The Brief

Russia released Stephen Hubbard, a 74-year-old retired Michigan teacher captured in eastern Ukraine in 2022 and convicted of fighting against Russia, after more than four years in custody. NPR reported Putin freed him following a request from President Trump, and Trump said no swap was required. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff greeted Hubbard in St. Petersburg and described Putin as "a humanitarian"; Republican Sen. John Cornyn responded, "No. Putin is a stone cold killer," while Vice President JD Vance defended Witkoff as "a diplomat."

Witkoff met Putin amid efforts to end the war in Ukraine. Putin's foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov said Putin agreed in principle to resume trilateral Russia-Ukraine-U.S. talks after Nov. 10, and Witkoff said he hopes Ukraine will be included. Hubbard's son told CBS News his father might have made a mistake in staying in Ukraine when the war began.

Tehran told Washington it had "nothing new" to offer after mediators reportedly presented the latest nuclear proposals, and Iran remains determined to keep its uranium, Al Jazeera reported. The outlet described the odds of renewed war as increasing amid a flurry of meetings.

CBS News reported that Iran says indirect talks with the U.S. are continuing and that Washington is seeking changes to a seven-day ceasefire proposal Trump rejected last month.

South Sudan authorities said Sudan's army launched a drone attack on a market in the disputed border region, killing at least 153 people. Médecins Sans Frontières said it is treating 20 wounded.

The BBC, citing sources, reported a higher toll of more than 300 and said the targets included a truck carrying people to a funeral and a market alleged to supply fuel to the RSF. The figures differ between outlets.

Al Jazeera reported that one person was killed and eight injured in an attack on Saudi Arabia's King Fahd airport, and that the aviation authority said updates would follow. The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of some government personnel from Saudi Arabia, saying Iran-aligned Houthis have "increasingly engaged in hostilities" against the kingdom. CBS News, citing sources, reported the U.S. military has also been quietly reducing its footprint at posts in the Middle East because of threats from the Houthis and from Iran.

Earlier, a blast was heard in Aden, Yemen, as the Houthis said they attacked a military camp with a ballistic missile. Local authorities said 73 security recruits were killed in a strike on a training camp in Shabwa province, and Al Jazeera reported a mass funeral for 75 recruits. CBS News reported Egypt is weighing sending troops to Saudi Arabia, PBS reported Britain is sending air support, and NPR reported Saudi Arabia cancelled its "Davos in the Desert" investor meeting because of the strikes.

Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive, making it the latest country to report a case in the regional outbreak. Officials say the patient is the wife of a diplomat based in Abuja and had travelled to Kampala for a vacation, the BBC reported. Al Jazeera reported that health officials say the case matches the Bundibugyo strain behind the DR Congo outbreak, which it described as that country's deadliest ever and now the first to reach West Africa.

Kenya confirmed its first case earlier this month and has since recorded nine infections. The U.S. has advised its citizens to reconsider travel to Kenya, while the Kenyan government is trying to reassure the public, the BBC reported.

Pope Leo XIV will not need further treatment after lung cancer surgery, his doctors said in a statement. Follow-up tests confirmed the disease was localized, the Vatican said, and the BBC reported the results confirmed a diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma.

Al Jazeera reported that the 71-year-old pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed in the operation.