New designation of the Land of Standing-Up Rocks, known for its historic rock spires, passed with bipartisan support
An area of towering rock spires in south-eastern Arizona known among Native Americans as the Land of Standing-Up Rocks has become the nation’s newest national park.
Legislation to create Chiricahua national park was sent to the White House and Donald Trump signed it on Tuesday. It passed Congress with bipartisan backing and is now the 64th US national park.
USDA says screwworm found in elk in Texas, and warns hunters and ranchers to be vigilant to help stop spread
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday it had confirmed the first detection of flesh-eating parasite the New World screwworm in US wildlife in an elk in Pecos county, Texas.
The elk was located on a game ranch and was reported after being harvested by a hunter, the USDA said in a statement.
Person named ‘K’ from China paid five defendants to injure Huang Yi-hao, New Taipei prosecutors say
Taiwanese prosecutors have charged five men over a plot to ram a car into a comedian who made fun of the Chinese Communist party and Xi Jinping.
Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of transnational repression to silence critics on the self-governed island, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take by force if necessary.
Talks in Oslo made ‘meaningful progress’ toward engaging Russia, a US official said. What we know on day 1,701
US envoy Steve Witkoff will meet Russian president Vladimir Putin on Wednesday after what a US official called “constructive” talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Norway. The US official said Ukraine brought forward new ideas and proposals to the Oslo talks, which also involved the leaders of Norway and Finland and European and Nato representatives, and that participants made “meaningful progress” toward a coordinated approach to engaging Russia.
The official, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said the talks covered “key elements of a comprehensive peace framework”, including security guarantees for Ukraine, a postwar economic plan and a broader European security architecture. Witkoff would aim to “create a pathway toward direct trilateral and broader multilateral negotiations”, the official said. US president Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Ukraine to make a deal to settle the war with Russia. “Ukraine has to want to settle this war,” Trump told reporters.
Zelenskyy travelled to Oslo seeking to repair relations with Washington, which have sunk to new lows. Trump’s recent gestures toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, have sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals. Zelenskyy said he had discussed “Article 5-like” security guarantees, referring to the Nato stipulation that an attack on one ally is an attack on all. “I am thankful to the American side that they underlined again that it will be strong,” he said.
Elon Musk last week ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service that Ukraine relies on, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing US officials and people familiar with the matter. Musk, SpaceX and the White House did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment. Ukraine uses the service – known as Starshield – for battlefield communications and drone operations. Restricting the satellite service hampered the country’s attack and air defence drone missions against Russia.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth meanwhile insisted Tuesday that the Pentagon had not directed any changes to Starshield, saying: “We haven’t pulled anything back.” “Nothing’s changed from our view. We haven’t made any directives or anything like that,” he said. On Friday, Trump said he did not request any curbs to Starshield. “It wasn’t me. And I don’t think it was Elon,” Trump said. Musk previously said that “any limits on speed or usage” of Starshield systems were “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Nato said Tuesday it was deploying additional planes, drones and radar systems to the Black Sea after a string of attacks on ships near Romania and Bulgaria in the latest spillover from Russia’s war on Ukraine. “Allies have or will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems, explosive exploitation teams, intelligence personnel, drones, and more to the Black Sea,” said Col Martin O’Donnell, a Nato spokesperson. “The most important thing we can do, however, is to increase our situational awareness in the region through increased sensors and data sharing,” he added.
The Russian military struck three cargo vessels in Ukraine’s port of Reni and two other cargo vessels en route to Odesa, Russia’s defence ministry said on Tuesday. Russian forces also hit two logistics hubs in the Volyn region and in the city of Khmelnitskiy, it said, adding that the vessels and hubs were all being used for military purposes. Russia also unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine on Tuesday, killing at least nine people, officials said.
The Kremlin said Tuesday that work was under way to ease the humanitarian situation in the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky in southern where residents have reported a worsening food crisis. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Putin had discussed the situation in Oleshky with Trump and told him that Russia’s human rights commissioner was engaged on the issue.
Ukrainian president tells US senators the delayed missiles have already been paid for by European countries, amid growing rift. What we know on day 1,700
Alex Tait on a proposed amendment to the representation of the people bill, and Dr Joseph Mullen on Russian interference in the Brexit referendum
Andy Burnham’s comments about Russian interference in Brexit (Report, 11 October) and the warning by the MI5 chief, Ken McCallum, against exaggerating its impact (Report, 13 October) risk overlooking another serious threat to electoral integrity: disinformation from our own political parties and campaigners.
