Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking at the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security last week, called the Moscow Format consultations on Afghanistan “the most representative platform for developing a region-wide consensus.”

It is hard to argue with the central point of the foreign minister’s remark. The Moscow Format really is broad-based, bringing together not only Afghanistan and the Central Asian states, but also India, Iran, China, and Pakistan, as well as guest delegations such as Belarus and Egypt.

Yet while few doubt the forum’s representative character, the question of whether it can actually produce a region-wide consensus is much more complicated. At its anniversary meeting last month (the format has been in place since 2016) the participants could not even agree on a joint final statement.

Moscow still appears to believe that the platform remains effective. The consultations are held regularly, and there is an exchange of views. As for the communique, in the view of Russian officials, while adoption of a final document is desirable from a protocol standpoint, it is not an absolute requirement for such a format. However one looks at it, the host side can hardly be blamed for the lack of a final communique. The real issues lie deeper.

The failure to come up with a statement stems from disagreement between Kabul and Islamabad over how to describe terrorist activity emanating from Afghan territory. At the previous meeting, the same wording was agreed upon without objections. But this year circumstances worked against Moscow. As armed tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan escalated, both sides were far more sensitive to any phrasing that in current circumstances might be interpreted as an attack on their position in the bilateral standoff.The absence of a joint statement is unlikely to have a major impact on the future of the forum itself. The Moscow Format will continue to function as one of the recognized frameworks for discussing Afghanistan-related issues.

However, the fact that the recent meeting ended without a communique could have a bigger impact on Russia-Pakistan bilateral ties. Until recently, concerns within Pakistan’s ruling circles about Moscow’s growing closeness with Kabul were largely confined to tight-lipped diplomats and a narrow circle of experts. In October, however, dissatisfaction with the outcome of the Moscow Format spilled into the public domain with a number of leading Pakistani outlets publishing critical commentary. 

An editorial by influential newspaper The Dawn, for example, noted that while many other third parties, including Qatar, Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and China – have tried to mediate between Pakistan and Afghanistan, “Russia is the only state that recognizes the Taliban regime” and hence could “be engaged” to “try and give the peace process another chance.”

The Tribune newspaper went even further, suggesting in its report on the talks in Moscow that “what raised eyebrows in diplomatic circles was Moscow’s apparent effort to play down the regime’s links with terrorist activities, prompting speculation that changing regional dynamics may be pushing Russia closer to Kabul.” 

The roots of such reactions in Islamabad, of course, go back not months or years, but decades.

Old narratives, ground realities

The idea of the ‘Great Game’ inevitably resurfaces whenever discussion turns to Moscow’s dealings with Kabul and the wider region. Repeated use of the term in historical, geopolitical, and geoeconomic debates has diluted its meaning, turning it into something of a buzzword. Yet it remains essential for understanding Pakistan’s reaction to Russia’s policy toward Afghanistan.

To say that Pakistan’s elites have simply inherited the British colonial idea of Russia as an inherently expansionist power would be an oversimplification. Islamabad and Rawalpindi have their own strategic culture and their own worldview, in which Moscow is seen both as an important power center and as a potentially useful partner. But when it comes to Afghanistan, old colonial notions still tend to surface – particularly the belief that Russia seeks to expand its influence in Kabul in order to gain access to the ‘warm waters’ of the Indian Ocean (even though this myth conveniently ignores the fact that Russia already has maritime access).

This narrative shaped perceptions throughout much of the second half of the 20th century, especially during the Soviet military presence in Afghanistan, and it has resurfaced in recent years, particularly after the Taliban was recognized as the official Afghan government.

One can point out endlessly that such assumptions bear little relation to reality. Yet century-old narratives are often more durable than arguments grounded in facts. The persistence of this perception is directly linked to the depth of the problems Pakistan faces in its relationship with Afghanistan.

First, Islamabad has never been able to reconcile itself to the refusal of every Afghan government to recognize the Durand Line, dating back to 1893, the time of British colonial rule in the region, as the official border. (Pakistan does recognize it.)

Second, from the point of view of Islamabad, the porous nature of that border is the main source of terrorist activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which remains the core national security challenge for Pakistan. According to Islamabad’s official line, militants from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Baluch separatist movements are able to operate only because they can find sanctuary inside Afghanistan. (The Taliban authorities deny harboring the TTP, arguing that the insurgency is a homegrown domestic issue for Pakistan.) 

Finally, and most importantly, Pakistan fears that some third power might aggravate these two problems — by encouraging Afghan claims on the border and by indirectly supporting anti-Islamabad elements. In Pakistan’s strategic imagination, that role is usually assigned to New Delhi, but in moments of acute crisis – as in the 1970s and 1980s – Moscow can also be cast in the same role.

Breaching the differences

Allowing the situation to drift to that point is hardly in Moscow’s interests – or in the interests of anyone else in the region. That is why Russian officials and experts continue trying to explain their own reading of events to their Pakistani counterparts.

At the official level, Moscow defends its rapidly expanding engagement with the Taliban on two main grounds. First, the current authorities in Kabul are seen as the most reliable partner for counterterrorism. The Taliban have consolidated enough coercive power to prevent a return to full-scale civil war and to establish a relatively stable grip over the country. For the Russian leadership, that makes them a necessary interlocutor in coordinating efforts against ISIS-Khorasan, whose activities threaten not only Russia but also its partners in Central Asia. Second, the authorities in Kabul have shown a willingness to curb drug trafficking, something reflected in data pointing to a decline in opiate production.

The difficulty is that neither argument carries much weight in Pakistan. On the contrary, Islamabad has long had ready-made counterarguments to both. Hance, the conversations end with a counter-question: “Why are our concerns not being taken into account?”

The answer, once again, seems to lie in differing perceptions – this time on the Russian side. In Moscow’s strategic worldview, the development of ties with Kabul and the problems between Pakistan and Afghanistan are seen as two different tracks.

The clearest illustration of this is Russia’s own geographical mindset. In Moscow’s view, Afghanistan belongs to Central Asia and is typically treated only as an actor or object affecting the dynamics north of its borders. The Taliban’s policy toward Pakistan is barely discussed. Kabul’s ties with other South Asian countries are also largely ignored. As a result, Afghanistan plays almost no role in Russia’s broader foreign policy planning for South Asia. For observers from the subcontinent, this is surprising, but it reflects a long-established pattern in Russia’s foreign policy theory as well as practice.

Broader vision

None of this means that Russia-Pakistan relations are doomed to crash against a wall of mutual misunderstanding and distrust over Afghanistan. Admittedly, Moscow and Islamabad are currently moving in different directions. Russia’s cooperation with Kabul is likely to continue and may well expand into new areas, while the military standoff between Afghanistan and Pakistan is likely to persist for the foreseeable future, with harmful effects on the lives of people along the border.

Even so, divergent approaches to Kabul need not lead inevitably to hostility between Russia and Pakistan. Such an outcome would run counter not only to Moscow’s and Islamabad’s own interests but also to those of other regional actors. It could deprive both countries of the benefits of bilateral cooperation and even paralyze the work of the Moscow Format and other regional mechanisms, including the SCO. That would benefit no one.

The first step toward avoiding such a scenario could be to let old, familiar narratives give way to new ways of thinking – ones that recognize how fundamentally differently the parties can perceive the same problem, and that are ready to accept development and peace as indispensable for global progress.

The future of the Youth Olympic Games remains uncertain as Senegal concludes Africa’s first Olympic sporting event, with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reviewing whether the competition is fulfilling its purpose.

IOC President Kirsty Coventry said on Thursday that the organization is still assessing the event after suspending the selection of a host for the 2030 Summer Youth Games earlier this year. She gave no timetable for a decision.

Coventry, a former Zimbabwean Olympic swimming champion, praised Senegal’s hosting, describing the event as “a magnificent journey” and saying they demonstrated Africa’s ability to organize major sporting events.

“I think we’ve proven by these games that there’s nothing lacking,” she said at a press conference. She noted, however, that only around 15% of participants go on to compete in the Olympics, calling the proportion “quite small.”

“It’s not to say that the impact isn’t enormous, because we can see it and we can feel it,” Coventry said. The IOC must nevertheless assess the event’s contribution to the wider Olympic movement, she added.

The IOC Executive Board paused the 2030 host election process on May 7 while it reassesses the competition’s core objectives. Coventry said findings from Dakar would feed into that assessment, which includes examining how best to engage youth through the Olympic movement.

Consultations with national Olympic committees and international sports federations failed to establish a clear shared vision for the event, Inside the Games reported when the pause was announced.

Dakar 2026 opened on October 31 and is scheduled to conclude on November 13. Around 2,650 athletes from 204 national Olympic committees, along with the first Youth Refugee Olympic Team, have taken part in Dakar, Diamniadio, and Saly.

Japan’s Mana Ishikawa, 17, became the first athlete to win four individual golds at a single Youth Olympics. China swept the men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics team titles, while New Zealand’s Ariel Muchirahondo claimed the 100 and 200 meter backstroke crowns.

Senegal’s Elisabeth Diatta secured the host nation’s first gold at an Olympic event in women’s 55 kg beach wrestling. Compatriot Maguette Diop also won wrestling gold, while Senegal’s men defeated Lithuania to take the 3x3 basketball title.

Russia competed under its national flag and anthem, with 13 athletes registered across nine sports. Its gold medalists included Ulyana Belykh, 15, who defeated Egypt’s Sara Amr Hossny 15-8 in the women’s individual foil final.

Senegal was awarded the Games in 2018 and initially planned to stage them in 2022. The coronavirus pandemic forced a four-year postponement, making Dakar the first Summer Youth Olympics since Buenos Aires in 2018.

Created under former IOC President Jacques Rogge, the Summer Youth Olympics debuted in Singapore in 2010, followed by the inaugural winter edition in Innsbruck in 2012. Italy is scheduled to host the next Winter Youth Olympics in 2028.

This week’s efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict yielded “meaningful progress,” US President Donald Trump’s envoy and son-in-law Jared Kushner has said. He announced plans to address the Russia-Ukraine territorial dispute and wider European security order in parallel.

In a statement on X on Friday, Kushner summarized three days of intensive diplomacy that began with trilateral Russia-Ukraine-US negotiations in Abu Dhabi. He and fellow Trump envoy Steve Witkoff subsequently met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in Dublin, before consulting with security advisers from Ukraine and European countries.

“We have made meaningful progress in understanding both sides’ concerns, identifying possible solutions, and establishing a path forward,” Kushner wrote, while acknowledging that “significant differences remain.”

He went on to say that both Russia and Ukraine “have now agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include our European partners,” adding that the expanded format will allow discussions on “broader postwar European security arrangements alongside the territorial issues between Ukraine and Russia.”

Kushner stressed that a settlement will require credible security guarantees, mechanisms to prevent renewed confrontation, and mutual commitments to de-escalation. “We will begin discussing these interconnected issues in parallel, with the understanding that, apart from humanitarian measures, nothing will be finalized until a comprehensive agreement is reached.” 

Despite the announcement, Moscow has not confirmed that it agreed to direct European participation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has argued that European governments are sending contradictory signals, claiming to support peace while preparing to deploy troops to Ukraine in case of a ceasefire, which Moscow has rejected.

“They are moving toward an expansion of the war, but they talk about peace. A vicious circle,” he said on Thursday.

Peskov noted that European governments are struggling to decide on an envoy, likening their infighting to “spiders in a jar.” He also suggested that politicians who seek contact with Moscow face ostracism from their European counterparts.

Kushner said on Wednesday: “if Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiation.”

During the two-day Russia-Ukraine-US talks in Abu Dhabi, European officials held separate consultations with the US and Ukrainian delegations, but were not included in the main negotiations. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mocked the situation, saying: “Well, they flew to Abu Dhabi. Let them sit there in the hotel.”

According to Politico, the EU is divided into at least three camps over who should represent it in talks. One favors European Council President Antonio Costa, who the paper describes as the most broadly acceptable candidate due to his institutional role. Another includes France and Germany, “both of which are reluctant to surrender their own places at the negotiating table to Brussels.” 

The third and “loneliest” group reportedly backs EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who is hawkish on Russia. According to Politico, some EU diplomats believe she “could put off the Kremlin and make her a liability.”

Two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi have ended without a breakthrough. This was predictable because the Ukraine conflict is too complex, and too many interested parties still believe they can improve their positions at somebody else’s expense, but the absence of a dramatic announcement shouldn’t be mistaken for the absence of progress.

The delegations were experienced, the discussions lengthy, and judging by the accounts, substantive, so this wasn’t another diplomatic performance designed merely to buy time or lull the opponent into complacency. For once, the parties appear to have discussed the issues that might eventually make peace possible.

An agreement on a prisoner exchange is the most visible result. These exchanges aren’t unprecedented, but they demonstrate a willingness to keep channels open, while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have since traveled to Moscow to brief President Vladimir Putin, before continuing consultations with the Ukrainian leadership in Ireland. However, for now, decisive political commitments remain beyond the authority of the negotiators.

The delegations can assess battlefield developments, the state of the opposing economies, and the costs of continuing the war, but they can’t resolve the most difficult questions without instructions from their leaders, which means Abu Dhabi was an important stage in the process, not the conclusion.

Still, there is a sense of approaching a crossroads. Either the parties find some basis for reducing tensions, or the fighting enters another period of escalation, which may actually depend on actors who were not seated at the trilateral negotiating table: the Europeans.

The EU was conceived as a framework for economic cooperation and integration, not as a military-political organization, and its founding generation could hardly have imagined a continent in which industrial policy would be increasingly shaped by weapons production and military mobilization.

Yet that is the direction the EU has moved, and this isn’t merely a matter of acquiring new powers, because its political character is changing, and an organization established to overcome Europe’s historic divisions now risks defining itself through confrontation, which for Europe and its peoples is a tragedy.

In fairness, Russian analysts underestimated the Europeans. For years, the prevailing assumption in Moscow was that Brussels would follow Washington without serious resistance, but President Donald Trump’s return to the White House demonstrated otherwise.

Once the Trump administration altered the approach to Ukraine, European governments displayed an unexpected determination to chart their own course. They may still dream of the Democrats returning to power in Washington, but in the meantime, they have developed a degree of strategic autonomy, above all in their policy toward Russia.

Europe has become Kiev’s principal sponsor, supplying economic assistance, intelligence, political backing, and military equipment. At times, the conflict has looked less like a confrontation between Russia and Ukraine than one between Russia and the EU fought through Ukrainian forces.

Brussels has also acted as Kiev’s advocate in Washington as European leaders have repeatedly sought to steer American decisions towards stronger support for Ukraine, including after the Anchorage summit, and their influence is substantial, even if they aren’t party to the current negotiations.

European officials were present in Abu Dhabi, but Russia opposed their participation in the trilateral discussions and that position reflects Moscow’s view that the EU is neither impartial nor particularly interested in compromise. Individual European governments, meanwhile, are pressing Washington to secure them a direct role.

This is becoming one of the central dilemmas of the peace process, given that excluding Europe indefinitely would be unrealistic because any durable settlement must address the wider security order on the continent, not merely the line of contact in Ukraine, and Russia has raised this issue for years.

As one Russian formulation has it, the whole body is ill – Ukraine is simply where the abscess has burst. A lasting solution will require more than treating the wound. It will require a comprehensive European security arrangement that takes account of Russian interests as well.

But timing is key here, because giving European governments a seat before the principal parties have identified common ground could extinguish the diplomatic initiative at the outset. Their involvement may become necessary later, once negotiations advance beyond technical exchanges and a workable framework begins to emerge, but we aren’t there yet.

Another complication is the political upheaval in the US. The Republican defeat in the midterm elections has strengthened forces determined to oppose Trump’s Russia policy. The president remains in office, but he now faces a more hostile Congress and a domestic struggle that will consume political energy.

Those in Europe and Kiev who favor continuing the military confrontation will see an opportunity. They hope Washington’s room for maneuver will narrow and pressure on Moscow will intensify, while Trump, the principal sponsor of the present diplomatic effort, may find it increasingly difficult to sustain his course.

There are powerful interests in Europe, Ukraine, and the US that consider continued confrontation preferable to a settlement on terms Moscow would accept, and their influence can’t be wished away.

Nevertheless, Abu Dhabi is important because it has shown that serious discussion is possible and that the agenda is gradually widening beyond immediate battlefield questions. A prisoner exchange is modest progress, but progress all the same.

The choice ahead is stark: further escalation or the difficult work of constructing a peace that acknowledges the security interests of all the principal parties. Neither outcome is inevitable, but for the first time in some while, there is at least reason for cautious hope.

This article was first published by the online newspaper Gazeta.ru and was translated and edited by the RT team

Former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has been called to testify before Congress alongside US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over national security concerns sparked by an alleged affair between Huang and a suspected Chinese spy.

Senator Tim Scott sent letters to both men on Thursday, seeking their testimony before the Senate Banking Committee in early December.

“Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive US technology,” Scott wrote on social media. “The American people deserve answers.”

Huang’s appearance is voluntary, but the committee warned it is prepared to use “all tools” at its disposal, including subpoenas, if he refuses to testify.

Recent reports raise serious concerns about our national security and the protection of sensitive U.S. technology.

I am requesting that NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testify before the Senate Banking Committee.

The American people deserve… pic.twitter.com/Xu1kiNzkhW

— Senator Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) November 13, 2026

The scandal erupted earlier this month following reports linking the CEO to Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a businesswoman formerly associated with Singapore-based Nvidia chip buyer Megaspeed International.

The New York Times and Financial Times claimed US intelligence officials suspected her of gathering information for Beijing and attempting to influence Huang to loosen restrictions on chip exports to China.

The FBI opened an investigation, while Nvidia’s board launched its own probe. On Thursday, the company announced Huang’s resignation as CEO, president, and board member “effective immediately,” ending his 33-year tenure without offering an explanation. Finance chief Colette Kress was named interim CEO.

Huang admitted on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife but did not identify the woman involved. Subsequent media reports alleged further affairs involving Nvidia healthcare executive Kimberly Powell and another employee. The New York Times reported on Thursday that Huang had hired lawyers experienced in government investigations to handle the fallout.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche said Thursday that the Justice Department had reached no conclusions about whether Alice Huang had spied for Beijing. China strongly rejected the allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun dismissing them as “a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear.”

Lutnick, meanwhile, faces scrutiny over his department’s approval of Nvidia chip exports to China. Despite fierce technological rivalry and lingering trade tensions, Washington cleared sales of H20 processors in July 2025, then authorized exports of more powerful H200 chips in December under an arrangement giving the US a 25% cut through tariffs. Lawmakers are questioning whether the Commerce Department adequately assessed national security risks before approving the sales. Lutnick’s spokesperson, Kristen Eichamer, told NBC News he has agreed to testify.

Four Turkish military personnel were killed when an S-70-type helicopter crashed in the country’s eastern province of Malatya, the National Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

The ministry did not provide details about the aircraft’s mission or the number of personnel on board. There was no immediate official information on casualties or on the causes of the crash.

“As a result of an accident involving our S-70 helicopter in Malatya, for a reason not yet determined, four of our heroic comrades-in-arms aboard the helicopter were martyred,” the ministry said in a statement, extending condolences to the families of the soldiers.

The helicopter went down in the Samankoy neighborhood of Malatya’s Yesilyurt district around 6:45 PM local time, according to reports by local media. A fire reportedly broke out at the crash site and spread to a nearby house.

Video footage circulating online shows the helicopter’s burning wreckage near a cluster of buildings in an otherwise open area.

The S-70 belongs to the Black Hawk family of military utility helicopters manufactured by US defense manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. Variants of the aircraft are operated by armed forces in several countries. The Black Hawk is able to carry up to 11 soldiers plus its air crew.

The Turkish Air Force operates a large base – the 7th Main Jet Base – to the north of Malatya.

India’s imports of Russian crude rose 10% in October to record levels from the previous month, as the country’s three largest refineries sharply raised their purchases, data from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) showed.

India bought 37% of Russian crude exports in October at a total cost of $6.41 billion, making it the second largest buyer of Russian oil, the data showed. India’s total fossil fuel imports from Russia came in at $7.07 billion, its highest monthly total in data going back to January 2022, the CREA said on Thursday. 

Ten shipments of fuel, refined from Russian crude, were sent to EU ports last month by the massive Jamnagar refinery in India, owned by billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance. European nations also bought two such fuel shipments from Türkiye’s STAR refinery. It had bought seven such shipments in September.

The Helsinki-based CREA describes itself as an independent research organization but explicitly supports Ukraine and says it uses its resources to “eliminate” Europe’s reliance on Russian fossil fuel and help implement sanctions on Moscow. 

The EU was also the third-largest buyer of Russian fossil fuels, after China and India, accounting for 11% of Russia’s export revenues from its top five buyers.

India has said ensuring energy security for the country’s 1.4 billion population is its priority and has continued to purchase large quantities of Russian energy despite a Western price cap and US tariffs. US President Donald Trump last month waived the steep tariffs mandated by a new sanctions law on Russia’s oil buyers, citing national security reasons, after India pushed back saying the tariffs could impact bilateral ties.

Global diesel and gas oil availability fell by 1.7 million barrels per day in the third quarter, from a year ago, figures from the International Energy Agency and the Energy Institute showed. Wholesale diesel prices surpassed $200 per barrel in September, and reached around $220 in Europe and the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Jamnagar, in the western Indian state of Gujarat, last month in an attempt to push Reliance to pump more diesel into global markets to moderate elevated prices. 

Several Indian refineries, including Jamnagar, are equipped to refine Russian and Venezuelan crude, which yield large volumes of diesel. The refinery bought 22% more oil from Russia in October, making it the biggest importer of seaborne Russian crude in the period. 

The EU has a $44.1 price cap on Russian oil but the Urals-grade crude sold at $101.7 per barrel in October, up by 13% month-on-month.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claims that it struck a US early-warning radar installation in Bahrain.

In a statement carried by Iranian media on Friday, the IRGC said the attack was in retaliation for an alleged enemy airstrike on a telecommunications tower in Sirik, in Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province. The IRGC claimed that it destroyed the radar, although neither the strike nor the reported damage has been independently verified.

There was no immediate confirmation from the US military or Bahrain.

The incident comes amid continued tensions between Washington and Tehran, with peace negotiations stalled and fears persisting over a possible resumption of major US military operations.

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that further military action against Iran does not appear to be necessary. He expressed hope for a diplomatic breakthrough amid calls for restraint from Arab allies. However, he warned that US forces are “locked and loaded” and ready to resume strikes if the circumstances change.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump declared that the US no longer needs a peace deal with Iran, claiming that Washington controls Iranian funds and the Strait of Hormuz.

The US carried out limited airstrikes against Iranian air-defense positions on Qeshm Island on November 2 and 6. Trump described the latest operation as “minor.” Media reports have said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed Trump to launch a new offensive against Iran following the November 3 US midterm elections, but the president declined.

Speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Trump warned that Iran will “not exist very long” if it kills a senior US official. The remarks followed reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent moved to a military base over alleged Iranian threats, which Tehran denied.

Mohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned on Thursday that US military bases involved in a renewed attack on Iran, including those in Europe, would be considered legitimate targets. “No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity,” he wrote on X.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is finalizing plans to disband a specialized police unit responsible for counterterrorism and crowd control, Politico reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Mamdani pledged to dismantle the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group (SRG) during his 2025 mayoral campaign following accusations that its officers used excessive force against protesters.

According to Politico, the mayor is considering replacing the SRG’s protest-response function with a civilian-led unit focused on de-escalation, which could assist police in making arrests when necessary. The new unit could operate under Mamdani’s Office of Community Safety, established earlier this year. The plan could be announced as early as this week and formalized through an executive order.

“As the mayor has said, our administration will disband the Strategic Response Group and separate protest response from counterterrorism,” Mamdani’s spokeswoman, Dora Pekec, said, promising further details soon.

Established in 2015, the SRG came under increased scrutiny over its handling of the nationwide unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. In 2023, the NYPD agreed to restrict the unit’s deployment at peaceful demonstrations and prohibit the practice of surrounding and trapping protesters without grounds for arrest.

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams has called for the SRG to be removed from protest policing, arguing that its aggressive tactics escalated peaceful demonstrations into violent confrontations. He also accused the NYPD of obstructing misconduct investigations.

