Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Kosovan Prime Minister Albin Kurti met in Paris.

The Armenian Prime Minister’s Office said the two leaders discussed prospects for developing relations between their countries.

They stressed the importance of expanding trade and economic ties and taking joint steps to do so. They also discussed tourism, with both sides noting considerable potential for cooperation in the sector.

The prime ministers exchanged views on issues of regional significance, including the opportunities arising from the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan travelled to France on 9 November on a working visit to attend the ninth Paris Peace Forum.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will lead to a net increase of 1.7 million jobs worldwide by 2030, according to a forecast by Gartner, a US research and advisory firm specialising in information technology markets.

Gartner analysts estimate that AI will create 10.6 million jobs and eliminate 8.9 million by the end of the decade.

“The organisations that have made the most progress in adopting AI see it not as a replacement for workers, but as a catalyst for transforming their operations and rebalancing their workforce and technological capabilities to stay competitive in changing markets,” Gartner lead analyst Helen Poitevin said at the Gartner IT Symposium/Xpo in Barcelona.

One of the most significant ways AI affected the labour market in 2026 was through companies’ decisions to delay the creation of 1.3 million jobs. In addition, 2.2 million jobs were eliminated and 1.6 million were created this year.

Gartner forecasts that by 2030, between 0.4% and 1.8% of workers worldwide will lose their jobs because of AI. More than 20% of workers, or approximately 435.5 million people, will have to adapt to new ways of working.

G7 foreign ministers have agreed to increase financial support for Ukraine over the winter, according to a statement issued after their meeting in Paris.

“We reaffirmed our commitment to supporting Ukraine’s energy security and decided to step up our financial and material support to help the country get through the winter,” the statement, published by the UK Foreign Office, said.

The ministers acknowledged the need for a coordinated approach to meeting Ukraine’s urgent financial needs in 2027 and beyond.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed their biggest ever release of prisoners after two days of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, US envoy Jared Kushner told reporters on Wednesday.

 “One of the positives is we agreed that we’re going to have the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners, which we’re going to finalize the numbers tomorrow,” he said, according to AFP.

Kushner and fellow US mediator Steve Witkoff will travel to Moscow on Thursday to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, and then to Dublin to debrief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Russian envoy Vladimir Medinsky and Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov also said a large scale prisoner exchange had been agreed, adding the numbers would be announced later.

According to the BBC, Kushner also noted that there is currently no trust between the two sides.

According to him, concluding peace agreements is a difficult process, but all the necessary components for reaching an agreement are in place, and efforts are now being made to bring them together into a comprehensive agreement.

Kushner added that the European side should also be involved in the negotiation process. He emphasized that productive discussions had taken place with representatives of the European Union and NATO in Abu Dhabi.

A soldier in the US Army has been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia, the BBC reported, citing British counter-terror police.

The 41-year-old senior serviceman was arrested near Gloucester on Tuesday.

Counter Terrorism Policing London said the man had been arrested under section one and section three of the National Security Act 2023.

Section one of the Act relates to obtaining or disclosing protected information, while section three relates to assisting a foreign intelligence service.

As part of the investigation, officers are carrying out searches at two locations in Gloucestershire.

The BBC understands the soldier was based at Imjin Barracks in Innsworth, Gloucestershire. The barracks serve as the headquarters of Nato’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC), a strategic operational base for the alliance.

Counter Terrorism Policing said it was not linked to any other ongoing investigations.

FBI director Kash Patel said in a statement: “This important arrest involves allegations of espionage, which is of the utmost concern to the United States and our allies.”

He added: “While this investigation is continuing, I want to send a clear message – this FBI has no tolerance for anyone who breaks their oath to the United States and whose actions endanger our national security and that of our partners.”

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, from Counter Terrorism Policing London, described the arrest as “significant”.

“The allegations are serious and our investigation is very much ongoing,” she said.

The unnamed soldier is currently in custody at a London police station.

He has been detained under the National Security Act 2023, allowing police to hold him without charge for up to 14 days.

Brig Gen Sean Stinchon, commanding general of US Army Counterintelligence Command, said: “The alleged conduct of a senior soldier, entrusted with sensitive information, is a sobering reminder that insider threats are real and persistent.

“I encourage anyone who thinks they’ve witnessed something suspicious to report it to their local counterintelligence office.”

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was quoted as saying on Tuesday that relations between his country and South Korea were on the road to recovery after a dispute ‌over North Korean prisoners of war, Reuters reported.

