AP News in Brief at 12:09 a.m. EST

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy travels to United Arab Emirates as momentum grows for war peace talks

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the United Arab Emirates late Sunday as momentum grows for potential peace talks ending Moscow’s war on the country.

U.S. President Donald Trump last week suggested he would be meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saudi Arabia. The UAE, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, long has been floated as a possible site for peace talks as well given the large population of Russian and Ukrainian expatriates who have flooded the country since the war began, and due to the Emirates’ work on prisoner exchanges in the past.

Zelenskyy arrived in Abu Dhabi after attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany. Footage released by his office showed him and his wife, Olena Zelenska, being greeted by an Emirati official and honor guard at the airport late Sunday night.

Zelenska has traveled to the UAE since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, but this trip is Zelenskyy’s first to the UAE since the war began.

“Our top priority is bringing even more of our people home from captivity,” Zelenskyy’s office said in messages online. “We will also focus on investments and economic partnership, as well as a large-scale humanitarian program.”

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Rubio leading US delegation to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russia on Ukraine, according to AP source

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia for direct talks with Russian officials in the coming days to seek an end to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, a U.S. official said Sunday.

Also expected to take part in the talks in Riyadh about Russia’s February 2022 invasion is national security adviser Michael Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss the talks and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The official added that what the administration sees as early-stage negotiations remain fluid and who ultimately ends up at the table for the anticipated talks could change.

The trip follows last week’s telephone call between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in which Trump said they “agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately.” The call upended years of U.S. policy, ending the isolation of Moscow over the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion. Trump also spoke separately with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It wasn’t immediately clear if any Ukrainians would take part in the talks. A Ukrainian delegation is in Saudi Arabia to pave the way for a possible visit by Zelenskyy, a Ukrainian official said.

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‘Life-threatening cold’ expected as polar vortex stretches across U.S. after deadly weekend flooding

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Harsh weather moved west on Monday as a polar vortex was expected to grip the Rockies and the northern Plains after winter storms pummeled the eastern U.S. over the weekend, killing at least 10 people, including nine victims in Kentucky who died during flooding from heavy rains.

The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” into Tuesday, with temperatures in northeastern Montana predicted to dip as low as 45 degrees below zero (-42.7 degrees Celsius) with wind chills down to 60 below (-51 degrees Celsius).

Meteorologists said several states would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are combining to push the chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the U.S. and Europe.

In Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that the death toll rose to nine.

“I am sad to share some more tough news tonight, Kentucky. We just confirmed another weather-related death out of Pike County, bringing our total loss to 9 people.”

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At least 9 people are dead, including 8 in Kentucky, in latest blast of winter weather

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — At least nine people have died in the most recent round of harsh weather to pummel the U.S., including eight people in Kentucky who died as creeks swelled from heavy rain and water covered roads.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that hundreds of people stranded by flooding had to be rescued. President Donald Trump approved the state’s request for a disaster declaration, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate relief efforts throughout the state.

Beshear said most of the deaths, including a mother and 7-year-old child, were caused by cars getting stuck in high water.

“So folks, stay off the roads right now and stay alive,” he said. “This is the search and rescue phase, and I am very proud of all the Kentuckians that are out there responding, putting their lives on the line.”

Beshear said there have been 1,000 rescues across the state since the storms began Saturday. The storms knocked out power to about 39,000 homes, but Beshear warned that harsh winds in some areas could increase outages.

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William Byron avoids late wrecks to win 2nd straight Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla (AP) — William Byron fortuitously missed the ferocious wrecks down the stretch at the Daytona 500 that knocked out contenders racing for the checkered flag and left him with a repeat victory in sight.

Still, sitting ninth with one lap left in an overtime finish, the odds seemed against the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet to escape the rest of the race unscathed, or even have enough time to pull off the comeback win.

Thanks to one more crash, Byron used a clean ride on his final lap to escape the chaos and race to his second straight Daytona 500 victory. He dodged a string of late-race wreckage that knocked out a chunk of contenders and sent the Hendrick Motorsports driver into victory lane Sunday night at Daytona International Speedway.

“It’s not all luck to win twice in a row,” Byron said.

Maybe not. But Byron certainly was in the right place by racing near the outside wall in overtime to become the first back-to-back winner since Denny Hamlin in 2019-20.

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‘Saturday Night Live’ celebrates 50 years with comedy, music and show’s many, many famous friends

Paul Simon and Sabrina Carpenter duetted on Simon’s song “Homeward Bound” to open the show, five-decade “Saturday Night Live” luminary Steve Martin delivered the monologue, and Paul McCartney gave an epic closing to the 50th anniversary special celebrating the sketch institution that was overflowing with famous former cast members, superstar hosts and legendary guests.

The 83-year-old Simon has been essential to “SNL” since its earliest episodes in 1975, and performed on the first show after the 9/11 attacks. He was joined by the 25-year-old pop sensation of the moment. He told her he sang it with on the show in 1976.

“I was not born then,” Carpenter said, getting a laugh. “And neither were my parents,” she added, getting a bigger laugh.

McCartney closed the show with the rarely performed song cycle of “Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End” from the Beatles’ last recorded album, “Abbey Road.”