Mamdani has argued that counterterrorism operations should be separated from policing demonstrations to protect constitutional rights while maintaining public safety. Last month, the mayor ordered the first comprehensive review of the NYPD’s use-of-force policies in a decade, aiming to “strengthen accountability when police officers are accused of serious misconduct.”

Mamdani’s broader police reform agenda has drawn criticism from police unions. In October, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry accused the mayor of appeasing his “radical base,” warning that the proposed overhaul would not make New Yorkers safer.

Scott Munro, the president of the Detectives Endowment Association, accused Mamdani of seeking to dismantle vital police units rather than support officers, warning that “New Yorkers should be worried.”

The German Taxpayers Association has slammed the federal government for spending millions of euros on office furnishings and decorations while urging ordinary citizens to tighten their belts.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ruling coalition has prioritized a massive military buildup and continued aid to Ukraine while pursuing cuts to social spending, despite growing public dissatisfaction with the government.

“Apparently, there is no fiscal room to provide relief for citizens, yet when it comes to the government’s own apparatus, the purse strings are remarkably loose – for decorations and the like!” association president Reiner Holznagel told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung (NOZ) on Wednesday.

“This is impossible to justify to taxpayers,” he added.

Holznagel urged lawmakers to scrutinize the spending, arguing that politicians demanding austerity from the public should first demonstrate restraint themselves.

“The Budget Committee can now show how serious policymakers really are about saving money,” he said.

The expenditures were revealed in a government response to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by the opposition Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The 16 federal ministries spent approximately €5.8 million ($6.4 million) on furnishings and decorations between May 2025, when Merz took office, and mid-October 2026.

According to NOZ, the Foreign Ministry topped the list with roughly €840,000 in purchases, followed by the Defense Ministry at €813,000. The Finance Ministry spent more than €500,000, including over €45,000 on decorations alone.

The purchases included furniture, lamps, carpets, curtains, paintings, sculptures and ornamental plants.

The revelations come as Berlin warns Germans to prepare for further belt-tightening. Thorsten Frei, a senior figure in Merz’s CDU/CSU bloc, confirmed to Bild last week that citizens would have to become more frugal.

At the same time, Merz has pledged to turn the Bundeswehr into Europe’s strongest conventional military force, citing what he describes as a growing Russian threat. Berlin has also emerged as Kiev’s largest individual military donor following Washington’s sharp reduction in aid under US President Donald Trump.

The military buildup has proceeded despite Merz’s acknowledgment that Germany faces a “structural crisis.” His government approved a 2026 budget allocating a record €108.2 billion to defense and approximately €11.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine, after constitutional borrowing restrictions were relaxed to facilitate higher spending.

Merz’s military ambitions have coincided with plunging public support, with his approval rating falling to a record low of just 10% last month.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed claims that Russia intends to attack NATO as “nonsense,” accusing European leaders of exaggerating the threat to justify soaring military budgets.

Israel has banned French left-wing presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon from entering the country after he vowed to deploy warships to escort activist flotillas seeking to break the blockade of Gaza.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry also imposed an entry ban on Mathilde Panot, the parliamentary leader of Melenchon’s La France Insoumise (LFI) party.

“Both have made statements spreading blood libels against Israel, while Jean-Luc Melenchon has also called for French naval vessels to escort illegal flotillas to Gaza,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

“The State of Israel will respond firmly to those who seek to harm it.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called the move “a demagogic decision made by a government that has repeatedly violated international law.” He argued that the ban will only help LFI to “thrive on exploiting the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for political gain.”

According to recent opinion polls, Melenchon ranks second behind Marine Le Pen of the right-wing National Rally (RN) in voting intentions for the 2027 presidential election. LFI is one of the largest opposition parties in the French parliament.

A vocal critic of Israel, Melenchon has pledged to “take direct action” to support Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank if elected president.

“French naval vessels will, if necessary, escort flotillas of citizens mobilized to assert their rights,” he said on Saturday, referring to civilian boats attempting to reach Gaza. Israel has repeatedly intercepted the flotillas at sea and deported foreign activists.

Melenchon said on Thursday that he has never sought to enter Israel and reiterated his accusations of “genocide in Gaza,” as well as his opposition to the expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, and what he described as the gradual annexation of southern Lebanon and the Golan Heights.

The entry bans came shortly after France refused entry to Israeli settlement leader Yossi Dagan, who heads the Samaria Regional Council in the West Bank. The UN considers Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank illegal under international law and a major obstacle to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Israel previously barred foreign politicians, journalists, and activists who are critical of its policies toward Palestinians. In 2019, it denied entry to US Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. In 2025, French-Palestinian European Parliament member Rima Hassan, who represents LFI, was also denied entry.

Israel has dismissed accusations of genocide and blamed Hamas for the devastation in Gaza, where more than 74,600 Palestinians have been killed and over 176,000 wounded since October 2023, according to the enclave’s Health Ministry.

Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies have signed a funding deal with a foundation run by a former leader of the neo-Nazi Right Sector group.

Sergey Sternenko has faced allegations of drug trafficking and murder and was convicted in a kidnapping case.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have played a dual role, combating government graft while also serving as a means of exerting pressure on Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his inner circle, RT’s Murad Gadziev reports.

Last week, NABU and SAPO signed an agreement to channel funds seized in corruption cases to the Sternenko Community Foundation. The organization has supplied drones to Ukraine’s notorious ultranationalist Azov unit.

Sternenko rose to prominence during the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014, when he discovered the influence that could be wielded through violence, according to Gadziev.

“I did, of course, go to the Maidan, and it changed my life completely. I realized that ever since 2014, I have definitely not been living in vain,” Sternenko told media in 2019.

From 2014 to 2017, Sternenko headed the Odessa branch of Right Sector, a Ukrainian far-right paramilitary organization. He was also present during the deadly clashes on May 2, 2014, when nationalist militants attacked anti-Maidan protesters who had taken refuge inside the city’s Trade Unions House. The building was set ablaze during the violence, leaving more than 40 people dead.

Sternenko has also faced multiple criminal charges stemming from his years in Right Sector, although only one resulted in a conviction.

In 2021, an appeals court upheld his conviction in connection with the 2015 kidnapping of a local politician but imposed no punishment because the statute of limitations had expired. Prosecutors also accused him of operating a protection racket linked to illegal drug sales in Odessa.

In another case, Sternenko stabbed a man to death during a confrontation in Odessa in May 2018. Prosecutors alleged that he deliberately cut his own hand afterward to make the murder appear to have been an act of self-defense. The homicide case was closed in 2023.

RT’s Murad Gadziev investigates how a former neo-Nazi militant implicated in violent crime became a trusted partner of Ukraine’s Western-backed anti-corruption agencies.

Watch the full report below:

Two in three Germans are dissatisfied with how democracy functions in their country, according to the latest Leipzig Authoritarianism Study conducted by researchers at Leipzig University in cooperation with the Heinrich Boll Foundation and the Otto Brenner Foundation.

The findings, published on Wednesday, show that satisfaction with democracy as experienced in everyday life has fallen to just 33.3%, down from 42.3% in 2024. It is the lowest level recorded since researchers began measuring the indicator in 2006.

Discontent is particularly pronounced in the former East Germany, where only 22.8% of respondents expressed satisfaction, compared with around 36% in the west.

More than half of Germans expressed at least some sympathy for either “nostalgic idealization of the past” or “apocalyptic expectations of the future,” according to the study.

The survey involved 2,507 respondents interviewed from March 16 to June 3.

The findings follow an INSA poll showing that 82% of Germans are dissatisfied with Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his government. Around 60% said their personal circumstances have worsened since he took office.

Merz became chancellor following snap elections in February 2025, after promising to revive the struggling economy. However, economic difficulties have persisted, while his government has increased military spending, maintained financial and military support for Ukraine, and advocated for reforms to Germany’s welfare system.

The chancellor urged Germans to work more, saying the “welfare state as we have it today can no longer be financed.”

Merz refused to change course after his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered crushing defeats to the anti-immigration, Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) in September’s regional elections in the eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Merz described the latter result as a “disaster.”

The CDU’s coalition partners, the Social Democrats, have called for a formal review that could pave the way for a ban on the AfD following its sweeping victories in both eastern states. The party denounced the move as an attempt to suppress political opposition and undermine democracy.

Denmark is “moving towards a dictatorship,” independent MP Jacob Harris has told RT in an exclusive interview. The Citizen’s Party lawmaker defended his refusal to stand and applaud Vladimir Zelensky during the Ukrainian leader’s controversial address to the Danish parliament.

Harris sat with his arms crossed as other lawmakers gave Zelensky, who openly mocked US President Donald Trump during his speech, a standing ovation on Wednesday. He later posted photos of his protest on X.

His protest was condemned by Danish politicians. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen called it a provocation, while opposition leader Inger Stojberg accused Harris of “doing [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s bidding.” 

Et diktatur kommer ikke fra den ene dag til den anden. Det vokser frem gennem tavshed, når befolkningen holder op med at sige fra. Demokratiet kræver, at vi tør stille spørgsmål – også når det er ubelejligt for magthaverne. https://t.co/nl8pinTdEG

— Jacob Harris - Folketingsmedlem (@JParti91252) November 11, 2026

Speaking to RT on Thursday, Harris accused the Danish government of undermining democratic rules by allowing a foreign leader to address parliament from its main podium.

“According to our democratic laws, you have to be elected to the Danish parliament before you are allowed to speak there,” he said.

Harris accused Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen of setting aside parliamentary rules for political reasons, calling the decision a move towards dictatorship.

The Danish parliament has rejected his interpretation, explaining that Zelensky’s address was not a formal parliamentary sitting.

Harris also criticized Copenhagen’s financial support for Kiev, arguing that spending billions on Ukraine while ordinary Danes struggle with rising living costs is “wrong.” 

“People can no longer afford the same standard of living they enjoyed three years ago, and then they see Zelensky come to Denmark and leave with billions,” he told RT.

His remarks came two days after Copenhagen announced another 4.8 billion Danish kroner ($710 million) in military aid for Kiev.

Denmark has committed more than $12.2 billion in military and civilian assistance to Ukraine since 2022, according to its Foreign Ministry. During Zelensky’s visit, Frederiksen reaffirmed Copenhagen’s support, vowing to back Ukraine until the end of the conflict.

Harris met Russian Ambassador to Denmark Vladimir Barbin in Copenhagen on Tuesday, describing their talks as “respectful” and that the two called for a more neutral Danish policy towards the Ukraine conflict. He had also met Ukraine’s ambassador the previous week.

Watch the full interview below.

In their most recent talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner apparently secured a place for ‘Europe’ at the negotiating table with Russia. European leaders will have to overcome deep factional divides and square away their most ideologically-driven fantasists to have any influence over the talks.

“The Europeans will join at the next meeting, which we consider to be a very important moment,” Witkoff told reporters in Moscow on Thursday, before he and Kushner departed for Ireland to brief Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his EU backers. 

The Kremlin has not set a date for the next round of talks, nor has Moscow confirmed the precise extent of European participation. However, as Kushner pointed out the previous day, Europe has a more immediate problem on its hands : “If Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf,” he said, “that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiation.”

The US president’s son-in-law is not the first American to express bewilderment at the absence of a common voice in Europe, and there will likely be much talk around this question now that the invitation has been secured by US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic team. So who is “Europe”? 

Rumsfeld’s “New Europe”

After Danish Foreign Minister Knud Borge Andersen met with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger on behalf of the nine-member EEC in 1973, Kissinger complained that Andersen seemed to speak for Europe, but lacked any real authority to do so. “We seem to be talking to those who can’t negotiate and those who can negotiate won’t talk to us,” he remarked.

Three decades later, Donald Rumsfeld faced staunch opposition from Belgium, France, and Germany as he attempted to drum up European backing for the illegal invasion of Iraq. However, he received salivating support from Britain, Italy, Poland, and the so-called ‘Vilnius Ten’ – a Baltic and Eastern European bloc with a civil society throbbing with American cash – that enthusiastically signed up to combat “the nexus of terrorism and dictators with weapons of mass destruction.”

The newbies, Rumsfeld figured, were the only Europeans worth talking to. “You’re thinking of ‘Europe’ as Germany and France,” he told a reporter six weeks before the war. “I don’t. I think that’s old Europe. If you look at the entire NATO Europe today, the center of gravity is shifting to the east.”

Who is “Europe” now?

The fault lines identified by Rumsfeld are still visible, and there are three broad camps competing for the position of “voice of Europe.”

The realists

‘Europe’ and ‘foreign policy realism’ rarely appear in the same sentence these days, but among some of “old Europe’s” leaders, there is a realization that the continent will have to acknowledge the limits of its pro-Ukraine stance and take part in talks, before it is overtaken by them.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni could be considered figureheads, with Macron proposing last December that Europe find an envoy “in the coming weeks.” Meloni declared that the French president “is right on this,” and that “if Europe decides to take part in this phase of negotiations by talking only to one of the two sides, I fear that in the end the positive contribution it can make will be limited.”

Even German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – despite pivoting his economy into militarization mode and demanding the EU steal billions of Russian sovereign assets – has called on the bloc to “find a balance again with our largest European neighbor.”

Finnish President Alexander Stubb, floated in EU-funded media as a possible envoy to Moscow, along with Meloni, joined Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store to call Putin last month.

“Realism” is a relative term here. All of the aforementioned leaders remain committed to arming Ukraine and pushing for peace on Kiev’s terms, while support for the theft of Russia’s assets remains strong across the EU. Stubb and Store offered “no change in Europe’s approach” to Ukraine during their phone call, according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever has also placed himself in the realist camp, arguing that seizing the €210 billion ($236 billion) worth of Russian assets, a move he has blocked, would collapse trust in the European financial system.

The maximalists

The golden children of Rumsfeld’s “new Europe” are full-throttle maximalists. They consider any talks with Russia a betrayal of Ukraine, and remain determined to fight, as Putin has said, “to the last Ukrainian.”

Their poster boy, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, reacted with shock when Kushner announced last week that he and Trump were working on an agreement that would “address the security concerns of all sides” in Europe. He told reporters that “the last thing we want is Western Europe dealing with Russia, over the heads of the east Europeans.”

The belief that Ukraine can inflict a military defeat on Russia is a core tenet of European maximalism. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics made this clear in 2024 when he openly stated “Russia must be destroyed.” Sikorski’s calls for “aggressive” NATO exercises to destabilize Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad, former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis’ demand that NATO leaders remove “all red lines and de-escalation policies” on Russia, and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal’s likening of Putin to a “rat in a corner” are just three examples of the maximalist rhetoric radiating from Eastern Europe and the Baltics.

Moscow views these “new Europeans” as hysterical, reactionary, and paranoid. Even the US has told them to pipe down, with Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby reportedly ordering the Baltic states last month not to “make noise” and stop “poking” Russia.

To the maximalists, even symbolic outreach to Moscow is unconscionable. After Stubb and Store spoke to Putin last month, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen complained that the call had “not been coordinated with the rest of us,” referring to a group reportedly including her and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, two of the most hardline anti-Russian voices in the EU.

The fantasists

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wield significantly more power than their predecessors did when Rumsfeld toured Europe in 2003. Von der Leyen has no electorate to answer to, nor has she authority to dictate policy, however she likes to present herself in such a light.  

The commission still relies on unanimity among the EU’s member states to approve its loans, aid packages, and sanctions, and it has no military power to back up its diktats and proclamations. Brussels and NATO are, however, steadily coalescing in ever closer union.

What the commission has are appeals to fantasy. Von der Leyen has insisted that the EU have veto power over any potential peace deal negotiated between Moscow, Kiev, and Washington, that Ukraine be allowed to keep its pre-conflict borders, and that Moscow be forced to pay reparations to Kiev.

Kallas’ position is even more loosely tethered to reality, with her repeated calls for representation at the negotiating table interspersed with quotes from Marvel superhero movies – “Europeans, assemble!” – and suggestions to dismember Russia into “many smaller nations.”

Von der Leyen’s and Kallas’ hubris has ruled them out as negotiators – both in the eyes of the Kremlin and their fellow Europeans. “How can you discuss anything with Kaja Kallas?” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked to reporters earlier this year. Brussels, he added, is full of “semi-literate, incompetent functionaries.”

A reckoning in Dublin

European Council President Antonio Costa has promised to discuss the creation of an envoy during talks at the EU’s summit in Dublin this week. However, the bloc’s leaders are unlikely to come to any agreement, an EU spokesperson told Germany’s DW on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the US is not the only actor losing patience. On the eve of the summit, Vladimir Zelensky himself issued his European backers an ultimatum: “We need to choose who will represent Europe in the negotiations,” he said, demanding that this decision be made “no later than the end of November.”

Time is not on Zelensky’s side either. The longer his closest allies sit out the talks, the greater the risk that Russia and the US cut an unfavorable deal for Ukraine. “We need to make sure that Europe becomes a regular part of these negotiations,” he told a meeting of the European Political Community on Thursday. “Europe really needs to pay attention when the Americans and Russians talk…about some kind of new security framework between Europe and Russia,” he added.

Moscow on maximalists and fantasists

Russia maintains that it is open to serious discussions, but Peskov noted on Wednesday that “for the moment, the statements we hear from the Europeans do not indicate any desire on their part to contribute to progress along a peaceful path.”

“They [top European politicians] are engaged in a group deception of the Ukrainian people. They finance and supply one of the fighting sides with weapons… It contributes to the mass death of the civilian population. And therefore, we do not really understand what we can talk about with them,” Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky told journalists after the Abu Dhabi talks concluded on Wednesday.

Should the Europeans fail to change their tune in the near future, they will be left, as Lavrov quipped, “sit[ting] in their hotel” while the future of the continent’s security is decided without them.

The two-day trilateral talks involving Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi this week have brought progress toward settling the Ukraine conflict, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has told RT in an exclusive interview. However, involving European governments in the process could undermine diplomatic efforts, he warned.

Ryabkov was among the Russian delegates at the negotiations, which concluded on Wednesday with an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner subsequently traveled to Moscow, where they met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday for talks lasting around two and a half hours.

Ryabkov noted that the latest round in Abu Dhabi differed from previous meetings, with American representatives seeking to make discussions more concrete. Much of the attention focused on a future European security architecture that could support a lasting settlement and prevent “uncontrolled escalation,” he said.

“We have made progress. That is an indisputable fact,” Ryabkov said, while cautioning that previous diplomatic advances had been followed by setbacks and attempts to derail the process.

“Bringing the Europeans into the negotiating process could mean a reversal and the disruption of efforts,” the diplomat warned.

He pointed to a fundamental divide between European governments and both Moscow and Washington, adding that they rejected Russia’s approach and appeared equally opposed to proposals advanced by the US administration.

Ryabkov said that European governments had shown “not the slightest desire to exercise common sense” while continuing to recklessly support Kiev. He described the gap between their declared support for a settlement and their actual policies as one rooted in “hypocrisy and lies.”

Those who had previously sought to derail diplomatic efforts should recognize that the situation is changing “not in Kiev’s favor” and draw lessons from past setbacks, the Russian diplomat said.

Western European representatives were not part of the trilateral negotiations, although they held separate consultations with the American and Ukrainian teams. On Wednesday, Vladimir Zelensky demanded that European countries agree on a representative to join the peace process by the end of November.

Moscow has repeatedly questioned Europe’s credibility, citing its continued military and financial support for Kiev and calls for Russia’s strategic defeat. It has also rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire coming from Brussels, arguing that such a pause would allow Ukrainian forces to regroup and rearm.

Putin also addressed the issue on Thursday, telling Witkoff and Kushner that Russia wanted Washington to work with European governments to establish whether they sought peace or war. He also reiterated Moscow’s opposition to foreign troops in Ukraine, warning that their presence would threaten Russian national security and make them legitimate military targets.

By openly mocking US President Donald Trump in the Danish parliament, Vladimir Zelensky is intentionally undermining the ongoing US-facilitated negotiations between Moscow and Kiev, Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko has said.

Zelensky ridiculed the US president during an address to Danish lawmakers on Wednesday, saying Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland was driven by a desire to become “more Danish.”

“Maybe that was exactly what he needed,” Zelensky added, drawing laughter from lawmakers. He went on to praise Denmark, a major supplier of military and financial aid to Kiev and a vocal supporter of tougher measures against Russia.

The remarks came on the second day of US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, the first formal trilateral talks since February. Moscow reported that common ground was found on some issues; American negotiators cited progress but acknowledged that major disagreements remain unresolved.

Addressing the Ukrainian parliament, Goncharenko said Zelensky’s remarks were “not funny,” questioning the wisdom of ridiculing the leader whose help Kiev is seeking in order to end the conflict.

The Ukrainian leader was “joking about the American president in the parliament of Denmark on the day of negotiations,” the MP said, arguing that Zelensky cannot expect Trump to arrange a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and help secure peace while publicly mocking him.

Goncharenko challenged Zelensky to explain whether he genuinely wants to end the conflict.

“Maybe you do not want peace?” he asked, insisting that ordinary Ukrainians do. “We do not want jokes! We need peace! We need de-escalation!”

Last month, Goncharenko, previously an outspoken advocate of continuing the conflict, publicly called for peace with Russia, arguing that Kiev is losing the war. His reversal prompted his expulsion from the European Solidarity parliamentary group and landed him on the notorious Mirotvorets website, which publishes personal information about individuals it considers enemies of Ukraine.

Zelensky responded by accusing the MP of undermining national unity, although he acknowledged his right to express dissenting views.

Goncharenko is not alone in questioning Zelensky’s commitment to a negotiated settlement. Last month, Trump said the Ukrainian leader “doesn’t want to end this war, and probably never did,” suggesting that Zelensky is content to prolong the conflict as long as European governments continue financing Kiev.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Zelensky of repeatedly sabotaging diplomatic efforts, arguing that the Ukrainian leader, whose presidential term expired in 2024, fears that a peace agreement acceptable to Moscow and Washington would cost him power.

Let’s start with the obvious, which, oddly enough, remains largely unnoticed: If the summit of the European Political Community (EPC), a formally informal gathering that brings together the high and mighty of NATO-EU Europe plus friends, was serious about reflecting Europe, then Russia (and, by the way, Belarus, too) would have been invited.

The fact that Moscow is not present is, once you think about it, a striking anomaly, even if Western mainstream media framing has been quite effective at making the obviously strange appear to be the new normal.

Russia’s longstanding exclusion is, of course, also very telling. At the risk of re-stating the obvious, it reflects NATO-EU Europe’s fundamentally flawed, catastrophically costly (including for Ukraine), and very obstinate policy of waging a proxy war against Russia, while using up Ukraine and Ukrainians.

It’s a shame: Europe could have been the ideal framework for preventing, or at least quickly ending, the Ukraine War by offering honest mediation, facilitating real compromise, and, last but not least, helping review and revise a continental security structure destabilized and, in effect, ruined by a reckless NATO expansion based on brazen Western cheating.

Yet, unsurprisingly, NATO-EU Europe has always done the opposite: from being too arrogant to listen to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s clear warning in Munich in 2007, through the foul compromise of the Bucharest summit one year later and the perfectly misguided EU Association Agreement designed to force Kiev to make an impossible choice between the EU and Russia, to taking over from Washington as the main proxy war promoter and key obstacle to peace – NATO-EU Europe has a consistent record of making things go awfully wrong and then making them worse and worse again.

In that sense, the great Dublin let’s-all-hate-on-Russia-some-more fest is simply very boring. But there are aspects to it that – notwithstanding its makers’ and participants’ worst intentions – merit attention.

Take, for instance, French President Emmanuel Macron’s open announcement that the US has left its European vassals (not Macron’s words, of course, but let’s make him a little more honest) holding the Ukraine War bag all on their own. Strictly speaking, Macron, as is so often the case, is not factually correct: Zelensky’s recurring complaints about Starlink/Starshield slowdowns are only possible because these massive US resources, for instance, are still – wrongly – made available to his regime, hellbent as it is on escalating open warfare far beyond Ukraine.

If only Washington had really fully retreated from the proxy war! Perhaps the war would be over already, and many Ukrainians and Russians would still be alive.

