You might suppose Hollywood is good at predicting the future. Indeed, Robert Wallace, head of the CIA's Office of Technical Service and the US equivalent of MI6's fictional Q, has recounted how Russian spies would watch the latest Bond movie to see what technologies might be coming their way. Hollywood's continuing obsession with killer robots might therefore be of significant concern. The newest such movie is Apple TV's forthcoming sex robot courtroom drama Dolly. I never thought I'd write the phrase "sex robot courtroom drama", but there you go.

Pro-Kremlin officials were pulling out of the key southern Ukraine city of Kherson on Wednesday, as Kyiv's forces advanced on territory in Russian hands since the war's earliest days. Kherson was the first major city to fall to Moscow's troops after the February invasion and retaking it would be a major prize in Ukraine's ongoing counter-offensive. Kyiv's recapturing of swathes of its territory in the east and parts of the south has however been followed by punishing missile and drone strikes that have demolished large parts of Ukraine's power grid ahead of winter. "The entire administration is already moving today," to the left bank of the Dnieper river, the region's Moscow-installed head Vladimir Saldo, said on Russian state television. The city is located on the western bank of the Dnieper, the same side where Ukrainian troops have been moving forward in a counter-offensive that began in August.

Gen Surovikin was speaking on a day of further Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, many of them targeting Ukraine's electricity supply. Parts of Kyiv now have no power or running water.

Ukraine's foreign minister says he has proposed to President Volodymyr Zelenksyy that Kyiv formally break off diplomatic ties with Iran, after Moscow launched attacks using what Kyiv says are Iranian-made drones. Russia launched dozens of "kamikaze" drones on targets in Ukraine on Monday, striking energy and civilian infrastructure and killing at least eight people. Ukraine said the attacks were carried out with Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. Tehran has denied supplying the drones. Unlike drones that return to base once missiles are launched, "kamikaze" drones are destroyed in an attack.

British shoppers looked on with surprise and delight as a supermarket worker casually handed over groceries to the newest members of the team -- delivery robots. "Where are you going?" one passer-by asked a white robot, resembling a small fridge on wheels. Another person stopped to wave it goodbye as it rolled off to drop an order to a customer's door in the central English town of Bedford. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.

Michael Brown, who led the Silicon Valley outpost of the Pentagon, has left the Defense Department to join early-stage venture firm Shield Capital as it seeks to back new defense technologies amid rising global tensions. Mr. Brown has joined a group of military veterans turned venture capitalists, the San Francisco-based firm said Tuesday, where he will invest in startups building technology for the future of warfare and geopolitical conflict. He was director of the Defense Innovation Unit, a branch of the Pentagon that aims to identify and accelerate the adoption of technologies built in Silicon Valley that would enhance the military's capabilities. During his four years leading the DIU, Mr. Brown said he worked to ease the historically cumbersome process startups faced in getting a contract to sell to the military. The Defense Department struck deals to adopt 50 new technology capabilities during his time there, he said.

Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg joined'Your World' to discuss NATO holding nuclear exercises and recent Iranian-made'kamikaze' drones striking Kyiv. Russian drone and missile attacks have destroyed nearly a third of Ukraine's power stations, but Ukrainian forces continue to gain ground President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Tuesday. Russia has launched barrages of missiles, shells and other ordnance into Ukrainian cities in a campaign that started after the bombing of the Kerch Bridge on October 8. The attacks have targeted population centers, parks and infrastructure as Ukraine's cold winter approaches. "Since Oct 10, 30% of Ukraine's power stations have been destroyed, causing massive blackouts across the country," Zelenskyy announced Tuesday.

Ret. Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg joined'Your World' to discuss NATO holding nuclear exercises and recent Iranian-made'kamikaze' drones striking Kyiv. Russia military forces continued airstrikes against Ukraine on Tuesday, bombing the country's energy and infrastructure facilities as part of aggressive efforts to weaken Ukraine as winter looms. Zhytomyr, a Ukrainian city with military bases, had no working electricity or water after a double missile strike hit an energy facility. According to Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn, local hospitals were forced to operate on backup power. An energy facility in Kyiv was also hit by Russian drones, along with another facility in the south-central city of Dnipro.

Kyiv – Moscow on Monday stepped up attacks across Ukraine, cutting electricity and killing eight people, including in kamikaze drone strikes in the capital, as a Russian warplane crashed near the border. The plane struck a residential area of Yeysk, a town in southwestern Russia, according to Russian authorities. This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software. Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this support page.

The United States has said it will hold Russia accountable for "war crimes" and take action against companies and nations working with Iran's drone programme following a series of attacks on Ukrainian cities. At least four people – including a couple expecting a baby – were killed on Monday morning after a drone struck an apartment building in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. The attacks also knocked out power to hundreds of towns and villages. Speaking in his regular evening address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the air raids were continuing. "Right now, there is a new Russian drone attack," he said.