“And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make,” he sang.

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The 7 most memorable moments from the BAFTAs, from Zoe Saldaña to Mikey Madison

The British Academy Film Awards, or BAFTAs, have given audiences some great moments in recent years. Remember Ariana DeBose’s “Angela Basset did the thing,” that awkward performance that had a joyful second life as a joke? Or Ryan Gosling’s wink at Emma Stone last year that had internet shippers in a tizzy?

The worst part is that for some parts of the world, including the U.S., they’re also not the easiest to watch — or at least a little harder than just turning on ABC (and soon Hulu) to watch the Oscars.

The Associated Press is here to help those without a BritBox subscription with a rundown of the best and most memorable moments of the night, where “Anora” did not sweep (though Mikey Madison did triumph over best actress front-runner Demi Moore), “Conclave” won big and “Emilia Pérez” proved it’s still a contender.

Host David Tennant got the ceremony off to an amusing start with a pre-recorded bit where various actors give him a little pep talk, appearing in his dressing room mirror — including fellow Scot Brian Cox, who kicked off a rousing rendition of The Proclaimers song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles).” Tennant took over and brought the anthem into the room, where Selena Gomez seemed genuinely surprised when he tapped her shoulder and inserted her name into the song. There were the celebrity participants of course, James McAvoy, Camila Cabello and Colman Domingo among them. But even some not “in the show” sang along happily as well, Saoirse Ronan and Jack Lowden included. Others, like Adrien Brody and Demi Moore, did not seem to be part of the chorus.

No presenter wants a John Travolta “Adele Dazeem” moment or, worse, a Faye Dunaway “La La Land” flap, and you could see the wheels turning in Gomez’s head as she looked at the card for the debut by a British writer, director or producer award. “I don’t know how to say,” she said quietly from stage, looking at her co-star and co-presenter, Zoe Saldaña, before looking further down on the card. “Oh, ‘Kneecap,’” she said, quietly adding, “Rich” and simply avoiding the writer-director’s last name, Peppiatt.

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Ukraine and Europe worry about being sidelined as Trump pushes direct talks with Russia on war’s end

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s approach to ending Russia’s war against Ukraine has left European allies and Ukrainian officials worried they are being largely sidelined by the new U.S. administration as Washington and Moscow plan direct negotiations.

With the three-year war grinding on, Trump is sending Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Saudi Arabia for talks with Russian counterparts, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to publicly discuss the upcoming diplomatic efforts and spoke on condition of anonymity.

It is unclear to what extent Ukrainian or European officials will be represented in discussions expected to take place in Riyadh in the coming days. The official said the United States sees negotiations as early-stage and fluid, and who ultimately ends up at the table could change.

In an exchange with reporters Sunday, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “will be involved” in the negotiations. Trump offered no further explanation.

The outreach comes after comments by top Trump advisers this past week, including Vice President JD Vance, raised new concerns in Kyiv and other European capitals that the Republican administration is intent on quick resolution to the conflict with minimum input from Europe.

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Israel’s Netanyahu signals he’s moving ahead with Trump’s idea to transfer Palestinians from Gaza

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday signaled that he was moving ahead with U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to transfer the Palestinian population out of Gaza, calling it “the only viable plan to enable a different future” for the region.

Netanyahu discussed the plan with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who kicked off a Middle East visit by endorsing Israel’s war aims in Gaza, saying Hamas “must be eradicated.” That created further doubt around the shaky ceasefire as talks on its second phase are yet to begin.

Rubio, in his upcoming stops in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, is likely to face more pushback from Arab leaders over Trump’s proposal, which includes redeveloping Gaza under U.S. ownership. Netanyahu has said all emigration from Gaza should be “voluntary,” but rights groups and other critics say that the plan amounts to coercion given the territory’s vast destruction.

Netanyahu said he and Trump have a “common strategy” for Gaza. Echoing Trump, he said “the gates of hell would be open” if Hamas doesn’t release dozens of remaining hostages abducted in the militant group’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, that triggered the 16-month war.

The ceasefire’s first phase ends in two weeks. Negotiations were meant to begin two weeks ago on the second phase, in which Hamas would release dozens of remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting truce and the withdrawal of Israeli forces

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Downloads of DeepSeek’s AI apps paused in South Korea over privacy concerns

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup, has temporarily paused downloads of its chatbot apps in South Korea while it works with local authorities to address privacy concerns, according to South Korean officials on Monday.

South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission said DeepSeek’s apps were removed from the local versions of Apple’s App Store and Google Play on Saturday evening and that the company agreed to work with the agency to strengthen privacy protections before relaunching the apps.

The action does not affect users who have already downloaded DeekSeek on their phones or use it on personal computers. Nam Seok, director of the South Korean commission’s investigation division, advised South Korean users of DeepSeek to delete the app from their devices or avoid entering personal information into the tool until the issues are resolved.

Many South Korean government agencies and companies have either blocked DeepSeek from their networks or prohibited employees from using the app for work, amid worries that the AI model was gathering too much sensitive information.

The South Korean privacy commission, which began reviewing DeepSeek’s services last month, found that the company lacked transparency about third-party data transfers and potentially collected excessive personal information, Nam said.