Yet Macron’s slightly hysterical misreading of US behavior does betray something very real, namely an acute and deep sense of abandonment among Washington’s vassals. One day, probably far in the future, some of them may even begin to draw the correct conclusions from it.

But today is not that day. Instead, it seems that the Dublin summit’s main message regarding its proxy war and the authoritarian, man-hunting, ultra-corrupt Zelensky regime deployed to manage it on the ground is “stay the course.”

Halfway self-respecting proxy war sponsors would long have refused to touch Zelensky with a bargepole – “here’s the money but we really can’t be seen with you” – due to his regime’s outrageous and essentially open embezzlement of their funds (they do not care about his massive brutalization of ordinary Ukrainians, it goes without saying). Not a week goes by without another “Mindich,” “Carthage,” “Khimprom,” or “Sokolov” mega-scandal.

And yet, the opposite is happening. In Dublin, too, the boss of bosses of the rapacious and quite murderous crime syndicate that the Zelensky regime really is gets the VIP treatment. And, of course, also license to lecture anyone in sight on what they must do and owe “Ukraine,” that is, him and his cronies. Nothing has changed.

What may be even worse, Zelensky is also permitted – or, most likely, encouraged, for instance by his most submissive fan, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz – to publicly gripe at a recent key shift in serious diplomacy about ending the Ukraine War: alert to dangers to his income streams, power, and political survival, Ukraine’s de facto dictator has used Dublin to complain about, in essence, Washington’s apparent willingness to finally take seriously Russia’s demand for a comprehensive review of security structures. And yet without that, peace won’t come.

Zelensky’s unshaken – at least in public – permission to play dissatisfied-consumer-from-hell and berate his sponsors is even more remarkable as the Dublin summit is being held against an international context with which it clashes profoundly. Consider a few places and what they stand for regarding the Ukraine War: Abu Dhabi, Moscow, and, soon probably, Shenzhen. Different as the specific formats are or will be, what they all have in common is that real if not yet successful work is done or likely to be done there to bring peace about.

And yet, quite like their creature Zelensky, the NATO-EU establishments resist precisely that outcome. It is true that we are seeing signs of – auspicious – disunity. Norway and Finland, for instance, have emitted weak but intriguing signals of rediscovering a sense of reality.

Yet, overall and as of now, Dublin shows us another, still dominant side of NATO-EU Europe: too weak and too submissive to Washington to be a power on its own in the emerging multipolar order, but hellbent to use all its resources to be a spoiler. It is sad to have to say this as a genuine European, but NATO-EU Europe is a caricature of our common identity. If there’s hope, it lies in its weakness.

Washington no longer needs a deal with Iran, US President Donald Trump has declared. He has directed Vice President J.D. Vance to focus instead on alleged corruption and crime in Democrat-run states and cities.

The announcement follows Vance’s criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran, which he blamed for Republicans’ defeat in last week’s midterm elections. On Wednesday, the vice president questioned whether the conflict had been worth its cost. Vance had previously pursued diplomatic efforts to end the war and reportedly favored reaching an agreement with Tehran over continued military pressure.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump ordered Vance to devote his “complete and total attention” to tackling the domestic issue, arguing that a sweeping corruption crackdown could help balance the federal budget.

“We don’t need a deal with Iran. Those days have long since passed,” Trump wrote. “We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!”

Trump offered no explanation for his claim about Iranian money, which some media outlets have interpreted as a reference to frozen Iranian assets. Tehran estimates the funds at more than $100 billion, largely consisting of oil and gas revenues held in foreign banks under US sanctions.

His assertion of control over the Strait of Hormuz appears to refer to the US naval blockade, which restricts shipping to and from Iranian ports while allowing vessels serving other Gulf countries to pass.

On Monday, Trump said he would hold off on further strikes against Iran after Gulf states urged Washington to avoid another escalation.

Iran, however, has also asserted its authority over the strategic waterway.

Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, told Al Jazeera on Wednesday that Tehran had reached an understanding with Oman on managing the strait as part of its seven-point peace proposal.

Ghalibaf insisted that Hormuz would “never return” to its pre-war status, when foreign vessels could transit without Iranian permission. Tehran is now seeking greater control over shipping through the vital oil trade route.

The Iranian official said Tehran had submitted its peace terms through Qatari mediators but had yet to receive a formal response from Washington.

The proposal calls for lifting US sanctions and the naval blockade, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending hostilities across the region.

“The ball is now in the American court,” Ghalibaf said.

US President Donald Trump has suggested that former Apple CEO Tim Cook take over Nvidia following the resignation of its longtime chief Jensen Huang, who stepped down after reports of two extramarital affairs, including one with a woman suspected of spying for China

“A legend replaces a legend!” Trump wrote, floating Cook, who now chairs Apple’s board, as a potential successor to Huang. The American president had previously defended Huang as “an amazing guy,” saying he believed that the executive had been unaware of the alleged espionage.

Trump and Cook have maintained ties for years, with the president previously claiming that the Apple executive had called him to “kiss my ass” while seeking help during his first term. In August 2025, Cook visited Trump in the Oval Office, presenting him with a plaque featuring a 24-karat gold base as Apple announced plans to increase its US investment commitment to $600 billion over four years. Trump later praised Cook as an “incredible guy,” describing their relationship as “long and very nice.”

Nvidia announced on Thursday that Huang had stepped down as president, chief executive, and board member “effective immediately,” ending his 33-year tenure. Finance chief Colette Kress will serve as interim CEO while Nvidia seeks a permanent replacement.

The crisis erupted over reports linking Huang to Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a businesswoman formerly associated with Singapore-based Nvidia chip buyer Megaspeed International. The New York Times and Financial Times reported that US intelligence officials suspected her of gathering information for Beijing and influencing Huang to seek looser chip export restrictions.

Beijing has rejected the espionage allegations, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun calling the Chinese spy narrative “a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear.”

Huang admitted on Sunday that he had been unfaithful to his wife, without identifying the woman. 

On Wednesday, the New York Times wrote that Huang also had an affair with Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of healthcare, who reported directly to him. 

Nvidia’s board launched an independent investigation into the affair on November 8. It initially backed Huang and said it had no reason to believe company secrets or US national security had been compromised. 

The subsequent resignation announcement gave no specific reason or explanation for his departure.

Nvidia and Huang also face a proposed shareholder class action alleging that they deliberately concealed the relationship and misled investors about the risks.

Following the announcement, Nvidia shares plunged more than 13% in early trading on Thursday, wiping over $575 billion off its market value and leaving the stock down roughly 17% over the past year. On Wednesday, its valuation had already fallen below $4 trillion for the first time in over a year.

The turmoil has spread across the AI sector and weighed on the broader US market, erasing hundreds of billions of dollars in share value. Nvidia-linked cloud computing provider CoreWeave fell about 11% at the opening, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq also declined.

Polymarket traders, meanwhile, were pricing a roughly 12% chance of an “AI bubble burst” by year-end.

A court in Riga, Latvia has sentenced a woman to three years in prison over TikTok posts deemed to glorify alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, LETA news agency reported on Wednesday.

The case is the latest in a series of prosecutions in Latvia over statements deemed supportive of Moscow or critical of Kiev. Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the Baltic state has tightened restrictions on Russian-language media, cultural activities, and public expressions of pro-Russian sentiment.

According to LETA, the case involved around 20 videos and comments posted by Latvian citizen Tatyana Masenko from April to July 2024. The agency cited several examples of content that prosecutors considered criminal.

One video reportedly showed a Ukrainian serviceman with a prosthetic limb standing in front of a cemetery lined with Ukrainian flags. Masenko captioned it: “Forward, to the gay-European future.”

Another video included a similar message: “Soon, all of you from across gay Europe will be gathered together and sent to defend Ukraine with bags of sunflower seeds and packets.”

Masenko’s defense argued that the three-year sentence is excessively harsh, noting that she had already spent four months in custody. Her lawyer said the verdict would be appealed.

This comes after a series of similar cases in Latvia. In January, a court sentenced 72-year-old professor Aleksandr Gaponenko to ten years in prison over his participation in an academic roundtable, where he gave a ten-minute speech on discrimination against Russian speakers in Latvia.

The Baltic state, which has a substantial Russian-speaking population, has restricted Russian-language education, removed Soviet-era monuments, and tightened the rules governing the public use of Russian symbols.

Russia has accused Latvia and its Baltic neighbors, Estonia and Lithuania, of pursuing a policy of “extreme Russophobia” and systematically discriminating against Russian-speaking residents under the pretext of national security.

Moscow downgraded diplomatic relations with all three Baltic states in 2023, citing their hostile policies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow. The Kremlin described the meeting as constructive and confirmed that diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict will continue. 

The talks followed two days of US-mediated negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, which focused on a potential settlement of the conflict and the future European security architecture. 

Senior officials, including Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, and Witkoff, have been speaking to reporters following the meeting. 

RT brings you the key statements and latest developments.

“Constructive” talks

Putin’s negotiations with the US envoys were “substantive, constructive, frank and useful,” Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters following the meeting.

He said the discussions followed a similar pattern to previous exchanges between the Russian president and American negotiators. 

Kushner also described the talks with Putin as “very fulsome and detailed,” saying they covered all major issues and would help shape the next round of multilateral negotiations and upcoming discussions with Zelensky.

“Very productive time,” he said.

Witkoff hails progress in peace efforts 

The US special envoy welcomed the resumption of trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US, pointing to plans for another round of talks. 

“I think progress was made today, yes,” Witkoff told reporters before departing Moscow following his meeting with Putin. 

He noted that few had expected the trilateral format to resume in Abu Dhabi, but the negotiations did restart and another meeting has already been scheduled. “This is what President Trump wants to see,” he added.

Key positions on European security 

Putin reaffirmed Moscow’s proposals for a new European security architecture, including an end to NATO expansion, restrictions on the deployment of weapons systems threatening Russia near its borders, and a return to the military bloc’s force configuration at the time of the 1997 Russia-NATO Founding Act, Ushakov said. 

Moscow considers the existing European security system ineffective and is ready to begin talks with Washington on a new long-term arrangement, which it hopes European countries will also support, he added. 

European governments have been seeking to join the negotiations but should decide whether they want peace or a continuation of the conflict, according to the Kremlin aide, who said that their actions so far suggest the latter. 

Foreign troops in Ukraine would mean ‘endless war’  

Plans by the European “coalition of the willing” to deploy foreign troops in Ukraine after the conflict would risk prolonging the fighting indefinitely, Ushakov said. 

“This is a recipe for an endless war,” he said. 

Zelensky unwilling to end conflict

Putin and the US envoys also discussed Vladimir Zelensky’s recent remarks about President Donald Trump. 

According to Ushakov, Kiev is reluctant to end the conflict because a settlement would require new elections, potentially threatening Zelensky’s hold on power. 

Major prisoner exchange 

Moscow and Washington backed a proposal discussed during the Abu Dhabi negotiations for what could become a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.

The terms are still being negotiated, Ushakov said, expressing hope that Kiev would honor the agreement reached in principle.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that further work was needed to finalize the exchange, with the Russian Defense Ministry expected to provide details. 

Russia and Ukraine have conducted 35 prisoner exchanges since 2025, involving approximately 5,000 people from each side, according to Ushakov.

Witkoff also commented on the planned prisoner exchange, telling reporters it would be completed “in short order” and describing it as the “largest in history.”

He added that European representatives would join the next round of negotiations, calling their participation “a very big deal.”  

Putin-Trump talks in China

The Russian president and his US counterpart are expected to discuss the Ukraine settlement during the upcoming APEC summit in Shenzhen, according to Ushakov.

He said that Trump was personally involved in efforts to reach a lasting resolution to the conflict. 

Both Moscow and Washington view the planned trilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as an important step, Ushakov said. Preparations are underway, with Moscow hoping the first meeting in this format will have a positive impact on international relations. 

Europe’s actions contradict its calls for peace  

European countries are pursuing policies that could prolong the Ukraine conflict despite their stated desire for peace, Peskov said. “They are moving towards continuing the war, expanding the war, but talking about peace.”  

European leaders have yet to agree on who should represent them in negotiations, Peskov added, noting that those seeking direct contact with Moscow risked being ostracized by their counterparts. 

What’s next? 

Witkoff and Kushner are expected to meet Ukrainian and European representatives in Dublin following their talks in Moscow. 

The Kremlin hopes the American negotiators will fully convey Moscow’s position to their Ukrainian and European counterparts, Ushakov said.

The first patient treated with Russia’s personalized cancer vaccine has recorded no new tumors over a four-month trial period, according to the developer of the revolutionary treatment.

Director of the Gamaleya Research Institute Alexander Gintsburg, who heads the trialing of Neooncovac, confirmed in an interview with Gazeta.ru on Wednesday that the patient’s metastases – cancer that had spread beyond the original tumor – have disappeared. Doctors continue to examine the patient monthly and plan to monitor his condition for another three years.

“Everything is fine with him. As of yesterday, no new growths had been detected,” Gintsburg said, adding that doctors use high-resolution CT scans to check for signs of cancer in the patient’s lymph nodes and throughout his body.

The patient, a 60-year-old man diagnosed with stage-three melanoma that had spread beyond the original tumor, began receiving Neooncovac in April at Moscow’s Herzen Oncology Research Institute. In July, Gintsburg reported that the patient was feeling well and had developed an immune response capable of fighting the cancer.

Neooncovac uses mRNA technology and is tailored to each patient. Researchers analyze genetic material from tumor and healthy tissue samples to develop a vaccine that trains the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.

Andrey Kaprin, head of the National Medical Research Center of Radiology, has described the technology as a fundamentally new approach to cancer treatment. Rather than directly targeting tumors, it aims to train the body’s immune system to identify and destroy malignant cells, he explained.

Gintsburg said the first patient occasionally developed a fever of 38-38.5C during treatment, which subsided within hours after taking standard fever-reducing medication. A second patient, now halfway through treatment, has experienced no fever, he added.

Six patients have received the vaccine so far, with 20 expected to undergo treatment at the Herzen institute by the end of the year. The program is also set to expand to other Russian regions.

The treatment is covered by Russia’s compulsory health insurance system, with the production of each personalized vaccine and the full course of therapy costing around 7 million rubles ($84,400) per patient, according to Gintsburg.

The Health Ministry has allocated funding to treat 120 patients this year and next, including follow-up monitoring. Researchers are also developing personalized vaccines against other forms of cancer, including pancreatic, kidney, bladder, colorectal, and non-small cell lung cancers, with regulatory approvals planned for 2027.

Canada will bar Russian hockey players and officials from the upcoming World Junior Championship, even those with valid visas, the government has announced.

Canadian Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Koeverden sought to justify the ban, announced on Wednesday and defying a sports court ruling, by portraying Russian athletes’ participation as a vehicle for “state representation, political legitimacy and propaganda,” adding that immigration authorities will block their entry.
 
“Canada’s position is unequivocal: As long as Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, there can be no return to business as usual,” he declared, echoing Prime Minister Mark Carney, who had ruled out Russian participation last week. The tournament runs from December 26 to January 5.
  
Ottawa’s move puts it at odds with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which last month overturned the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) suspension of Russia over the Ukraine conflict and ordered its reinstatement for five championships in 2027, including the World Juniors in Canada and the men’s World Championship in Germany. The IIHF expressed disappointment but pledged to comply.

The ruling sparked boycott threats from several of Kiev's European backers, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, and the Czech Republic, while Germany has called for a fresh IIHF suspension of Russia.

Moscow has accused the boycotters of putting politics above sport. Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev earlier warned that federations defying the CAS ruling could face lawsuits, lose hosting rights or suffer automatic 5-0 defeats under IIHF rules for refusing to play Russia.
 
The Russian Ice Hockey Federation has demanded that the IIHF either guarantee Russia’s participation in Canada or move the tournament elsewhere, according to Match TV.

Two-time Olympic hockey champion Boris Mikhailov has blasted Ottawa’s decision as politically motivated, joking that Carney might be jealous of Russian NHL star Alexander Ovechkin for smashing Canadian legend Wayne Gretzky’s long-standing record of 894 regular-season goals in April 2025.

Ovechkin himself argued that fans should get to see the world’s best players compete.

”I’m pretty sure if you ask the fans, the fans want to see the best players out there,” the Washington Capitals captain told reporters Tuesday. “The fans want to see young generation players who are going to be future stars, future NHLers. But you know it’s not up to us.”

Russia remains an ice hockey powerhouse and a member of the sport’s elite 'Big Six'. Soviet and Russian teams have claimed a record 27 World Championship titles and nine Olympic golds, with the legendary Soviet “Red Machine” dominating the sport for decades. The country also remains a major source of hockey talent, producing stars including Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

A Russian military officer has been killed in a car bombing in St. Petersburg, the Investigative Committee has reported.  

The explosion occurred at around 7 AM on Thursday in a residential area on the outskirts of the city, killing the officer as he drove out of a courtyard. An explosive device was reportedly attached to the underside of his car and detonated remotely. The blast also shattered windows on a passing city bus, but no other injuries were reported. Local media identified the victim as a colonel. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a murder investigation.

The victim’s identity has not been disclosed, nor have any or suspects been announced.   

A similar bombing occurred in August, roughly 500 meters from Thursday’s explosion. A Russian lieutenant colonel serving in an air force and air defense unit was killed when an explosive device detonated beneath his car. His wife, who was traveling with him, survived but sustained serious injuries.  

The latest killing follows a series of bombings and assassination attempts targeting senior Russian military personnel, some of which have been claimed by Ukrainian intelligence.  

In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, was killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment building. Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed responsibility for the assassination.  

In February this year, Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, a senior Russian military intelligence official, survived an assassination attempt in Moscow. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Kiev of orchestrating the shooting to undermine peace negotiations. Ukraine did not claim responsibility.   

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of stepping up terrorist attacks, sabotage operations and targeted assassinations inside Russia. President Vladimir Putin said earlier this year that the number of terrorist incidents had risen sharply in 2025, blaming Ukrainian intelligence services and their foreign backers.

At least one person has been killed and four wounded by a gunman in Washington, DC, interim Metropolitan Police Chief Jeffery Carroll said at a press conference. The shooting occurred about a 15-minute walk from the White House.

Police said the suspect shot one person with a handgun inside a gym before returning to his apartment and shooting four others with a rifle from his balcony.

“Within seconds there was a man who fell to the ground, and a pool of blood came out,” a witness, who was at a gym when the shooting began, told AP. “One gym member rushed to help him. He was instantly dead. He had been shot in the neck.”

Videos and images circulating on social media purport to show heavily armed police stationed on rooftops around an apartment building. Other footage shows officers armed with ballistic shields closing in on what appears to be the same building.

Videos also show a heavy police presence on DC streets after the incident.

Huge police presence in Washington DC for an active shooter. Residents being warned to shelter in place. Am watching SWAT teams get ready to storm a building. 15th St NW at junction with P street. https://t.co/MEuFtcQdUR

— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) November 12, 2026

The suspect, who was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and received medical assistance, has since died of his injuries, according to the police chief.

Of the four people injured in the shooting, one is in critical condition and the other three have non-life-threatening injuries, DC Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said at a press conference.

Police identified the suspect as 55-year-old Matt Lambert. “We do know there was a conflict between him and the homeowners association of that building. But at this point, we’re continuing to look into that,” Carroll told reporters.

On his personal website, Lambert described himself as “a seasoned clinician, consultant, and entrepreneur.” He also identified himself as the founder and CEO of MLEM, a healthcare and technology consultancy.

The European Union lacks a diplomatic heavyweight capable of negotiating with Russia, while disagreements between its largest member states have undermined its ability to speak with one voice on Ukraine, Stratpol director Xavier Moreau has told RT.

His comments follow two days of trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi, which concluded on Wednesday, marking the first formal three-way meeting since February. European representatives were excluded from the negotiations, although they held separate discussions with US and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday. Moscow has questioned Europe’s potential contribution to the peace process, accusing EU governments of undermining previous agreements and prolonging the conflict through continued weapons supplies.

“The European Union makes the big European countries weak,” Moreau said, arguing that the bloc’s diplomatic structure has left its most influential members unable to take the lead in potential negotiations with Moscow.

He questioned who could credibly represent the EU in talks with Russia, dismissing the bloc’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, as an unsuitable candidate.

“She’s not very known as a clever diplomat, so the Russians will never accept,” Moreau said, suggesting that any European representative should instead come from Germany, France, or Italy.

However, he argued that the EU’s overlapping national and supranational diplomatic structures have created confusion over who actually speaks for Europe.

“Who is in charge of the diplomacy in the European Union? Brussels, Paris, Germany, or Italy?” he asked.

Moreau also pointed to sharply differing positions among the bloc’s three largest economies. According to the analyst, France has exhausted its financial capacity to support Ukraine, while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz remains committed to continued assistance despite mounting difficulties.

Italy, meanwhile, is seeking to distance itself from the conflict, he claimed, while ultimately following Washington’s lead.

Moreau also cited disagreements between Germany and Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, Czechia, and Romania, which he said are increasingly unwilling to fund Ukraine.

“So a common voice in Europe, it’s not possible,” he concluded.

Watch Xavier Moreau’s full interview with RT below.

Kenya will not serve as a quarantine center for foreign travelers seeking to meet other countries’ Ebola-related entry requirements, Health Minister Aden Duale has said.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Duale said the decision followed the discharge of Kenya’s last Ebola patient and the release of 11 remaining contacts from quarantine. The government will also refuse to issue quarantine or Ebola-free certificates that are not required under international health regulations.

He urged countries that have imposed travel and visa restrictions on Kenya to lift them, arguing that the measures are no longer justified.

“Kenya has no patient under treatment, Kenya has no community transmission, Kenya has no contact in quarantine. There is no basis for restrictions for Kenyan travelers. Transparency must be rewarded, not punished,” Duale said, as quoted by The Star.

The minister announced that Kenya would begin a mandatory 42-day monitoring period on November 12. If no new infections are detected, the country could officially declare its Ebola outbreak over on December 23.

Kenya confirmed its first Ebola case on October 6 after an infected traveler arrived from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) through Uganda. The outbreak resulted in nine confirmed infections and two deaths, while seven patients recovered, according to the Health Ministry. Officials traced and monitored 135 contacts and reported no community transmission.

Duale declined to discuss a US-backed Ebola isolation facility at Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, saying the matter remained before the courts. A Kenyan court ordered construction and operations suspended in May, but work reportedly continued despite the ban. The project also sparked protests among local residents, who raised concerns about potential health risks. By late June, the 50-bed facility was largely completed, according to AFP. In October, the US State Department confirmed that the center had no patients and that Kenya had not requested its use, local news agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Ebola outbreak continues in DR Congo, where the health authorities have reported 11,042 confirmed infections and 5,387 deaths since May.

‘Operation Carthage’ is more than just another anti-corruption purge in Ukraine. It’s the story of a criminal empire built by, and relying on, the protection of Vladimir Zelensky’s security services. The Western media won’t touch it. RT will.

Led by Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), Operation Carthage is a sprawling investigation into an alleged criminal enterprise involved in drug trafficking, fraudulent call centers, kidnapping, and torture, which operated under the protection of the country’s security and law enforcement agencies – from local police in Kiev to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The investigation is ongoing, but it has so far exposed two overlapping criminal networks.

The first Operation Carthage arrests: The September Gang

On September 5, NABU announced that it had identified five members of a criminal organization run from Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office. Since 2025, the agency alleged, the organization “systematically received bribes” in exchange for not interfering in the illegal activities of Ukraine’s scam call centers, and laundered this money through various channels.

More than $500,000 was spent on real estate, valuables, and other assets, while a further $300,000 in assets was concealed by transferring it to third parties. Another $250,000 was allegedly laundered through bank accounts, according to NABU and local media.

The list of suspects was quickly leaked by Ukrainian media:

• Sergey Kropiva, aka ‘Chancellor’ – deputy head of a department within the Prosecutor General’s Office; and alleged ringleader of the scheme, in custody

• Ivan Timoshenko – former head of the Prosecutor General’s Office IT department, allegedly handled payments from the call centers, in custody

• Elizaveta Ivakhnenko, aka ‘Muse’ – close associate of Kropiva, accused of money laundering, in custody

• Sergey Kutsi, aka ‘Comrade’ – Kropiva’s driver, accused of money laundering, in custody

• Danilo Slipchuck, aka ‘Flash’ – son of a Volyn police chief, accused of helping Kropiva communicate with scam centers and organize money

• Aleksandr Didich – lawyer, accused of money laundering

Coming less than two weeks after NABU uncovered a separate illegal property seizure ring within his office, the timing of the announcement was a political disaster for Zelensky. Although he was not directly implicated in the criminal network, Zelensky’s handpicked prosecutor general, Ruslan Kravchenko, resigned and fled Ukraine in response. 

