UNITED KINGDOM

In today’s newsletter: how the war looks from inside the country four years on – and what the west’s audience and leaders still misunderstandGood morning. Today marks four years since Russian tanks first rolled towards Kyiv as Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine – a war he insisted on calling a “special military operation”. The initial assault was repelled, almost certainly to his surprise, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s government remained intact to marshal the nation’s defences.What followed has been widely perceived as a grinding war of attrition. While Russia has made incremental advances across territory it had already destabilised

Some of the 11 mothers detained in Kurdish-controlled al-Roj camp say they want Australian government to repatriate children at any costFamilies in convoy from Syrian camp warned they would be attacked unless they turned aroundFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian women detained in north-east Syria over ties to Islamic State fighters said they would accept separation from their children if it meant the children could return to Australia.Some of the 11 women held in Kurdish-controlled al-Roj camp said on Monday that they wanted the Australian government to

First amendment group criticizes Aileen Cannon’s order to permanently block release of Jack Smith report after dismissing case against Trump in 2024Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMajor institutions of higher education in the US are reckoning with the latest release of the Epstein files after discovering the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s relationships with board members, professors and administrators on campuses across the country.In some cases, professors have been placed under review, research centers closed or conferences canceled. Students and staff have responded in different ways, including petitions, open letters and campus

Meanwhile state warned of severe storms and potential for flash floods. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAlbanese plans to write to other commonwealth nations about decision on former prince AndrewBack to Mountbatten-Windsor, Albanese said he plans to write to the other commonwealth countries to inform them of Australia’s position. He said Australia was first in writing to Starmer, telling RN:We have initiated it. Australia likes being first, and we have made sure that everyone knows what our position is. And we’ll be writing today to the other realm countries as well, informing