Thursday briefing: Thanks to an erratic Trump, peace in Ukraine is still far away

In today’s newsletter: As Russia resists a ceasefire and Trump’s shifting priorities unsettle allies, an end to the conflict isn’t getting any closer

Good morning. In his usual asinine unconventional approach to international relations, Donald Trump announced on Sunday (via Truth Social, how else) an “ENERGY CEASEFIRE in the War between Russia and Ukraine”, apparently without checking with either side. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said any such deal was “news to me,” nonetheless declared he was “ready and we will accept it”. Vladimir Putin responded by blowing up some Ukrainian power plants.

This has been the tenor of much diplomacy during Trump’s tenure: false starts, U-turns, incoherent positions (and some playful flirting with Vlad). Meanwhile fighting continues, and America’s allies attempt to manage the fallout. Andy Burnham hosted Zelenskyy at Downing Street yesterday, stating the UK is doubling down on its support for Ukraine, and pointedly calling on others to “follow suit”.

UK | Sally Rooney has said she is being forced to withdraw her books from sale in the UK because of her support for the banned organisation Palestine Action.

Gaza | Israel is refusing to allow a key military outpost project for Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to proceed in Gaza, the Guardian has learned.

EU | Britain will benefit from much closer trading relations with the EU even if that means giving up its ability to negotiate free trade agreements, the Scotland secretary has said.

Ukraine | Ukraine’s military has suddenly had its access to Starlink satellite internet terminals restricted as the Trump administration has increased pressure on Ukraine to immediately halt long-range strikes on Russia’s oil industry.

Vaccine | Guinea-Bissau has not approved the controversial hepatitis B study in newborns that would be funded by the US government and private partners, the African country’s minister of health said.

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‘Manosphere’ podcasts and moon-landing conspiracy theories to remain online under new laws, Wells says

Communications minister rebuts claims that Labor’s digital duty of care laws would lead to government control of speech

Australians could still “listen to manosphere podcasts” or “say the moon landing was fake” under proposed new online safety laws, Anika Wells has stressed as she rubbished claims they would lead to government censorship

The communications minister also said she was considering updates to the digital duty of care laws to allow individual Australians to directly sue big tech companies flouting the new rules. This has been a key demand from the Greens for their support for the laws, while the Coalition accuses Labor of plans to “secretly control Australian speech”.

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Parents of Chloe Moffat want Treasury staff held to account over her death

Exclusive: David and Anne Moffat to meet permanent secretary after coroner found Treasury ‘materially contributed’ to employee taking her own life

The parents of a woman who killed herself after facing disciplinary proceedings at the Treasury will call for anyone found to have contributed to their daughter’s death to be held to account.

A coroner found in August that the Treasury had “materially contributed” to Chloe Moffat’s death after the 26-year-old personal assistant was called into a surprise disciplinary meeting about anonymous complaints alleging she had disclosed sensitive information at work, which she denied.

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Victoria to become first state to make abortions free as Coalition matches Labor election promise

Exclusive: Out-of-pocket costs for abortion care to be covered regardless of who wins November election as Jess Wilson says Liberals and Nationals ‘will not allow Labor to play politics on this issue’

Victoria will become the first state in Australia to make access to abortion care free, no matter who wins the November election, with the Coalition matching Labor’s promise just hours after it was announced as it attempts to neutralise the issue.

The opposition leader, Jess Wilson, on Thursday afternoon told Guardian Australia a Liberal National Coalition government would match Labor’s commitment to cover out-of-pocket costs for abortion care up to 16 weeks’ gestation. This would include GP and specialist consultations, scans, tests or medication, which can quickly add up to more than $1,000.

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Greens senator Jordon Steele-John takes leave amid investigation into complaints

Steele-John said he rejected the claims and had referred them to the Western Australian Greens for a ‘fair, independent process’

Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has taken leave from the party room after complaints were made, triggering an independent review.

The Nine newspapers reported on Thursday afternoon that seven party members demanded an investigation into allegations he made inappropriate comments to a number of women between 2017 and 2025.

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Verse from the waste land: Rotterdam’s poetic bin lorries granted cultural status

Lyrical lines printed on side of city’s fleet of rubbish trucks now recognised as one of Netherlands’ proud traditions

It is best known for its rich migration history and striking modern architecture. But now the Dutch city of Rotterdam is seeking recognition for a rather different characteristic: its tradition of printing poetry on bin trucks.

Since a poetry festival first came up with the idea in 1988, lines of verse have been printed on all of the city’s waste vehicles. The practice was this week elevated to the status of intangible cultural heritage, with formal recognition from a Dutch body that guards the nation’s traditions.

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Brazil cuts work week to 40 hours in win for Lula ahead of runoff

Congress approves constitutional amendment that bans six-day workweeks, which could effect up to 30 million

Brazil’s congress has approved a constitutional amendment to shorten the working week to a maximum of 40 hours, a move that could affect 30 million workers and that will hand a political victory to the leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva ahead of the presidential runoff in under two weeks.

