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The United States and Ukraine have announced a revised framework for ending the Russia-Ukraine war after an earlier proposal by Washington drew criticism for being too favourable to Moscow.

US and Ukrainian officials said on Sunday that they agreed that any deal to end Russia’s war should “fully uphold” Ukraine’s sovereignty as they unveiled an “updated and refined peace framework” that was scant on details.

“Both sides agreed the consultations were highly productive. The discussions showed meaningful progress toward aligning positions and identifying clear next steps,” officials said in a joint statement following talks in Geneva, adding that the sides agreed on the need for a “sustainable and just peace”.

Washington and Kyiv also reiterated their readiness to keep working together to “secure a peace that ensures Ukraine’s security, stability, and reconstruction”, the joint statement said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier on Sunday said the sides had made “tremendous” progress during the talks, though their joint statement offered no specifics for resolving the many thorny points of contention between Moscow and Kyiv.

Rubio said negotiators had made some changes to US President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan, including around the role of NATO, to narrow the differences between the sides.

“I can tell you that the items that remain open are not insurmountable. We just need more time than what we have today. I honestly believe we’ll get there,” Rubio told reporters at the US mission in Geneva.

Rubio declined to go into specifics about the amendments to the draft proposal, including whether Kyiv had agreed to compromise on key Russian demands, such as territorial concessions.

“But I can tell you, I guess, that I feel very optimistic that we can get something done here because we made a tremendous amount of progress today,” Rubio said.

Rubio’s cautiously optimistic remarks came after Trump, who has given Ukraine until Thursday to accept his 28-point plan, had earlier accused Kyiv of being insufficiently grateful for his administration’s assistance.

“UKRAINE ‘LEADERSHIP’ HAS EXPRESSED ZERO GRATITUDE FOR OUR EFFORTS, AND EUROPE CONTINUES TO BUY OIL FROM RUSSIA,” Trump posted on his social media site, Truth Social.

Shortly after Trump’s comments, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X that he was grateful to the US and “personally to President Trump” for Washington’s assistance in repelling Moscow’s invasion.

Trump’s leaked blueprint for ending the war has caused consternation in Kyiv and European capitals due to its alignment with many of Moscow’s hardline demands, including that Ukraine limit the size of its military and give up Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk.

Zelenskyy said in a sombre national address last week that the plan put Ukraine in the position of having to choose between “losing dignity” or “losing a key partner”.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday that any peace plan needed to respect Ukraine’s freedom to “choose its own destiny,” including to join the bloc.

“It starts with the country’s reconstruction, its integration into our Single Market and our defence industrial base, and ultimately, joining our Union,” von der Leyen said in a statement.

Asked whether a deal could be reached by Trump’s Thursday deadline, Rubio said “we want to get this done as soon as possible”.

“Obviously, we would love it to be Thursday,” he said.

Rubio said the peace plan was a “living, breathing document” and would continue to change.

The top US diplomat also said the deal would need to be presented to Moscow for its approval.

“Obviously, the Russians get a vote here,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Trump’s plan could form the basis for a final peace settlement, but warned that Moscow would advance further into Ukrainian territory if Kyiv refused to negotiate.

TRAIN passengers hoping to travel across Britain as Christmas closes in are facing uncertainty after a trade union announced strike action on four consecutive Saturdays.

Workers at rail operator CrossCountry will stage a slew of strikes in December in a dispute over pay.

Rail, Maritime and Transport union [RMT] members will walk out on December 6, 13, 20 and 27 – sparking chaos for Brits.

The move is likely affect thousands of Brits who are heading home to family and relatives for Christmas and New Year.

Engineering works on the West Coast Main Line on December 27 mean some passengers would have been hoping to use CrossCountry trains as an alternative.

CrossCountry operates a nationwide network centred on Birmingham New Street, running long-distance services that link Scotland, the North East and North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands, Wales, the South West, the South Coast and the East of England – including through-services such as the Cardiff–Edinburgh “Three Nations” route.

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“We are disappointed for our customers that the RMT has announced further industrial action,” Shiona Rolfe, Managing Director at CrossCountry told The Sun.

“We’ve worked hard to make a fair and reasonable offer that addresses the key points raised in this dispute, and we’ve made meaningful progress in negotiations.

“Our priority remains reaching an agreement that avoids disruption for passengers in the busy Christmas period, and we are ready to continue talks at any time.”

CrossCountry has not yet confirmed how the strike will impact services, but it is likely that most will be cancelled and they will only operate a  limited timetable at best.  

