Hundreds of Russians remain missing after Ukrainian forces entered Russia’s Kursk region in 2024. Families say the Russian government has not provided clear information, and fighting continued for months before Russian forces retook the area.
Key Facts
Ukrainian forces crossed into Russia’s Kursk region in August 2024, capturing border checkpoints and territory.
About 300 Russians are officially listed as missing, though the true number may be higher.
Around 2,000 people stayed in villages captured by Ukraine, despite nearby fighting.
Communication lines like mobile and internet were down for most of the eight months Ukraine controlled the area.
Russia accused Ukraine of war crimes, but Ukraine denied these claims.
Nearly 200 Russians asked for a safe evacuation route for civilians; no corridor was established.
Fighting destroyed about 90% of the village of Darino before Russian forces regained control.
Families formed groups to track missing loved ones but received little help from authorities.
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The BBC has decided to stop airing the UK edition of Drag Race due to financial pressures and cost-cutting plans. The show’s co-creator, Fenton Bailey, expressed concern about less representation for queer communities on TV as the program moves to a streaming service owned by its producer.
Key Facts
The BBC is cancelling Drag Race UK after the current series to save money amid a goal to cut £500 million.
Fenton Bailey, co-creator of Drag Race, says queer culture on TV is vulnerable and more at risk after this decision.
The show has been popular on BBC Three but overall TV viewing has declined, with some viewers moving to social media platforms.
World of Wonder (WOW), the production company, will continue Drag Race UK on its own streaming service called WOW Presents Plus.
Other BBC shows like Celebrity Mastermind and Live at the Apollo are also being cancelled, with over 500 job losses planned.
The BBC said the decision was made after long talks but financial pressures forced them to make difficult choices.
Bailey suggested that having control of the show’s future on a streaming platform might be better than relying on another broadcaster.
Drag Race UK launched in 2019 and had run for eight seasons with three spin-offs before the BBC decision.
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Bruxism is a condition where people grind, clench, or move their jaws in ways that can cause pain and damage teeth. Many young people are experiencing more teeth grinding, often linked to stress, and treatments like Botox injections can help reduce symptoms.
Key Facts
Bruxism includes grinding, clenching, bracing, and thrusting of the jaw.
About one in four people may have bruxism, but many don’t know it.
Dentists say more young people are showing dental problems caused by grinding.
Stress and anxiety are common causes that make people grind their teeth.
Signs of bruxism include worn or chipped teeth, morning headaches, jaw stiffness, and earache.
Grinding can happen during the day or at night, sometimes disturbing sleep.
Treatments include mouthguards and Botox injections to reduce muscle tension.
Bruxism may help release stress through muscle movements linked to the nervous system.
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Tom Felton is playing Draco Malfoy again in the Broadway show Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, nearly 15 years after his last time as the character on screen. He is excited that Rupert Grint will soon join the cast to play Ron Weasley again, and Felton says their friendship with other Harry Potter actors remains strong. A new generation is preparing to act in an HBO TV version of the Harry Potter stories.
Key Facts
Tom Felton currently plays Draco Malfoy on Broadway in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
Felton first played Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies over a decade ago.
The audience reaction to Felton’s role on Broadway has stayed strong since the show began.
Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the movies, will start playing Ron on Broadway in February.
Felton and Grint are good friends along with Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson, who played Harry and Hermione.
A new HBO television series of Harry Potter is coming out later this year with new actors for the characters.
Felton met the new Draco actor, Lox Pratt, and praised his talent and confidence.
Felton encourages the new actors to balance being fun and professional while playing these famous roles.
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Lady Justice Kate Thirlwall has finished an inquiry into how nurse Lucy Letby was able to harm babies at a hospital, focusing on hospital managers' responses, not on questioning Letby's guilt. Letby was convicted of murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more, and her convictions stand, but the report may influence further legal reviews.
Key Facts
Lucy Letby was sentenced to life in prison for murdering 7 babies and attempting to murder 7 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital in 2015-2016.
Lady Justice Thirlwall led an inquiry into how Letby committed these crimes without being stopped sooner.
The inquiry did not question Letby’s guilt and assumed she was guilty based on the courts’ decisions.
The inquiry focused on how hospital managers handled concerns and suspicions about Letby.