Foreign interference deserves scrutiny, but misleading factual claims in electoral advertising are unregulated, unlike in commercial advertising. We have four sets of rules to ensure an advert for a packet of sausages is accurate, but none for the most important advertising of all – ads that influence how we vote.
US military says Tech Sgt Ian Patterson was killed after he fell from rafters at University of Texas at San Antonio game
The US military has identified the air force officer who died after he fell from the rafters of the Alamodome during a rappelling demonstration before the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA)’s home game against Navy on Saturday.
He was Tech Sgt Ian Patterson, a tactical air control party instructor assigned to the sixth combat training squadron, detachment two, at Joint Base San Antonio.
An alleged gunman with “shaggy hair” has been arrested following reports of a confrontation about an allegedly stolen car which was set on fire prompting him to flee the scene.
The 32-year-old man was arrested late Sunday in Sydney’s inner west, after being on the run since Friday morning, following an appeal by the police.
Prime minister Mark Carney describes blaze as ‘one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime’
Four people have been killed and dozens more seriously injured after a “violent, fast-moving” fire tore through one of Canada’s busiest military training bases in Alberta, the country’s prime minister said on Sunday.
Mark Carney called the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”.
Ukraine’s Zelenskyy expects Trump to lift more sanctions against Russia. What we know on day 1,698
US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that US President DonaldTrump’s waiver of sweeping sanctions and tariffs on Russia would be a 60-day pause to “analyse” their impact on the global economy. Rubio said also no one at the White House ordered the slow down of the speed of Ukraine’s access to Starlink to prevent it from being used on drones flying faster than 100mph, referring to Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet network.
“The president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the US economy,” Rubio said, noting that the economic restrictions involved a number of countries, not just Russia. Pointing to high energy prices and the Iran war, “we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is,” he said.
Trump’s abrupt decision to waive sanctions on Russia days before they were to take effect drew outrage Saturday from members of Congress, which had overwhelmingly passed the legislation. Republican Senator Rick Scott said it was clear Russia was the aggressor, and said the US had “to do everything we can to put economic pressure on Russia”. On social media, fellow Republican Thom Tillis described the move as “beyond irresponsible” and a capitulation “to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine”.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyyexpects the Trump administration to lift more sanctions against Russia in the futureand has called for Europe to establish its own negotiations with Moscow as the US has sought better ties and business deals with the Kremlin. “Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue, and I believe that the ‘diesel deal’ is the first step,” said Zelenskyy on Saturday. “Unfortunately, it seems to me that this cannot stop Putin; on the contrary, he feels joy and happiness that he has such support.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, had met Friday with US presidential envoy Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Zelenskyy said the US was working to arrange a three-way meeting involving him, Trump and Putin, potentially in the Middle East, Europe or the US.
Russian air defence units intercepted and destroyed nearly 200 Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow on Saturday, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. Sobyanin, in a long series of online posts, noted that 195 drones had been destroyed since midnight, with emergency crews examining debris on the ground. Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, said two Moscow airports – Domodedovo and Vnukovo – had suspended flight operations.
Romania said Saturday it shot down two Russian drones over the Black Sea, the latest in a spate of incidents believed to be spillover from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ships have been attacked in recent days by drones in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania and Bulgaria.
Pete Crockett says the history of British education is not simply one of children dutifully accepting adult instruction, while Simon Dawson saysKitty Sayersmisses the mark when describing English attitudes. Plus a letter from Kevin Donnelly
At Marlborough college, troops were once summoned to dislodge rebellious pupils occupying an island in the school grounds. In the late 1700s, Winchester college experienced several rebellions.
UK defence secretary says Pete Hegseth assured him satellite communications system back up and running in Ukraine. What we know on day 1,696
Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink had been restored, according to UK defence secretary Wes Streeting. Ukraine said Starlink services had been restricted on Wednesday, hampering the country’s attack and air-defence drone missions, and triggering a new rift between Washington and Kyiv. On Thursday, Streeting said his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, had assured him in a face-to-face meeting that the vital satellite communications system was back up and running. He said it was unclear what had caused the disruption, but added: “This is not the first time we’ve seen a falling out between Washington and Kyiv.”
