The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Giada Ripa’s ambitious project combines archive photography from the 1860s, a modern dominatrix – and the story of a relative who became a muse to 19th-century artists and intellectuals

US envoy Witkoff presented Putin with proposals drafted by Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo earlier this week. What we know on day 1,702

The Kremlin has criticised new peace proposals to end the war after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday. Commenting on the meeting, which followed talks with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders in Norway, the Kremlin warned there was little “substance” in the Ukrainian and European proposals. Despite the lukewarm response from Russia, US president Donald Trump claimed it was “the closest we’ve been” to ending the war. A day before travelling to Russia, Witkoff met Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo in a meeting aimed at smoothing over a bitter rift between the Ukrainian president and Trump.

Commenting on the Witkoff-Putin meeting, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters that Russia was “in principle, ready to resume” the trilateral talks in mid-November – after crucial US midterm elections – and that the Kremlin wanted them to focus on postwar security. Ushakov said Witkoff briefed Putin on “some new aspects in the approaches of the Europeans and Kyiv” from the Oslo meeting, but added that “there wasn’t really much substance in them”. Zelenskyy said Kyiv backed resuming trilateral talks as soon as possible.

Witkoff said his talks with Putin were “constructive” but that “there is still important work left to do”. Discussions would continue between the US, Ukraine and Russia at the technical level, he added.

However, the US envoy has face sharp criticism at home for describing Putin as a “humanitarian”, after the Russian leader agreed to free US citizen Stephen Hubbard from a Russian prison. US Republican senator Thom Tillis posted on X: “WTF, Steve? Look up the definition of ‘humanitarian’.” Trump brushed off Witkoff’s comments, saying “I wouldn’t say anything one way or the other”, while US vice-president JD Vance said: “I agree with Steve Witkoff saying something nice to a person who just released an American hostage.”

Putin’s order to release Hubbard as he met Witkoff appeared to be Moscow’s latest calculated move to bring Trump further into line with Putin’s position on Ukraine while offering the US president a diplomatic victory before the midterm elections, writes Pjotr Sauer. Trump had previously asked Putin to free Hubbard, a 74-year-old former teacher who had spent more than four years in Russian jails on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. Trump said on social media: “The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return – an unprecedented situation for Russia … There was no ‘swap’ necessary for this release.”

Missiles struck Kyiv ⁠in ⁠the early hours ​of Thursday, ⁠a Reuters witness said, ⁠in ​another attack ‌on ‌Ukraine’s capital ‌after a Russian evening airstrike that injured ‌six people and damaged ​homes, a petrol station ⁠and transport equipment. Russia earlier continued to pound Ukrainian cities ahead of winter, with Kyiv officials saying Russian strikes killed at least four people, including two in the capital and an elderly couple in the eastern Kharkiv region. Russian occupation authorities in the Luhansk region said a Ukrainian drone strike on a phone company killed two people. Moscow’s mayor said on Thursday that 630 drones were launched towards the region overnight, wounding two people. Sergei Sobyanin said most of the drones had been destroyed by air defences and 163 had been approaching the capital city.

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said decisions regarding Ukraine’s access to Starlink were ⁠up to its parent company ⁠SpaceX and Elon Musk, ​not the White House, comments that suggested Musk may have restricted Kyiv’s access to the service. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Musk had ordered the slowdown of a military-grade ⁠version of Starlink that Ukraine relies on to defend itself against missile attacks from Russia. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy said the US has resumed sharing intelligence with Kyiv about Russian missile strikes after the Norway meeting with Witkoff.

USDA says screwworm found in elk in Texas, and warns hunters and ranchers to be vigilant to help stop spread

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said on Wednesday it had ⁠confirmed the ⁠first detection ​of flesh-eating parasite the New World screwworm in US wildlife in an ⁠elk in Pecos county, Texas.

The elk was located on a game ⁠ranch and was reported after being harvested by ​a hunter, the ‌USDA said ‌in a statement.

Person named ‘K’ from China paid five defendants to injure Huang Yi-hao, New Taipei prosecutors say

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged five men over a plot to ram a car into a comedian who made fun of the Chinese Communist party and Xi Jinping.

Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of transnational repression to silence critics on the self-governed island, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take by force if necessary.

A new exhibition – which the Guardian gave five stars – tells the story of the birth of art photography. Here are some of the most astounding images, along with tales of the strange techniques that made them

Strike pushes the toll from attacks in recent days to more than 250, underscoring lethality of Sudan’s war that ⁠erupted in April 2023

A drone strike on a market in a border region disputed by Sudan and South Sudan killed at least 153 people on Monday, according to a local official, the latest in a wave of deadly attacks.

The strike pushed the toll from attacks in recent days to more than 250, underscoring the lethality of airstrikes in Sudan’s war, which ⁠erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces ⁠and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

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The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

Ukrainian president tells US senators the delayed missiles have already been paid for by European countries, amid growing rift. What we know on day 1,700

Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s headspinning documentary about Elizabeth Holmes is an unprecedented critical success – even with a three-hour runtime

Name: The best reviewed film in history.

Age: Not even out yet, except in the US and Canada.

Take a nostalgic look back at how Australians used to holiday throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s. A new book by Ian Collis features vintage caravans, seaside motels and charming snapshots of summer road trips past

Prime minister Mark Carney describes blaze as ‘one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime’

Four people have been killed and dozens more seriously injured after a “violent, fast-moving” fire tore through one of Canada’s busiest military training bases in Alberta, the country’s prime minister said on Sunday.

Mark Carney called the incident “one of the worst tragedies for the forces on Canadian soil in peacetime”.

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy expects Trump to lift more sanctions against Russia. What we know on day 1,698

US secretary of state Marco Rubio has said that US President Donald Trump’s waiver of sweeping sanctions and tariffs on Russia would be a 60-day pause to “analyse” their impact on the global economy. Rubio said also no one at the White House ordered the slow down of the speed of Ukraine’s access to Starlink to prevent it from being used on drones flying faster than 100mph, referring to Starshield, the military version of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet network.

“The president wants to take the 60-day period of time to sort of analyse what imposing both sanctions and tariffs will mean to the global economy and even to the US economy,” Rubio said, noting that the economic restrictions involved a number of countries, not just Russia. Pointing to high energy prices and the Iran war, “we need that period of time to sort of study all this and figure out what the right combination is,” he said.

Trump’s abrupt decision to waive sanctions on Russia days before they were to take effect drew outrage Saturday from members of Congress, which had overwhelmingly passed the legislation. Republican Senator Rick Scott said it was clear Russia was the aggressor, and said the US had “to do everything we can to put economic pressure on Russia”. On social media, fellow Republican Thom Tillis described the move as “beyond irresponsible” and a capitulation “to a Russian dictator who illegally invaded Ukraine”.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy expects the Trump administration to lift more sanctions against Russia in the future and has called for Europe to establish its own negotiations with Moscow as the US has sought better ties and business deals with the Kremlin. “Unfortunately, the lifting of sanctions will continue, and I believe that the ‘diesel deal’ is the first step,” said Zelenskyy on Saturday. “Unfortunately, it seems to me that this cannot stop Putin; on the contrary, he feels joy and happiness that he has such support.”

Zelenskyy said Ukraine’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, had met Friday with US presidential envoy Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. Zelenskyy said the US was working to arrange a three-way meeting involving him, Trump and Putin, potentially in the Middle East, Europe or the US.

Russian air defence ⁠units intercepted and destroyed nearly ⁠200 Ukrainian ⁠drones ​headed for Moscow on Saturday, ⁠Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram. Sobyanin, ⁠in a long ​series ‌of ‌online posts, noted ‌that 195 drones had been destroyed since midnight, with emergency crews examining debris on ‌the ground. Russia’s civil aviation authority, ​Rosaviatsia, said two Moscow airports – Domodedovo and Vnukovo – had ⁠suspended flight operations.

Romania said Saturday it shot down two Russian drones over the Black Sea, the latest in a spate of incidents believed to be spillover from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ships have been attacked in recent days by drones in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania and Bulgaria.