The report was delayed and released nearly a year later than planned.
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC), which can send cases back to the Court of Appeal, will review the report carefully.
Some, including Letby’s lawyers and an MP who supports her, asked to delay the inquiry until the CCRC made a decision, but the judge refused.
Families of the victims want the inquiry to proceed and say Letby’s convictions are the important legal fact.
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Indian singer Diljit Dosanjh made history as the first Punjabi artist to headline Wembley Stadium in London. During the concert, he performed his popular songs and connected with fans, celebrating Punjabi culture in front of a large, mainly South Asian audience.
Key Facts
Diljit Dosanjh is the first Punjabi singer to headline a concert at Wembley Stadium.
The concert included his popular hits like "G.O.A.T." and "Lover".
Dosanjh’s fans mostly came from South Asian communities but were diverse.
He is known globally and has collaborated with artists such as Ed Sheeran and Sia.
Dosanjh blends Punjabi music with rap and hip-hop styles in his performances.
He announced an upcoming concert at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India.
Dosanjh has previously performed at major events, including Coachella and the Met Gala.
Besides music, he is a Bollywood actor and active on social media.
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Celine Dion returned to the stage for her first full concert in six years after battling a rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome. She performed a sold-out show in Paris, where thousands of fans gathered to celebrate her comeback.
Key Facts
Celine Dion performed her first full concert in six years at the Plenitude Arena in Paris.
She has been battling stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes stiffness and muscle cramps.
The concert was sold out, with about 30,000 fans attending.
Dion opened the concert with the song "On ne change pas" from the 1990s.
Fans traveled from around the world, including places like Tahiti and Sao Paulo, to see her perform.
Paris held special events like costume contests and karaoke parties to celebrate her return.
Dion’s concert residency includes 26 shows projected to bring hundreds of millions of euros to the local economy.
The disorder forced Dion to cancel many shows and raised doubts about whether she would perform again.
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A CBS News photographer reflects on taking one of the most important pictures during the September 11 attacks. He talks about the experience and why the photo still matters 25 years later.
Key Facts
The photographer captured a key image of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The photo shows a significant moment from the tragedy.
The story was reported by Bradley Blackburn for CBS News.
The reflection happened 25 years after the events of 9/11.
The photographer discusses the impact and meaning of the photo over time.
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Two women from India, Meena and Minal, were adopted by different families in the Netherlands and grew up near each other. They became close friends as teenagers and recently found out through a DNA test that they are actually biological sisters.
Key Facts
Meena and Minal were born in Mumbai, India, in the early 1980s and adopted as babies by Dutch families.
They met as teenagers at a gathering for adopted children and noticed they looked and acted very similarly.
They stayed in touch for a while by writing letters but lost contact for 15 years.
In 2017, Meena took a DNA test but did not find any family matches at that time.
Minal took a DNA test in April 2024 and discovered a 100% match with Meena, confirming they share both biological parents.
They reconnected through social media in May 2024 after Minal messaged Meena with her DNA test results.
Meena and Minal met again in person in August 2024 and described the reunion as very emotional and like coming home.
Both women raised in different families yet living close to each other had no idea they were sisters for decades.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that sending European troops into Ukraine would lead to direct war with Russia. Russia continued missile and drone attacks inside Ukraine, killing civilians and damaging infrastructure. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces attacked Russian chemical plants and expressed willingness to meet Putin at an upcoming international summit.
Key Facts
Putin said sending European troops to Ukraine would mean war with Russia.
Russia carried out missile and drone strikes killing civilians in several Ukrainian cities including Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and Odesa.
Ukrainian officials reported dozens of civilians wounded and multiple buildings, including residences, damaged.
Ukrainian forces attacked chemical industry facilities in Russia’s Samara and Perm regions.
Zelenskyy is open to meeting Putin if both attend the Group of 20 summit in Miami in December.
Russian officials said Russia is ready to negotiate but will continue military actions during talks.
Polish and Moldovan border areas experienced recent Russian drone attacks.
President Trump stated he believes Putin wants to make a deal to end the war if Ukraine agrees.
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President Donald Trump surprised many by saying he would like to see a united Ireland during his visit to Ireland. However, officials said this comment does not signal a change in US policy, which still supports the Good Friday Agreement that maintains peace and cooperation between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Key Facts
President Trump expressed a desire to see Ireland unified during his visit.