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the RMT – Britain’s biggest rail workers’ union – said today: “CrossCountry has not dealt with the core issues in this dispute and has come back with a proposal that is worse than what was already on the table.

“Our members are still facing unresolved staffing shortages, unfair pay outcomes and broken commitments. RMT members have been left with no choice but to take strike action.

“The company must return with a serious offer that meets the commitments it has already made and treats our members with the fairness and respect they deserve.”

The Sun Online has reached out to CrossCountry for comment.

It comes as Network Rail warned passengers to expect delays around Christmas and the New Year ahead of major £130 million works.

The disruption is set to last for a total of a month over Christmas, while crucial work is carried out.

Announcing a raft of festive network upgrades, Network Rail boss Helen Hamlin said: “The period between Christmas and New Year is the quietest on the railway and it’s the best time for us to do the major projects that will take longer than a night or a weekend to complete.

“That’s especially the case this year as we have some very big plans for improving the railway that will mean people may have to travel home on different routes after Christmas than the way they travelled out. 

“Thank you to everyone for your patience and understanding and for planning ahead.”

If you’ve watched the Screen Actors Guild Awards over the years, you’ve heard the name of the prize countless times, even if it hasn’t quite registered.

“And the Actor goes to … Timothée Chalamet.”

“And the Actor goes to … Demi Moore.”

“And the Actor goes to … ‘Conclave.’”

Now, in an effort to lean into the name of the statuette and streamline the show’s title, the Screen Actors Guild Awards announced Friday that it is renaming the ceremony to the Actor Awards. Or, if you want to get precise (and a bit verbose): the Actor Awards presented by SAG-AFTRA.

“Now that our global audience is really growing, people don’t always understand what the union name is,” says awards committee chair JoBeth Williams. “But ‘the Actor Awards’ they recognize and they know they’re going to see their favorite actors when they tune in.”

The SAG Awards have long been a reliable precursor to the Oscars on the awards season calendar, with last year being an exception. (Chalamet, Moore and “Conclave,” winner of the guild’s best picture equivalent, the ensemble honor, did not repeat their SAG successes.)

Since the event moved to Netflix in 2024 from TNT and TBS, viewership numbers have increased, besting pre-pandemic levels. Last year, per Netflix, the ceremony received 4.3 million views on the platform.

That’s a far cry from just four years ago, when the pandemic forced ceremonies to postpone and shuffle dates, and the Grammys thought nothing of landing on the SAG Awards’ original date. (SAG-AFTRA voiced its “extreme disappointment,” then slunk off to Easter Sunday for a scheduled one-hour telecast.)

“[Netflix] saw the potential of the show to really grow an audience,” says Jon Brockett, longtime showrunner and executive producer. “We’re on 190-plus countries now on Netflix. So the simplification of the name, from a global perspective, should bring about even greater awareness to understand who we are and what we’re all about.”

Which is, in a word: actors. Like the Golden Globes, the Actor Awards (we’ll just start calling it that now, trying it out for size) reward lead and supporting performances in movies and television, and, in lieu of “best picture” or “best series,” prizes for acting ensembles. Unlike the Golden Globes, the ceremony has not been beset by scandal or raised questions about unethical self-dealing.

Nominations for the Actor Awards are chosen by two nominating committees, one for film and one for television, comprising 2,500 SAG-AFTRA members that are randomly selected each year. Winners are then selected by active SAG-AFTRA members, a massive voting body numbering more than 130,000.

“We are all doing what these folks up there on the screen do, so we have a strong sense of what it takes to do that and what it takes to make it really special,” Williams says of the awards’ voters. “The eyes of the voters are very tuned in to what actors do.”

The Actors Awards will stream live on Netflix on March 1. Nominations will be announced on Jan. 7.

BBC Breakfast presenters paid tribute to Quentin Willson after the former Top Gear host and Strictly Come Dancing star died at the age of 68.

BBC Breakfast hosts Roger Johnson and Emma Vardy honoured former Top Gear presenter and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Quentin Willson this morning (Sunday, 9 November).

Willson, who co-presented the BBC motoring show from 1991 to 2001 before the era of Jeremy Clarkson and James May, passed away on Saturday aged 68.

His relatives announced his death in a statement, following his fight against lung cancer.

They called him a “national treasure” and “true consumer champion”, stating: “Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms.”

The statement added: “The void he has left can never be filled. His knowledge was not just learned but lived; a library of experience now beyond our reach,” reports the Express.

