Steve Witkoff is facing calls to be sacked after a transcript of a call discussing the Ukraine peace plan with Vladimir Putin’s senior aide was released

© AP

The latest round of talks about peace may be drifting Ukraine’s way but Russia is still very active behind the scenes, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley

© AP

• Verona venue to host Milano-Cortina opening ceremony

• Critics see changes to 2,000-year-old arena as blasphemy

A 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheatre is to be made fully accessible to people with disabilities before the Winter Paralympic Games in Milano‑Cortina, as organisers prioritise legacy with 100 days to go.

The conversion of the Arena di Verona, which will host the Paralympics opening ceremony, includes the addition of a lift and toilets to a structure older than the Colosseum. Described by the Milano-Cortina 2026 chief executive, Andrea Varnier, as “the symbol of our Paralympic Games”, he admits the conversion has also been considered as an act of “blasphemy” by some traditionalists.

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© Photograph: PR

© Photograph: PR

© Photograph: PR

As casualties mount, recruitment is expanding. Three women talk about why they signed up for a brutal combat environment

Women have been involved in Ukraine’s drone operations since the early months of the full-scale invasion, but as shortages in the military increase their presence has grown, particularly in FPV (first-person-view) attack units.

Casualty figures are not disclosed but widely understood to be high, and Ukraine is becoming reliant on civilians to fill roles that once belonged to trained military personnel. A short but intensive 15-day course is given to a trainee operator for frontline deployment, a turnaround that reflects the urgent need.

Indoor and outdoor training courses set up for trainee pilots at a drone school

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© Photograph: Gaby Schuetze

© Photograph: Gaby Schuetze

© Photograph: Gaby Schuetze

What does it mean to lose a language? And what does it take to save it? Those were the big questions being asked in Barcelona recently

There’s an Irish saying, tír gan teanga, tír gan anam: a country without a language is a country without a soul. Representatives of some of Europe’s estimated 60 minority languages – or minoritised, as they define them – met in Barcelona recently to discuss what it means to lose a language, and what it takes to save it.

Language diversity is akin to biodiversity, an indicator of social wellbeing, but some of Europe’s languages are falling into disuse. Breton, for example, is dying out because its speakers are dying, and keeping languages alive among young people is challenging in an increasingly monolingual digital world.

Stephen Burgen is a freelance writer who reports on Spain

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© Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

© Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

© Photograph: James Veysey/Shutterstock

In Fritzi’s Footsteps tells story of a girl growing up in Leipzig who witnesses the fall of the Berlin Wall

The creators of a children’s television series about life in communist East Germany have said they hope it will awaken interest in the region’s history, after it was awarded an International Emmy.

Auf Fritzis Spuren (In Fritzi’s Footsteps) tells the story of a 12-year-old girl living in the eastern city of Leipzig and how she experiences life in the east and the events that lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

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© Photograph: Balance Film / MDR / WDR

© Photograph: Balance Film / MDR / WDR

© Photograph: Balance Film / MDR / WDR

Trump says 'dealmaker' Witkoff will meet Russia's president in Moscow next week

© Sputnik

The affidavit alleges they were handed over to a Russian mercenary group

© AFP via Getty Images

The latest round of talks about peace may be drifting Ukraine’s way but it’s a carousel of chaos, writes world affairs editor Sam Kiley

© AFP/Getty

Lors d'une réunion de la Coalition des volontaires pour l'Ukraine organisée mardi 25 novembre, le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelensky a indiqué à ses alliés qu'il était prêt à « aller de l'avant » avec le nouveau plan américain pour mettre fin à la guerre contre la Russie, mais que celui-ci contenait encore des « points sensibles » qu'il souhaitait discuter avec Donald Trump. 

Steve Witkoff spoke to Yuri Ushakov on territorial control and suggested congratulating Donald Trump and framing talks more optimistically, audio recording suggests

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff told a senior Kremlin official last month that achieving peace in Ukraine would require Russia gaining control of Donetsk and potentially a separate territorial exchange, according to a recording of their conversation obtained by Bloomberg.

In the 14 October phone call with Yuri Ushakov, the top foreign policy aide to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, Witkoff said he believed the land concessions were necessary all while advising Ushakov to congratulate Trump and frame discussions more optimistically.

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© Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

© Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

© Photograph: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters

Les PFAS, ces polluants éternels dont il a beaucoup été question dans l'actualité ces derniers mois, vont être interdits dans les jouets vendus dans l'Union européenne (UE). Cette interdiction n'entrera en vigueur que dans plus de quatre ans, selon les nouvelles règles adoptées mardi 25 novembre par le Parlement européen, à Strasbourg, dans le but de protéger les enfants.