Russia has struck Kyiv again, damaging buildings and warehouse sites in the Ukrainian capital while a separate attack hit an industrial facility in Dnipro. The new wave came only hours after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence showed Russia was preparing a “massive attack”.

This episode examines what is confirmed about the latest strikes, why the timing matters, and why it is still too early to say whether the larger assault Ukraine warned about has fully begun. It also looks at the growing pressure on Kyiv’s air defences, Russia’s increasingly persistent aerial campaign and the expanding long-range war as Ukraine launches major drone attacks deep inside Russia.

Follow Taylor Tailored for clear, evidence-led analysis of the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war.

JD Vance has set out a concrete US condition for ending the war with Iran: Tehran must meaningfully reduce its uranium-enrichment capacity. The demand moves negotiations beyond promises and towards measurable nuclear restrictions, as Washington and Tehran continue exchanging proposals over sanctions, Hormuz and the terms of a possible settlement.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says updated Ukrainian intelligence indicates Russia is preparing a massive new attack. Kyiv is strengthening electronic warfare and readying its air defences as Moscow separately promises intensified strikes. Here is what has been confirmed, what remains unknown and why Ukraine’s supply of defensive weapons could determine how well it withstands the next barrage.

Lithuania has taken a preliminary step towards removing its ban on hosting nuclear weapons, prompting a warning from the Kremlin. No nuclear deployment has been agreed, but the move could give Vilnius greater flexibility inside NATO’s deterrence system as tensions with Russia intensify around Belarus, Kaliningrad and the Baltic region.

Kenya has confirmed its first imported Ebola case after a traveller from Congo died in Nairobi. Contacts are being traced as the Bundibugyo outbreak passes 8,000 infections and 4,000 deaths in Congo. The case is a serious cross-border warning — but the evidence does not show that Ebola is becoming another COVID-style pandemic.

Halle Berry’s custody dispute with Olivier Martinez has escalated dramatically after allegations of physical abuse, a temporary restraining order and competing requests over their teenage son. Berry denies choking or deliberately hurting Maceo and is now asking the court to restore their former 50/50 arrangement while accusing Martinez of fuelling conflict between mother and son.

A merchant ship has sunk and its crew remains missing after aerial and sea drones struck two commercial vessels inside Bulgaria’s Black Sea exclusive economic zone. The attack marks an unprecedented threat to shipping near a NATO and EU state, but its location outside territorial waters and the unresolved identity of the attacker make the legal and military implications more complicated.

Britain and Israel are nearing a diplomatic showdown over the UK consulate in East Jerusalem. If London expels Israeli diplomats, Donald Trump could face pressure to intervene. Recent White House decisions suggest strong support for Israel does not automatically translate into backing every Israeli position on West Bank settlements.

More than 650 Ukrainian drones were sent towards Moscow and the surrounding region overnight, according to Russian authorities. Two people were killed, homes were damaged, airports halted flights and a major fuel hub was reportedly hit. The assault shows how rapidly the deep-strike drone war is moving into Russia’s political and economic heartland.

Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the US House, has died aged 84. Once one of Washington’s most powerful figures, his political legacy was destroyed after a federal case exposed sexual abuse committed during his earlier career as a high-school wrestling coach and led to a prison sentence.

Lord Jeffrey Archer has died aged 86 after a five-decade writing career that sold more than 300 million books worldwide. The Kane and Abel author died peacefully at home between writing sessions, just one day before his final novel, Adam & Eve, was due to be published. His life spanned bestselling fiction, Conservative politics, scandal, prison and an extraordinary return to writing.

Robert Kelker-Kelly, best known for playing Bo Brady in Days Of Our Lives, has died aged 62. The veteran soap actor also appeared in Another World and General Hospital before building a career as a professional pilot. Here is what is known about his death and the television roles that made him a familiar face to millions.

Olivia Rodrigo has condemned Cornell University and backed Jane Doe, the former student whose lawsuit alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by seven fraternity members in 2024. The intervention comes as New York’s attorney general takes over the reopened criminal investigation and Cornell faces mounting questions over its original response.

Donald Trump says the United States is prepared to help Russia after a mysterious death at a Siberian plague research institute triggered quarantines and international monitoring. Pneumonic plague can spread between people and become deadly quickly, but the central facts remain unresolved. Here is what would have to happen for this scare to become something much larger.

Jordan Pickford has pleaded guilty to driving without due care or attention after an April incident involving his Lamborghini Urus in Knutsford. Court documents say two motorists had to brake sharply before police followed the England goalkeeper along Toft Road. He will appear at Chester Magistrates’ Court in December to present mitigation before sentencing.

The US trial of Abu Agila Mohammad Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi has been reset for January 2027 after newly disclosed evidence forced an eleventh-hour postponement. The former Libyan intelligence operative denies building the bomb that destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people.

The International Criminal Court has unsealed arrest warrants for four senior Taliban leaders, including supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada. Judges allege the men ordered, induced or solicited gender persecution against women, girls and others targeted under Taliban policies. The decision reveals more of the legal case while leaving one major problem unresolved: all four suspects remain at large.

A Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 carrying 25 passengers and seven crew members has crashed near Igbokoda in Ondo State after disappearing from radar on a routine flight to Lagos. President Bola Tinubu has mourned those aboard and ordered an investigation as authorities begin examining why aircraft NGR 931 went down.

Taylor Swift made an unannounced Saturday Night Live appearance during Dakota Johnson’s opening monologue, where the pair joked about Johnson’s dating history and Swift’s supposed role as her “literal therapist”. The singer later returned with a birthday cake, capping a cameo that reunited the friends just days after their “Patient Zero” collaboration.

The United States is monitoring a Siberian health scare after a 28-year-old employee of Russia’s Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute died from pneumonia of unknown cause. Russian officials say tests have not linked her illness to laboratory pathogens, but quarantines and medical observation of contacts have intensified scrutiny over what happened.