Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St Petersburg on Wednesday, while fellow envoy Jared Kushner joined virtually.

The meeting came as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes for a deal to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia released retired US teacher Stephen Hubbard, who had been held in the country for more than four years and was convicted of serving as a mercenary.

Witkoff praised Putin as a “humanitarian” over the release, drawing criticism from US lawmakers and human rights activists.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers faced off in their final debate in the closely watched race for Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat.

El-Sayed repeatedly linked Rogers to President Donald Trump, while Rogers argued that El-Sayed’s progressive policies were too extreme for Michigan.

Rogers also questioned El-Sayed’s loyalty to the country and raised allegations about his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, which El-Sayed denied.

El-Sayed called the loyalty attack shameful and said he was proud to be an American.

An attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed one person and injured eight late Wednesday.

The injured were taken to hospitals, and their injuries range from minor to severe.

The airport is in eastern Saudi Arabia, a region where the sources also report drone interceptions and attacks on oil facilities.

Saudi Arabia’s civil aviation authority said the attack caused material damage, which is being assessed.

eBay plans to cut about 1,000 jobs, or roughly 9% of its workforce.

The US online marketplace had 12,300 employees at the end of 2025; one estimate puts the cuts at around 1,100.

The company says it is aligning teams and resources with its priorities as it reshapes its operations.

After years of slow revenue growth, eBay returned to growth in 2025 and accelerated in the first half of this year.

Anthropic has introduced Claude Duet, a proactive AI agent designed to help professionals and small-business owners manage work.

It connects to apps and services linked to a Claude account, then sends a brief each morning about items that may need attention.

During the day, it checks those apps and can alert users when something needs a decision.

Users can also ask it to schedule meetings, draft emails, create forecasts or build web apps.

Former NFL defensive end Allen Bailey has died at 37, prompting tributes from the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent most of his career.

His wife found him dead at their home in Florida on Tuesday, and his family believes he died of natural causes.

Bailey was a third-round pick by Kansas City in 2011 and played eight seasons for the Chiefs before finishing his career with two seasons at the Atlanta Falcons.

He appeared in 133 games and recorded 22 sacks and 40 tackles for loss.

Rajinikanth’s Jailer 2 earned Rs 209.1 crore worldwide in two days after opening in cinemas on October 15.

The action sequel also features Mohanlal and Vidya Balan, and continues the story of retired jailer Muthuvel Pandian.

It brought in Rs 35.6 crore in India on Friday, its second day, taking its India net total to Rs 95.3 crore.

The worldwide total includes Rs 112.1 crore in India gross and Rs 97 crore from overseas markets.

The family of retired basketball coach Bob Huggins says he has a progressive cognitive condition.

At 73, the condition has begun affecting his memory and daily life, the family said, after keeping the news private for several months.

Huggins is due to return to Cincinnati on Friday for induction into the University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame.

He coached at five colleges, including Cincinnati and West Virginia, and won 935 games during his career.