Is the war entering a new phase? Ukraine released video of strikes on 20 Russian vessels in the Black Sea, including 17 oil tankers, two gas tankers and a tugboat, in a large-scale drone operation. Kyiv says it has targeted 136 ships linked to Russia's shadow fleet across the Black and Azov seas in the past 10 days. Pezeshkian vows Iran will defend'every inch' of its territory The history of the US and Iraq's complicated relationship

President Donald Trump says Vladimir Putin is "ready to make a deal" to end the Ukraine war, even as Russia warns Western troops enforcing any ceasefire would become military targets.

Check your subscription status, update your details and more. Can you guess the origin of 7 tiny species on a fictional archipelago? Late last year, between one news event and another (honestly, who can remember?), Feedback was delighted to discover the Journal of Imaginary Research . This is an online magazine publishing "short works of fiction", but only if they take the form of "imaginary research abstracts".

Long-range drone and missile strikes on Russian soil have shifted the balance of the conflict--will they be enough to end it? In recent weeks, Donald Trump--whose attitude toward Ukraine and its President, Volodymyr Zelensky, has been notoriously fickle, when not outright hostile --has appeared to warm to Ukraine's chances in the war with Russia. On the sidelines of the summit in Ankara, he met with Zelensky and later spoke of him in flattering terms, declaring "We've actually developed a good relationship. Trump has a history of favoring those he perceives as winners, and his change in attitude regarding Ukraine seems driven by the country's newfound ability to strike targets deep inside Russia--"an escalation that can help lead to an end," Trump said. In Ankara, Zelensky, the inveterate entertainer, riffed on a question from Trump, who asked if Zelensky would consider travelling to Moscow for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. That would be dangerous, Zelensky ...

Is the war entering a new phase? Several people have been killed in Russian attacks on port infrastructure in Odesa and Mykolaiv, and Ukraine said it launched drone strikes on 20 Russian vessels as the warring sides escalated their battle over the Black Sea and key trade routes. Odesa region Governor Oleh Kiper said on Wednesday that a "massive" Russian drone and missile attack on the southern region continued for a fifth day, with civilian, industrial and port infrastructure coming under attack. Russia's Ministry of Defence confirmed the strikes on the Odesa and Chernomorsk ports, saying Russian forces targeted infrastructure facilities that it claims are used to store fuel and assemble drones. Russia in recent days has stepped up attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea ports in the Greater Odesa area, which handle much of the country's grain and other cargo and are vital to its wartime economy.

Anguished family of teenager murdered at New Year's Eve party in 1982 reveal killer's final act of cruelty as he takes crucial detail to the grave after being executed in Florida Trump outlines plan to destroy Iran's power plants and bridges next week as he warns bombing will continue until he says'enough' DR PHIL: I've reviewed hundreds of secret government UFO videos and files that have been actively hidden from the public... what I can now reveal about non-human life and this psyop cover-up could spark a national crisis Heiress' $2m Aspen wedding was'horrific nightmare' that sparked the mother of all lawsuits before a bombshell divorce... Now she'll try again with new hunk Truth about Alix Earle's revolving door of famous men: Friends insist it's just a'hot girl summer' of one-time flings... but now insiders blow lid on her desperate secret and jaw-dropping ulterior motive Matt Damon reveals'new phase of life' as he brings wife and rarely seen daughter, 20, to The Odyssey ...

OpenAI's first device will be movable, screenless speaker built as AI companion OpenAI is developing a new smart speaker that will turn its presence on a computer screen to a physical manifestation of its ChatGPT. OpenAI's much-anticipated push into consumer devices is slated to begin with a mobile, screen-free smart speaker designed to be a new type of home computer for the artificial intelligence era, according to people familiar with the matter. The product -- still under development -- is meant to serve as a humanlike AI companion that lives in the home, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the project hasn't been announced. It will help control smart-home appliances, play media, answer questions, respond to messages and tap into the range of capabilities offered by OpenAI's ChatGPT, they said. The device represents a critical next step for OpenAI, a top developer of AI models that is poised for an initial public offering in the coming months. The move will vault the company into deeper competition with the likes of Apple, Amazon and Alphabet's Google, and the push has already met some resistance.

The global race to build artificial intelligence data centers has turbocharged business for chipmakers, creating shortages and sending prices soaring for memory components in particular. And Kioxia is reaping the rewards. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.

Twenty-six employees of Meta Platforms have filed a novel lawsuit accusing the tech giant of using AI-powered software that disproportionately targeted people with disabilities or who took medical leave in selecting workers for mass layoffs. The lawsuit, filed in Oakland, California, federal court late Monday, says that the company relied on factors such as productivity and AI token usage when it slashed thousands of jobs earlier this year, disadvantaging people who missed work because of medical conditions or to care for family members. The plaintiffs, who were notified in May that their jobs would be eliminated starting on July 22, are seeking a preliminary ruling from the court blocking Meta from completing the layoffs while they pursue their claims in private arbitration. The workers say Meta's agreements require employees to arbitrate workplace disputes individually, but do not apply to requests for temporary relief. A Meta spokesperson on Tuesday said the claims lack merit. "Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI," the spokesperson said.

The public will be urged to take small but important steps to prepare for food or water shortages in the event of a cyber-attack or severe weather, the government has said as it updated Parliament on its national resilience plans. Cabinet Office Minister Darren Jones said a public awareness campaign would be launched later this year to help people prepare for emergencies. He also said the government would carry out the largest UK home defence exercise in several decades next year to ensure the UK is ready should the worst ever happen. Separately, the national risk register, external has been updated with seven new risks including the threat of a cyber-attack on water infrastructure. The threat of digital resilience failure - such as the global CrowdStrike outage which crippled more than eight million computers - has also been added to the list of the most acute risks facing the UK, which totals 95.