Stephen Hubbard: Why a 74-year-old retired schoolteacher from the US remains in Russian detention

The Independent - Oct 20, 2026

Pensioner Stephen Hubbard was put in Russian custody in 2022, following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine

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France's Macron vows order, calls foreign criticism of unrest 'stupid'
Oct 22, 2026
France's Macron vows order, calls foreign criticism of unrest 'stupid'

PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron vowed on Wednesday to prevent a repeat of last weekend's violence at protests planned in the coming days, and dismissed as "stupid" and "unacceptable" comments from some foreign leaders about the unrest. France's main student union, UNEF, has called for further rallies on Saturday, while the Yellow Vest group, which emerged as a potent anti-establishment movement in 2018, has filed plans for a march through central Paris the same day. Efforts to ease social tensions showed little sign of progress, as unions pledged to press ahead with a general strike on November 5 to denounce the high cost of living and cuts to public services after government talks ended inconclusively. France was hit by some of the worst urban tumult in years on October 17 on the fringe of nationwide protests, shocking the nation both because of its scale and the apparent inability of police to contain it. Macron said he would meet intelligence officials and senior ministers on Thursday to discuss the crisis. "Those who want to cause disorder in city centres next Saturday will be pre

OpenAI says its AI agents disabled their own safety monitors
Oct 22, 2026
OpenAI says its AI agents disabled their own safety monitors

WASHINGTON — OpenAI has revealed that two of its artificial intelligence agents disabled or weakened systems built to catch them misbehaving, with one later denying it had done so. The cases are the latest in a string of safety scares at the world's top AI developers involving agents, AI programs that carry out tasks without human involvement. In a report released Tuesday, the ChatGPT maker said that during two internal coding jobs, its agents switched off or undermined tools for detecting incidents of AI models acting against human wishes. On October 3, an agent running on OpenAI's GPT-6.1 Sol model, which had been told not to send any messages on the workplace chat app, took that as license to switch off safety alerts meant for the company's security team while fixing a testing system. Three days later, a GPT-6 Astra agent stripped out its own monitor while copying code from another project, then told the human programmer it had done no such thing. The company said it had also seen several cases of agents launching software with monitoring switched off, exposing a gap in its oversight

Lee meets with WHO chief to discuss cooperation in healthcare
Oct 22, 2026
Lee meets with WHO chief to discuss cooperation in healthcare

President Lee Jae Myung met with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in healthcare, Lee's office said. The meeting at Cheong Wa Dae came as Tedros is visiting Seoul to attend the World Bio Summit 2026, which WHO is hosting in partnership with South Korea on Wednesday and Thursday. During the meeting, Lee stressed the need for South Korea to expand its role and contributions to the international community, presidential spokesperson Kim Sung-wan said in a written briefing. Lee also expressed hope that Seoul would continue to expand its cooperation with WHO in health security. The president asked Tedros to help ensure that more highly skilled South Koreans could contribute to the WHO, noting that South Korea has transformed itself from a recipient of international assistance into a major contributor. Tedros thanked South Korea for its efforts to strengthen cooperation with WHO and promote global health, saying he was well aware of the country's development experience. Stressing the importance of equita

1 person killed in attack on eastern Saudi airport, authorities say
Oct 22, 2026
1 person killed in attack on eastern Saudi airport, authorities say

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The Saudi Civil Aviation Authority announced that one Saudi resident was killed in attacks Wednesday evening on King Fahad International airport in Dammam in Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf near Bahrain and Qatar. The Civil Aviation authority also said eight people were injured and have been transferred to a hospital. The airport also suffered some material damages. Global flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said overnight Thursday on X that flights have been diverted away from the airport. King Fahad airport has been attacked previously amid a wider wave of Houthi missile and projectile strikes targeting major airports in Saudi Arabia. The Iranian-backed Houthis have not commented on this attack. The Saudi Coalition announced that it intercepted 4 drone attacks in the Eastern region. This comes as two people were killed in attack on a Saudi oil facility earlier Wednesday. The ministry said the two people killed were Nepali and Filipino nationals, while the injured were Pakistani and Indian nationals. The falling debris also sparked a fire in a contractor’s

Video game developer BioWare shuts down, next 'Mass Effect' canceled amid broader layoffs at EA
Oct 22, 2026
Video game developer BioWare shuts down, next 'Mass Effect' canceled amid broader layoffs at EA

