance alert from the United States before a Russian missile assault on Sunday night, prompting renewed fears in Kyiv that Washington may be limiting intelligence support to pressure Ukraine into making concessions to Moscow. Yuri Ihnat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, said in a television interview on Monday that no warning was received before Russian missiles struck energy infrastructure in Kyiv at around 11pm. A Ukrainian government

A Saudi citizen accused of covertly placing a listening device in an OpenAI meeting room received what US prosecutors described as “substantial support” from the Saudi government, according to a court document filed in California. Prosecutors said Abdulrahman Alfozan, an employee of the company behind ChatGPT, had been in regular contact with a member of Saudi Arabia’s royal family. They also alleged that a Saudi military official paid for a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia for his wife and child

This year’s Toronto International Film Festival brought together an impressive range of talent. In an exclusive portrait studio, filmmakers and performers reflected on the productions that have shaped their lives and careers. Warning: This article includes language that some readers may find offensive. Which film from your career has the greatest meaning for you? Kristine: Sharp Stick, directed by Lena Dunham. It was deeply personal for her, and it became personal for me too. I played Sarah Jo,

A recent mission to a remote island in the South Pacific in search of debris from Amelia Earhart’s missing aircraft has ended without a definitive discovery. On Monday, researchers said they found “no conclusive evidence” that the celebrated pilot brought her Lockheed 10E Electra down on or near the tiny atoll located south of the planned stop on her doomed journey nearly 90 years ago. The expedition to Nikumaroro Island was organized by the Archaeological Legacy Institute, based in Eugene,

Improving insulation in British homes and expanding the use of heat pumps could do more to reduce living costs, support employment and strengthen the UK economy than opening new oilfields, according to new analysis. The government’s £15bn warm homes programme, which faces possible reductions as ministers look for spending cuts, could lower household energy bills by £1bn a year nationwide, with the largest benefits going to lower-income households, research from the thinktank E3G suggests. The

The first song I truly adored When I was about five or six, my mum only allowed Christian gospel music in the house. Then her friend Jane took pity on me and gave me a cassette: Whitney Houston on one side, Cher on the other. I was completely stunned by what I heard. I Will Always Love You made me realise: this is what I want to do. The first single I bought It was So Young by the Corrs, bought from Sainsbury’s in Walton Village, Liverpool. Music was something I could rarely afford as a child,

Collioure feels like a Mediterranean fantasy Last October, while cycling through south-west France close to the Spanish frontier, a recommendation from a local waiter brought me to Collioure, near Perpignan. It felt like a Mediterranean fantasy: the peak-season visitors had gone, leaving a calm, creative town filled with gentle light, golden warmth, cobbled lanes, small beaches and the Pyrenees rising behind it. In the early evening, the lingering autumn heat made it ideal for drifting through

Crossing the causeway that joins the small fortress island of Monemvasia to the south-eastern Peloponnese, with the Aegean glittering on either side, I thought of Yiannis Ritsos, among Greece’s most admired 20th-century poets. Ritsos lived here in Monemvasia, in a home now turned into a museum beside the ochre-coloured castle walls. One line of his stayed with me: “The voyage is neither a leave-taking nor a home-coming – an ethereal bridge …” My own journey into the far south of the Peloponnese

A territorial recruitment center denied a man a deferment from military conscription during mobilization, despite his claim that he needed to support his mother, who has a Group II disability. The decision was based on the fact that the man has a sister who may also provide care for their mother. The man filed a claim with the Ternopil Administrative Court. He asked the court to declare the recruitment center’s decision unlawful and cancel it. He also requested that the court require the

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 — A decision to limit a satellite network used by Ukraine for military communications and drone missions originated within the White House, according to two U.S. officials and a Western official familiar with the matter. The officials said Defense Department leaders were informed that SpaceX’s Starshield service, which supports the Ukrainian military, was to be restricted. Those speaking anonymously did not identify the White House official who made the decision or

Ukraine will restart attacks on Russian oil refineries, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, accusing the United States of pulling back support that Kyiv considers essential. The Ukrainian leader said he had paused the strikes for three days at Washington's request, even as Russia continued targeting Ukraine's energy system. “That is over,” he told the Financial Times. Zelensky also claimed that the US had reduced intelligence support related to Russian attacks in an effort to force

A 14-year-old boy has died after intense rainfall swept across Istanbul, flooding hundreds of properties, damaging roads and nearly paralysing traffic in Turkiye’s biggest city. Security camera footage showed the teenager being electrocuted in the Balat neighbourhood of Istanbul’s Fatih district after he stepped into a large puddle during the downpour. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3Pakistan and Turkiye support Saudi efforts to deter the Houthis • list 2 of 3Could new proposals from India and

Russian air raids have killed at least six people across Ukraine and cut electricity supplies to hundreds of thousands, only days after United States President Donald Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” in the war that has lasted more than four years. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces launched a “massive” attack on Ukrainian communications and energy sites, according to Russian media reports. Recommended Stories • list 1 of 3What does Trump’s proposed “energy

Portavadie, Argyll Set beside Loch Fyne on Scotland’s west coast, Portavadie was first planned as an oil-rig construction site, though the project never came to fruition. It has since become a marina resort with self-catering accommodation, a restaurant and bar, a small shop, and an extensive leisure complex. Its standout feature is thought to be Scotland’s largest heated outdoor infinity pool, looking across the water towards the Isle of Arran. Guests can also use outdoor spa pools, a sauna,

US actor RJ Mitte, widely recognised for playing Walter White’s outspoken son in the drama series Breaking Bad, has died at the age of 34. “It is with immense sadness that we confirm the tragic death of beloved actor, philanthropist and committed disability-rights advocate RJ Mitte,” his representative said in a statement. Mitte died on Monday in Brownsville, Texas. His publicist said that his death was the result of suicide. The actor, who had cerebral palsy, brought personal understanding to

December is traditionally a busy month for travel. While some holidaymakers head to Europe’s most atmospheric Christmas markets, others prefer to escape the cold and enjoy warmer weather. Travel specialists have selected 13 appealing destinations around the world where visitors can catch some winter sunshine: • Gran Canaria, Spain: the average December temperature is around +20°C, with approximately 6 hours of sunshine per day. • Cancun, Mexico: the average temperature in December reaches

Rust-red leaves and burnt sienna tones scatter across the green slopes rising from Lake Iseo, while soft autumn sunshine glitters on the water below. Monte Isola, the largest island on an Italian lake, is a rugged mix of steep cliffs, thick woodland, fishing settlements and small villages clinging to the hillsides. It has the charm of Lake Como and Lake Garda, yet without their crowds. I reach the little harbour of Peschiera Maraglio on a ferry from Sulzano, a journey of barely five minutes

KYIV/WASHINGTON, Oct. 11 - U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly declared on Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had entered an energy ceasefire that was “effective immediately,” though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he had yet to receive the agreement’s details. Moscow made no immediate comment on Trump’s statement. The announcement came after several days of pressure from the U.S. president on Kyiv to stop striking Russian oil refineries. Trump has linked those attacks to higher