Europe

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Vladimir Putin isn’t quite the man he used to be — more than a decade has passed since the Russian president engaged in public stunts to boast of his vigor by hugging a polar bear or riding a horse barechested in the mountains. The war in Ukraine has further dented that strongman image.

Putin is still expected to seek another term when Russia holds presidential elections next March. In fact, he has pushed through changes in the constitution to allow him to run for two more six-year terms.

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/: Russian air defense systems destroyed more than 1,400 Ukrainian air targets over the past month, including 37 aircraft and six US-made ATACMS missiles, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported.

"Air defense crews are getting the job done. Over the past month they destroyed more than 1,400 enemy air targets, including 37 aircraft and six US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles," Shoigu said during a conference call.

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/: Russia has no need to be in contact with the US before making a definitive decision on withdrawing from the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

When asked by TASS whether contacts with the Americans are planned before Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a final decision on signing the bill on Russia's revocation of CTBT ratification into law, Peskov said: "They [contacts with the Americans] are not necessary."

MOSCOW, November 1. /TASS/: An increasing number of people around the world not only sympathize with Russia, but also view it as a defender of enduring traditions and strong values, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the World Thematic Conference of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad.

LVIV, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Ukraine's attacks on the Russian Navy in the Black Sea have crippled Moscow's war efforts, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday, seeking to rally his troops even as the outside world expects instant successes.

Despite Kyiv's gruelling months-long offensive, the vast frontline in Ukraine's east and south has moved little in the past year, spurring criticism and impatience among some of Ukraine's Western allies.

ROME, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of international fatigue with the conflict in Ukraine and a lack of support for Italy in dealing with migration in a phone call with Russian pranksters.

A 13-minute audio of the call, which dates back to September, was released online on Wednesday by Russians Vovan and Lexus, who have duped other Western politicians and celebrities in an effort to elicit frank, unguarded remarks.

BELGRADE, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic signed a decree on Wednesday to dissolve the parliament based on the government's proposal, and scheduled extraordinary parliamentary elections for Dec. 17.

After signing the decree at the president's office, Vucic invited all citizens and politicians to take part in these elections.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Thirty-four journalists have been killed in the war between Israel and Hamas, an international media freedom group said Wednesday, accusing both sides of committing possible war crimes.

Reporters Without Borders called on International Criminal Court prosecutors to investigate the deaths. The organization said it already filed a complaint regarding eight Palestinian journalists it said were killed in Israel’s bombardment of civilian areas in the Gaza Strip, and an Israeli journalist killed during Hamas’ surprise attack in southern Israel.

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Israel’s ambassador to Moscow gave new details Wednesday of the weekend riot at an airport in southern Russia when a flight from Tel Aviv landed there, saying some of the passengers had to hide in the terminal before being flown by helicopter to safety.

LONDON (AP) — The United Kingdom is hosting the AI Safety Summit, bringing politicians, computer scientists and tech executives to a site chosen for its symbolism: Bletchley Park, synonymous with codebreaking and the birth of computing.

During World War II, a group of mathematicians, cryptographers, crossword puzzlers, chess masters and other experts gathered at the Victorian country house 45 miles (72 kilometers) northwest of London to wage a secret war against Nazi Germany. Their goal: cracking Adolf Hitler’s supposedly unbreakable codes.