Texas has become one of the most unexpected battlegrounds of the 2026 midterms. Donald Trump is returning for his third visit in a month as Democrat James Talarico leads Republican Ken Paxton in several Senate polls. A Democratic victory would end a Texas Senate drought stretching back to 1988 and shake the national fight for Congress.

Emergency blackouts have been imposed in five Ukrainian regions after Russia launched a massive missile and drone assault targeting energy infrastructure. Ukraine says 70 missiles were fired, many of them ballistic, while residential buildings and industrial sites were also hit. The attack raises fresh fears over the resilience of the country’s power grid as colder weather approaches.

A 19-year-old student has been detained after seven people were wounded in an attack at a vocational school in Ostrołęka, Poland. Two victims were reported seriously injured. Authorities have closed the school, tightened access at other city schools and begun investigating what triggered the violence, with no motive yet established.

Turkey is sending military equipment, intelligence, drone operators and defensive support to Saudi Arabia as Riyadh confronts renewed Houthi attacks. The move is the first major test of the new Mecca defence alliance and comes as Saudi-backed forces fight for control around the strategically vital Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

At least 19 people, including four children, have been killed after Russia unleashed around 70 missiles and waves of drones across Ukraine, devastating Pryluky and striking Kyiv.

Russia has confirmed a “massive strike” on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions after an overnight assault killed two people in the capital and damaged infrastructure in several cities. The attack came only hours after Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence had warned that Russia was preparing another large-scale operation.

Former German intelligence chief August Hanning has been arrested in a major espionage and attempted-treason investigation. Prosecutors allege a former BND aide supplied him with roughly 2,000 documents over several years, with classified material later used in work connected to foreign intelligence officers. The case could trigger a wider reckoning over security inside Germany’s spy service.

A seventh man has been arrested in the RAF Fairford terrorism investigation as police examine suspicious activity near the strategically important US-operated airbase. This explainer separates what police have confirmed from speculation over Iran, possible proxy activity and drone threats, while examining why American bombers were moved and what the case could mean for UK security.

France’s school revolt has become a national crisis, with hundreds of teenagers, school staff and police injured, more than 6,500 arrests and widespread disruption. This explainer examines the worst documented incidents, the damage to schools, why students are protesting, how Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is responding and what could happen next.

Houthi forces have launched two missiles at Aden International Airport as Yemen’s renewed war intensifies around Bab Al-Mandeb. No casualties were reported, but the attack comes during a major Saudi-backed counteroffensive, expanding Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia and worsening displacement across Yemen.

Eva Marie Saint has died aged 102 after one of Hollywood’s most remarkable careers. She won an Oscar for her film debut in On the Waterfront, became unforgettable opposite Cary Grant in North by Northwest and continued acting across seven decades while deliberately putting family ahead of superstardom.

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.