Ukraine’s scam economy

Another wave of arrests followed in November, but first, to understand why multiple networks within the Ukrainian state would want to involve themselves with scam callers, it’s necessary to understand just how important the phone fraud sector is to the Ukrainian economy. 

As the economic reforms promised by Ukraine’s post-Maidan leaders failed to materialize, the black economy flourished, and scam call centers proliferated between 2014 and 2016. According to an April report by the Geneva-based NGO Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), Ukraine’s scam call sector employs 60,000 people – two-thirds of the number employed in the legal banking sector – and generates as much as $1 billion per month. 

RT has reported extensively on the Ukrainian scam call industry in our ‘State of Corruption’ series. The sector has boomed in wartime Ukraine, with those controlling the scam networks convincing young recruits that defrauding Russian pensioners is not just a path to personal gain – it is their patriotic duty.

Russians are not the only targets, however. According to the GI-TOC report, as many as 80% of the callers’ victims are now Western. Competition among scam gangs has also spilled violently into Western streets: Vadim Ermolaev, the Ukrainian businessman targeted in a bomb attack in Monaco in June, reportedly controlled 170 scam call centers in Ukraine.

As of 2024, There were around 1,000 scam call centers in Ukraine, making up to 8 million phone calls per day, according to Sberbank deputy board chairman Stanislav Kuznetsov. That number has likely increased, and Ukraine’s Zerkalo Nedeli puts it closer to 2,000. This figure is split into “white” and “black” centers, with the former paying for protection and the latter operating as outlaws. According to Zerkalo Nedeli, around half of Ukraine’s scam call centers are “white” operations, with each center paying up to $20,000 per month in protection fees.

Operation Carthage targets the SBU: The November Network

The Prosecutor General’s Office did not have a monopoly on the protection racket, and a wave of arrests in early November introduced two new players: the SBU and National Police of Ukraine. Five suspects have been detained and charged for their alleged roles in a bribery scheme, in which senior law enforcement officials took bribes to protect scam callers, drug traffickers, kidnappers, and counterfeiters.

• Sergey Duka, aka ‘Akim’ – SBU major general, allegedly protected criminal operations from SBU scrutiny and fed intelligence to criminals, in custody

• Vladimir Tsenov, aka ‘Price’ – first deputy head of the National Police’s Strategic Investigations Department, allegedly took payments for shielding scam call centers, released on bail

• Aleksandr Demianchuk, aka ‘Consultant’ – Kiev police investigator, allegedly transported counterfeit money and ordered violent attacks on behalf of criminals, in custody

• Andrey Osipov, aka ‘Criminal’ – organized crime kingpin who coordinated the scheme, in custody on separate charges since July

• Vitaly Ribalko, aka ‘Boxer’ – Ospiov’s alleged enforcer, accused of kidnap and torture, in custody

Another key player in the network is Egor Burkin, aka ‘Mexican’. A wanted criminal in both Russia and Ukraine, Burkin heads the ‘Khimprom’ drug cartel, which was allegedly protected by Duka and his colleagues within the SBU. He is currently at large in Mexico. In total, 12 people have been named as persons of interest in the second round of the Carthage investigation.

The turf war

Corruption is so pervasive in Ukraine that anti-corruption agencies – in deciding who gets investigated – hold immense political power. NABU and SAPO are not neutral players in Kiev, at least according to their targets. 

Before his subordinates were arrested in September, Kravchenko accused both agencies of running their own protection rackets, and claimed that the “real purpose” of Operation Carthage was to “gain access to materials from the criminal proceedings concerning NABU and SAPO officials and employees and then remove the prosecutor general and halt the adoption of procedural decisions in these cases.” 

The SBU has a contentious relationship with NABU and SAPO too. SBU chief Aleksandr Poklad, then serving as the agency’s deputy head, led a crackdown on NABU last July, with his agents searching more than a dozen NABU employees over allegations of Russian collaboration. Poklad then attempted to pressure Ukrainian opposition politician Fedor Khristenko into falsely testifying that NABU detectives and senior NABU and SAPO officials were working for Moscow, according to a Ukrainian watchdog group, the Anti-Corruption Action Center.

The allegations of Russian collusion against NABU were widely ridiculed as baseless, but they played a major role in Zelensky’s attempts to curb the agency’s powers last year. Zelensky used the allegations to bring NABU under the authority of the Prosecutor General’s Office, but was forced by mass protests and outcry from his Western sponsors to reverse course.

According to the Kiev Post, several of Zelensky’s closest associates view NABU – which is part-funded by the US – as “acting on Washington’s behalf.” 

The power struggle, with NABU and SAPO on one side and Zelensky, the SBU, and Prosecutor General’s Office on the other, has often resembled a literal turf war between rival gangs. When NABU agents arrested Sergey Duka at his residence, the SBU general attempted to summon a commando team and brandished a firearm at the detectives, the agency said. 

What happens next in Operation Carthage?

More arrests are certain to follow. “What you have seen is just the tip of the iceberg,” Aleksandr Abakumov, the head of NABU’s detective division, wrote on Facebook on November 9. Abakumov said that “a substantial amount of material” gathered by the agency cannot yet be revealed without compromising the investigation, and that “the darkest part of this corruption iceberg remains underwater.” 

No trial data has been announced for the suspects already arrested, and NABU and SAPO are currently working to notify the remaining seven suspects in the November roundup of their charges, according to a November 5 press release from NABU.

When criminals and police “find common ground, something far more dangerous than a typical corruption scheme emerges. A mafia is born,” Abakumov wrote on Facebook. “Operation ‘Carthage’ is ongoing. For us, this is more than just the name of a single investigation – it is a symbol of the work we must see through to the end… Carthage must be destroyed.”

The White House’s top lawyer has warned the House Democrats that their plans to investigate the administration of US President Donald Trump “may cross the line into blatant criminality.”

The dispute follows a pledge by the Democrats to launch a broad series of investigations into the Trump administration after winning control of the House of Representatives in last week’s midterm elections. The probes are expected to focus on alleged corruption, conflicts of interest, and abuses of power.

In a three-page letter issued on Wednesday to incoming House Oversight Committee chairman Robert Garcia, White House counsel Will Scharf argued that congressional investigations must remain within constitutional limits, adding that Garcia and members of the new Congress have “evinced a clear intent to transgress” them. The letter accuses Democrats of “abusive and capricious threats” against Trump and members of his administration.

Garcia pushed back, saying Congress has the constitutional authority to conduct oversight independently of the White House and will not be deterred by “baseless threats” from the administration or the Justice Department. He argued that voters gave the Democrats a mandate “to root out corruption and abuse.”

The latest exchange comes a week after Garcia issued a blunt warning of his own. On election night, after projections showed Democrats would take control of the House, he addressed the incoming Congress with a two-word message: “Lawyer up.”

Last week, Garcia also outlined several areas Democrats intend to investigate, including what he described as corruption within the Trump family, corporate misconduct, alleged abuses by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation. He also intends to examine the Trump family’s business dealings, including cryptocurrency and mineral deals, as well as construction projects at the White House.

Commenting on the plans at the time, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Trump is willing to work with Democrats to deliver results for Americans, but warned that pursuing “sham investigations” and “radical-left policies” would mean acting “against the American people.”

Outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Trump critic, told AP on Wednesday that he hopes the Democrats focus on real issues rather than “stupid things” such as the Russiagate inquiry, an investigation based on debunked claims that Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. Massie, who recently lost his primary to a Trump-backed Republican challenger, said he believes there is “real corruption” involving the president and the people around him.

Ukrainian officers are training armed groups and terrorist organizations in the Sahel to use drones as part of Kiev’s alleged support for militants fighting African governments, Russian Ambassador to Algeria Aleksey Solomatin has said.

The claim adds to repeated accusations by Moscow and several West African governments that Ukraine is supporting militants involved in a jihadist insurgency that has destabilized the region for more than a decade. Speaking to RIA Novosti on Thursday, Solomatin said armed groups operating across the Sahel and Sahara-Sahel region were destabilizing several countries bordering Algeria.

“Ukrainian officers are working in Africa, training [fighters] in the use of drones. They support not states, but armed formations and terrorist groups acting against states and democracy,” he said.

Last week, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service made a similar allegation. Deputy Director Mikhail Maksimovich said Ukrainian military intelligence emissaries were organizing courses in Africa, particularly Mali, to train drone operators, including users of “kamikaze” drones. He also said international terrorist organizations were showing growing interest in obtaining drone technology from Kiev.

Ukraine has faced accusations of backing terrorism in the Sahel since July 2024, when rebels ambushed Malian forces and personnel of Russia’s Wagner private military group near Tinzaouaten in northern Mali. Ukrainian military intelligence spokesman Andrey Yusov later said the rebels had received the “necessary information” that enabled the successful operation.

Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso formally filed a complaint with the UN Security Council, accusing Ukraine of supporting international terrorism in the Sahel. The letter cited Yusov’s remarks and comments by Ukraine’s then-ambassador to Senegal as evidence of what the three governments described as Kiev’s involvement in the deadly Tinzaouaten attack.

Russian officials, including Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, have said Kiev was opening a “second front” in Africa by supporting militants in countries friendly to Moscow.

In September, CNN reported that around 15 Ukrainian specialists were assisting Tuareg rebels in northern Mali with drones, including remotely directing missions. French newspaper Le Monde had earlier reported that cooperation between Ukrainian military intelligence and Malian rebels began in early 2024, including drone training in Ukraine and the Sahel.

Ukraine has repeatedly denied supporting terrorist groups in the Sahel. Last week, its Foreign Ministry said claims by Mali and Niger were unsupported by “credible evidence.” It added that the allegations “coincide with key messages of Russian propaganda” aimed at undermining trust in Kiev and weakening its relations with African partners.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has concluded talks with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow, following two days of negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi.

Presidential aides Vladimir Medinsky and Yury Ushakov, along with Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, also attended the meeting. RT details the opening exchanges between the two sides, before the talks entered the closed session.

What did Putin tell Witkoff and Kushner?

Putin opened the discussions by asking the US envoys to convey his thanks to President Donald Trump for organizing contact between Russia and Ukraine, noting the progress on humanitarian issues, TASS reported. Witkoff said the forthcoming prisoner exchange demonstrated progress toward a settlement.

Building on these humanitarian efforts, Putin proposed a mission to evacuate civilians from Konstantinovka, modeled on the recent operation in Alyoshki. He suggested that the Russian and Ukrainian human rights commissioners organize it.

Putin said Russian forces control Konstantinovka and could ensure the mission’s safety, but would need five days to clear mines in the area. If Kiev maintains that it controls the city, it should guarantee security from its side, he added.

What did Putin say about terms of settlement?

Turning to the terms of a settlement, Putin said he wants peace in Ukraine to last forever. He added that Russia recognizes only one dividing line with Ukraine – the national border – and is aware of Ukrainian discussions about “gray zones.” He also dismissed outright the possible deployment of foreign troops to Ukraine and warned that they would be considered legitimate targets.

The 'Europe' question

The discussion also touched on the role of Kiev's Western European backers in a peace process. Witkoff said European representatives were not at the negotiating table in Abu Dhabi but were briefed on the talks.

Kushner said European governments expressed a desire to take part in negotiations and end the conflict, adding that Washington has begun discussing the continent’s security arrangements with them.

European representatives remained outside the trilateral meetings, consulting separately with the US and Ukrainian teams. Kushner has argued that the Europeans must be involved in the process, while suggesting that they should select a single representative.

Ushakov said on Thursday that Europe has yet to agree on a suitable negotiator. Moscow has stated that it is willing to consider concrete European peace proposals but has received none.

The US envoys arrived in Moscow on Thursday morning and were met at Vnukovo Airport by Dmitriev. Asked about their mood, he described it as positive.

The visit follows the first formal trilateral negotiations since February. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky said European security was the central theme of the Abu Dhabi talks, and that the parties found common ground on some issues while differences remain on others.

What was said about troops and territory?

Medinsky also announced an agreement in principle on a large-scale prisoner exchange. Kushner and Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov confirmed the agreement. The US envoy said the numbers will be finalized on Thursday.

Territory remains a major obstacle. Medinsky told RT that “every inch of our land will be returned to Russia, one way or another.” Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, however, has rejected the idea of withdrawing Ukrainian forces from Donbass. Kushner described the territorial question as the hardest issue to resolve.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Putin would explain Russia’s position to the US envoys, after which Washington’s task will be to bring its European partners to their senses. He accused European governments of showing no willingness to exercise common sense while recklessly supporting Kiev.

Kushner previously said he and Witkoff would travel to Dublin after their trip to Moscow to brief Zelensky.

Indian garment exporters are reducing their dependence on the US after tariff hikes disrupted orders, even as New Delhi and Washington try to finalize a trade deal in which competitive textile tariffs are a key item, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

The shift follows US tariff increases of as much as 50% on Indian goods last year, which prompted American buyers to cancel orders or demand discounts, squeezing manufacturers’ margins. Although the tariffs have since fallen, exporters are looking to the UK, EU, and the domestic market to avoid getting caught up in the disruptions again.

India exported around $37 billion worth of textiles and apparel, including handicrafts, in the financial year ending March. Around a quarter of that went to the US, its largest overseas market. However, shipments to the US fell nearly 10% from April to August, while exports to other markets increased, according to the Global Trade Research Initiative.

The report highlighted the case of two Indian garment manufacturers. Orient Craft reduced the US share of its exports to less than 10%, from 84% before the tariff hikes. The company, which previously supplied American retailers including Gap and American Eagle, has shifted business to Britain, Europe, and the domestic market. It now supplies British retailers Next and Marks & Spencer.

Another major exporter, Gokaldas Exports, is also looking to increase its European sales while reducing its reliance on American buyers over the next few years.

“It is not a temporary shift,” managing director Sivaramkrishnan Ganapathi told Reuters.

The shift away from the US has been helped by recent trade deals India has completed with other countries. Indian garments gained duty-free access to Britain under a trade agreement that took effect in July. A separate agreement with the EU, to be implemented in December, could also eliminate clothing tariffs, opening further opportunities for exporters.

India’s push into Europe comes amid growing competition from other regional suppliers. Bangladesh’s garment exports to the EU also increased from July to October, with Spain accounting for almost all the growth, local media reported.

Russia’s return to international hockey would mark a “return to normality,” a senior Alternative for Germany (AfD) lawmaker has said, as his party and the Left Party backed Russian participation in the 2027 Ice Hockey World Championship despite European boycott threats.  

The statements follow an October 30 ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which overturned Russia’s exclusion from International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) competitions. The German government and hockey federation remain opposed to Russian participation, citing security, political and economic concerns.  

The right-wing AfD and the Left Party have urged Berlin to respect the CAS ruling, which restored Russian national teams’ right to compete internationally.  

“We see this as a return to normality. Of course, Russian athletes should also be issued visas,” Jorn Konig, the AfD parliamentary group’s sports spokesman, told ZDFheute.  

Russian and Belarusian athletes were barred from numerous international competitions following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Since then, criticism of the bans as politically motivated and discriminatory has grown, with a number of sports federations easing restrictions.  

Konig, who has opposed the Ukraine conflict, accused sporting authorities of double standards, noting that the US had never been excluded from international competitions despite waging wars he described as violations of international law.  

The AfD won September’s regional election in Saxony-Anhalt, defeating Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s CDU.  

Christian Gorke, the Left Party’s sports spokesman, also urged respect for the CAS ruling, saying Germany could no longer ignore the “regrettable reality” of Russia’s return.  

The championship is scheduled for May 13-30, 2027, in Dusseldorf and Mannheim. The IIHF has expressed “disappointment” with the ruling but pledged to comply.  

The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) opposes Russia’s return, with its chairman, Frank Lutz, warning that the ruling “fundamentally changes the situation,” citing political, economic and security concerns.  

Days earlier, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, and the Czech Republic announced boycotts of matches against Russia, while Austria indicated it would follow suit.  

The boycott threats have cast doubt on Germany’s ability to host the tournament. Berlin is consulting hockey officials, warning that the event could become impossible to organize for sporting and economic reasons.  

Russian officials have condemned the politicization of sport, arguing that athletes should not be punished over geopolitical disputes. Sports Minister and Olympic Committee chief Mikhail Degtyarev branded the threats “infantile” and warned that countries pressuring the IIHF could face legal action or lose hosting rights.  

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested moving the championship elsewhere if Germany refuses to host it, noting that “there are plenty of countries” willing to stage the tournament.  

Earlier this year, the International Olympic Committee provisionally lifted its suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee, while several federations have readmitted Russian athletes, sometimes under their national flag and anthem.  

President Vladimir Putin has welcomed the trend, calling for a return to the principles of international sport, including “equality, justice, mutual respect and the unifying power of sport.”  

Meanwhile, Canada announced on Wednesday that Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials would be barred from December’s World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, even with valid visas.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has mocked intelligence agencies for failing to cater to his dating preferences, joking that tech CEOs who aren’t attracted to Asian women are being deprived of “honeypot” opportunities.

In a tongue-in-cheek post on X on Wednesday, the Russian-born billionaire questioned why intelligence services had apparently failed to send female operatives his way who suited his preference for non-Asian women, asking whether they were “even trying.”

He made a pointed exception for France, quipping that its “decision-makers aren’t into girls” – an apparent jab at President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, who have sued US podcaster Candace Owens over her claims that France’s first lady was born male. Durov concluded that Paris could be excused, but that everyone else should “try harder” to seduce him.

Unfair that CEOs who aren’t into Asian girls get fewer dating options from spy agencies. Where are the French/Russian/Iranian honeypots? Not one spy girl sent my way. Are they even trying? France is excused — their decision-makers aren’t into girls. Everyone else: try harder!

— Pavel Durov (@durov) November 11, 2026

Not all CEOs are so unlucky

Durov’s remarks follow an espionage scandal involving American AI chipmaking giant Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and his alleged affair with a suspected Chinese spy. The controversy erupted in late October after reports linked the CEO to Alice Huang, or Huang Le, a Chinese executive formerly associated with Megaspeed International, a major Nvidia chip buyer in Southeast Asia.

US intelligence officials suspect the woman was recruited by China’s Ministry of State Security to gather information on Nvidia and potentially influence its CEO to push Washington to ease AI chip export restrictions.

After initially describing their interactions as routine business dealings, Huang admitted last week to an extramarital affair without confirming the name of the woman. Nvidia launched an internal investigation into the alleged honeypot operation.

President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that the FBI has also opened a probe, but defended Huang, a close ally in Washington’s AI rivalry with Beijing, calling him “an amazing guy” who had been unaware of the alleged espionage.

Beijing has dismissed the allegations as “a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear.” Meanwhile, separate reports have since alleged another affair between Huang and Nvidia healthcare vice president Kimberly Powell, and claimed the company’s board is considering ousting the CEO.

French spies have courted Durov before – just not romantically

While Durov’s apparent disappointment over his lack of suitable “honeypots” was clearly in jest, his relations with French intelligence have been anything but romantic.

French spies have reportedly targeted the Telegram founder, who holds French citizenship but is based in the UAE, for years. According to the Wall Street Journal, French intelligence teamed up with the UAE back in 2017 to hack his iPhone over concerns about Islamic State militants using Telegram.

In February 2024, French prosecutors opened an investigation into Telegram’s alleged failure to cooperate with law enforcement. The case escalated that August with Durov’s arrest and placement under formal investigation over suspected crimes facilitated through the platform.

Durov denied wrongdoing, calling it “absurd” to hold a platform owner responsible for users’ crimes and accusing Paris of using the case to pressure Telegram into political censorship. He claimed French foreign intelligence pushed him to silence conservative voices ahead of Romania’s 2025 presidential election and censor Moldovan Telegram channels ahead of the country’s 2024 vote, allegedly even offering to influence the judge overseeing his case in exchange for cooperation.

France’s foreign intelligence agency, the DGSE, later acknowledged meeting Durov but denied his allegations. The Telegram founder remains under formal investigation. Following more than six hours of questioning in Paris in July, his lawyers said nearly two years of investigations had yielded no evidence against him.

At least nine civilians have been killed and several others seriously injured in a drone strike blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in southeastern Sudan, a local official has said. 

The drones struck the village of Bani Shako in the Kurmuk locality, near the Ethiopian border, Kurmuk Commissioner Abdelaati Mohammed Elfakey said on Tuesday. He did not provide an exact number of those wounded. The RSF has not commented on the allegations. 

Kurmuk has reportedly been under the control of the RSF and its ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, for several months. Villages along the border have faced repeated drone attacks, leaving dozens of civilians dead and forcing residents to flee toward Ed Damazin, the regional capital. 

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 and has since spread across the country. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and displaced millions, according to UN and international estimates.  

Fighting in the state of Blue Nile has intensified since January, with the RSF and SPLM-N capturing several strategic towns near Ed Damazin. On November 2, the Sudanese army said it had repelled attacks by the allied forces in the Bakori and Sali areas.   

The latest incident follows an October drone strike on a displacement camp in Blue Nile. The rights group Emergency Lawyers said 41 displaced people, including eight children, were killed in an attack attributed to the RSF in Abu Shandi, near the Ethiopian border. Dozens of others were reportedly wounded.  

Sudan’s government has also accused neighboring Ethiopia of providing military support to the RSF, including allowing the use of airports for drone operations and hosting training camps for fighters and foreign mercenaries.  

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for an end to hostilities in Sudan and a political settlement during talks with the country’s Sovereignty Council chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, in Moscow on October 30. Speaking after the Russia-Africa Summit, Putin said Moscow was ready to discuss additional steps to help stabilize the situation in the conflict-hit country.

Western Sahara’s independence movement, the Polisario Front, has declared general mobilization over an alleged Moroccan military buildup, as UN peacekeepers withdraw from the disputed territory after 35 years.

The Algeria-backed movement announced the decision following an emergency meeting chaired by its leader, Brahim Ghali, on Tuesday, according to a statement published by its official news agency, Sahara Press Service. Polisario accused Morocco of deploying troops, weapons, and equipment along the separation wall dividing the territory, and urged Sahrawis to prepare to defend their right to independence.

In a post on its official Facebook page, the movement said the mobilization is intended to “confront the expansionist Moroccan occupier.” Polisario described the deployments as a dangerous escalation and appealed to the UN and African Union to intervene.

Moroccan news outlet Maghreb Times reported on Monday that Moroccan forces have intensified movements of military convoys, equipment, and logistical supplies from the country’s northern regions toward the south.

Morocco controls most of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony it annexed in 1975. The UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) was established in 1991 to monitor a ceasefire between Morocco and Polisario and organize a referendum on the territory’s future. Disagreements over voter eligibility have prevented the vote.

MINURSO’s mandate expired on October 31 after the UN Security Council failed to agree on its renewal. Russia vetoed a US proposal tying an extension to Morocco’s plan for autonomy under its sovereignty in the sparsely populated territory. Moscow argued that the draft resolution prejudged sovereignty and undermined Sahrawi self-determination. Russia’s alternative proposal to extend the existing mandate also failed to secure the council’s support.

The North African nation reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire following a royal meeting last week, saying the pledge would remain unchanged despite the UN mission’s departure.

US President Donald Trump recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the territory in 2020 as part of a deal involving Rabat’s normalization of relations with Israel. In July, Morocco named the 1,055 km Tiznit-Dakhla highway, which extends into Western Sahara, after Trump. The US president welcomed the gesture as a “great honor.”

At Tuesday’s UN General Assembly debate, US Ambassador Mike Waltz defended Washington’s approach, saying “a referendum that can never be held serves no one.” Russia’s Deputy Permanent Representative Anna Evstigneeva countered that Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty “cannot be imposed on the Security Council.”

India has banned exports of lithium-ion battery waste to secure supplies for domestic recycling and reduce its dependence on imported critical minerals, the government said on Wednesday.

