Al Jazeera’s Nils Alder has been seeing how Lithuania’s military forces are staying ready, at a time of increasing concern over Russia’s military activity.
Military and civil drills in Lithuania as concerns over Russia increase
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,328
Here is how things stand on Tuesday, October 14, 2025:
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will travel to Washington, DC, to meet his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on Friday. The main topics to be discussed will be air defence and long-range capabilities, Zelenskyy said in a message on his Telegram channel. Trump has said he is considering providing Ukraine with long-range Tomahawk missiles (with a range of 2,500km or 1,550 miles), which would give Kyiv the capability to strike deep inside Russia.
- Zelenskyy said he held talks in Kyiv with the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Kaja Kallas. The two discussed how to increase pressure on Moscow via new sanctions, the use of Russian frozen assets to fund a reparation loan to Ukraine and the country’s path to EU membership.
- Kallas announced the allocation of 10 million euros ($11.5m) to set up a special tribunal to try Russia’s leadership for the crime of aggression. Often called the “mother of all crimes” in international criminal law, aggression is committed when military force is used against another state illegally.
- The EU’s top diplomat also said she would present a roadmap for European defence, including strengthening anti-drone systems, this week. The announcement comes following a surge of Russian hybrid attacks against European countries. “It is clear that we need to toughen our defence against Russia. Not to provoke war, but the opposite, to prevent war,” Kallas said.
- The mayor of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, Ihor Terekhov, has said Russian forces struck the city with guided aerial bombs on Monday night, knocking out power in at least three districts and hitting a hospital.
- Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed 40 Ukrainian drones, the majority over the Belgorod and Voronezh regions. It also reported that Russian troops captured the village of Borivska Andriyivka in the Kharkiv region and Moskovske in Donetsk. Russian forces also advanced deeper into the residential areas of the eastern districts of Myrnohrad.
Kylie Jenner reveals unexpected talent as she announces huge career news
Kylie Jenner is best known for being a sister to the Kardashians and her successful TV and makeup career but the American star is now venturing into the music business
Kylie Jenner has released a new song and has announced the return of the iconic “King Kylie” era. The mum-of-two took to her Instagram page to inform her dedicated fans that they would be going back in time to the well-known time in her career.
She’s best known for being part of the Kardashian family as well as her successful makeup business, but now it looks like she’s jumping into the world of music.
Kylie announced on her Instagram page that she has released her own song. Between 2016 and 2018, Kylie was regularly active on her Snapchat page, where she was named King Kylie.
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The iconic era saw her dye her hair teal and wear crazy lipstick colours, but it seems fans were desperate for the star to bring this back, even just temporarily.
The 28-year-old announced on social media that she was now becoming a musician, which is just another thing that she can add to her talents.
Alongside several photos and behind-the-scenes videos, Kylie wrote: “AHHHHHH!!!!!! FOURTH STRIKE!!! Terror Jr ft KING KYLIE!!!!! OUT NOW EVERYWHERE! What is happening!!! there was a little rumor 10 years ago that i was the one actually singing on 3 strikes!
“it wasn’t me (wish it was) so i had the idea to come together for fourth strike and it would actually be ME FEATURED! @terror.jr thank you for making another perfect song and for trusting me to actually ft on this!”
Kylie admitted that she was nervous to release her own song while also thanking for her fans for the opportunity. She went on to thank those who helped create the song.
“i was soooooo nervous but so grateful. @thacarterb i couldn’t have done it without you thank you for setting me up with such an amazing team @bschoudel @kshmr and @jbach !! & my baby @makeupbyariel !!!!! for supporting me and loving me. GO STREAM NOW LINKS IN MY STORYYY.”
As well as her new song, fans will be able to get their hands on a new makeup range which she is releasing through Kylie Cosmetics. She announced that her makeup brand will be brining back the “King Kylie” era by bringing out teal tones, skull packaging and a silver glitter gloss.