Former Republican Congressman Mick Mulvaney said this is not a shift in US foreign policy.
The US remains committed to the Good Friday Agreement, a peace deal for Northern Ireland.
Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle confirmed bipartisan support for the agreement.
Trump mentioned unification could happen “eventually” but the US will not push for it now.
Trump’s speech to Irish and Irish-American business leaders mixed Irish issues with US domestic topics.
The comments may aim to appeal to Irish-American voters ahead of the US midterm elections.
Irish-American voters are not all the same and have supported both Republican and Democratic parties in different elections.
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A California scientist found a 10,000-year-old tooth from a Pacific mastodon, an ancient large mammal related to elephants. The tooth is in excellent condition and will be studied further at Stanford University to learn more about the animal and its time period.
Key Facts
The tooth belongs to a Pacific mastodon that lived more than 10,000 years ago.
It was discovered in San Mateo County, California.
Paleontologists confirmed the object was a well-preserved adult mastodon molar.
Pacific mastodons once lived in parts of the western U.S. and Mexico.
They went extinct due to climate changes and hunting by early humans.
The fossil was donated to Stanford University for carbon dating and further research.
Studying fossils helps scientists understand ancient ecosystems and predict how to protect current wildlife.
Other mastodon fossils have been found recently in New York and California.
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Ukrainian tennis player Dayana Yastremska said her family's apartment in Odesa was destroyed by a Russian missile strike. Despite the damage, a Roland Garros tennis towel survived, symbolizing a piece of the tennis world amid the attack.
Key Facts
Dayana Yastremska is a Ukrainian tennis player whose family’s apartment was hit by a Russian Kalibr cruise missile in Odesa.
The missile strike damaged a residential building, injuring 37 people, including a baby, with two people reported missing.
Yastremska shared images of the destruction on social media, showing a Roland Garros towel hanging from the wreckage.
She highlighted the contrast between the destroyed home and the surviving tennis towel as symbolic.
Yastremska is ranked 113th in women’s singles tennis and reached the Australian Open semifinals in 2024.
Russian attacks have previously damaged homes of other Ukrainian athletes, including football player Heorhiy Sudakov.
The attack included both missile and drone strikes targeting Odesa and nearby Chornomorsk.
Odesa is a key Black Sea port city in Ukraine affected by ongoing conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.
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A fire at a nursing home in Chile killed at least 16 elderly residents and forced the evacuation of 10 others. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, and Chile’s president has ordered a review of nursing home conditions across the country.
Key Facts
The fire happened at the El Edén nursing home about 640 km (400 miles) south of Santiago, Chile’s capital.
At least 16 elderly people died in the fire.
Ten other residents were evacuated safely.
The fire started around 10:30 p.m. local time and was extinguished the next morning.
Investigators do not yet know why the fire started.
Chile’s President José Antonio Kast ordered a nationwide review of nursing homes to prevent future tragedies.
Local officials are supporting the families of victims.
Police and firefighters are managing the site and ensuring safety after the fire.
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Dan Driscoll, the former U.S. Secretary of the Army, spoke in Kyiv about how Ukraine is using smart technology to change modern warfare. He praised a Ukrainian software called DELTA that helps military leaders see the battlefield more clearly and said Ukraine’s fast innovation could help it beat Russia.
Key Facts
Dan Driscoll made his first public speech since leaving the Trump administration in Kyiv at the Yalta European Strategy forum.
He praised Ukraine’s technology platform DELTA, which combines data from radars, sensors, and soldiers for better battlefield awareness.
Driscoll said DELTA is more advanced than similar U.S. military technology.
Driscoll worked with Eric Schmidt, former Google CEO, whose defense company provided drones to Ukraine.
Ukraine plans to produce millions of drones, far more than the U.S. purchases annually.
The U.S. Army recently ended a drone unit focused on learning from Ukraine’s drone warfare experience.
Driscoll resigned in August after reported disagreements with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, with no official explanation given.
During his time as Army secretary, Driscoll pushed the military to speed up getting new weapons to soldiers, influenced by the war in Ukraine and conflict with Iran.