Australia’s largest free outdoor sculpture exhibition returns to Sydney’s 2km Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk, showcasing work by artists from around the world. The annual exhibition is on now until 2 November

• Spot the banana shark: 30 years of Bondi’s Sculpture by the Sea – in pictures

James, 34, a researcher, meets Michelle, 30, a radio presenter

What were you hoping for?
An unforgettable evening.

President signed the legislation championed by late senator Lindsey Graham last month but has waived the restrictions as they were due to come into effect

Donald Trump has put on hold a sweeping new sanctions package targeting the Russian economy, telling Congress the pause on the legislation passed by both chambers was in the national interest.

In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he was waiving many ⁠sanctions, restrictions and duties ⁠on Russia, in a move that comes as he has been publicly criticising ⁠Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including suggesting that Ukraine needs a ​new leader.

Russian president says area will not be part of any potential peace talks while Kremlin says the zone spans 660km. What we know on day 1,697

The annual Taoist celebration is held in the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. During the nine-day vegetarian festival – also known as the Nine Emperor Gods festival – worshippers abstain from eating meat, consume only vegetarian food and perform rituals to cleanse body and mind

UK defence secretary says Pete Hegseth assured him satellite communications system back up and running in Ukraine. What we know on day 1,696

Ukraine’s access to Elon Musk’s Starlink had been restored, according to UK defence secretary Wes Streeting. Ukraine said Starlink services had been restricted on Wednesday, hampering the country’s attack and air-defence drone missions, and triggering a new rift between Washington and Kyiv. On Thursday, Streeting said his US counterpart, Pete Hegseth, had assured him in a face-to-face meeting that the vital satellite communications system was back up and running. He said it was unclear what had caused the disruption, but added: “This is not the first time we’ve seen a falling out between Washington and Kyiv.”

The order to limit Starlink access came from inside the White House, according to a report by Reuters, citing two US officials and a western official briefed on the matter. The ⁠officials said leaders at the defence ⁠department received a message that the service for the Ukrainian military needed to be slowed. The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, did not specify who in the White House made the decision or who was responsible for implementing the order. The Pentagon is the biggest customer of Starshield, which ⁠is the military-grade version of the Starlink service.

Amid growing doubts about long-term US commitment to Ukraine, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Nato chief Mark Rutte in Brussels and held a string of bilateral meetings with European leaders before he was set to join an EU summit on Friday. French president Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said it was “crucial” that Ukraine receive “all the means necessary to protect itself” after meeting Zelenskyy. “I can reassure you, dear Ukrainian friends and President Zelenskyy: YOU ARE NOT ALONE,” Polish prime minister Donald Tusk posted online.

Vladimir Putin has said that recent ⁠Ukrainian ​strikes on Russian oil refineries had not caused significant ⁠damage and vowed that Moscow would respond. “They ⁠hit here and there. Nothing ​particularly significant. Nevertheless ‌they are ‌carrying on,” the Russian president was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. His comments ‌came after a major Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at an oil refinery in Russia’s Ryazan region on Thursday morning, according ‌to the regional governor. It was the first confirmed ​Ukrainian attack on a Russian energy facility since US president Donald Trump abruptly declared an “energy ceasefire” that neither Russia nor Ukraine said they had agreed to.

The US treasury department has extended a sanctions waiver on Russian oil company Lukoil for service stations outside Russia through April 2027. Thursday’s announcement allows Lukoil-branded stations in countries like the US to continue serving customers until 24 April next year. The extension comes a week after Trump said he had secured an agreement with Russia to supply diesel to American and global markets, with the US treasury issuing a temporary licence to enable flows. The latest licence, like an earlier one, does not allow the “transfer of funds to any person or account located in the Russian Federation”.

Three people were killed and six others injured after the Kirovohrad region of central Ukraine came under a Russian drone attack lasting more than 10 hours, Ukraine’s emergency services said Thursday. Between midnight and Thursday morning, Russia launched more than 850 drones at Ukraine, Zelenskyy said on X. He added that the barrage came “precisely at a time when the speed of our defensive capabilities is being artificially restricted,” an apparent reference to the Starlink restrictions on drones. Russian aerial attacks hit 15 Ukrainian regions, he said.