Good morning.

The Kremlin has denied reports that Donald Trump has spoken with Vladimir Putin in recent days, saying the Russian president has no concrete plans yet to speak with the newly elected US president.

The Washington Post first reported that Trump had spoken to Putin by phone and advised him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, citing unidentified sources. Reuters also reported on the call, citing an unknown source.

But the Kremlin said the reports were incorrect. “This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “There was no conversation.”

During his campaign, Trump said he would find a way to end the war “within a day,” but gave no further details, leading many in Kiev to fear what this could entail.

Trump says former Ice director Tom Homan will be responsible for borders and deportations

Tom Homan, the former acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will be responsible for controlling America’s borders under the Trump administration, the president-elect has said.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Homan’s areas of control would include “the southern border, the northern border, all maritime and aviation security” and that Homan would preside over deportations as “border czar.”

Trump ran a campaign that focused on immigration, with promises of mass deportations and detaining migrants in camps, and had praised Homan during his campaign, telling Fox News in July: “I have Tom Homan lined up, we have the best people.” Homan, a visiting scholar at the Heritage Foundation and author of Project 2025, vowed in July to lead “the largest deportation force this country has ever seen” if Trump were re-elected.

Netanyahu tries to delay testimony in corruption case, citing war

According to Israeli media reports, Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal team has requested a postponement of the Israeli Prime Minister’s testimony during his corruption trial.

His lawyers filed the request for a two-and-a-half-month delay, citing recent major developments in the war that they claim have prevented Netanyahu from preparing his evidence, the Times of Israel reported. Netanyahu’s legal team said: “This slight delay will allow the defense to properly prepare for his testimony and will not harm the public interest.”

• What’s the latest news from Gaza? Palestinian medical officials say an Israeli strike has killed at least three people, including the parents of twins who were sheltering in a tent in central Gaza after being displaced.

• And in Israel? Firefighters battled fires west of Jerusalem that the army said were ignited by debris from an intercepted rocket fired from Yemen, AFP reported.

Other news…

• Cop29 has started in Baku, Azerbaijan, with finance at the top the agenda while developing countries are calling for more financing to help them cope with the impacts of climate change.

• Haiti’s transitional council has fired its interim prime minister as the country’s security crisis continues to escalate, with armed gangs expanding their control.

• Drought hits Zambia and Zimbabwe’s hydropower systems, leading to daily power outages and devastating economic consequences.

Statistic of the day: Extreme weather has cost ‘$2 trillion worldwide’ in the past decade

Extreme weather events over the past decade have had a global economic cost of $2 trillion, a report has found. In the past two years alone, there were economic losses of $451 billion, according to research by the International Chamber of Commerce. The US was hit hardest financially over the past decade, with $935 billion, followed by China with $268 billion and India with $112 billion.

Don’t miss this: actors talk about the tricky art of taking over a beloved character

Recasting supporting roles is common in US network sitcoms, with Friends, Roseanne, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The Big Bang Theory having all done it, and a flurry of shows look set to bring in more replacements in coming seasons. Michael Hogan looks at how fans react, how the process can be done subtly – and what happens when it all goes wrong.

…or this: women walking the Camino de Santiago speak of ‘terrifying’ sexual harassment

Women walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route have spoken out about facing ‘terrifying’ sexual harassment in remote parts of rural Spain, Portugal and France, with one female pilgrim telling how she feared for her life .

Climate check: developing countries need private financing for the green transition, says Cop president

The private sector must play a role in financing developing countries’ transition to net zero if the world is to avoid the worst consequences of a climate crisis, the president of the UN climate summit has said. But many civil society groups doubt whether dependence on private financing, which comes with conditions attached, will increase.

Last thing: 100,000 Chinese students participate in a 50 km night cycle ride in search of good soup dumplings

It started when four students decided in June to cycle several hours from their university city of Zhengzhou to Kaifeng in search of the city’s famous oversized soup dumplings. But just months later it has grown into a movement of 100,000 young people on bike share, overwhelming local roads and services, and doing the same, spurred on by a hashtag: ‘Youth is priceless, a night ride to Kaifeng is.’

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