Sybiha said he had “a good meeting” with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun on the sidelines of a ministerial meeting of G7 countries and was pleased that relations were being put right.

In comments to national television, reported by Ukrainian media, he said he believed that “we now have in front ⁠of us the next series of actions for the final normalization of bilateral relations.”

“We deserve an extremely dynamic and high-level bilateral relationship with South Korea,” Sybiha told the television. “We had a really good conversation, during which we spoke frankly about those recent unpleasant events and facts that occurred.”

South Korea’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that Cho expressed hope during the talks that all pending issues between the two countries would be resolved smoothly.

The ministry cited Cho as saying that Seoul would keep considering ways to provide humanitarian ‌aid ⁠for Ukraine and to support its reconstruction.

South Korea recalled its ambassador last month after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told the UN General Assembly that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South.

The disclosure breached an understanding to keep the transfer confidential so as to protect the soldiers ⁠and their families in the North, Seoul said.

Sybiha said after the dispute occurred that it had been rooted in differing interpretations of confidentiality arrangements, saying Ukraine had fulfilled all its obligations.

In his latest ⁠comments, Sybiha said Ukraine was grateful for past and future support from Seoul and backing for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

North Korea has sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 ⁠troops to support Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2024, according to Ukrainian and South Korean estimates, with most deployed in the Kursk region to help repel a Ukrainian incursion.

U.S. Senate Republicans reelected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota to lead them when they lose their majority next year, even as their counterparts in the House of Representatives appointed a more firebrand figure after crushing losses in the midterms, USA TODAY reported.

The decision, which was made Tuesday behind closed doors without an official tally, came after days of griping among some of Thune’s counterparts about a need for a new direction in the GOP, particularly as it eyes a post-Trump era.

There was a push among conservatives to delay the vote as they sought a plan for how Thune intended to handle the lame-duck session.

“We have 55 days until the Democrats take over,” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, one of the members who tried unsuccessfully to put off the leadership contest, told USA TODAY. “I want to know what we’re going to do between now and then to get stuff done, because we’re not going to be in power for at least two years.”

Meanwhile, House Republicans elected Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to be their next leader, signaling a combative stance with the incoming Democratic majority.

Jordan won with a vote of 106 to 73.

“Over the next two years House Republicans will fight for American families,” Jordan told reporters after the vote, without taking questions. “When Democrats offer more government, we’ll offer more freedom. We will bring that fight in committee, on the floor and on the stump every single day.”

His victory came after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, declined to run for minority leader in the next Congress, after Republicans lost control of both chambers during last week’s midterm elections. Johnson’s second-in-command, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, ran against Jordan to become the next minority leader.

The U.S. House on Tuesday turned aside a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, halting an effort to remove the Pentagon chief for his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran, The Associated Press reported.

The vote came as Republicans grapple with the fallout from sweeping midterm losses that some in the party have blamed on the war in Iran and the resulting surge in gas prices. But after President Donald Trump signaled strong support for Hegseth, GOP lawmakers largely stood by the secretary Tuesday, blocking the effort in a near party-line vote.

The effort was led by Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and backed by Democrats. The vote Tuesday may only delay an impeachment push against Hegseth, with Democrats set to take control of the House and Senate in January.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the next speaker when Democrats take charge in January, stood firmly behind the push, saying Hegseth has “abused his power” and “undermined America’s national security.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer endorsed Hegseth’s impeachment as well.

Hegseth rebuked the effort Tuesday in his first news conference in months, portraying Massie as a rogue lawmaker and arguing he had committed none of the high crimes required in the Constitution for his removal. He framed the effort as an indictment against the nation’s service members and their successes and said it was undermining American forces “in real time.”

“This is not patriotism,” Hegseth said. “This is sabotage.”

Massie’s resolution included eight counts of impeachment. It largely focused on the war in Iran but also included references to Hegseth’s role in carrying out military actions in Yemen and Venezuela.

Massie, a Kentucky Republican leaving Congress in January after losing his primary to a Trump-backed opponent, says Hegseth has “knowingly executed and implemented unlawful orders.”

Armenian police units are continuing operational and intelligence measures, as well as awareness-raising efforts, to identify and seize illegally held weapons and ammunition and encourage their voluntary surrender as part of efforts to combat the illegal circulation of weapons and ammunition, the Ministry of Internal Affairs said in a press release.

The ministry reported several cases involving the discovery, seizure and voluntary surrender of illegally held weapons and ammunition.