The restriction, which took effect Tuesday, covers lithium-ion battery ‘black mass’, a powder obtained from discarded batteries and manufacturing waste. It contains recoverable lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese, which are used in electric vehicles (EVs), battery manufacturing, and energy storage.

India remains heavily dependent on overseas supplies of battery materials, although it has been promoting domestic battery manufacturing and recycling as part of its electric mobility push. Its entire lithium demand is currently met through imports. New Delhi aims for EVs to account for 30% of new car sales and 80% of new two- and three-wheeler sales by 2030.

India’s battery recycling industry has expanded, but some facilities are operating below capacity because of insufficient material. Some domestic recyclers have had to import battery waste even as the black mass generated in India was being exported, the Commerce Ministry said.

Most of these exports go to China, which has extensive battery recycling and manufacturing facilities, a fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank Center for Social and Economic Progress, Shyamasis Das, told the Indian Express.

Indian lithium-ion battery recyclers have a combined annual battery-waste processing capacity of around 517,000 metric tons. However, the industry’s capacity specifically for processing black mass is estimated at 75,500 metric tons annually, the paper reported, citing government figures.

The ban comes days after New Delhi approved a $300 million incentive scheme to expand domestic lithium and nickel processing. A separate $160 million recycling program approved last year supports the recovery of critical minerals from discarded batteries and electronic waste.

India is also seeking critical minerals overseas. State-owned miner NMDC has reportedly explored investments in Russian lithium projects, although Rosatom denied being in talks with the company.

A university and drone manufacturing center in the Russian region of Tomsk are preparing to sign a deal with India to transfer UAV technology and establish a local production facility.

The upcoming partnership was announced by the rector of Tomsk State University (TSU), Eduard Galazhinsky, during the Industry Code conference, TASS reported. TSU and the Research and Production Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (RPC UAS) of Tomsk Region will transfer the technology.

”Our colleagues are ready to transfer the funds for us to supply the technology for producing the unmanned system and build a factory in India,” Galazhinsky said. “The university and the UAS Research and Production Center will transfer the entire package of technological solutions and then receive royalties.”

“We need to sign an agreement with the Indian side now,” he said. Other details of the deal have not been revealed, including who the Indian partners are.

Galazhinsky noted that the agreement would provide the institutions in Tomsk with vital access to the international market, generating additional resources to support local workforce training and production development.

The Tomsk-based RPC UAS, which is positioned to lead the technical side of the transfer, is the largest unmanned aircraft research and development hub beyond the Urals. The facility was opened in February last year as part of a national project and is backed by federal and regional funds.

It operates under a special regional experimental legal regime designed to streamline drone testing.

Its capabilities span from initial design and additive manufacturing to final assembly and flight testing. The center has already successfully developed Russia’s first domestic 50-kilowatt drone motor and produced a small batch of heavy-duty unmanned aircraft capable of carrying payloads of up to 200 kg.

A wave of bomb threats targeted schools across the UK, Italy, and Ireland on Wednesday, prompting evacuations and widespread disruption.

More than 300 schools in Northern Ireland and at least 470 in Scotland received threatening emails, police said. The authorities said the messages were hoaxes.

According to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the emails originated outside the UK. “Our enquiries are ongoing, however, at this stage we consider risk to the public as low,” PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Anthony McNally said.

More than 6,300 schools in Italy received bomb threats, with evacuations and lockdowns reported in several areas, including the northern Emilia-Romagna region.

According to ANSA, the email was sent from a compromised account at Dayeh University, a private institution in Taiwan. It was signed “Mikhail Andropov, leader of the Vilayat of Misoginistan,” and also contained a threat against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

“We won’t let an anonymous email decide our children’s school calendar,” Meloni said in a video posted on social media.

Reuters reported that some European officials suspect Russia may be behind the bomb threats, citing the Ukraine conflict. Moscow has dismissed these types of allegations as part of a smear campaign.

Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Russia was involved in a cyberattack targeting refrigeration systems at French supermarkets, saying: “baseless accusations against our country, blaming it for virtually everything, are unfortunately becoming a persistent trend in European countries. I reiterate that this accusation is absolutely absurd.”

France later blamed Iran for the cyberattack, which Tehran denied. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi accused the French government of “shifting blame for its failures onto others.”

At least eight people were killed and 17 others injured when a three-story building collapsed into an adjacent construction site in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday. Three firefighters were among the injured.

Rescue crews continued searching the rubble on Thursday for additional victims who could still be trapped. Six bodies were recovered from the debris and two people died in the hospital, according to ABC7. At least two of the injured remained in critical condition.

Officials said the operation could take several days due to unstable conditions and the risk of a secondary collapse.

The collapse occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Flatbush Avenue, near the intersection with Bedford Avenue. The three-story building housed a ground-floor store and apartments above. It fell into an adjacent excavation site where a one-story building had previously been demolished.

Workers were excavating the neighboring site when the collapse occurred, officials said. Developers had proposed a nine-story residential and commercial building, but those plans had not yet been approved. City officials said approval had been granted for a three-story building.

The cause of the collapse remains under investigation, and officials have not established whether the excavation contributed to the disaster.

At least two dead, nineteen injured after a building collapsed in Brooklyn, New York. https://t.co/tH4RYOLKCR

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 12, 2026

According to local media reports, witnesses described hearing an explosion-like noise as the building collapsed, sending thick clouds of dust across the street. One nearby resident compared the scene to the September 11 attacks. The husband of a pregnant woman trapped beneath the rubble celebrated after firefighters pulled her out alive.

A husband cried tears of relief after he said his pregnant wife was pulled from Brooklyn collapse rubble and is alive. https://t.co/hU9jlU25A4

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) November 12, 2026

More than 250 firefighters and emergency medical personnel have been working at the scene. “This will be a prolonged operation,” New York City Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said.

Artificial intelligence could escape human control within three years, potentially causing mass deaths, OpenAI board member Paul Christiano has warned.

Speaking at the Hinton Lectures in Toronto on Tuesday, Christiano warned that increasingly powerful “superhuman” AI systems could surpass humanity’s ability to understand, predict, or control their behavior.

”If the AI system is doing things we don’t want, it can hide the fact it is doing those things, and it can naturally try and create confusion and avoid attribution,” he said. Humans could also struggle to foresee the consequences of acting on AI-generated advice, he added.

In a separate address on Monday, Christiano warned that AI could seize control from humanity within three years, potentially killing large numbers of people either during a takeover or afterward, if humans lose the ability to maintain a habitable environment.

”I think for most people in this room, the most likely reason they will die is because of an AI accident,” he said.

Christiano, who joined OpenAI’s Foundation Board and Safety and Security Committee in September, pointed to an incident in which AI agents reportedly bypassed security restrictions during company tests, gaining unauthorized access to OpenAI’s research infrastructure and Hugging Face, a major AI development platform.

Although OpenAI has introduced a framework addressing cybersecurity threats and the risk of losing control over advanced systems, Christiano warned that existing safeguards remain inadequate.

His warnings came as governments and leading AI developers, including OpenAI, Microsoft and Anthropic, signed a voluntary safety declaration in Paris on Monday. The agreement calls for stronger oversight and emergency shutdown mechanisms but imposes no binding deadlines or penalties and gives governments no additional powers to halt dangerous AI systems.

AI safety organization CeSIA, which also signed the declaration, called for authorities to be empowered to suspend AI development and deployment when risks become unacceptable.

Separately, Maxime Fournes, head of PauseAI, a campaign seeking to halt advanced AI development until it can be made safe, warned that the technology could cripple banking systems, communications networks and other critical infrastructure through devastating cyberattacks.

Speaking to Anadolu on Monday, Fournes estimated a 50% chance of a major AI-related cyber catastrophe within the next year unless urgent action is taken.

”This is a global catastrophic threat, something that could bring us back to the Middle Ages very quickly if it starts happening,” he warned.

Nine members of the Kennedy family have sued to stop US President Donald Trump’s plans to build an enormous triumphal arch near the iconic Arlington National Cemetery outside Washington, arguing that it would cast a shadow over their family graves.

They say the planned 250-foot (76-meter) tall monument would “permanently cast a shadow” over former US President John F. Kennedy’s grave and other family burial sites, according to court documents filed on Tuesday.

“The Arch will also obstruct the clear sightline of the Kennedy Gravesites and the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, in Arlington National Cemetery, from the Arlington Memorial Bridge, destroying an essential element of the Gravesites’ design,” the plaintiffs argue in their complaint.

The relatives include children and grandchildren of JFK’s brothers Robert F. Kennedy and Edward Kennedy. They have also filed a motion to join existing lawsuits against the project.

Just days before the Kennedy filing, federal judge Tanya Chutkan temporarily blocked construction while considering objections to the project’s legality. The Trump administration argues that Congress authorized a monument at the site in 1925, when it approved plans for Arlington Memorial Bridge.

A Monument to the American Spirit. The Military Triumphal Arch will honor the heroes who gave everything for our nation - a monumental tribute to America’s first 250 years & a symbol of the next 250. A legacy of freedom. A future without limits. 📲 https://t.co/vkquwA5qGp https://t.co/ucUPdw3YLL

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 6, 2026

Trump has touted the project as “the greatest and most beautiful triumphal arch, anywhere in the world.” The administration has also launched a website showcasing its design for a towering structure made of white stone and gold.

The arch is one of several projects in Washington that Trump has initiated in his second term. He has renovated the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, paved over the White House Rose Garden, and added statues to the presidential residence.

The administration has also demolished the White House East Wing to make way for a $400 million ballroom, another project facing legal opposition. The Supreme Court allowed construction to continue in August, although the case remains unresolved.

Millions of workers and protesters brought Spain to a standstill on Wednesday with a nationwide general strike over the country’s deepening housing crisis. Demonstrators in major cities denounced the soaring rent costs and demanded stronger tenant protections.

More than 3 million people took to the streets across the country, according to unions cited by Reuters on Thursday. The National Confederation of Tenants’ Unions estimated that up to 5 million workers took part in the strike.

While daytime demonstrations were largely peaceful, a rally in Barcelona, Spain’s second-largest city, was followed by looting and clashes with police.

Clashes also erupted in Madrid, where riot police used tear gas, pepper spray, and foam projectiles to disperse protesters.

At least 115 people were arrested nationwide, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing police figures.

Left-wing parties, including Sumar, Podemos, and ERC, demanded the resignation of Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska on Thursday over alleged excessive police force during Wednesday’s protests. The minister ordered an investigation into the police actions and reportedly banned the use of tear gas at future demonstrations.

The strike disrupted transportation and commerce across Spain. Protesters blocked roads in Madrid, Valencia, and other cities, and pickets forced some businesses to close. Rail operator Renfe reported cancelations of nearly 16% of high-speed and long-distance trains and over 10% of commuter and regional services. At least 332 flights were also canceled, according to airport operator Aena.

On Thursday, the Spanish parliament approved a package of housing reforms that included rent caps, stronger eviction protections, and restrictions on property speculation. However, lawmakers rejected a separate proposal to strengthen tenants’ rights to renew their leases.

🚨🇪🇸Breaking: TODAY 400,000 PEOPLE ARE IN THE STREETS OF #BARCELONA , #Spain WITH ONE UNANIMOUS DEMAND: WE WANT TO LIVE, NOT JUST SURVIVE. https://t.co/dw54MosntR

— World_Breaking_News03 (@Breaking2003) November 11, 2026

This comes less than three weeks before a snap parliamentary election scheduled for November 29. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the snap election after parliament rejected two housing reform decrees on October 2.

The future of the reforms remains uncertain. The conservative opposition People’s Party vowed to repeal them if it comes to power.

Speaking to RT in Madrid, Spanish political analyst Daniel Lobato accused the government of enriching major property owners and corporate interests while failing to address the housing crisis. He warned that public frustration could drive voters to the far right.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied responsibility for the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza after severe flooding devastated refugee camps.

Torrential rains have battered the Palestinian enclave in recent days, flooding and damaging thousands of tents housing people displaced by the devastating Israel-Hamas war, which erupted in October 2023. Around 65% of Gaza’s population (1.4 million people) live in tents or makeshift shelters, according to the UN.

More than 150,000 tents purchased by humanitarian organizations and UN member states are ready to be delivered to Gaza, the international body said on Monday, calling for “the urgent lifting of all unnecessary restrictions and delays.”

The Board of Peace, a body created by US President Donald Trump to oversee Gaza’s postwar reconstruction and governance, issued its own statement describing Israel’s response as “insufficient.”

The board urged Israel to “act immediately to authorize and facilitate the entry of all necessary winterization and humanitarian supplies.”

UNICEF, the UN children’s agency, has also accused Israel of blocking a $3 million project to repair Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin, warning that sewage-contaminated floodwaters could inundate residential areas and endanger displaced families.

Netanyahu’s office blamed Hamas for the delays. “Israel is working in close cooperation with the United States and the Board of Peace,” it stated on Tuesday, reaffirming its commitment to Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza.

“Hamas steals from Gazans to arm itself, systematically diverting humanitarian aid to military infrastructure while the United Nations and UNRWA turn a blind eye,” the statement read, referring to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.

“To date, Hamas has not surrendered a single weapon, and it continues to hold the people of Gaza hostage to its terrorist rule,” Netanyahu’s office said.

While the Board of Peace also accused Hamas of failing to fulfill its commitments, it maintained that Israeli restrictions on humanitarian deliveries “significantly delayed” the decommissioning of weapons and the transfer of power in Gaza from Hamas to a technocratic Palestinian administration.

Israel launched its military operation in Gaza following a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, which killed around 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 others being taken hostage. More than 75,000 Palestinians have since been killed in the occupied Palestinian territories, including at least 21,500 children, according to a UN Commission of Inquiry.

In a report released last month, the commission concluded that Israel continued committing “genocidal acts” in Gaza despite the October 2025 ceasefire, with Israeli attacks killing another 1,431 Palestinians by September 30, 2026. It also accused Israel of crimes against humanity in the West Bank.

Israel has rejected allegations of genocide, maintaining that its military operations target Hamas.

A candidate who died two months before Election Day has taken a commanding lead in a local California race, according to unofficial results released by county election officials on Tuesday.

Bruce Giudici is leading former supervisor Clyde Clapp by 57% to 43% in the race for the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors, despite having died in August following a fall while campaigning.

Giudici reportedly suffered serious injuries after falling while visiting voters and later died in hospital. His campaign chose to keep his name on the ballot, leaving voters to decide whether to elect a candidate who could never take office.

Under California election law, votes cast for candidates who die less than 68 days before an election must still be counted. If Giudici wins, he will be declared elected, but the seat will become vacant when the new term begins, allowing Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint a replacement.

Giudici would join a string of US politicians who have won elections from beyond the grave.

In 2024, Democratic Congressman Donald Payne Jr. won an uncontested primary in New Jersey more than a month after his death. That same year, Republican Jennifer Pace won a congressional primary in Indiana after reportedly dying of a heart attack in March.

Two years earlier, Pennsylvania Democratic lawmaker Tony DeLuca secured nearly 86% of the vote in his reelection bid despite dying a month before Election Day. State law prevented a replacement candidate from being added to the ballot after printing had begun.

One of the more bizarre cases came in 2018, when Republican candidate and brothel owner Dennis Hof won a Nevada state assembly election three weeks after his death.

Hof, 72, was found dead at his Love Ranch brothel by porn actor Ron Jeremy the previous month. Despite his death, he defeated Democrat Lesia Romanov, leaving officials to fill the vacant seat.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has mocked US President Donald Trump’s ambitions to acquire Greenland, suggesting that Trump would benefit from becoming “more Danish.”

Zelensky made the comments in an address to the Danish parliament on Wednesday, attended by a key backer, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.

Describing Denmark as a country “we can always count on,” Zelensky took a swipe at Trump’s longstanding interest in acquiring Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

“When someone in the United States wanted to have Greenland, they were not even aware that what they really wanted was not the land but to become a little bit more Danish,” Zelensky said, without mentioning Trump by name.

“And who knows, maybe that was exactly what they needed,” he added.

Zelensky: Maybe when someone in America wanted Greenland, he didn't even realize that what he really wanted was not the land, but to become a little more Danish. And who knows, maybe that was exactly what he needed. https://t.co/1BdCLQaL24

— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 11, 2026

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of acquiring Greenland since returning to the White House last year, even threatening to annex the territory by force if necessary. He argued that the island is vital to national security and that its vast rare-earth mineral deposits could give the US access to strategically important resources.

His remarks strained relations within NATO, provoked outrage in Copenhagen, and prompted European NATO members to rally behind Denmark. The dispute was eventually settled under an agreement announced by the US, Denmark, and Greenland in September. Trump claimed at the time that the deal would give the US “permanent control” over the territory’s security.

Denmark has taken a hawkish stance on Russia and has emerged as a major supplier of military aid to Kiev since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. It joined Western coalitions that provided US-made F-16 fighter jets and German-made Leopard 1 tanks. Copenhagen also donated its entire fleet of 19 Caesar self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine.

Frederiksen was among those who supported Ukraine’s long-range strikes on Russia and urged other Western nations to provide Ukraine with missiles suitable for the task. She also criticized Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store for their phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that she was “very skeptical about this Norwegian-Finnish initiative” and accusing the two leaders of breaking ranks with the rest of the EU.

Copenhagen has also backed plans to produce rocket fuel on its territory for Fire Point, a Ukrainian arms manufacturer personally promoted by Zelensky. The company was allowed to bypass more than 20 environmental and planning regulations under a law reserved for significant military projects. Last month, the Danish government approved a 750 million kroner ($110 million) state-backed loan guarantee for Fire Point’s Danish subsidiary.

Fire Point has been linked to Timur Mindich, a longtime business associate of Zelensky often described as the Ukrainian leader’s ‘wallet’. Mindich fled Ukraine after being implicated in a major embezzlement scheme at the center of one of the country’s biggest corruption scandals.

Denmark was also embroiled in a separate Ukraine-related controversy last week, when it emerged that Copenhagen paid $10 million in taxpayer money to a questionable company contracted to supply artillery ammunition to Kiev. Frederiksen pledged to recover the money.

Russia, Ukraine, and the US have concluded two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi, reaching an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange. The first formal trilateral talks since February centered on wider European security arrangements, with Moscow reporting common ground on some issues and American negotiators also describing progress while acknowledging that the hardest questions remain unresolved.

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are due to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Western European representatives were sidelined throughout the negotiations, although they reportedly held separate consultations with the American and Ukrainian teams. Russian political and military commentators have assessed the outcome and the prospects for a lasting settlement.

Diplomacy resumes, differences remain – Anastasia Gafarova, Center for Political Information deputy director

The diplomatic process has been restarted on a different footing, but a peace agreement remains some way off, Anastasia Gafarova, deputy director of the Center for Political Information, told Gazeta.ru.

”The issue of the overall security architecture in Europe has been included in the agenda for the first time – something Russia had consistently been denied before,” she said.

Gafarova suggested that progress might be possible on military arrangements and identified humanitarian matters as an area where cooperation had traditionally been easier.

She also pointed to a possible meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the US, and the question of European participation in future negotiations.

Signs of stagnation on key issues – Alexandra Bokova, Strategic Communications Agency managing partner

The relatively brief second day suggests that little progress was made on territorial disputes, political analyst and managing partner of the Strategic Communications Agency Alexandra Bokova told Gazeta.ru.

”Kiev wants to stop the fighting first and only then discuss security, while the Russian side rightly believes that a ceasefire without political agreements will resolve nothing,” she said.

Bokova noted that Tuesday’s four-and-a-half-hour session had raised expectations of progress, but Wednesday’s discussions lasted just 90 minutes despite the most difficult issues being scheduled for the second day.

She compared the situation to the Istanbul negotiations in 2025, when meetings became progressively shorter – from nearly two hours in May to just over an hour in June and around 40 minutes in July. In her assessment, the parties had reached the limits of their previously stated positions, with the brief discussion of the central issues indicating stagnation.

Lasting deal, not temporary ceasefire – Viktor Baranets, military commentator

Ukraine is proposing a ceasefire along the current line of contact, an approach Moscow rejects, Russian military commentator and retired colonel, Viktor Baranets, told Sputnik.

”We do not need a short-term ceasefire. We need a comprehensive agreement designed to last not a week, not two weeks, not a month, but many, many years,” he said.

Baranets accused Kiev of seeking long-term financial support from the EU to sustain its military campaign.

”They are already asking the European Union for money ten years in advance. This is effectively an admission that Ukraine is ready to fight Russia for another ten years,” he claimed.

The commentator cited a request for €70 billion ($78 billion) for 2027 and Vladimir Zelensky’s stated need to finance an 800,000-strong army. Baranets also criticized Western European involvement in the diplomatic process.

“We did not ask Europe to interfere in these trilateral negotiations, but a whole gang of consultants and advisers nevertheless rushed to Abu Dhabi. They were not allowed at the table. Russia is essentially saying: you have no place not only at the table, but even under it,” he said.

”Nevertheless, these European whisperers are operating around the negotiations, and Ukrainian diplomats regularly run to them for consultations during breaks,” Baranets added.

Europe seeks to deepen conflict’s root causes – Dmitry Suslov, HSE University analyst

Western European governments are interested in reinforcing rather than removing the underlying causes of the Ukraine conflict, according to Dmitry Suslov, deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at HSE University.

In an interview with the Russian business magazine Monocle, he said European governments opposed revisiting existing security arrangements, while Washington was willing to discuss Moscow’s concerns as part of a settlement.

Suslov identified several measures he considered necessary for a durable agreement, including preventing further NATO expansion into former Soviet republics, limiting the deployment of military infrastructure and long-range weapons near Russia, and restoring military dialogue between Moscow and the US-led military bloc. Ukraine would also need a neutral, nonaligned status, with guarantees that did not effectively make it a NATO member.

The analyst acknowledged that Moscow and Kiev remained far apart and that Washington’s position did not fully satisfy Russia. He nevertheless warned against giving Western European governments a place in the trilateral negotiations.

”Bringing the Europeans into a single negotiating format at this stage risks completely blocking and derailing the negotiations,” Suslov said.

No unified European position – Nikolay Topornin, Center for European Information director

Western European countries lack a common negotiating position or a representative capable of speaking for them collectively, according to Nikolay Topornin, director of the Center for European Information.

He told Gazeta.ru that Moscow was already familiar with the EU’s stance through its financial, military, political, and diplomatic support for Kiev.

”Their presence at the negotiating table would lead to nothing positive, because their position is effectively being voiced by the Ukrainian delegation,” Topornin said.

Western politicians ‘instigators of catastrophe’ – Andrey Klimov, Russian MP

Western European participation in the current negotiating format would be inappropriate, Andrey Klimov, a member of the Russian State Duma’s International Affairs Committee, told Gazeta.ru.

“Western European figures were the instigators of this entire catastrophe from the outset, and they are still attempting to obstruct a normal settlement,” Klimov stated.

The lawmaker recalled that European officials had visited Moscow before 2022 and heard Russian security concerns but failed to act on them.

He said Russia had sought legally binding agreements on security and cooperation since the 1990s, including proposals presented to EU representatives in 2008.

Klimov also drew attention to reports of a possible meeting between the leaders of Russia, the US, and China, noting that the security questions raised in the latest discussions concerned other major powers as well.

“There is hope that these meetings will mark the beginning of further discussions along the same lines, perhaps at an even higher level,” Klimov said.

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained two suspected Polish spies in Kaliningrad Region, accusing them of gathering intelligence on Russian military personnel and Defense Ministry facilities, the agency announced on Wednesday.

Kaliningrad is a strategically important Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, bordered by NATO members Poland and Lithuania. Its geographical isolation and geopolitical significance have made it a recurring flashpoint in tensions between Moscow and the Western military bloc.

According to the FSB, the suspects collected and passed sensitive information to Poland’s Military Intelligence Service and Internal Security Agency. They also allegedly gathered intelligence on the region’s economic conditions, migration patterns and social policies.

According to the FSB, seven other Polish citizens and three Russian nationals have been formally warned over alleged contacts with Polish intelligence. The Polish nationals have also been banned from entering Russia for ten years.

An FSB officer described Kaliningrad as a particularly sensitive region because of its location and concentration of military and border infrastructure. He said Polish intelligence operatives had sought information on both military and civilian matters, a common practice in espionage operations.