Besides serving as Top Gear’s used car specialist, and working as an campaigner and electric vehicle supporter, Willson appeared on Strictly in 2004.

He created history on the programme when his Cha Cha Cha with partner Hazel Newberry received the lowest score ever awarded by judges on the show, at just eight points.

He subsequently remarked he was “very proud” of it, acknowledging his poor dancing ability and saying: “I ‘m very proud to have the lowest recorded score on Strictly Come Dancing. Builders ran up to me to shake my hand because I failed so badly. I tried, but I was the dancing equivalent of a JCB.”

BBC Breakfast presenters paid tribute to Willson this morning, with Roger stating: “Jeremy Clarkson and James May have lead tributes to the former Top Gear presenter Quentin Willson, who has died from lung cancer at the age of 68. His family said that he brought the joy of motoring into people’s living rooms.”

Reporter Graham Satchell said: “Quentin Willson’s presenting style on Top Gear was unforgettable. Direct, forthright, with a wry sense of humour.

“After Top Gear, Willson began campaigning to reduce the amount of tax that motorists paid on fuel, and then to try and make electric cars more affordable.

“He holds the ignominious record of having the lowest ever score on Strictly, 8 out of 40, his performance described as a Robin Reliant trying to make love to a Ferrari.

“Willson loved it, it was important, he said, for people in the public eye to make fun of themselves.

“The car was his first and last love, he named his daughters Mercedes and Mini.”

Satchell continued: “Tonight Quentin Willson’s family said the void he left can never be filled. His knowledge was not just learned but lived, a library of experience, now beyond our reach.”

The tributes follow heartfelt words from James May and Jeremy Clarkson, who wrote: ” I’m far away so I’ve only just heard that Quentin Willson has died. We had some laughs over the years. Properly funny man.”

May commented on X: “Quentin Wilson gave me proper advice and encouragement during my earliest attempts at TV, back in the late 90s. I’ve never forgotten it. Great bloke.”

BBC Breakfast airs from 6am on BBC One and iPlayer.

A HUGE heavy metal band has announced their first UK show in over a decade, after they retired from touring.

The 70s band, who who are best known for We’re Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock, are heading back on the road – and they are heading to the UK.

Formed in New Jersey in the 70s, American rockers Twisted Sister are coming out of tour retirement and making a stop in Wales.

The much-loved band revealed in September they were heading back out on the road again, after nearly a decade of not touring.

Twisted Sister, who are headed up by Dee Snider, have now announced their first UK show which will see them headline the Welsh festival Steelhouse.

Organisers have brought in the legendary heavy metal band to celebrate 15 years of the festival – which next year will take place from July 24 to 26.

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They will take to the stage at the iconic Welsh festival, which is held at the mountainous Hafod-y-Dafal Farm, Aberbeeg, Ebbw Vale.

Speaking about booking Twisted Sister, Steelhouse promoters Max and Mike said: “We thought 15 years was worth celebrating in the biggest possible way.

“And what better way to do that with one of the most iconic names in metal – Twisted f***ing Sister!

“To have them come and celebrate their milestone 50 years with us is an absolute and unbelievable honour.”

The statement ended: “When Dee Snider came and laid waste to Steelhouse a decade ago – and more than any other headliner, fundamentally got what we were trying to do as an independent rock festival – we hoped that perhaps he would one day return with the band he made his name with… In our 15th year and their 50th, this is coming to pass… Twisted Sister on The Mountain is going to be huge!”

Other bands confirmed for Steelhouse 2026 include The Temperance Movement, plus Reef, Alien Ant Farm, Tyketto, Von Hertzen Brothers, Darren Wharton’s Renegade, Mason Hill, Dan Byrne, Luke Morley, Anthony Gomes, King Kraken, Blue Nation and more.

Twisted Sister have only played one live show since 2016, when they temporarily reunited for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2023.

But they announced in September that they would be heading back out on tour.

At the time, the band revealed that their line-up had changed, as longtime bassist Mark Mendoza won’t be on the tour.

Instead, Russell Pzütto, who has played with the band in the past, will be joining for the new shows.

They are going back on tour to celebrate a HUGE milestone in the band’s long career.

“If you’re lucky enough to be in a band that people still want to see after fifty years(!), how can you not answer the call?” lead singer Dee teased.

“In 2026, Twisted F***ing Sister will hit stages around the world because WE STILL WANNA ROCK!!”