US President Donald Trump says Russia's Vladimir Putin has agreed not to attack Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and other cities and towns for a week due to extraordinary cold weather. Russia has not confirmed any such agreement, but Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Trump's announcement and said he expected Russia to keep its promise. Trump did not specify when the pause would begin, but temperatures in the Ukrainian capital are due to plummet from Thursday night and reach -24C (-11F) in the next few days. Russia has intensified attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the bitter winter, as it has during cold periods since the full-scale invasion began in 2022. Speaking at a televised cabinet meeting in Washington DC, the US president said: I personally asked President Putin not to fire into Kyiv and the various towns for a week, and he agreed to do that.

Inside Story Why is the Doomsday Clock nearer to midnight than ever before? Atomic scientists raise alarm over more global conflict and new risks such as artificial intelligence. The Doomsday Clock has reached the closest ever point to midnight, according to the atomic scientists who run it. They say more wars, aggression from nuclear powers and weaker arms controls are to blame, along with climate change and risks posed by AI. So, should we be worried?

The world's first ultra-realistic robot artist Ai-Da Robot can create architectural designs using camera eyes and AI algorithms. Her Space Pod concept envisions modular housing.

Immigration agencies have been flooding social media with bizarre, seemingly AI-generated content. We now know more about what might be making it. The US Department of Homeland Security is using AI video generators from Google and Adobe to make and edit content shared with the public, a new document reveals. It comes as immigration agencies have flooded social media with content to support President Trump's mass deportation agenda--some of which appears to be made with AI--and as workers in tech have put pressure on their employers to denounce the agencies' activities. The document, released on Wednesday, provides an inventory of which commercial AI tools DHS uses for tasks ranging from generating drafts of documents to managing cybersecurity. In a section about "editing images, videos or other public affairs materials using AI," it reveals for the first time that DHS is using Google's Veo 3 video generator and Adobe Firefly, estimating that the agency has between 100 and 1,000 licenses for the tools.

The number of planning applications for new homes in England is at its highest level for four years, new data shared with BBC Verify suggests. Applications for 335,000 homes outside London were lodged in 2025, up by 60% on 2024, according to Planning Portal, the service people use to request permission. But there are warnings that more needs to be done to meet Labour's target of building 1.5 million homes by 2029, as separate government data released on Thursday suggests there has been a decrease in house building. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it had overhauled the planning system and removed long-standing barriers that have held back housebuilding. The increase in planning applications for new homes in England follows controversial reforms introduced by Labour, which allow development on some lower-quality green belt land, known as grey belt .

As global air passenger traffic is forecast to hit 10.2 billion in 2026, a 3.9 percent year-on-year increase, investments have been pouring in to improve airport infrastructure and operational efficiency and use artificial intelligence to achieve it. Working with data released by Airport Council International, a irports are relying on the increasing use of AI to embrace the rise in demand. The use of AI-powered analytics to anticipate congestion at security, immigration and boarding points is also helping to prevent delays. Resources are being allocated to shift from reactive crowd management to predictive operations. AI-powered baggage optimisation tools and biometric processing - which would allow passengers to walk through immigration without the need to present a physical passport - are also gaining traction as airports seek to improve passenger experience while maintaining operational efficiency.

Nvidia's Campaign to Sell AI Chips to China Finally Pays Off Beijing reportedly approved the sale of hundreds of thousands of Nvidia H200 chips to Chinese AI companies--the culmination of a dramatic shift in US tech policy. Jensen Huang sure seems to be having a lot of fun in China this week. The Nvidia CEO has been spotted going for a leisurely bike ride and browsing a fresh fruit stand in Shanghai, as well as enjoying beef hot pot at a humble restaurant in Shenzhen. The carefree tour is not just good optics. Huang has real reason to be feeling upbeat: His long-running lobbying campaign in Washington has, in effect, finally paid off.

Luigi Mangione trial date dispute emerges as defense calls Manhattan DA's proposed July 1 start date "unrealistic" due to conflicting federal trial in Brian Thompson case.

The company says the vehicle made contact at under 6 mph and the child sustained minor injuries. Waymo said one of its robotaxis struck a child, who sustained minor injuries. The incident took place in Santa Monica, California, on January 23. The company reported it to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which has opened an investigation . The agency said the incident occurred close to a school within regular drop-off hours, with other children and a crossing guard nearby.

Trump Admin's Plans for $500 Million USIP Building May Violate Court Order, Say Former Workers The State Department is poised to take over a building DOGE seized from the US Institute of Peace, former staffers claim--possibly for Donald Trump's "Board of Peace." Last year, the Trump administration and members of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) forcibly took over the US Institute of Peace (USIP), an independent nonprofit. Since then, the organization's fired board and employees have been fighting to regain control of the USIP building in Washington, DC and for the reinstatement of their jobs in a drawn-out court battle. Now, in a letter sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ), representatives for the USIP's fired board and employees argue that the administration is violating a court-issued stay by making physical changes to the building and, to their understanding, moving ahead with new agreements. Specifically, the letter asks for information on whether the State Department has signed an agreement to use the building for the "Board of Peace," a new international organization under the personal lifetime control of President Donald Trump that seeks to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.