Russia released American Stephen Hubbard as Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff.

An envoy is a person sent to represent a government or leader.

The release took place as Russian President Vladimir Putin met Steve Witkoff, a US envoy, in St Petersburg.

Here, an envoy is a person representing the United States in talks with another country.

Nigeria confirmed an Ebola case in Abuja and began tracing 44 close contacts.

Close contacts are people who may have been near someone with the disease.

The woman is receiving care in isolation, and health authorities have identified 44 close contacts.

These are people who may have been near the woman while she had the infection.

Hubbard had been captured in Ukraine in 2022 and sentenced in 2024 to nearly seven years in a penal colony.

A penal colony is a place where prisoners are sent to serve their sentences.

UK inflation rose, while public sector debt passed three trillion pounds.

Inflation is a general rise in the prices of goods and services.

UK inflation rose to 3.5 percent in the year to September, up from 3.1 percent in August.

Here, inflation is the rate at which prices have risen over a period of time.

Inflation means prices are rising.

This sentence explains that inflation is a rise in prices.

UK inflation rose, while public sector debt passed three trillion pounds.

This is the money owed by the government and other public bodies.

That is the government’s debt after liquid assets are taken into account.

Liquid assets are things of value that can be quickly turned into money.

The broadcasts are used as psychological warfare: messages intended to influence people on the other side.

Psychological warfare uses messages to affect what people think or feel during a conflict.

The Associated Press says North Korea has been adding mines, fences and anti-tank barriers along the border.

These are obstacles designed to stop tanks from moving forward.

Responsibility for recent mine blasts that injured South Korean soldiers is disputed by the two governments.

Here, disputed means the governments disagree about who is responsible.

The country is governed by a military junta, a government led by military officers.

A junta is a government controlled by military officers.

Elon Musk says Tesla and SpaceX are considering a merger, but no deal is agreed.

A merger is when two companies join to become one.

Elon Musk says his companies SpaceX and Tesla are considering a merger.

Here, a merger means joining the two companies together.

A merger could create a company valued at about 3.5 trillion dollars, Al Jazeera reports.

The sentence says that joining the companies could form one company with this estimated value.