First: Kremlin says reports of Trump-Putin phone call over Ukraine are ‘pure fiction’ | US News

Good morning

The Kremlin has denied reports that Donald Trump has spoken to Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying the Russian president does not yet have concrete plans to speak to the U.S. president-elect.

The Washington Post initially reported, citing unidentified sources, that Trump spoke to Putin by phone and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war. Reuters also reported on the call, citing an unknown source.

However, the Kremlin said the reports were false. “That is completely untrue. “This is pure fiction, it is just false information,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. “There was no conversation.”

During his campaign, Trump said he would find a way to end the war “within a day” but gave no further details, leading many in Kyiv to fear what that might entail.

Trump says former ice director Tom Homan will be in charge of borders and deportations

Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be responsible for controlling U.S. borders under the Trump administration, the president-elect said.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said that Homan’s areas of control would include “the southern border, the northern border, all maritime and air security” and that Homan would lead the deportations as “border czar.”

Trump ran a campaign focused on immigration, promising mass deportations and detaining migrants in camps, and had praised Homan on the campaign trail, telling Fox News in July: “I have Tom Homan in line, We have the greatest people.” Homan, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation and author of Project 2025, vowed in July to deploy “the largest deportation force this country has ever seen” if Trump were reelected.

Netanyahu is trying to delay testimony in the corruption case, citing the war

According to Israeli media reports, Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team has requested a postponement of the Israeli prime minister’s testimony in his corruption trial.

His lawyers requested a two-and-a-half-month delay, citing recent major developments in the war that they said prevented Netanyahu from preparing his evidence, the Times of Israel reported. Netanyahu’s legal team said: “This small delay will allow the defense to properly prepare for his testimony and will not harm the public interest.”

• What is the latest news from Gaza? An Israeli attack killed at least three people, including the parents of twins who sought refuge in a tent in central Gaza after being displaced, Palestinian medical officials said.

• And in Israel? Firefighters battled fires west of Jerusalem that the army said were ignited by debris from an intercepted missile from Yemen, AFP reported.

In other news…

• Cop29 has started in Baku, Azerbaijan with the financial leadership the agenda As developing countries demand increased funding to help them deal with the consequences of climate change.

• Haiti’s Transitional Council has fired its interim prime minister As the security crisis in the country continues to escalate and armed gangs expand their control.

• Drought hits Zambia and Zimbabwe’s hydropower systems, This leads to daily power outages and devastating economic impacts.

Statistics of the day: Extreme weather events have cost “$2 trillion” worldwide in the last decade

Extreme weather events caused $2 trillion in economic costs worldwide over the last decade, according to a report. According to research by the International Chamber of Commerce, economic losses amounting to $451 billion occurred in the last two years alone. The U.S. has been the hardest hit financially over the last decade at $935 billion, followed by China at $268 billion and India at $112 billion.

You shouldn’t miss this: Actors talk about the tricky art of taking on a popular character

Replacing supporting roles is common in US sitcoms, as “Friends”, “Roseanne”, “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and “The Big Bang Theory” have already done, and a number of shows are likely to be included in the series ensure additional casts in the coming seasons. Michael Hogan examines how fans react, how the process can be carried out carefully – and what happens when everything goes wrong.

… or this: Women on the Way of St. James speak of “appalling” sexual harassment

Women walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route have spoken of facing “appalling” sexual harassment in remote parts of rural Spain, Portugal and France. A pilgrim told how she feared for her life.

Climate check: Developing countries need private financing for green transition, says Cop president

The private sector must do its part to finance developing countries’ transition to net zero if the world is to avoid the worst consequences of climate breakdown, the president of the UN climate summit has said. However, many civil society groups question the increasing reliance on private funding, which comes with strings attached.

The latest: 100,000 Chinese students undertake a 50 km night-time bike ride in search of good soup dumplings

It started when four students decided to cycle several hours from their university town of Zhengzhou to Kaifeng in June in search of the city’s famous oversized soup dumplings. But a few months later, the movement has grown into a movement of 100,000 young people sharing bikes, overwhelming local roads and services and doing the same, fueled by a hashtag: “Youth is priceless, the night ride to Kaifeng has it. “

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