She promoted the new range through Snapchat where she lip synced to 3 Strikes by Terror Jr, foreshadowing her new music move. Taking to Instagram, Kylie wrote: “This King Kylie Collection is truly for you!!! You’re the reason my biggest cosmetic brand came true, and I wouldn’t be here.. 10 years later! Without your support.
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“I’ve seen all of your messages asking for a King Kylie collection, the fearless era that had a dream at just 17 years old! .. and that’s why I posted that tweet back in 2022. I wanted to give you exactly what you’ve been waiting for.”
Kylie Cosmetics first launched in 2016, Kylie’s make up empire has expanded through skincare, fragrances and hair products. According to Forbes, Kylie Cosmetics is currently worth $670 million (£499.5 million).
As NATO-Russia tensions rise, Lithuania prepares for conflict
Various locations, Lithuania – Along the banks of the Nemunas River, flags appear to be a fundamental feature.
On one side, in the sleepy Lithuanian town of Panemune, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, and European Union flags flutter in the wind.
On the other, a Russian flag towers over the Russian city of Sovetsk. On a nearby building is an illuminated decorative Z, a symbol used to show support for the Russian military’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
A solitary fisherman carefully sails under the Queen Louise Bridge, which connects Lithuania with the Kaliningrad region, a sliver of Russian territory sandwiched between two NATO member states. A Lithuanian flag flaps at the rear of his boat.
Vehicles have been banned from crossing the checkpoint on the Lithuanian side since 2022, and dragon’s teeth – concrete pyramidal anti-tank obstacles – have been installed.
The message is clear: tensions are high, and travel across the bridge is not encouraged.
But this was not always the case.
Titas Paulkstelis, a 28-year-old wind turbine technician and resident of Panemune, remembers when people lined up on either side.
“Life here was booming, with people going back and forth,” he said.
It used to be normal to take a day trip to buy products that were cheaper on each respective side, he added.
Paulkstelis said traffic across the bridge slowed after Russian-backed separatists invaded eastern Ukraine and Crimea in 2014.
Following Russia’s full-scale onslaught in 2022, the rural town was thrust into the forefront of geopolitical sabre-rattling.
Walking through his lush garden bursting with autumnal colours, Paulkstelis told Al Jazeera about unusual activity over the past year, including a weeks-long jamming of telephone signals, which he suspects may have been a Russian attempt to test Lithuania’s ability to respond.
He appeared amused by most of the activity, calling it “childish”.
An open-air cinema on the Russian side, clearly visible to the residents of Panemune, has been airing a near-constant stream of old Soviet war films since 2022, he said.
However, at times, he feels unsettled.
On several occasions, he has heard rapid gunfire, which he thinks emerges from military exercises in Kaliningrad. One explosion was so powerful that the ground beneath him shook.
In recent weeks, NATO-Russia tensions have exploded, with a number of NATO countries reporting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) entering their airspace.
On October 2 and 3, Germany’s Munich Airport closed its runways for several hours after drones were sighted.
Estonia has said Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered its airspace for 12 minutes.
The implications feel scary for some in Panemune, Paulkstelis said, but there is a sense that there is little they can do given their precarious location.
The town is nestled by Kaliningrad, which is home to nuclear-capable Iskander missile systems and is also close to the Suwalki Gap, a narrow 65-kilometre (40-mile) land corridor between Poland and Lithuania that separates Kaliningrad from Belarus and is seen as NATO’s most vulnerable chokepoint.
“If they’re coming, they will come for here”, he said, referring to the Russian military.
Cash targets return after tackling alcohol struggles
Warning: This article contains references to alcohol abuse
Former British and Commonwealth middleweight champion Felix Cash says becoming a father helped him tackle long-term struggles with alcohol and substance abuse.
Cash has not fought since a fifth-round stoppage defeat by Tyler Denny in Birmingham in the summer of 2024 – his first professional loss – but is now eyeing a comeback.
The 32-year-old from Berkshire was not sure if he would ever fight again after a turbulent few years outside the ring, but feels he is “refreshed and focused” following six months of sobriety and the arrival of another child.