In an attempt to overturn the first-round lead secured by his opponent, far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula has strongly championed the amendment, which will give some workers an extra day off each week.

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Pope Leo’s recovery from lung cancer surgery ‘progressing as planned’

Pontiff has begun walking in his hospital room and is eating normally after operation to remove growth, doctors say

Pope Leo’s recovery from a lung cancer operation is progressing as planned, his doctors have said, as the pontiff received good wishes from around the world, including from Britain’s King Charles.

Leo, who had a cancerous mass removed from his right lung late on Tuesday, began walking in his hospital room after respiratory therapy on Wednesday. He was eating normally, his doctors Luigi Carbone and Stefano Margaritoria said in a statement issued by the Vatican.

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Lawyers for man shot by ICE in New York City say agent did not identify himself

Account by Oscar Belgal differs sharply from that of DHS agents, who fired into vehicle with young boy in back seat

Lawyers for a man wounded by an immigration officer while driving with his young son in New York City said in a court filing Wednesday that the agent who shot him never identified himself before he ran up to the car, smashed one of its windows, then fired several shots into the vehicle.

The account by lawyers for Oscar Belgal contrasted sharply with the version of events outlined by Department of Homeland Security officials. They have said officers opened fire only after Belgal smashed his car into two government vehicles and “accelerated toward other officers”.

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Ilhan Omar’s phone seized and relatives subpoenaed in criminal inquiry, source says

Federal authorities issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas in inquiry into potential immigration fraud

Federal authorities investigating the Minnesota representative Ilhan Omar seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the inquiry.

The subpoenas were issued for a grand jury collecting evidence in Minnesota as federal authorities investigate potential fraud in Omar’s immigration paperwork, said the person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation. The investigation led to federal agents searching Omar’s Washington DC home on Monday just weeks before the November midterms, in which Omar is seeking re-election.

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Pope Leo slept well after cancer surgery, but recovery could take ‘longer than expected’ – NBC News

  1. Pope Leo slept well after cancer surgery, but recovery could take ‘longer than expected’  NBC News
  2. ‘A bolt from the blue’: Shock cancer diagnosis raises uncertainty for Leo’s papacy  CNN
  3. What's the Pope's prognosis?  NPR
  4. A New World of Lung Cancer Therapy Awaits Pope Leo  The New York Times
  5. Pope Leo XIV undergoes successful lung surgery  Vatican News
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Burnham treads carefully in Zelensky visit, balancing Trump and Ukraine – BBC

  1. Burnham treads carefully in Zelensky visit, balancing Trump and Ukraine  BBC
  2. Zelenskiy receives full-throated UK support after Trump turns on him  Reuters
  3. CNBC Daily Open: Zelenskyy heads to UK for talks on fresh support  CNBC
  4. Britain stands behind Zelenskyy, says Streeting after Trump’s call for new leader in Ukraine  The Guardian
  5. Burnham tells Zelenskyy’s UK’s support for Ukraine ‘will not change’ – as it happened  The Guardian
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Zimbabwean author Simbarashe Kundizeza denies using AI to write prize-winning story

Article in Atlantic claims The Blue Fighter was artificially generated, days after it won Caine prize for African writers

The Zimbabwean writer Simbarashe Kundizeza has denied using AI to write a prize-winning short story after an article in the Atlantic said software had flagged it as almost completely AI-generated.

Kundizeza’s story The Blue Fighter was announced as the winner of the prestigious Caine prize for African writers on 6 October. Five days later, The Atlantic published an article by the author and journalist Vauhini Vara titled: “Yet Another Literary prize winner Seems to Be AI.”

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Sir Trevor Phillips urges CBS News colleagues to give critics blunt riposte – The Guardian

  1. Sir Trevor Phillips urges CBS News colleagues to give critics blunt riposte  The Guardian
  2. CBS’ Foreign Explosion  Status
  3. Read the Details From the ‘Unhinged’ Tantrum of Bari Weiss’s Pro-Israel Foreign Chief  Zeteo | Substack
  4. Bari Weiss’ Foreign Editor Threatens CBS Correspondent in Clash Over Citing Palestinian Gaza Deaths  TheWrap
  5. Bari Weiss’ Handpicked Editor Clashes With Holly Williams, Threatens Firings as Oct. 7 Coverage Dispute Leaks  IMDb
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Iran-backed Houthis struck Saudi oil giant Aramco’s executive offices, officials say – AP News

  1. Iran-backed Houthis struck Saudi oil giant Aramco’s executive offices, officials say  AP News
  2. Live Updates: Houthis launch new attack on Saudi capital as Trump mulls U.S. role in Mideast war's new front  CBS News
  3. ‘Things are about to get worse,’ ex-U.S. energy official warns after attack on Saudi oil giant  MS NOW
  4. Yemen's Houthis vow more attacks on Saudi airports, oil facilities after Aramco HQ hit  Reuters
  5. Saudi Energy Giant Struck as War Spikes Between Houthis and Saudi Arabia  The New York Times
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