AFP UK

Saporischschja (AFP) – Russia launches a series of overnight strikes on Zaporizhzhia, wounding 18 people and damaging 31 apartment blocks, according to the head of the regional military administration. Donald Trump says he is sending his envoy Steve Witkoff to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow next week as the US president seeks to close out a deal to end the war in Ukraine, though European leaders remain skeptical, with French President Emmanuel Macron saying there is “clearly no Russian willingness” for a ceasefire.

Vatikanstadt (AFP) – During the General Audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Leo XIV asks the faithful to pray for his imminent apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon, which begins on 27 November with a visit to Ankara. He will then continue on to Istanbul, Iznik, and later on 30 November to Lebanon, where he will remain until 2 December.

Khost (Afghanistan) (AFP) – Hundreds of mourners attend a funeral for the victims of a strike on Afghanistan’s Khost province. Ten people were killed in the attack which the Taliban has blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad has denied any responsibility, calling the allegations “baseless”.

London (AFP) – “It’s kind of been disastrous in the last two year,” says James Fitzgerald, a London pub landlord bracing for the UK government’s November 26 budget. Fitzgerald has seen his running costs rocket, with energy prices rising in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, alongside hikes in food bills, taxes and the minimum wage.

Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Argentina’s Secretary of International Economic Relations Fernando Brun take part in a wreath-laying ceremony in homage to Argentine national hero General Jose de San Martin in Buenos Aires. Sa’ar is in Argentina on an official visit. IMAGES

Warsaw (AFP) – French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin says that US President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine “requires discussions with Europeans”. “We are not there yet,” adds Catherine Vautrin during a meeting with Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz in Warsaw.

Kyiv (Ukraine) (AFP) – Russia rains missiles and drones overnight on Kyiv, killing six people, authorities say, as three people die in Russia’s Rostov region in massive Ukrainian strikes. The heightened attacks come after US President Donald Trump initially gave Kyiv until November 27 — the American holiday of Thanksgiving — to respond to his proposal to end the fighting, a timeline and blueprint that European leaders have baulked at.

Kingston (Jamaica) (AFP) – Residents of Jamaica’s capital Kingston react after the death of reggae icon Jimmy Cliff at 81. “There is no way anybody can replace him, that’s a legend we are talking about,” says Kingston local Roja Buma.

Geneva (AFP) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk says generative AI risks becoming a “modern day Frankenstein’s monster” without proper regulation. Speaking at the 14th United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva, Turk also says that the technology holds “tremendous promise” but adds that “the threats to several human rights… are clear and present.”

Hat Yai (Thailand) (AFP) – Roads are inundated, vehicles are submerged and people wade through thigh-deep water in Hat Yai, a key economic city in Southern Thailand, as the region suffers severe flooding after days of heavy rain.

Tel Aviv (AFP) – Israel’s military chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir says the army failed “to protect the civilians of the State of Israel” on October 7, after announcing the dismissal of several senior officers over their failure to prevent the deadly Hamas attacks in 2023 attacks.

New York (AFP) – New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani tells reporters he’s “confident” he and US President Donald Trump are “establishing a productive relationship,” following their Friday meeting at the White House in Washington. “I was appreciative of the tone and the fact that both of us were looking to have a productive meeting,” Mamdani tells reporters after addressing the Union Grove Missionary Baptist Church in the Bronx.