4d ago11.45 ESTSummaryWe are now closing the live blog. Here is a summary of events so far: Volodymyr Zelenskiy has spoken of putting together “new bilateral agreements” that will “reanimate” the system of international law. He added that new military packages will be delivered “ in the coming weeks and months”. The UK’s Ministry of Defence has reported that Ukraine maintains a presence on the left bank of the Dnipro River and has continued to repel Russian attacks despite “logistical concerns”.

Decorative sea silk, woven from the spun byssus threads produced by the large bivalve mollusc, the Noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis). Photograph: Nature Picture Library/AlamyDecorative sea silk, woven from the spun byssus threads produced by the large bivalve mollusc, the Noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis). Photograph: Nature Picture Library/AlamyFashionThe ultra-rare material made from fibers – byssus – harvested from giant mollusks was once the height of fashion, for items such as the hat going under the hammer in New York

Improbable researchResearchCounterclockwise scalp hair-whorls appear more frequently in gay men than in the general population, apparentlyAmidst the swirls of controversy that buffet other sexuality researchers, one man focuses, quietly, on swirls. In a monograph called Excess of Counterclockwise Scalp Hair-Whorl Rotation in Homosexual Men, Dr Amar J S Klar announces a subtle discovery. "This is the first study," he writes, "that shows a highly significant association of biologically specified counterclockwise hair-whorl rotation and homosexuality in a considerable proportion of men in samples enriched in gays.

OpinionKaty Perry This article is more than 10 years oldWhy all the fuss over Katy Perry's geisha performance at the AMAs?This article is more than 10 years oldPatricia ParkPerry's Asian routine could have been a lot worse. There were no fake accents or eyelid jokes. This wasn't blatant 'yellowface'Strapped for a last-minute costume one Halloween, I rifled through the racks at Forever 21 before stumbling on inspiration: a red flower-print dress made of cheap cloth trying to pass itself off as shantung silk.

Saira: ‘Here I am: topless in the heart of my city. It’s a very freeing feeling’. Photograph: Caterina ClericiSaira: ‘Here I am: topless in the heart of my city. It’s a very freeing feeling’. Photograph: Caterina ClericiNew York holidaysOver the summer, ‘desnudas’ have turned Times Square into an unlikely battlefield for gender equality, but for women who do it it’s a way to reclaim both their bodies and their city