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President Donald Trump said he would like to see a unified Ireland, meaning Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland would become one country. This idea would require agreement by the people of Northern Ireland through a vote called a referendum. Several Northern Irish leaders responded by saying the decision belongs to the people there and not to foreign leaders.
Key Facts
President Trump expressed support for a unified Ireland during his visit to Dublin on September 12, 2026.
The island of Ireland has been divided since 1921, with Northern Ireland remaining part of the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland’s future can only change if a majority vote for unification in a referendum, as set by the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.
The Democratic Unionist Party leader Gavin Robinson and Ulster Unionist Party leader Jon Burrows said the decision is for the people of Northern Ireland, not outside politicians.
The Good Friday Agreement ended decades of conflict called "The Troubles" and established peace measures, including allowing a referendum on unification only if supported locally.
The UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that a unity vote is not currently planned and supports keeping the Good Friday Agreement unchanged.
Protests occurred in Dublin against President Trump’s visit and his comments on Irish unification.
During his trip, President Trump met with Irish leaders and attended a golf event at one of his resorts.
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The conflict between the United States and Iran has continued for over six months, involving military actions and economic impacts. Claims of progress are unverified, and it is unclear how far each side will go before escalating the conflict further.
Key Facts
The conflict between the U.S. and Iran has lasted more than six months.
Military exchanges have taken place during this time.
Economic volatility has occurred alongside the military actions.
Reports of success from either side are not confirmed.
Neither side has clearly defined limits for escalating the conflict.
The situation remains uncertain and tense.
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The U.S. military has redirected 100 commercial ships in the past 60 days as part of a blockade against Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is a key waterway for global oil and gas shipments, and tensions remain high between the U.S. and Iran over control and security in the area.
Key Facts
The U.S. Navy has not allowed any ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz without its permission during the blockade.
The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow sea passage critical for global petroleum and natural gas transport.
The U.S. operation aims to enforce a blockade on Iran as part of President Donald Trump’s maximum-pressure strategy.
Iran opposes the U.S.-led blockade, arguing that regional countries should manage security, not outside powers.
Iran and Oman are discussing ship passage and plan to update Gulf countries on their talks concerning safe navigation through the Strait.
No formal agreement on shipping rules through the Strait is expected soon, as regional talks continue without resolution.
Recent weeks have seen attacks on ships and military skirmishes between U.S. and Iranian forces in the area.
The U.S. says the mission protects international shipping, while Iran calls it military aggression and a blockade against lawful trade.
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Two weekends of protests took place in Portsmouth against immigration after a small boat with 140 asylum seekers was intercepted nearby. Police arrested three people and managed to keep most of the demonstrations peaceful, with both far-right protesters and counter-protesters present.
Key Facts
A small boat carrying 140 asylum seekers was caught near Portsmouth last Sunday.
Far-right activists protested against immigration in Portsmouth for two weekends in a row.
Police arrested three people: a 76-year-old man for hiding his identity, a 33-year-old man for blocking a highway, and a 16-year-old boy for violent disorder.
Police enforced a law requiring protesters to keep their faces uncovered.
Counter-protesters held banners supporting refugees and opposing racism.
Hundreds gathered in Glasgow for related protests and counter-protests, kept separate by police.
Police said the protests were mostly peaceful compared to previous violent events.
Local officials emphasized the need for public safety and fair law enforcement during protests.
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Bulgaria is investigating a fire and explosions at a private ammunition storage site run by EMCO, a weapons company supplying Ukraine. EMCO called the fire sabotage and denied any accident, while Bulgarian officials said outside interference has not been ruled out.
Key Facts
The fire happened at EMCO’s ammunition facility near Gorni Varpishta in central Bulgaria.
No one was hurt in the fire or the explosions that followed.
EMCO stated that the storage site had not been used for months and had passed safety inspections recently.
The company said sabotage is likely and dismissed the idea of human error.
EMCO is owned by Emilian Gebrev, who was reportedly targeted in a poisoning attempt linked to Russian agents in 2015.
Bulgaria supplies weapons to Ukraine, even though it recently stopped state-owned arms shipments; private companies like EMCO still send weapons.
Similar attacks and suspicious fires have happened at Bulgarian defense companies for over a decade.
Several European countries are seeing sabotage incidents, which many blame on Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
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