## Elon Musk has been in regular contact with Putin for two years, says report

Authored by theguardian.com

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man who is now central to Donald Trump’s election campaign, has been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin for the past two years, according to a report in the US.

The implications of a secret channel of communication between Musk and Putin are enormous for western security.

The Tesla tycoon is a key player in the US space programme and has a high-level security clearance.

Furthermore, if Trump is elected on 5 November, Musk could play an important part in a new US administration.

Peskov insisted that neither Putin nor other Kremlin officials were holding regular conversations with Musk.

Musk denied Bremmer’s claim, but Hill, who attended the same elite conference in Aspen, Colorado as Musk a month before, said it was true.

He was just basically channelling the kind of things that Putin had told him. »

### Microsoft CEO's pay rises 63% to $79m, despite devastating year for layoffs

Authored by eurogamer.net

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella will earn a wallet-busting $79.1m (£60.9m) this financial year, up 63 percent on his compensation for 2023.

The huge boost to Nadella's pay in both cash and stock, announced by Microsoft last night, comes after a positive year overall for the company's financial revenues - but a turbulent 12 months for its employees.

2024 has seen two mass layoffs at Microsoft, with 1900 staff laid off in January, before a further 650 Xbox employees were shown the door in September. »

### Jeff Bezos killed Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris, paper reports

Authored by cnbc.com

In a statement to CNBC, when asked about Bezos' purported role in killing the endorsement, Post chief communications officer Kathy Baird said, "This was a Washington Post decision to not endorse, and I would refer you to the publisher's statement in full.".

Trump, while president, had been critical of the billionaire Bezos and the Post, which he purchased in 2013.

Post publisher and chief executive Will Lewis, in an online explanation of the decision, wrote, "The Washington Post will not be making an endorsement of a presidential candidate in this election. »

### Zelenskyy rejects visit of UN Secretary General to Kyiv after his trip to Russia – AFP

Authored by pravda.com.ua

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejected UN Secretary General António Guterres' visit to Ukraine due to his participation in the BRICS conference in Kazan, Russia.

Quote: "After Kazan, (Guterres) wanted to come to Ukraine, but the president did not confirm his visit.

On 22 October, UN Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Kazan in Russia on an unannounced visit on the first day of the three-day BRICS summit. »

### Disposable vapes to be banned in England and Wales from June

Authored by bbc.com

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock The government plans to introduce legislation to ban the sale of disposable vapes from 1 June 2025.

The sale of single-use disposable vapes will be banned in England and Wales from June next year, the government has confirmed.

Getty Images The previous government said disposable vapes were a "key driver" behind a rise in youth vaping. »

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