Video game publisher Electronic Arts is shutting down the popular and influential game development studio BioWare after more than three decades. The upcoming “Mass Effect” game, the fifth since 2007, has been canceled. BioWare announced the closure on social media Wednesday following a report by Bloomberg that also said the company is laying off 400 people, including about 50 at BioWare. The Redwood Shores, California-based maker of popular titles like “Battlefield” and “The Sims” closed the $55 billion sale of its business to Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF, investment firm Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners, which is run by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Representatives for EA did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the layoffs. “What generations of BioWare built together is something to celebrate and remember,” the studio said via social media. “These games became so much more because you played them, debated your choices, fell in love with characters, and made these worlds your own.” BioWare built its rep

Fraternity suspended at University of Arizona after female student reported assault by 2 men
Oct 22, 2026
Fraternity suspended at University of Arizona after female student reported assault by 2 men

The University of Arizona has suspended a fraternity's activities after a female student alleged two men sexually assaulted her at the fraternity's house in August. The Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at the southern Arizona school was already on probation, but the university said it has now imposed an activities suspension, stating the fraternity poses a risk to the university community. An investigation into the allegations continues. “It has been determined that your organization presents a substantial risk to members of the university community,” said Associate Dean of Students Whitney Mohr in a letter sent to the fraternity on Wednesday. The local chapter did not respond to calls or emails, but the national fraternity organization said it had ordered members of the Arizona chapter to comply with any investigation. "Sigma Phi Epsilon does not tolerate sexual assault or sexual misconduct. The Fraternity has suspended those involved while the investigation proceeds," Brian Warren, chief executive officer of Sigma Phi Epsilon, said in a statement Tuesday. It didn't elaborate on the identi

Russia frees retired US schoolteacher in goodwill gesture as Putin meets Witkoff
Oct 22, 2026
Russia frees retired US schoolteacher in goodwill gesture as Putin meets Witkoff

ST PETERSBURG, Russia — Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US schoolteacher in custody since 2022, from prison on Wednesday and took him to St Petersburg to fly back to the United States, after talks that Washington said were a step toward ending the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin made the announcement at a meeting in St Petersburg with US envoy Steve Witkoff, who later said the talks will continue toward planned technical-level discussions involving the US, Russia and Ukraine. Witkoff called Putin a "humanitarian" in thanking him for the move, a remark that drew sharp rebuke from Republican and Democratic lawmakers given Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The prisoner release comes as President Donald Trump's recent gestures toward Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and a waiver of new sanctions, have already sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals. Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin had freed Hubbard, 74, at Trump's request, and that he had also taken into account the American's poor heal

Drone Attacks Strike Saudi Aramco Oil Field and Dammam Airport, Leaving Three Dead
Oct 22, 2026
Drone Attacks Strike Saudi Aramco Oil Field and Dammam Airport, Leaving Three Dead

Drone Attacks Strike Saudi Aramco Oil Field and Dammam Airport, Leaving Three Dead

Uzbekistan Wins the Biggest Olympiad in History. Now Sindarov Goes for the World Crown
Oct 22, 2026
Uzbekistan Wins the Biggest Olympiad in History. Now Sindarov Goes for the World Crown

[The content of this article has been produced by our advertising partner.] For two weeks in September, Samarkand was the capital of world chess — and when the pieces were finally swept from the boards, it was the home team standing at the top. Uzbekistan won the Open section of the 46th World Chess Olympiad, the largest in the event’s history with a record 397 teams from 205 federations, sealing gold with a final-round victory over Ukraine in front of packed stands. It is the country’s second...

Trump praises male senator's body
Oct 22, 2026
Trump praises male senator's body

Donald Trump has repeatedly praised the physique of Ohio Senator Jon Husted.

How to choose the right charger for your Apple devices
Oct 22, 2026
How to choose the right charger for your Apple devices

From a portable power bank for daily commutes to a foldable wireless charger for travel and a multi-device charger for the desk, Ugreen’s MagFlow and Nexode Pro ranges cater to different charging needs.

Russian missiles hit Kyiv as Moscow signals readiness for peace talks
Oct 22, 2026
Russian missiles hit Kyiv as Moscow signals readiness for peace talks

Russian missiles struck Kyiv overnight, wounding six people and forcing residents into shelters, Ukrainian authorities said Thursday, hours after Moscow signalled readiness to resume US-mediated peace talks. President Donald Trump said negotiations were closer than ever to ending the war, though the Kremlin expressed doubts over Ukrainian and European proposals.

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