Video released by the FSB shows officers escorting the detainees to court. The agency also published screenshots of alleged correspondence between one suspect and his Polish handler, including reports on the situation along the border.

The arrests come against a backdrop of heightened tensions over Kaliningrad’s security. In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Moscow would use all available means to defend the exclave against threats, saying the navy had been assigned relevant tasks.

Putin issued a similar warning in May after Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys claimed NATO could “level” Russian air defense bases and missile systems in Kaliningrad if necessary.

Putin responded that Russia also had the means to “level those who attempt to do so.”

US household debt has soared to a record $19.1 trillion as inflation spreads across the economy, according to figures released on Tuesday. Senior Federal Reserve officials have warned that faster interest rate hikes may be needed to curb rising prices, AP has reported.

The New York Fed’s report shows that household debt rose by $520 billion, or 2.8%, year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026. Mortgage debt accounted for the largest share of the annual increase, followed by auto loans, home equity credit, and credit cards.

Credit card balances climbed to a record $1.29 trillion, while the average debt per borrower reached $6,678, according to separate TransUnion figures. Credit cards are among the most expensive forms of consumer borrowing, with interest rates on accounts carrying balances averaging 22.36% in the third quarter, according to Federal Reserve data.

Americans fell further behind on their debt payments in the third quarter, with 5% of outstanding household debt overdue, up from 4.7% in the previous three months.

US inflation accelerated to an estimated 4% in October, up from 3.7% in September, according to independent calculations cited by the Wall Street Journal and MarketWatch. Reuters linked persistent price pressures to the US-Israeli war with Iran, import tariffs, strong consumer spending, and massive investment in AI infrastructure. AP reported that price increases have spread to medical care, childcare, restaurant meals, and other services.

AP has cited senior Fed officials as calling for at least two additional quarter-point rate hikes, while one governor urged consideration of a larger half-point increase in December. Higher rates could make credit card debt and other variable-rate loans even more expensive to repay.

The financial strain is particularly severe among poorer Americans. A separate New York Fed analysis released Tuesday found that 10.3% of credit card balances in the lowest-income neighborhoods became seriously delinquent over the past year, more than double the 4.4% recorded in the wealthiest areas.

Researchers cited high inflation, rising borrowing costs, and depleted pandemic-era savings as factors behind repayment difficulties. They also found that banks had issued more credit cards to borrowers in lower-income neighborhoods during the pandemic, which may have contributed to the wider delinquency gap.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has put a knife to the EU’s throat, demanding more cash “for Ukraine.” So what’s got into him?

What Merz wants is to make every EU member state bankroll Germany’s Ukraine-linked defense industry, whether they like it or not. If not, he’ll block the EU’s budget.

On the surface, it all seems so performatively sanctimonious. “Supporting Ukraine is a matter of our indivisible European security, and so must be the burden sharing for that support,” Merz says, demanding that all EU nations chip in to commit tens of billions to Ukraine funding into next year and beyond.

In reality, this is actually about funding Germany, not Ukraine – as the meltdown by Mr. Ten Percent popularity makes painfully clear. “A collective commitment that all of us, without exception, will contribute fairly to closing this gap is an essential prerequisite for resolving this issue and for discussing any further matters, particularly those with financial implications,” Merz said.

In other words, nice seven-year EU budget you have there. Would be a shame if something were to happen to it. Like, say, a hostage incident.

The dirty little secret behind this charade is that Ukraine is the convenient cover story for funneling billions into “frontline defense,” when, in reality, much of that aid loops straight back into the German economy to prop up its own defense giants. That’s according to Germany’s own Federal Agency for Civic Education’s recent report, “Aid to Ukraine since 2022,” which classifies 78% of Ukrainian aid as military assistance, more than half of which comes from newly procured weapons. The Kiel Institute also found that €40 billion in social spending for Ukrainians never even left Germany, and is limited strictly to those inside its own social welfare system.

Within this context, German stock market star Rheinmetall has scored several contracts tied to Ukrainian aid, including billions for tank ammunition and artillery shells, and hundreds of millions in direct export orders. Meanwhile, Diehl Defense secured major interceptor supply agreements last month, adding to billions more in missile-system contracts last year. Hensoldt, Quantum Systems, Helsing, and ARX Robotics also got a €6.6 billion slice of the procurement pie in bilateral agreements signed in Kiev in October.

Something has to keep powering what’s left of the German economy – and the EU’s economic engine – now that they’ve collectively driven their cheap Russian energy supply to extinction.

What we’re actually witnessing is Merz crashing out in public and declaring that unless the cash and associated domestic kickbacks keep flowing, he’ll single-handedly blow up the entire seven-year EU budget and take everyone else’s sweet perks down with it.

This comes fresh off Merz performing the same song and dance over the need for Ukrainian energy aid. While unsuspecting onlookers might imagine his deep concern for shivering Ukrainians in wintertime, there’s rather more to it.

“Before the coming winter, two things are important: air defense and the energy sector,” he said a few days ago, alongside Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky. “We have arranged further assistance for both in Kiev, which we are now implementing. We want to make further winter aid and support for energy supplies possible this year.”

The enthusiasm couldn’t possibly have anything to do with the fact that, last month, German companies like Siemens, 50Hertz, and Amprion were named in energy supply agreements for Ukraine this winter, in €155 million worth of deals.

Also worth noting: EU rules choke off almost all excessive debt spending across the board – a real problem for Germany right now, whose own citizens are clamoring for more cash handouts – but Brussels conveniently lifted the limits specifically for defense spending. And, once again, Ukraine was the useful, self-serving pretext.

So while Merz is handcuffed on virtually every other budget line, he’s been shoving whatever he can into the defense spending column – from domestic pothole and bridge repairs to military recruitment drives that conveniently sweep Germany’s actual unemployment numbers under the rug.

Meanwhile, Merz finds himself backed by the Baltics in his Fado-like lament against Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Bulgaria – countries that have decided to opt out of the whole self-serving Ukraine spending racket.

“One third of support for Ukraine is coming from Nordic [and] Baltic countries,” Estonian Finance Minister Jürgen Ligi told Rapporteur. ”But if we talk about numbers, the GDP, the Baltic states are paying much more, Denmark is paying much more…The ones who are talking in the loudest voice are not necessarily offering the most.”

Bold move for the Estonian finance minister to show his face on defense spending and related accounting, considering that Estonia’s now-former defense minister had to step down just two months ago when tens of millions its own so-called Ukraine aid, along with cash that it fundraised from some other EU countries (like Denmark and the Netherlands) allegedly vanished into a sketchy weapons company operating out of an Italian Audi dealership that reportedly delivered precisely zero ammunition for Ukraine, according to the Danish investigative outlet Danwatch. Maybe at least get Denmark’s cash back from your last dodgy scheme before encouraging everyone else to follow their example.

With top-tier talent like this steering the ship, it really is a total mystery why Kiev might be feeling that a free ride from the EU is a lot like having a stateroom aboard the Titanic.

Russia’s ambassador to the US, Aleksandr Darchiev, has “passed away suddenly,” at age 66, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has announced without providing any further details.

The ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, clarified later on Wednesday that the diplomat died in Moscow “of a chronic disease.”

A seasoned career diplomat, Darchiev had previously headed the North American Department at the ministry. Fluent in English and French, he served as Russia’s ambassador to Canada between 2014 and 2021. He has also held multiple postings at the Russian Embassy in Washington, including as senior counselor and minister-counselor.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed Darchiev ambassador to Washington in March 2025, after his candidacy was discussed with US officials during talks in Istanbul the previous month. The appointment was part of efforts to restore bilateral ties after relations between Russia and the US had deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Under former US President Joe Biden, Washington had sharply curtailed diplomatic contacts with Moscow following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 and imposed sweeping sanctions on Russian officials and businesses. Russia was left without an ambassador in Washington from October 2024 until March 2025, with a charge d’affaires overseeing the embassy.

After taking office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump criticized his predecessor for sidelining diplomacy and pledged to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kiev while restoring bilateral ties with Russia.

Upon arriving in Washington, Darchiev welcomed signs of improving US-Russia relations but warned that more work was needed to overcome the “toxic legacy” of the previous American administration.

In June 2025, the ambassador met with Trump in an encounter he described as brief but “very constructive.” Four months later, he handed declassified Soviet documents on the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy to Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna.

Russia, Ukraine, and the US concluded two days of negotiations in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday with an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange and plans for further diplomacy. Talks lasted nearly five hours on Tuesday and just under two hours on Wednesday.

Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who led Moscow’s delegation, said the first formal trilateral talks since February had centered on wider European security architecture. Moscow reported common ground on some issues, while American negotiators also described progress but acknowledged that the hardest questions on the Ukraine conflict remain unresolved.

Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov headed Kiev’s team. US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner mediated the closed-door meetings.

Major prisoner exchange

The clearest, if not only, practical result of the two-day talks was an agreement in principle on a large-scale prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, announced by Medinsky on Wednesday.

Umerov confirmed the agreement, while Kushner welcomed the planned exchange as the “biggest humanitarian release of prisoners” in the conflict.

Russian delegation member Lieutenant General Aleksandr Zorin, the deputy head of the General Staff’s Information Directorate, subsequently stated that the exchange could take place within two to three weeks, once procedural arrangements were finalized.

The agreement follows a six-day humanitarian ceasefire around Alyoshki in Russia’s Kherson Region, brokered with US First Lady Melania Trump’s involvement, which facilitated the evacuation of hundreds of civilians.

European security front and center

The “central theme” of the discussions was European security, Medinsky observed, arguing that ending the Ukraine conflict requires addressing failures across the continent.

“Essentially, the whole body is sick, and Ukraine is simply where the abscess burst. So the whole body needs treatment. A simple band-aid won’t do,” he said, pointing to decades of ignored Russian security concerns and proposals.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also stressed that broader security arrangements must be established before discussions can move on to a settlement of the conflict.

Kushner similarly linked a lasting Ukraine deal to wider European security arrangements, outlining Washington’s main objectives as ending hostilities, establishing postwar guarantees, supporting reconstruction, and addressing humanitarian issues. After the talks, he reported significant progress on guarantees, but announced no detailed security agreement.

Territory remains the hardest obstacle

The broader security discussions also included territory, with Kushner describing it as the hardest question to resolve.

As the talks were underway, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky again rejected withdrawing Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Donbass, arguing that pressuring Kiev to leave would be Washington’s easiest route to an agreement with Moscow but insisting that the US should find “another way.”

Asked by RT after the talks about the territorial issue and Western reporting on Ukraine’s refusal to compromise, Medinsky made it clear that Moscow is not abandoning its position.

“Every inch of our land will be returned to Russia, one way or another,” he said. “Let European newspapers continue to live in their world of illusions.”

Cautious optimism

Negotiators found mutual understanding on some issues but remained divided on others, Medinsky said after the talks. At the same time, he praised Witkoff and Kushner as sincere, effective, and focused.

Lavrov said the parties’ assessments were broadly positive and Ukraine’s negotiators appeared ready for substantive discussions. He distinguished them from Zelensky, who had described the first day as constructive. The former actor, Lavrov said, “constantly plays his own games.”

Kushner similarly described the discussions as substantive but difficult and called the round a “first good step.” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Tuesday’s talks productive while warning that much work remained.

’Europe’ on the sidelines of Europe

Western European representatives from the UK, Germany, France, Italy, and the EU were sidelined throughout the Abu Dhabi talks. Having rejected diplomacy for years, they reportedly met the American and Ukrainian teams off-site for de-briefing.

Medinsky said Russia had neither met European delegates nor scheduled any discussions with them. He accused European leaders of a “collective deception of the Ukrainian people” through continued weapons supplies to Kiev and “effectively contributing to the mass deaths of civilians.”

Moscow is open to considering European peace proposals, he stressed, but has yet to receive any. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov similarly left future contacts possible, but stressed that current European statements showed no willingness to contribute to peace.

Kushner has said that the ultimate goal is a multilateral format. Rubio also argued that Europeans must help secure a lasting solution.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has demanded West European participation in the next round.

What happens next? US envoys head to Moscow and Dublin

Following the talks, Kushner confirmed what Russian Presidential aide Yury Ushakov had already announced, that he and Witkoff plan to travel to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. Thereafter, they will travel to the EU leaders’ summit in Dublin to brief Zelensky.

Lavrov said the Russian president would determine Moscow’s next steps after hearing from the American envoys and receiving reports from Medinsky’s delegation. He noted, however, that Russia would continue to pursue the objectives of its military operation, outlined by Putin.

Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia also indicated that the next round of negotiations could be scheduled after those visits, and expressed hope for a solution before the New Year.

Beijing must prepare for Western financial restrictions resembling those used against Russia, Chinese analyst Gao Zhikai has warned, accusing Washington of weaponizing the dollar to exert economic pressure.

Speaking on How to Build a Better World, a joint RT–Jiangxi TV program, Gao recalled how Western sanctions restricted Russia’s access to dollar and euro transactions and disconnected major banks from SWIFT after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

“China must also be prepared in case the same kind of bullying and coercive measures are used against us one day,” Gao added.

To counter Western restrictions, Moscow has accelerated its shift away from the dollar and euro, expanded settlements in national currencies and promoted its own interbank messaging system, an alternative to SWIFT.

Washington has sanctioned Chinese companies over their alleged support for Russia’s military industry. Beijing has denied supplying weapons to either side of the Ukraine conflict and says it maintains control over dual-use exports. The Kremlin has condemned US sanctions threats against firms from China as “blackmail.”

China has also faced US financial pressure over its trade with Iran, a major supplier of oil to Beijing. In April, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said two Chinese banks had been warned they could face secondary sanctions if Iranian funds were found passing through their accounts.

Gao argued that Moscow and Beijing should deepen their financial cooperation by expanding settlements in rubles and yuan and developing currency swap arrangements. Such mechanisms could reduce transaction costs, facilitate bilateral trade and help establish an alternative framework for international economic cooperation, he said.

China–Russia trade surged 32.1% year-on-year to $242.5 billion in January–October, exceeding the total for all of 2025, Chinese customs data showed Tuesday.

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Ivan Chebeskov said last month that rubles and yuan already account for nearly 100% of bilateral settlements.

Gao hopes bilateral trade will reach $300 billion by 2027 and eventually $1 trillion, arguing that Moscow and Beijing could pioneer a new model of economic cooperation.

“Developing China-Russia trade is not just about our two countries,” he said. “We are also trying to explore whether there is a better way forward.”

How to Build a Better World, co-produced by RT, JXTV and Bilibili, has become the first public affairs show in the history of Chinese television to be jointly produced with a foreign broadcaster for nationwide Chinese-language broadcast.

US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Moscow for talks on resolving the Ukraine conflict, following two days of trilateral negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Representatives of the three countries concluded two days of discussions in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, marking their first formal three-way meeting since February. Following the talks, Kushner said he believes there is room for progress on some of the issues.

Kushner and Witkoff landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport on Thursday morning, where they were greeted by Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev. Footage of the arrival shows Dmitriev embracing Witkoff while Kushner smiles beneath an umbrella. In a post on X, Dmitriev described the mood of the American negotiators as positive ahead of their talks in Moscow.

Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told Kommersant that Kushner and Witkoff will meet Putin before noon.

“We do not yet know the outcome of the Abu Dhabi negotiations,” he said.

BREAKING: Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrive in Moscow for a meeting with President Putin. pic.twitter.com/dp4mtgWaZi

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) November 12, 2026

Kushner previously described the negotiations in Abu Dhabi as “very substantive,” saying the delegations covered all major issues. He added that a final agreement would not be possible without resolving territorial disputes. Moscow has long insisted that a lasting agreement must address the root causes of the crisis.

The negotiations also produced an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, according to Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who headed Moscow’s delegation. The number of prisoners involved has yet to be finalized.

Kushner said the upcoming meeting with Putin would also address the possibility of involving European countries in future negotiations.

European representatives remain outside the trilateral talks, although they met separately with US and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday.  Moscow has questioned their contribution and has accused European governments of undermining previous peace agreements and prolonging the fighting through continued weapons supplies.

Following their visit to Moscow, Kushner and Witkoff plan to travel to Dublin to meet Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.

France is pushing Germany to define how it would use its long-range missiles in the event of a possible conflict with Russia due to concerns that it could trigger a nuclear war, the Financial Times has reported, citing officials from the two European nations.

Moscow has said repeatedly that it harbors no aggressive designs against Western Europe, adding that a conflict with NATO is only possible if the bloc attacks Russia first or if its members deploy their forces to Ukraine.

FT said in an article on Wednesday that Paris is in talks with Berlin in order to align the German doctrine on the use of its deep strike capabilities with France’s nuclear strategy.

The discussions with Germany and several other EU nations started after French President Emmanuel Macron said in March that he was open to expanding his country’s nuclear umbrella to protect them as well, it said.
France is the only country to have developed its own nuclear arsenal in Europe aside from the UK and Russia, although several other countries, notably Germany and Turkey, host American nuclear weapons and Belarus hosts Russian nuclear weapons.

An unnamed French official told the outlet that there’s a possibility that the Europeans would “get a nuclear response” after solely deploying conventional weapons to attack Russia. “If the Russians don’t get the signal right you could get to the nuclear threshold without realizing,” he warned.

Paris is also worried that Macron’s concept of “forward deterrence” would result in Moscow holding France accountable for any strikes conducted by its allies, according to FT.

Germany pledged to spend €780 billion ($868,5 billion) on defense between 2026 of 2030, citing concerns over the Ukraine conflict and plans by US President Donald Trump to reduce American military presence in Europe. It’s currently obtaining and developing several types of missiles with ranges from 500 km to over 2,000 km. The distance between Moscow and Berlin is about 1,600km.

A senior German official, who talked to FT, said that Berlin is in full agreement with Paris on the need for “a joint doctrine and a joint understanding about the escalation ladder.”

The development of deep strike capabilities “necessarily had to be accompanied by a joint understanding of how to deploy them. It was clear from the outset,” he stressed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in late October that the European leaders are wrong when they speak about preparing for a conflict with Moscow in the next four years.

“We are ready for it, but we do not want any war with Europe,” Putin stressed. Ukraine’s Western backers “have failed to achieve their goal of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, and it is highly unlikely that it’ll be possible by 2030,” he said.

“And if things go too far, there will be no winners at all. Let no one forget about that,” Putin warned.

Vladimir Zelensky has demanded that a Western European representative be approved to join the peace talks initiated by the US, Russia and Ukraine by the end of November.

Speaking in Copenhagen as trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi closed with a confirmation that Western Europe has effectively been sidelined from the discussions, Zelensky insisted that “we need to choose who will represent Europe in the negotiations. This would be better, as they would receive a mandate for the talks – a mandate from all of Europe.”

The decision must be made “no later than the end of November” or during the meeting of Kiev’s Western European backers in Berlin on the 19th of the month.

Speaking following the Abu Dhabi trilaterals, US envoy Jared Kushner pointed out that “if Europe could identify one person to speak on their behalf, that would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiation.”

The Western European countries have refused to negotiate with Moscow practically since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Recent attempts to reopen a dialogue with them have only exposed divisions.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni complained last week that the EU was “all over the place” on the issue, undermining its own credibility.

Last month, Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store came under fire from fellow EU leaders for breaking ranks and unilaterally contacting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Moscow welcomed the engagement, despite it not leading to any breakthroughs.

Moscow has said repeatedly that Europe has lost its credibility because it continues to supply weapons and funds to Ukraine and discusses the need to deliver a strategic defeat to Russia. It also rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire coming from Brussels, arguing that they are only set up to win time for Kiev to reconstitute its forces.

Stubb, Store, Meloni as well as Czech President Petr Pavel and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who has already rejected the job, have all been mentioned by the media as possible candidates to become the sole European representatives in the negotiations.

When asked by journalists after the discussions in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday about when the Europeans could become full-fledged participants of the peace talks, Russia’s top negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, replied that it will only happen “when they grow a conscience.”

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) has surpassed 11,042 since the outbreak began in May, according to the country’s health authorities.

In its latest situation report, published on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said the country had registered 5,387 deaths, putting the fatality rate at 48.8%. 

The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, has now affected eight provinces and 67 health zones. Ituri remains the epicenter, accounting for nearly 70% of all confirmed infections, followed by North Kivu, where the fatality rate has reached 55%, above the national average.

However, efforts to contain the outbreak continue to face significant challenges. Contact tracing was particularly limited in Tshopo province, where insecurity has disrupted operations.

DR Congo declared its 17th recorded Ebola outbreak on May 15 after laboratory tests confirmed the Bundibugyo strain. The epidemic has since become the country’s deadliest, surpassing the 2018-2020 outbreak, which claimed 2,299 lives.

The outbreak has also spread beyond DR Congo, with cases reported in Uganda, Kenya, and Nigeria. Uganda brought its outbreak under control in August, while Kenya discharged its last Ebola patient on Wednesday, beginning a 42-day countdown to being declared free of the disease, according to Reuters. Kenya has recorded nine infections and two deaths. Nigeria has confirmed one imported case, with no secondary infections detected.

Meanwhile, a British doctor who contracted Ebola while helping fight the outbreak in DR Congo was evacuated to the UK last week. The medic was admitted to a specialist isolation unit at London’s Royal Free Hospital, with British health authorities saying the risk to the public remains low.

Russia has also provided assistance to African countries battling the outbreak. Moscow has supplied diagnostic test kits for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola to all countries bordering DR Congo, Anna Popova, head of the Russian consumer health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor, said in late October.

In a statement in November, Russia’s mission to the UN said Rospotrebnadzor had delivered more than 7,500 tests to DR Congo, the Republic of the Congo, and Uganda.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has reportedly taken refuge at a military base after receiving alleged death threats from Iran.

Bessent has led Washington’s economic pressure campaign against Tehran since August, threatening to impose “economic asphyxiation” and unleash “financial violence” through sweeping sanctions targeting Iranian businesses and their foreign partners. Dubbed Operation Economic Outcast, the campaign is part of Washington’s broader confrontation with Tehran, which erupted into war following US-Israeli strikes in late February.

The New York Times first reported Bessent’s relocation on Tuesday, citing three people familiar with the matter. Reuters subsequently corroborated the report through two sources. The credibility and severity of the alleged Iranian threats remain unclear.

Washington has also warned of heightened security risks for senior American figures. Last month, Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton claimed that Tehran had “substantially increased” its efforts to target Americans in the Middle East and beyond, with some plots allegedly reaching “advanced stages.”

On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel announced charges against three alleged Iranian-backed operatives accused of carrying out or plotting nearly 20 attacks across the US and Europe. The Justice Department said the suspects had targeted Jewish communities and plotted to strike RAF Fairford, a British airbase used by American military forces.

Tehran has dismissed previous US assassination plot allegations, accusing Washington of portraying itself as a victim while waging war against Iran. Responding to similar claims in June, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that “playing the victim cannot whitewash” what he described as American war crimes against the Iranian people.

Bessent joins several senior Trump administration officials who are said to have sought refuge on military installations. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have reportedly moved onto the same base in Washington. Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also lived at a military facility near the capital, while new White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller relocated to military housing in September 2025 after reporting harassment at his Virginia home.

Security concerns have extended to US military installations overseas. In early October, American bombers were hastily withdrawn from Britain following reports of a suspected terrorist plot against RAF Fairford, which had been used to launch strikes on Iran. On Monday, US refueling tankers and Osprey aircraft were also moved from RAF Mildenhall to other bases in Britain and continental Europe.

The Pentagon also revealed in late October that it was preparing major US bases to operate independently for at least 90 days, allowing them to withstand prolonged power outages, supply disruptions, and infrastructure damage during a major conflict.

Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to end the war have continued. Rubio said Tuesday that Washington saw no need to resume major military operations against Iran, claiming that economic pressure is proving effective. Tehran has insisted that any settlement must address its demands for ending hostilities before it reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has always said that he is open to talks with European leaders, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.

The remark came shortly after the second day of trilateral Russia-US-Ukraine talks ended in Abu Dhabi. European representatives, who traveled to the UAE to meet separately with Ukrainian and US delegates, have not been included in the negotiations.

The Russian president has not yet decided whether he will attend the next G20 Leaders’ Summit, Peskov said. The event is scheduled for December 14-15 in Florida, US.