The order to limit Starlink access came from inside the White House, according to a report by Reuters, citing two US officials and a western official briefed on the matter. The officials said leaders at the defence department received a message that the service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not specify who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing the order. The Pentagon is the biggest customer of Starshield, which is the military-grade version of the Starlink service.
Amid growing doubts about long-term US commitment to Ukraine, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Nato chief Mark Rutte in Brussels and held a string of bilateral meetings with European leaders before he was set to join an EU summit on Friday. French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said it was “crucial” that Ukraine receive “all the means necessary to protect itself” after meeting Zelenskyy. “I can reassure you, dear Ukrainian friends and President Zelenskyy: YOU ARE NOT ALONE,” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk posted online.
Vladimir Putin has said that recent Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries had not caused significant damage and vowed that Moscow would respond. “They hit here and there. Nothing particularly significant. Nevertheless they are carrying on,” the Russian president was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. His comments came after a major Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region on Thursday morning, according to the regional governor. It was the first confirmed Ukrainian attack on a Russian energy facility since US president Donald Trump abruptly declared an “energy ceasefire” that neither Russia nor Ukraine said they had agreed to.
The US treasury department has extended a sanctions waiver on Russian oil company Lukoil for service stations outside Russia through April 2027. Thursday’s announcement allows Lukoil-branded stations in countries like the US to continue serving customers until 24 April next year. The extension comes a week after Trump said he had secured an agreement with Russia to supply diesel to American and global markets, with the US treasury issuing a temporary licence to enable flows. The latest licence, like an earlier one, does not allow the “transfer of funds to any person or account located in the Russian Federation”.
Three people were killed and six others injured after the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine came under a Russian drone attack lasting more than 10 hours, Ukraine’s emergency services said Thursday. Between midnight and Thursday morning, Russia launched more than 850 drones at Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on X. He added that the barrage came “precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted,” an apparent reference to the Starlink restrictions on drones. Russian aerial attacks hit 15 Ukrainian regions, he said.
A Russian strike last year is estimated to have inflicted tens of millions worth of damage to the site of the nuclear power plant. What we know on day 1,695
Britain will provide £17m ($23m) to fund critical repairs to the Chornobyl power plant hit by a Russian drone attack, as Andy Burnham seeks to bolster support for Ukraine amid doubts about long-term US commitment. The UK will help restore its protective shelter and ventilation, which were damaged by an attack last year, amid concerns that corrosion could create longer-term environmental and safety risks, the chancellor and foreign secretary announced on Thursday. The pledge comes after Burnham hosted Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Downing Street, where he told the Ukrainian president the UK was “behind you and that will not change”.
The meeting came during a period of strained relations between Kyiv and Washington after it emerged that Ukraine’s military has had its access to Elon Musk’s Starlink technology throttled in key areas, in effect rendering most of the drones used to strike behind the frontlines inoperable and reducing its air defences.
Russia is already at war with Nato, a former top commander of the military alliance has said. Retired four-star general Curtis Scaparrotti, who served as Nato’s supreme allied commander Europe from 2016 to 2019, warned there was a long-term plan behind the Kremlin’s “spurious activities” against member countries and stressed the need to protect critical facilities. “If you looked at it from their spectrum, we’re at war with Russia today, within the alliance, because they’re taking actions that are intended to undermine individual countries’ capability to support warfare, undermine their civilians’ confidence in their own government or within Nato, and to break Nato,” he said in Washington.
The US proposed European countries unfreeze some Russian sovereign assets and transfer them to a vehicle overseen by Washington in an attempt to revive peace talks, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. European delegates reportedly rebuffed the plan from US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Questions over the future of support in Europe for Ukraine were highlighted on Wednesday by surging far-right parties. France’sMarine Le Pen, who on current polling is predicted to win next year’s presidential vote, said Paris cannot keep financing Ukraine due to the “perilous” state of the euro zone’s second-biggest economy. Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the small leftist BSW party joined forces on Wednesday to pass a symbolic motion in the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt calling for an end to Berlin’s military support for Ukraine. The motion has no practical effect, because state parliaments have no role in foreign policy.
Shares in European satellite operator Eutelsat have soared following news of Ukraine’s difficulties with Starlink technology, fuelled by investor bets that European providers could benefit from growing strains between Washington and Kyiv. But experts say Europe does not have a ready-made alternative that Ukrainian soldiers could attach to their drones. Christian Freiherr von der Ropp, an independent satellite consultant, said Eutelsat’s OneWeb network was not well suited to wartime use and would require the replacement of thousands of Starlink terminals. European defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius said at a conference in Brussels on Wednesday that the continent was quite dependent on American space capabilities. “The answer to that situation is to develop our own capabilities,” he said.