“I’d been trying to give up drinking and going on mad benders for maybe six or seven years,” he told BBC Sport.
“It was getting worse, but having my new baby boy has changed everything.
“If I’d carried on the way I was, I wasn’t going to last much longer – I’d either have been locked up or dead.”
Cash first made his name in 2021, winning the British middleweight title with a devastating third-round knockout of Denzel Bentley at York Hall.
But long periods of inactivity over the past three years saw his momentum stall.
‘I’m back to who I am’
Cash’s defeat by Denny was seen as a missed opportunity to move on to the European stage.
The fight was stopped in the fifth round after an accidental clash of heads caused a cut to Cash, and Denny went on to win on the scorecards.
“I should never have been in the ring that night,” Cash added.
“Mentally, I wasn’t right. But if it hadn’t been stopped on a cut I believe I would have beaten him.
“Fair play to him, but if I’d been in the place I’m in now I’d have beaten 10 of him in one night.”
Cash is yet to confirm a return date but is exploring options with several promoters.
He has previously worked with Tony Sims and Adam Booth but has now linked up with Southampton-based trainer Jacob MacMillan, who also coaches British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Lewis Edmondson.
“I’m enjoying boxing again,” Cash said. “Working with Jacob, we clicked straight away.
“When I come back, I’ve got a point to prove. I know what I can do and I want to show everyone that I’m the real deal.”
Cash added that he has spoken to promotional outfits Matchroom, Queensberry and Boxxer as he looks to decide the best route for his return.
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US soya bean farmers battered by trade dispute with China
The United States soya bean harvest is under way, and in rural Maryland, farmer Travis Hutchison cracks open a pod to show that the field is nearly dry enough for reaping.
But a decent yield is not enough to secure his income this year, with China – once the biggest buyer of US soya bean exports – halting orders amid a trade dispute triggered by President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariffs.
Soya bean prices “are really depressed because of the trade war”, Hutchison told the AFP news agency.
“I wasn’t against the president trying it, because I think we needed better trade deals,” added the 54-year-old of Trump’s policies. “I was hoping it would get resolved sooner.”
The world’s second-biggest economy bought more than half of the $24.5bn US soya bean exports in 2024. But exports to China have fallen by more than 50 percent in value this year, as Chinese buyers have held off on new orders.
Due to lower demand, soya bean prices are down about 40 percent from three years ago.
After Trump slapped tariffs on Chinese products in his second presidency, Beijing’s counter-duties on US soya beans have risen to 20 percent.
This makes them “prohibitively more expensive” than exports from South America, where US farmers face growing competition, said the American Soybean Association (ASA).
Last month, Argentina suspended its export tax on key crops like soya beans, making them more attractive to Chinese buyers.
Trump pledged to tap tariff revenues to help US farmers but has not provided details.
On Friday, the US president threatened additional 100 percent tariffs on China and to scrap talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping over Beijing’s rare earth industry export curbs.
“These latest developments are deeply disappointing at a moment when soya bean farmers are facing an ever-growing financial crisis,” said ASA President Caleb Ragland.
ASA chief economist Scott Gerlt warned the situation is especially harsh in Midwestern states like North and South Dakota.
“This year’s going to be a very, very tough year,” farmer David Burrier, based in Union Bridge, Maryland, told AFP. “Forty percent of our acres are probably going to be breakeven or under breakeven.”
Burrier said it would be a “four-alarm fire” if China stopped soya bean purchases for good.
From 2018 to 2019, retaliatory tariffs caused more than $27bn in US agriculture export losses. The government provided $23bn to help farmers hit by trade disputes.
But they enter this trade war under greater financial stress, Gerlt said.
Crop revenues are lower, yet costs for everything from fertilisers to equipment have ballooned as Trump’s new tariffs bite.
“Getting parts to fix your combines and your planters and everything is costing more because of the tariffs,” Hutchison said. “It’s going to affect our bottom line.”
US farm bankruptcies this year have surged about 50 percent from 2024, said Professor Chad Hart of Iowa State University.