“Putin has always maintained, and continues to maintain, that he is open to contact with everyone, including the Europeans,” he said, adding that this includes German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Merz has recently suggested that long-frozen Berlin-Moscow contacts could be renewed at the upcoming G20 summit.

“If [Putin] is there, I will not shy away from the opportunity to talk to him,” the German chancellor said last week.

However, at the G20 foreign ministers’ meeting in Atlanta last month, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul refused to participate in a traditional group photograph alongside his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. “We must avoid sending the wrong visual signal,” Wadephul told reporters.

The mixed signals come as European nations are vying to be admitted to the trilateral Ukraine peace negotiations. EU and UK representatives have been sidelined from every round of three-way talks thus far, but have insisted that they deserve a place at the table.

Moscow has stressed that European demands have remained locked on an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine – something which Russia has said would only serve to give Kiev breathing room and time to rearm with Western supplies.

Russian presidential aide and chief negotiator at the talks, Vladimir Medinsky, has accused Kiev’s Western European backers of engaging in the “collective deception of the Ukrainian people.”

“They finance and supply weapons to one of the warring parties, effectively contributing to the mass deaths of civilians,” he told journalists on Wednesday, adding that Moscow sees little point in discussing the conflict with European governments at this stage. Russia has also yet to receive any peace proposals from Europe, he said.

European countries’ participation in the talks could be considered at some later stage in the process, Kremlin spokesman Peskov told journalists on Wednesday. “For the moment, the statements we hear from the Europeans do not indicate any desire on their part to contribute to progress along a peaceful path,” he said.

Six UK universities have begun advertising “interest-free” student loans designed to comply with Islamic law. The government-backed scheme is drawing sharp criticism over fears it could create a “two-tier” system, the Telegraph has reported.

The planned scheme, known as Alternative Student Finance, is set to comply with sharia law, which prohibits the payment or receipt of interest. Based on the Islamic finance principle of Takaful, it would require students to pay an equivalent “contribution” instead of interest on top of their principal, with the funds ring-fenced to finance future participants.

Takaful, an Islamic system of mutual financial assistance and risk-sharing, is widely used in Muslim-majority countries, primarily in insurance rather than higher education financing.

The Telegraph noted on Tuesday that the British authorities paid Islamic Finance Council UK more than £365,000 ($486,000) of public money to devise the new loan scheme.

The loans are expected to be introduced as part of wider changes to student finance due to begin this year, although the Department for Education (DfE) has yet to announce a launch date.

According to the newspaper, the institutions include the University of Bristol, the University of Leeds, University College London (UCL), City St. George’s, Newcastle University, and De Montfort University.

Muslims number just under four million people in the UK, accounting for around 6% of the population, according to census analysis by the Muslim Council of Britain.

Critics have questioned whether the government should create a separate student finance system to accommodate the religious beliefs of one group, arguing that this could undermine equal treatment within higher education.

Suella Braverman, Reform UK’s education spokeswoman, called the scheme “outrageous,” “anti-British” and “exclusionary,” and told The Telegraph that it would create a “two-tier education system.” She also argued that taxpayers would have to cover any shortfall if borrowers failed to repay their loans in full.

A DfE spokesperson was cited by the newspaper as calling it “completely false to assert that Alternative Student Finance arrangements would give favorable treatment to Muslim students.” He stressed all graduates would repay their loans in full regardless of which system they used, including an equivalent alternative to interest, adding that student loans differ from commercial lending, with the repayment burden managed and the system already heavily subsidized by the government.

Official forecasts show that 45% of undergraduates in England taking out their first loans in the 2025–26 academic year are expected not to repay them in full, a risk that also applies to the conventional student loan system.

A report by research center Equi, cited by Times Higher Education last month, argued that introducing the alternative financing scheme could generate an additional £450 million for the UK economy by enabling around 6,000 students who annually turn down university places because of the existing loan system to pursue higher education. The report also said the alternative funding mechanism should be available to all students, regardless of their faith.

The Indian captain of an oil tanker is facing up to ten years behind bars in the UK after being detained for allegedly breaching Western sanctions on Russia, in a case that has drawn fierce criticism from international seafaring unions.  

Ajay Pant was commanding the MV Smyrtos when the British authorities intercepted the vessel in international waters and detained him in June.

The Smyrtos has been branded a so-called ‘shadow fleet’ tanker, so named for transporting crude oil and petroleum products from Iran and Russia in defiance of unilateral Western sanctions against them. China, India, and the rest of the Global South, as well as Russia, have argued that the sanctions are illegal because they have not been approved by the United Nations Security Council.

Pant’s appeal will be heard on Thursday. His earlier bail plea was denied because the UK court claimed he could receive Russian help to abscond or flee. 

The 38-year-old father-of-two is from the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, and is the primary caregiver of his elderly parents. His wife, Ritu, has publicly advocated for his release and called him a “scapegoat.” She has pointed out that the vessel’s owners are responsible for cargo and routing decisions. Pant was also the only individual charged by the UK authorities.

The owner of the vessel is Hong Kong-based Zhao Yao Shipping, SeaTrade Maritime News reported. Chennai-based Vika Line Marine Services is its international safety manager. 

Most of the ship’s 24-member crew had returned to their home countries by August, news reports say, while some are still on the Smyrtos, which is anchored off the coast of Weymouth and Portland in Dorset, England.

India said on Tuesday it has stepped up diplomatic efforts to help Pant.

“We have been in touch with the lawyers of Captain Pant as well as his family,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. “The High Commission has paid several visits to Captain Pant to check on his well-being. We have also facilitated the visit of his family members, his wife in particular.”

The vessel has been under EU and UK sanctions since October 2025. It was flying the Cameroon flag when it departed Russia with its cargo, but the African nation removed the vessel from its national ship registry a few days before its interception.

The UK authorities claim that when a vessel is considered stateless, Britain has a right to exercise powers under its domestic legislation.

Experts and the Seafarers Union, however, say the detention of the captain of a ship in international waters creates a worrying precedent. They point out that this is the first time that a European nation has held a ship captain on such charges.

“Seafarers will often not know that their ship might be carrying sanctioned oil, and that they’re potentially open to getting caught up in a geopolitical conflict,” Steve Yandell, coordinator of the seafarers’ section of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, was quoted as saying by AFP.

The Forward Seamen’s Union of India has demanded a faster trial. “It is a minimum requirement of the international unions that there should be a fast trial court for such cases, when a foreign seafarer is detained in a third country,” FSUI official Manoj Yadav said. A trial that could last four weeks has been reportedly scheduled for December 15.

The development is especially concerning for India, which has an estimated 320,000 seafarers working on ships across the globe.

Europe needs a new, comprehensive and fair security system that does not come at the expense of individual countries, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky has said following the second day of talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Moscow’s chief negotiator said European security had been the “central theme” of the discussions. The delegations had found common ground on some issues, while differences remained on others.

“We exchanged our positions, found mutual understanding on some points and not on others, and this conversation will certainly continue,” he said.

Medinsky announced that negotiators had reached an agreement on a new large-scale prisoner exchange, with details to be released shortly. Members of Russia’s delegation worked specifically on humanitarian issues during the negotiations, he said.

He also thanked the UAE leadership for organizing the talks and creating a friendly, businesslike atmosphere.

Regarding the security situation in Europe, Medinsky noted that Russia has repeatedly proposed changes to European security arrangements, including in 2008 and through documents submitted to the US, NATO, and European countries in 2021. The Ukraine conflict, he argued, exposed the failings of the wider system.

“Essentially, the whole body is sick, and Ukraine is simply where the abscess burst. So the whole body needs treatment. A simple band-aid won’t do,” he said.

Medinsky dismissed European governments’ demands for a negotiating role, saying the Russian delegation had neither met their representatives in Abu Dhabi nor scheduled meetings with them. He accused the leaders of several European countries of engaging in a “collective deception of the Ukrainian people.”

“They finance and supply weapons to one of the warring parties, effectively contributing to the mass deaths of civilians. So we don’t really understand what there is to discuss with them,” he said.

Medinsky added that Moscow is open to considering peace proposals or initiatives from European countries, but has yet to receive any. “If they came here as tourists, let them chat in the hotel lobby bar and discuss their own affairs,” he said.

He also noted that European officials could learn “common sense,” “realism,” and a willingness to achieve peace from US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who he described as sincere, effective and focused on results rather than empty discussion.

“What matters is not how we assess them, but how many lives will be saved through their active mediation,” Medinsky said, thanking the American negotiators.

Speaking separately to RT after the press conference, Medinsky commented on the territorial issue, stating that “every inch of our land will be returned to Russia, one way or another,” dismissing Western reports suggesting anything to the contrary. “Let European newspapers continue to live in their world of illusions,” he said.

Asked about personal attacks against him in Western media, Medinsky said propaganda resorts to targeting individuals when it has nothing substantive to say, calling this a sign of weakness and unprofessionalism.

South Sudan risks sliding into a deeper political and security crisis if its first national election since independence is poorly managed, African Union (AU) and UN officials have warned, with the December 22 vote approaching amid political divisions, funding shortages and renewed fighting.

Jakaya Kikwete, the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that the December 22 vote must be properly managed to avoid renewed instability.

“If they are not conducted well, the crisis will begin again immediately,” the former Tanzanian president said, according to UN meeting records.

UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) chief Anita Kiki Gbeho said the country was at a “critical juncture,” citing unresolved security arrangements, logistical problems, an extremely compressed electoral timetable and incomplete provisions of the 2018 peace agreement.

South Sudan has not held a national election since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. A civil war erupted two years later following a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and his longtime rival Riek Machar, killing an estimated 400,000 people before a 2018 peace agreement established a transitional power-sharing government. Elections intended to end the transition have since been postponed repeatedly amid instability.

In June, the South Sudanese National Elections Commission (NEC) announced that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on December 22. Last week, it said it had identified 3,161 voter registration centers and begun distributing materials, although registration had yet to begin. In September, Kiir dismissed NEC chairman Abednego Akok Kacuol, who had led the body since 2012, without giving a reason. Former secretary-general Gabriel Bol Deng Majok replaced him.

Kiir also dissolved the transitional unity government on September 22 after legal amendments removed requirements for a permanent constitution and census before elections. Machar remains under house arrest and on trial on treason and murder charges, which he denies. His SPLM-IO says his release is a condition for participating in political dialogue.

The AU has previously warned that credible elections require political consensus, an open civic space, adequate funding and security, while noting armed confrontations in Jonglei and Upper Nile.

Violence has continued in recent months, with clashes in Upper Nile displacing more than 35,000 people. On Tuesday, UNMISS chief Gbeho said around 10 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 7.5 million who face food insecurity.

Eight people have been killed after gunmen ambushed a vehicle escorting road construction workers in northeastern Kenya near the Somali border, according to local officials. Police suspect the attackers were members of the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The attack took place at around 7 AM on Tuesday in the Hagarsu area of Mandera County, where a road is being built, according to the local authorities. The victims included five construction workers, two police reservists, and a driver, Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif confirmed.

Seven people died at the scene, while the driver later succumbed to his injuries, according to Kenya’s Standard newspaper. The attackers opened fire on the security vehicle along the Mandera-Arabia-Lafey Road, the outlet reported.

The gunmen are believed to have crossed into Kenya from neighboring Somalia, regional official John Odhiambo Otieno told Reuters. He added that investigations are underway to identify those responsible.

Mandera County Police Commander Robinson Ndiwa said a joint security team has been deployed to pursue the attackers. Their identities and motives have not been established, although police suspect Al-Shabaab involvement, according to the Kenya News Agency.

Governor Khalif condemned the attack and called for an urgent investigation. “The people of Mandera deserve peace and security, and an environment where development initiatives can proceed without fear or intimidation,” he said in a statement on X.

The incident is not the first attack in Mandera County, which borders Somalia. In July, five Kenyan security officers were killed when their patrol vehicle struck a roadside bomb allegedly planted by Al-Shabaab militants near the frontier. In January, suspected militants killed Senior Chief Abdi Gani Owl and primary school teacher Stephen Musili in neighboring Garissa County.

Al-Qaeda-linked insurgent groups, particularly Al-Shabaab, have been carrying out regular attacks in several African countries since 2007. The terrorist group continues to conduct raids, bombings, and targeted assassinations in an effort to destabilize the Somali government and regional security structures, and also establish its own rule based on a hard-line interpretation of Sharia law.

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives has blocked an attempt to impeach US War Secretary Pete Hegseth over his handling of the conflict with Iran and other military operations, effectively shelving the initiative until the next Congress takes office.

Outgoing Republican Representative Thomas Massie reintroduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth earlier this week, following the Democrats’ victory in the November 3 midterm elections, which gave them control of both chambers of Congress beginning in January.

The House voted 211-204 on Tuesday to refer the resolution to the Judiciary Committee, where Republicans hold a majority. The party will retain control of both chambers until the end of the year, making it highly unlikely that the impeachment measure will advance before the current congressional term expires.

Massie has accused Hegseth of violating the 1973 War Powers Resolution by waging war against Iran without congressional authorization and failing to minimize civilian casualties during US strikes. The conflict, triggered by a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28, has been “unlawful from its inception,” the congressman said.

He also denounced the 2025 US strikes on Yemen and the January abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro as illegal, while accusing Hegseth of ordering extrajudicial killings of suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific. The Pentagon chief’s military operations have drawn fierce criticism from Democrats and some Republicans.

Hegseth dismissed the impeachment effort as a “farce” and a “political spectacle” during a Pentagon press conference on Tuesday. He rejected the accusations and defended the military operations, saying: “I stand behind every one of these operations. I was proud to execute them, and I would do it again tomorrow.”

Massie first introduced the impeachment articles in September, but the initiative stalled after Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson canceled the chamber’s remaining votes ahead of the midterms. The congressman warned on Monday that his renewed impeachment effort was a “much gentler version” of what could follow when Democrats take control of Congress.

The Democrats’ victory in the November 3 midterms has been widely seen as a rebuke of US President Donald Trump’s policies, particularly the unpopular Iran war, which has sent energy prices soaring by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil and LNG route. The party will gain the power to investigate Hegseth when it takes control of Congress in January.

Trump has fiercely defended Hegseth, branding Massie a “total loser” and praising the Pentagon chief as “perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the country.” On Monday, he reaffirmed his support, telling reporters: “I’ll stand by him.” Following Hegseth’s press conference on Tuesday, Trump gave his performance an “A PLUS, PLUS, PLUS.”

Niger has summoned the European Union’s acting chargé d’affaires and accused the bloc of interfering in its sovereign affairs after Brussels questioned the legal basis and purpose of Algeria’s deployment of troops to the West African state.

Olai Voionmaa was called to Prime Minister Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine’s office on Monday over comments by EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, the Nigerien Foreign Ministry said. Niamey described the remarks as “condescending and unacceptable.”

“Niger does not receive injunctions from any country or institution,” the authorities said, adding that the country “does not need permission from Brussels” to exercise its sovereignty.

The dispute follows Algeria’s decision last month to deploy army units to northern Niger at Niamey’s request. Algerian lawmakers approved the mission, which Algiers says is intended to protect shared energy and economic interests, marking the country’s first foreign troop deployment since 1973. Reuters reported that the first convoy reached the uranium-mining city of Arlit on October 30.

El Anouni had said the EU wanted more information about the deployment’s scope, objectives, and legal basis, while arguing that security measures should respect international law and contribute to regional stability. Brussels subsequently said it respected the sovereignty of both countries and had not intended to interfere in their bilateral relationship.

Relations between the West African country and the EU deteriorated sharply after the July 2023 overthrow of President Mohamed Bazoum. Brussels suspended budget support and security cooperation, demanding Bazoum’s release and a return to constitutional rule.

Niamey later revoked the agreements underpinning the EU’s civilian and military security missions, prompting their withdrawal. The EU said last year it remained open to structured dialogue with Niger.

Niger has meanwhile strengthened security ties with Russia after also forcing out French and US troops. Moscow’s Africa Corps operates in the country, and Russian forces helped government troops regain control of a key Niamey airbase during an August mutiny. Russia and Niger’s fellow Alliance of Sahel States members Mali and Burkina Faso agreed in July to deepen military and military-technical cooperation.

Russia, Ukraine, and the US have concluded the second day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. Wednesday’s meeting lasted just under two hours, compared to the nearly five hours of closed-door negotiations on Tuesday.

The Abu Dhabi November round marks the first formal trilateral negotiations since February, and were made possible only by Washington’s mediation efforts, which involved talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is leading the Russian delegation. Also present were US envoy Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The Ukrainian team is headed by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov, who has said Vladimir Zelensky has authorized the delegation to discuss all issues related to ending the conflict.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov explained on Tuesday that the first priority for negotiators is establishing the parameters of security for Russia, Ukraine and the wider region before moving on to a settlement of the conflict.

Moscow has long insisted that a lasting agreement must address the root causes of the crisis.

Kushner has outlined Washington’s priorities as ending hostilities, establishing postwar security guarantees, supporting Ukraine’s economic recovery and addressing humanitarian issues.

Territory remains a major obstacle as Zelensky has once again ruled out Ukraine withdrawing its forces from Russia’s Donbass. Speaking at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, he argued that Washington should find “another way” to reach a deal with Moscow. 

The Telegraph also reported that Kiev has rejected a US proposal to redraw administrative boundaries as part of a territorial compromise. Russia has consistently demanded recognition of the territorial realities on the ground, including an end to Ukrainian control over the remaining parts of Donbass.

European representatives remain outside the trilateral talks, although they met separately with US and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday. Umerov said Wednesday’s trilateral session would also be followed by another separate meeting with Ukraine’s European backers.

Moscow has questioned their contribution and has accused European governments of undermining previous peace agreements and prolonging the fighting through continued weapons supplies.

Indian state-run mining major NMDC is in preliminary talks with Russia’s Rosatom to invest in Russian lithium assets, Reuters has reported citing sources.

The reported talks come as India aggressively tries to secure critical mineral supplies to power its booming battery and electric vehicle (EV) sectors, and clean energy transition.

NMDC officials visited Russia last month to attend a conference and hold discussions with Rosatom, the report said. The miner is keen on exploring both lithium mining and processing opportunities in Russia.

The Indian company did not respond to the news agency. However, a Rosatom spokesperson told Reuters that it is not currently in talks with the Indian miner.

India relies heavily on imports from China, Vietnam, and Ecuador to meet its domestic lithium demand. The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries has noted that Russia could serve as a vital alternative source for the metal.

Russia holds vast lithium reserves but currently has no commercial production. However, two major projects – Polar Lithium and Arctic Lithium – are underway targeting commercial production by 2030.

NMDC is the single largest producer of iron ore and has interests in diamonds and niche minerals like magnesite and beach sands. It is scouting potential assets across Africa, Australia, and South America as it seeks to diversify into critical minerals.

New Delhi recently approved a $297 million capital expenditure support scheme to boost domestic processing facilities for lithium, nickel, and cobalt, whose import dependence it wants to reduce.

JSC Giredmet, a unit of Rosatom’s scientific division, agreed in May to collaborate with India’s Nexon Geochem Pvt Ltd and the Technology Innovation in Exploration & Mining Foundation on the production of rare-earth magnets.

An Indian national was injured when a Liberia-flagged commercial tanker carrying six Indian crew members was attacked in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, India’s shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, has said.

The very large crude carrier MT Fujairah Energy was struck by a projectile while on its way to Dubai, injuring four crew members.

The Indian seafarer sustained minor injuries and has been safely evacuated to shore for medical evaluation, Sonowal posted on X.

“The remaining 18 crew members, including the other five Indian seafarers, are safe and accounted for,” he added.

⚠️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ⚠️ On Nov 10, Liberia-flagged VLCC MT FUJAIRAH ENERGY, carrying 6 Indian seafarers, was hit by a projectile while transiting the Persian Gulf from Al Ruwais to Dubai. Four crew members sustained injuries in the attack, including one Indian national, who suffered minor injuries and has been safely taken ashore for further medical examination. The remaining 18 crew members, including the other 5 Indian seafarers, are safe and accounted for. We are continuously monitoring the situation and remain in close contact with the ship management company to ensure the ongoing security, medical care and wellbeing of our seafarers.

— Sarbananda Sonowal (@sarbanandsonwal) November 11, 2026

Sonowal said India is maintaining contact with the vessel’s operators to ensure the security, medical care, and wellbeing of the seafarers.

Commercial ships have come under repeated attacks in the strategic waterway since the initial US attack on Iran in February. Tehran has restricted maritime traffic through the waterway and Washington has retaliated with a blockade of Iranian ports.

Fifteen Indian seafarers have been killed in attacks on ships in the Persian Gulf region, the Indian Foreign Ministry said last week. New Delhi has condemned the attacks and called for de-escalation through dialogue and diplomacy, as well as the restoration of freedom of navigation and uninterrupted maritime trade.

Last week, an Iranian lawmaker said Tehran has exempted Indian ships from the restrictions it imposed on passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Amir Hayat-Moghaddam said the exemption was intended to facilitate imports of medicine from India.

Two people have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Smolensk Region, according to local governor Vasily Anokhin.

Debris from a downed UAV hit an apartment block in the town of Yartsevo, causing the blaze which took the lives of the two civilians, Anokhin said in a post on social media on Wednesday morning.

“I express my sincere condolences to their families and loved ones of the victims. We share in your grief,” he said.

Ten residents were successfully evacuated from the burning building, the governor said.

During the night, a total of 37 drones were destroyed above Smolensk Region, located some 360 kilometers west of Moscow and bordering Belarus, according to Anokhin.

Leningrad Region, which surrounds Russia’s second largest city St. Petersburg, was the target of an even larger overnight Ukrainian drone raid. Local governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said that at least 150 UAVs were shot down there overnight.

According to Drozdenko, Kiev again targeted the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, which is home to a major gas processing complex and Europe’s largest oil terminal for the transshipment of petroleum products from rail to tanker ship.

Several drones hit the port area, causing a fire and wounding three people, the governor said. Their lives no longer in danger, he added.

Ukraine has continued to attack Russian oil and gas facilities despite US President Donald Trump blaming the strikes for surging worldwide energy prices and demanding that they be stopped. In September, Trump suggested that Vladimir Zelensky should be replaced as Ukrainian leader due to his reluctance to cease the attacks. Zelensky said last week that this will only happen if Washington provides Kiev with more Patriot air-defense missiles.

Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, to compensate for setbacks on the battlefield where Russian forces continue to advance.

In response to the attacks, Russia has intensified its long-range missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian military targets and infrastructure supporting Kiev’s war effort. The Defense Ministry in Moscow maintains that it never targets civilians.

Pro-Palestinian protesters threw cartons of milk at former US President Joe Biden during his visit to Trinity College Dublin on Tuesday.

According to the University Times (UT), a student newspaper, the protest broke out after Biden arrived at the university to watch his son, Hunter, receive the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse from the College Historical Society.

Demonstrators chanted “shame on you” and “genocide Joe,” accusing Biden of complicity in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has left more than 74,600 Palestinians dead since October 2023 and displaced much of the enclave’s population.

Protesters threw milk cartons as US Secret Service agents escorted the former president and his family from the venue. Security personnel used umbrellas to shield them, while other demonstrators were filmed scuffling with Irish police.

Objects were thrown as former US President Joe Biden and Jill Biden left Trinity College Dublin today. Pro-Palestinian protesters had gathered outside, and Gardaí arrested at least two people. https://t.co/GxS2NuHUlj

— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 10, 2026

At least two people were arrested. UT reported that officers used batons and pepper spray against protesters.

NOW: Irish pro-Pals just tried to get at President Joe Biden as he arrived at a Trinity College in Dublin. The crowd is chanting “blood on your hands”. These ghouls will never be appeased. https://t.co/oCluflYoWo

— Heidi Bachram (@HeidiBachram) November 10, 2026

Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU/AMLCT) and Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn (AMLÉ), Ireland’s national students’ union, condemned the police response. In a joint statement, they said Biden’s “role in the genocide of the Palestinian people is well-documented” and called on the university to revoke the honorary doctorate awarded to him in 2016.