Dozens of people detained after government building and two banks set on fire as tens of thousands march over education costs and corruption
Tens of thousands of students have taken to the streets of Tirana, the Albanian capital, setting alight a government building and two banks and hurling stones at police during a protest over rising education costs and corruption.
Police responded with water cannon and teargas to disperse protesters who started a fire at the ministry of education building, overturned bins and smashed the fronts of local businesses. A branch of Raiffeisen Bank near the education ministry also caught fire.
Donald Trump has denied intelligence sharing with Ukraine had stopped, while demanding that Kyiv halts strikes on Russian refineries. What we know on day 1,694
A Russian ballistic missile struck a power plant in Kyiv on Tuesday evening without Ukraine receiving advance warning from its western allies, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The president said Ukraine’s systems picked up the missiles only as they were nearing the city. “This is absolutely unjust: when they are destroying our infrastructure, and Ukraine is not even receiving early warnings about ballistic missile launches,” he added. US officials made explicit threats over the weekend to their Ukrainian counterparts that the Trump administration was on the brink of halting intelligence sharing with Kyiv.
Donald Trump has denied intelligence sharing had stopped, telling reporters on Tuesday: “We are helping them, and we are sharing intel. We want the war to end, so we’re working with them and Russia on getting the war to end.” Trump has demanded that Ukraine stop attacking Russian oil refineries and has blamed Zelenskyy for the rise in fuel prices in the US. On Friday the US president announced a deal with Vladimir Putin to import diesel from Russia, dropping previous US sanctions.
Two people also died in a strike on a high-rise apartment building in the capital on Tuesday night, according to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, who said apartments were on fire and being evacuated. A further 21 injuries were reported. Emergency crews were battling fires in apartments throughout the building and residents were being evacuated.
Zelenskyy has said he has proposed new talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. The proposal follows talks in the US last week at which Witkoff and Kushner told a Ukrainian delegation that a deal allowing Russian diesel exports was aimed at drawing Moscow back to negotiations. In a video address on Tuesday night, Zelenskyy also reiterated that Ukraine supported president Donald Trump’s proposed energy truce as long as Russia observed it. “Our team has sent the American side the relevant proposals regarding possible next meetings and conversations,” he said.
Trump is facing cross-party calls on Capitol Hill to ditch his controversial diesel deal with Russia. A group of six Republican and six Democrat senators has jointly warned that the lifting of sanctions to allow Moscow to sell the fuel is “a gift to our adversary and a betrayal of our allies”. The US president has defended the decision as he seeks to increase supply and so bring down soaring pump prices ahead of critical stateside elections next month, which will decide control of Congress.
The EU has opened new areas of negotiations with Ukraine, marking a key step in Kyiv’s long path to join the bloc. Ukraine took a step forward in its membership bid on Tuesday, opening talks on internal market and competitiveness standards, Irish minister of state for European affairs Thomas Byrne said, after Hungary dropped its objections. The move came after Ukrainian lawmakers passed legislation protecting the rights of the Hungarian-speaking minority in western Ukraine, which has long caused tensions with Budapest. Hungary had blocked Ukraine’s EU membership bid, officially submitted days after Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Suspected Russian drones struck two cargo ships off Bulgaria on Tuesday, sinking one vessel and leaving 11 sailors missing in the latest spillover from the Ukraine war in the Black Sea. Bulgarian prime minister Rumen Radev summoned the Russian ambassador after drones struck a Ukrainian-owned cargo ship, the Chelsea 3, while another vessel, the Guinea-Bissau-flagged cargo ship Dignity, was also hit and sank farther north off the coast. Radev called the attacks “absolutely unacceptable” and said Bulgaria was seeking Nato and EU assistance. EU chief Ursula von der Leyen called the attacks “another front of escalation of the Russian war in Ukraine”.
The Russian Defence Ministry on Tuesday said its air defences overnight shot down 604 Ukrainian drones across the country and the Sea of Azov. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 417 drones targeted the Moscow region. Most were downed far away, while 65 were intercepted as they approached the Russian capital. A school, two private houses and a car were damaged in the attack in the Kaluga region southwest of Moscow, governor Vladislav Shapsha said.
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