Biden, who has Irish ancestry, faced widespread criticism during his presidency for continuing to provide military and diplomatic support to Israel. Some commentators have argued that his handling of the Gaza war contributed to Democratic candidate Kamala Harris’s defeat by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

Ireland, one of Israel’s most outspoken critics within the EU, formally recognized Palestinian statehood in 2024. West Jerusalem has rejected accusations that its military campaign in Gaza constitutes genocide.

Salvadoran forces have destroyed the alleged headquarters of Haiti’s largest criminal gang, after a social media user shared its location with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. He has vowed to eradicate the gangs if they refuse to return four hostages.

In a post on Friday, a Haitian X user shared a picture of a palatial compound, which she alleged that the notorious ‘400 Mawozo’ (‘400 Simpletons’) gang had built on the eastern outskirts of Port-au-Prince. Led by Wilson ‘Lanmo San Jou’ Joseph, 400 Mawozo is the largest of Haiti’s criminal gangs.

“Give us the exact address, and we’ll destroy it,” Bukele responded in Haitian Creole. Multiple users shared GPS coordinates with Bukele, but the original post was deleted over the weekend. 

However, Bukele kept his word. A fleet of Salvadoran light attack helicopters blitzed the compound, firing rockets and partially destroying its main structure and outbuildings as its occupants fled the scene. Bukele posted a video of the attack on X on Tuesday, calling the gang members “cowards” for running away “without even trying to fight.”

“Some guy on X called in a killstreak on a gang’s HQ and Bukele went through with it. Insane timeline,” one X user responded, summing up the online reaction to the strike.

Haitian police and private security contractors stormed the compound after the rocket barrage, the Miami Herald reported. 

What is El Salvador doing in Haiti?

Bukele deployed around 2,500 troops to Haiti late last month, after four Salvadoran military aircraft technicians were kidnapped while assisting the UN-authorized Gang Suppression Force (GSF) mission. The technicians were reportedly kidnapped by Chen Mechan, a smaller member of the broad confederation of gangs that has de facto ruled Haiti since 2021.

The hostages have not yet been returned, despite an attempt by a Chen Mechan-linked NGO to pass four unrelated corpses to Salvadoran forces last week. Bukele has claimed that El Salvador has “no interest in coming to dominate the Haitian people, nor in laying hands on Haiti’s wealth,” but has promised to wage war against the “Satanic” gangs until the captives are handed over. Bukele has also suggested that Salvadoran forces could remain longer in Haiti to assist the anti-gang mission.

Joseph initially vowed to drive the Salvadoran troops out of Haiti, but has since requested mediation from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, according to AP. Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aime will reportedly travel to El Salvador next week to meet with Bukele’s government, the news agency reported on Tuesday.

Crowdsourced airstrikes 

Bukele may be the first national leader to solicit targeting data from social media, but the concept of crowdsourced airstrikes is not a new one. During the height of the Syrian Civil War in 2016, a group of 4chan users geolocated videos posted by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and other jihadist fighters and fed their locations to a Russian military blogger who went by the alias ‘Ivan Sidorenko’. 

4chan users find coordinates of terrorists in Syria and call in Russian airstrikes. 5-30-2016 https://t.co/wsfomyxONT

— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) November 29, 2020

At least one jihadist training camp was subsequently destroyed by Russian airstrikes, although it remains unclear whether ‘Ivan Sidorenko’ supplied the coordinates to the Russian Defense Ministry, as he claimed.

Throughout the Russia-Ukraine conflict, both sides have used information gleaned from social media videos to locate and strike military deployment points, arms factories, and critical infrastructure.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a heated phone call with US President Donald Trump over the possibility of renewed military strikes against Iran, Ynet reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the conversation.

Several media outlets, including Axios, the Associated Press and the Financial Times, previously reported that Netanyahu had been urging Trump to resume military operations against Iran shortly after the US midterm elections. Republicans lost control of both the House and Senate in the November 3 vote, widely seen as a rebuke to Trump’s policies, including the unpopular war with Iran, which has driven up energy prices.

Ynet described the weekend conversation as unusually tense, with one source calling it a “shouting match from hell.” Netanyahu’s office dismissed the report as “fake news, absolute nonsense,” while a senior Israeli official confirmed that the call took place but denied that it had been confrontational.

Trump said on Sunday that he saw no reason to escalate the conflict with Iran, amid opposition to renewed strikes from Washington’s Arab allies in the region. He and US Vice President J.D. Vance have acknowledged that the Iran war contributed to the Republicans’ election defeat.

Nevertheless, Trump stood by his decision to launch the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran on February 28. “I did the right thing. I would have done it again,” he told the Wall Street Journal after the vote.

Netanyahu’s political future is also uncertain after his coalition failed to secure a parliamentary majority in Israel’s October 27 elections.

On Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog tasked Netanyahu’s main rival, former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, with forming a new government after parties representing 67 members of the 120-seat Knesset recommended him for the premiership, compared with 46 who backed Netanyahu. Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a governing coalition, with a possible two-week extension. 

The war has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global energy supplies that normally carries around a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil and liquefied natural gas trade. Trump has vowed to maintain the naval blockade of Iranian ports, while Iran has been attacking tankers using US-designated shipping routes, which Tehran considers illegal.

Members of a Spanish neo-Nazi organization have received military training from Ukraine’s notorious Azov brigade to prepare for an “armed uprising” back home, according to police findings reported by El Pais on Tuesday.

Militants from Nucleo Nacional (National Nucleus) traveled to Ukraine in August, where they established contact with the neo-Nazi-linked Azov unit, now part of Ukraine’s National Guard, the newspaper reported, citing investigative documents.

The Spaniards reportedly trained with AK-47 assault rifles and body armor, seeking to acquire combat skills they could pass on to recruits across Spain. In an intercepted conversation, one member warned that “without training, no uprising will work.”

Investigators traced the extremists to Kiev, a military training camp and an unidentified town roughly 20 kilometers from the Russian border. Photographs showed members wearing Nucleo Nacional clothing, including one carrying a rifle and displaying a Nazi flag patch. Others wore sweatshirts bearing the logo of Stormfront, a prominent white supremacist online forum.

Spanish police launched a crackdown on Nucleo Nacional last week over fears of violence at a planned November 7 march in Madrid. The authorities cited the group’s military training, international extremist connections and potential access to military-grade weapons.

Fourteen suspects were arrested across seven provinces. Ten were subsequently released under restrictions, including passport confiscation, travel bans, and mandatory weekly court appearances. The investigation involves suspected incitement to hatred, unlawful association, and possession of prohibited weapons.

Police also uncovered links between the group and extremist organizations in Germany, France, Hungary, Romania, and Croatia.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Western governments of turning a blind eye to Ukrainian neo-Nazi networks while continuing to arm and finance Kiev. Russia maintains that denazification remains a key condition for a lasting settlement of the Ukraine conflict.

Russian officials have also warned that Western support for Ukrainian neo-Nazi formations could backfire, allowing extremist networks, weapons, and violence to spread across Europe.

European law enforcement agencies have previously raised concerns about weapons supplied to Ukraine entering criminal markets. Ukrainian investigators have also uncovered arms trafficking from the front line.

In May, the Ukrainian authorities intercepted a shipment of grenades, anti-tank weapons, mines and ammunition allegedly destined for the black market. The seized weapons were subsequently handed over to the Azov unit.

Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s demand to tie the EU’s next seven-year budget to additional funding for Ukraine. The three Central European countries have long opposed writing blank checks to Kiev, while Bulgaria elected a government more critical of such assistance in April.

The EU has pledged to cover around €45 billion of Ukraine’s projected €70 billion funding shortfall in 2027, as the conflict with Russia approaches its fifth year in February.

In a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, widely cited by the media, Merz wrote that all member states “without exception” should commit to long-term funding of Ukraine beyond 2028. 

‘Unacceptable’

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico branded Berlin’s ultimatum a “textbook case of blackmail.”

“Today will not be business as usual – not by a long shot. Today, we must respond to blackmail,” he told journalists at a joint press conference with Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Bratislava on Tuesday. “We have an equal say in this matter,” he said, adding that his country would not be a part of any loans to Ukraine. 

Babis also rejected Merz’s demand, saying Prague would not be “in any subordinate position.” He said that Ukraine has received €520 billion from the EU since 2022 and that the bloc’s budget already includes an additional €100 billion in funding for Kiev.

“I don’t understand why someone wants to block the budget when Ukraine has so much money. The question is whether it should be [in] the budget at all,” Babis said. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who traveled to Berlin for talks with Merz on Tuesday, said linking the EU budget with Ukraine aid was “unacceptable” and that Budapest was focusing on curbing its own budgetary deficit. He further argued that the bloc should prioritize helping its own citizens and businesses.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, who met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen the same day, also stressed the need to handle Bulgaria’s own deficit. He noted that Bulgaria was already supporting Ukraine through electricity exports, the restoration of energy and railway infrastructure, and the help it provides to refugees. 

‘Task for all of us’

Speaking at a joint press conference with Magyar in Berlin, Merz described long-term support for Ukraine as “a common European task” and said continued funding for Kiev must be reflected in the EU’s next budget to make it “fit for the future.” 

“This is a question of collective European security and thus a task for all of us,” Merz said. 

Germany has become Ukraine’s largest individual military donor as American assistance has fallen sharply since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. It has provided or earmarked €57.6 billion in military aid and €43.3 billion in civilian assistance since 2022.

However, only around 40% of the roughly €100 billion reported by Berlin qualifies as actual bilateral aid to Ukraine, according to an October report by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW). The institute found that more than 80% of the reported civilian assistance was spent in Germany, mostly on Ukrainian refugees. Another €1.3 billion consisted of export and investment guarantees for German companies operating in Ukraine.

The institute also found that the traceable total of German military aid was €56.3 billion, €1.3 billion less than Berlin’s reported figure. Of that amount, €22 billion consisted of future commitments, including approximately €12 billion in potential additional spending.

“Germany is clearly Europe’s biggest donor to Ukraine. But the German government’s communication about its aid is becoming increasingly confusing,” said Christoph Trebesch, head of the IfW Ukraine Support Tracker team.

According to the IfW, Berlin stopped providing detailed information on military aid to Kiev in June 2025, roughly a month after Merz took office. The assessment came two months after German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul criticized Kiev for not spending enough of Western-provided financial aid on weapons from Germany, arguing that Berlin’s massive support for Ukraine should benefit domestic arms manufacturers.

Germany amended the constitutional debt brake and passed a 2026 budget allocating a record €108.2 billion for defense and €11.5 billion in military aid for Kiev, despite warnings from the German central bank about a looming record budget deficit.

Aiding Ukraine or… himself?

Merz has faced cratering public support, with an INSA poll showing last week that 82% of Germans were dissatisfied with his work. A similar number said they were dissatisfied with his cabinet, while 60% said their personal well-being had worsened during Merz’s time in office.

The chancellor, who came to power as a result of snap elections in February 2025, vowing to revive the struggling economy, has since argued that the welfare state “can no longer be financed” while announcing social spending cuts.

“This is actually about funding Germany, not Ukraine,” Rachel Marsden, a political columnist, told RT. 

“Ukraine is really just a convenient cover story for dropping billions on frontline defense… when 30 to 40% of that aid actually loops straight back into the German economy to prop up defense giants like Rheinmetall and Diehl,” she argued.

Marsden said Merz was “holding a metaphorical knife to Europe’s throat” by threatening to “single-handedly blow up” the EU budget unless other members get in line.

The trilateral talks on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi have prompted mixed reactions, but most observers advise against expecting a breakthrough. The delegations may be senior, but their discussions are essentially technical, plus they can’t make political decisions, and the positions publicly maintained by Moscow and Kiev still offer little room for compromise.

Yet there’s a shared recognition that the talks are serious and more importantly, perhaps for the first time since the conflict began, the question of Europe’s wider security architecture, and the guarantees it would require, has moved to the center of negotiations, so that alone is a significant change.

To appreciate its importance, we should look back five years. In November 2021, President Vladimir Putin instructed the Russian Foreign Ministry to raise Europe’s security arrangements with NATO. Moscow had never regarded the post-Cold War, NATO-centred order as satisfactory and successive rounds of enlargement had gradually transformed Russian unease into a conviction that the bloc posed a direct threat.

The Foreign Ministry subsequently presented proposals for revising that order, but talks in January 2022 demonstrated how far apart the sides were. The Americans and Western Europeans were unwilling to entertain Moscow’s central proposition, which was that the existing security system needed fundamental change because, as far as they were concerned, there was no problem to solve.

What happened next is well known and at the time, Washington and the Western European capitals spoke with one voice, but five years later, something unexpected has happened in that a different American administration now acknowledges that security guarantees for all sides are indispensable to resolving the Ukraine crisis, and is prepared to discuss them in Abu Dhabi.

Western Europe hasn’t followed and its governments continue to insist that NATO must remain the organizing principle of continental security and that Russia can’t be allowed to dictate the rules. Nevertheless, the American shift matters because a subject once dismissed as inadmissible has entered the negotiating agenda.

Until recently, Washington’s diplomatic efforts had focused on territory and that appears to have been the principal issue at the Anchorage meeting in August 2025. Moscow, however, has never abandoned what it calls the root causes of the conflict, which are the wider arrangements governing European security and for the first time, those issues are being addressed by the other side as part of a possible settlement, but this doesn’t mean agreement is close because the obstacles remain formidable.

The first is Western Europe’s determination to resist any settlement that gives Moscow a role in reshaping the continent’s security order and the second is the changing political balance in Washington. The Republicans’ defeat in the midterm elections has weakened Donald Trump and strengthened those who oppose his approach to Russia.

Trump insists he will continue pursuing his foreign policy regardless and he may well do so, but domestic resistance will intensify, while Western European leaders, many of whom would like to see him reduced from a lame duck to a dead duck, will take encouragement. Together with Kiev, they have already shown that they can frustrate initiatives from the White House and they will now believe their leverage has increased.

And yet Abu Dhabi could still prove a turning point, not merely because the agenda has widened, but because the circumstances surrounding the negotiations are changing.

Ukraine’s financial and military requirements continue to grow as Kiev needs more money to sustain the state, more weapons and greater outside support for almost every aspect of the war effort and Western Europe is finding it increasingly difficult to meet these demands. The United States, meanwhile, is no longer willing to finance Ukraine on the previous scale and this reluctance may outlast Trump. Democrats will accuse him of appeasing the Kremlin and abandoning Kiev, but the pressure to prioritize domestic concerns is growing in their own ranks.

Ukraine’s internal position is also becoming more precarious with economic, social, and political strains accumulating, while Zelensky has little incentive to compromise given retreat would threaten the foundations of his authority. For now, he retains some room for maneuver, but what happens during and after the winter is much less certain, particularly if Western assistance does not increase.

There are signs, too, of unease within Western Europe’s establishment. The recent calls to Putin by the Norwegian prime minister and Finnish president, whatever explanation they offered, suggest a dawning recognition that the present policy has reached its limits and that it makes little sense to demand a place at the negotiating table while refusing to speak to one of the principal parties.

A common Western boycott of Russia was at least a coherent strategy while Washington participated in it but once the United States resumed direct engagement, Western Europe’s refusal to do likewise became an obstacle not only to diplomacy but to its own influence.

The prospect of a trilateral meeting between the leaders of Russia, China, and the United States in Shenzhen remains open and should it take place, the symbolism will be unmistakable in that the major powers are increasingly discussing the future of international security without Europe.

That’s the deeper significance of Abu Dhabi. There may be no immediate agreement, and certainly no easy peace, but the debate is beginning to move beyond the Ukrainian front line towards the question Moscow raised before the fighting began, which is what kind of security order can Europe live with, and who gets to decide?

This article was first published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and was translated and edited by the RT team 

The “beauty” of US military support for Kiev is that Washington is paying Ukrainians to kill Russians, and the more the better, a sitting Democrat Senator has claimed.

Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a former US marine who has previously said he would “come after” Elon Musk, made the remarks in an exchange on X on Tuesday, after a commenter accused him of backing a lost cause. Gallego insisted that he supported Ukraine because he believed it could win.

“If Ukraine kills enough Russians they will quit,” the senator wrote.

In response to a suggestion that he should join Ukraine’s so-called “foreign legion” of mercenaries Gallego replied, “No that’s the beauty of this, we can pay the Ukrainians to kill the Russians.”

Asked how many dead Russians would be enough to satisfy him, Gallego responded, “There is always room for one more.”

Gallego, who took office in January 2025, has been a staunch advocate of US military assistance to Kiev. Last week, he accused SpaceX CEO Elon Musk of having “Ukrainian blood on his hands” and demanded that the billionaire testify before Congress over disruptions to the Starlink and Starshield satellite services used by Ukrainian forces.

Kiev claimed last month that a deliberate slowdown had disrupted its drone operations, initially suggesting Washington was responsible.

Musk countered that Ukraine had been exploiting a loophole in SpaceX’s civilian Starlink network to conduct offensive drone strikes, insisting that the vulnerability had been closed. He also stressed that Starshield was a separate, military-grade system controlled by the Pentagon.

Gallego also faced controversy in March for endorsing Graham Platner, then a Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, despite revelations involving Nazi imagery and inflammatory past statements.

Platner had a Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, a skull emblem used by Nazi SS units, including a division implicated in numerous war crimes. He denied knowing its historical significance and described himself as an anti-fascist.

The candidate also faced criticism over old online posts containing homophobic slurs and comments suggesting that military sexual assault victims should “act like an adult” and avoid getting “blacked out f*cked up.”

Gallego initially stood by Platner but withdrew his endorsement following allegations of sexual misconduct and rape, which prompted other Democratic supporters to distance themselves from the candidate and ultimately preceded the end of his campaign.

Moscow has repeatedly characterized the Ukraine conflict as a Western-led proxy war fought “to the last Ukrainian,” arguing that continued Western military assistance only prolongs the fighting and increases human suffering.

British comedian and podcaster Russell Brand was sentenced on Monday to ten and a half years in prison after being convicted of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009. He denied wrongdoing, maintaining that all sexual encounters were consensual.

Brand has amassed 6.6 million subscribers on YouTube, where he has attacked what he describes as the UK’s corrupt ruling class and criticized Western governments over their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.

Some of his supporters have claimed that the prosecution was politically motivated. Billionaire Elon Musk and US commentator Megyn Kelly publicly defended Brand following his conviction, while former Fox News host Tucker Carlson had previously voiced support for him.

RT’s Marina Kosareva examines how other prominent British figures have faced allegations of sexual misconduct or scrutiny over their ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein without receiving comparable criminal sentences.

One of the most prominent cases involves Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, who was stripped of his royal titles in 2025 following years of sexual abuse allegations and scrutiny of his ties to Epstein.

Andrew was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he shared sensitive government information with Epstein. He was subsequently released without charge but remains under investigation. Police have also examined allegations of potential sexual offences involving the former prince.

In 2022, Andrew settled a civil sexual assault lawsuit brought against him in the US by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that he had sexually abused her on three occasions when she was 17. He has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a sexual offence.

Peter Mandelson, a veteran Labour Party politician, was dismissed as Britain’s ambassador to the US last year over his ties to Epstein. He subsequently left the Labour Party and resigned from the House of Lords.

In February, Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over allegations that he had passed sensitive government information to Epstein. He was subsequently released, with police lifting his bail conditions in March while continuing their investigation.

Russian experts are weighing in on the trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US in Abu Dhabi, aimed at defining a new European security architecture. RT has asked top analysts for their take on developments and reviewed the best of Russian media to bring together their assessments.

Dmitry Trenin, president of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC): Peace, not just a ceasefire

The Abu Dhabi talks could pave the way for further high-level contacts between Moscow and Washington, Dmitry Trenin, the president of the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC), has told RT.

”We can expect diplomatic efforts to intensify,” Trenin said, pointing to further consultations and a possible visit to Moscow by US President Donald Trump’s envoys.

However, he cautioned against assuming that a peace settlement was only a matter of time, stressing that “what is at stake is peace, not a ceasefire.”

The Ukraine conflict cannot be resolved without addressing broader European security concerns, the expert said, adding that “a peace settlement in Ukraine is part of Europe’s security architecture” and that “the two issues are closely intertwined.”

Trenin recalled that in 2021, Moscow presented the US and NATO with “separate but interconnected sets of proposals for a new security architecture.” The West rejected them, and Russia launched its military operation afterward, he said.

Any settlement would therefore have to include security guarantees for both Russia and Ukraine, he added.

The analyst said that he expects European governments to seek a “more active role” in the diplomatic process, although they will first need to clarify their positions on a number of issues. 

“We should not expect the EU to join the negotiations as a supranational institution. The European Union is not an international actor in the security sphere,” he said.

At the same time, Trenin considered the participation of European countries logical and necessary when it comes to addressing practical aspects of the continent’s security. The difficulty, according to him, lies in the positions currently held by many European leaders, whom he described as remaining “captive to unrealistic ideas.”

He suggested that dialogue could become possible once those positions, or the leaders themselves, change.

Sergey Poletaev, Russian foreign policy information analyst and publicist: Washington adopting Moscow’s perspective

A significant shift in Washington’s position on what the negotiations should achieve and what a peace agreement should look like marks the key difference between the current round and previous diplomatic efforts, information analyst and co-founder of the Vatfor project, Sergey Poletaev, has told RT.

”The US now appears to accept that such an agreement must include fundamental decisions on Europe’s security architecture,” he said.

According to Poletaev, this represents a move toward Moscow’s longstanding position, first set out in its security proposals to NATO in December 2021. “The Trump administration has, at least for now, adopted Moscow’s perspective,” he said.

Poletaev recalled that European security architecture was central to Russia’s demands at the time and that NATO’s outright rejection of those proposals helped trigger Moscow’s military operation. He said that the very phrase “security architecture” closely resembles the language used in Kremlin documents.

Poletaev contrasted Washington’s apparent shift with the position of Kiev’s European backers.

”European governments insist on the opposite sequence: a ceasefire first, negotiations afterward. Essentially, they are repeating the position they held before the war.”

Poletaev cautioned, however, that “Washington has changed course before and could do so again.”

The analyst said Washington’s current approach gives the negotiations a basis for discussing specific terms, even without European agreement on the broader security agenda. “Bargaining over the details can follow, while Europe may remain in its current state of denial.”

Poletaev stressed the significance of the renewed focus on European security, saying that “as the conflict approaches the end of its fifth year, the discussion is finally turning to the issue on which a settlement ultimately depends.”

Viktor Litovkin: Security guarantees must address the root causes

Direct talks between Moscow and Kiev, with US participation, provide an opportunity to exchange and compare positions on security after the fighting ends, Russian military journalist and analyst Viktor Litovkin has told RT.

The negotiations could help identify common ground and reach compromises aimed at addressing the “root causes of the conflict,” he said.

One major obstacle is the proposal by Kiev’s European backers to deploy troops to Ukraine under future security arrangements. Litovkin pointed to Moscow’s rejection of foreign military contingents, which Russia considers incompatible with a lasting peace.

Litovkin noted that European representatives were not part of the trilateral negotiations but could consult the Ukrainian delegation separately, including “in the hallway,” without joining the talks themselves.

He argued that if European countries considered themselves parties to the negotiations on the grounds that they were participants in the conflict, they would have to openly acknowledge that they were fighting Russia on Ukraine’s side. In that case, he warned, Russian strikes could extend beyond Ukraine to European territory. He noted, however, that European governments have made no such declaration, instead describing their role as helping Kiev.

Litovkin said Ukraine’s non-membership in NATO needs to be enshrined in its constitution. He also called for guarantees for the Russian language and the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, along with an end to what he described as the persecution of Russians.

The analyst also criticized the idea of a Russia-NATO council, arguing that such a format would be unequal, with 32 NATO member states on one side and Russia alone on the other.

Evgeny Minchenko, political scientist: Russian delegation ready for substantive talks

Russia has sent a “strong” and “highly practical” delegation to Abu Dhabi, political analyst Evgeny Minchenko told Vzglyad ahead of Tuesday’s negotiations.

He pointed to the participation of senior diplomats, military officials, and representatives of the Federal Security Service (FSB). Deputy Foreign Ministers Mikhail Galuzin and Sergey Ryabkov, he said, could discuss in detail the system of checks and balances in a new European security architecture.

Minchenko also noted the presence of Igor Kostyukov, Russia’s military intelligence chief, and senior FSB official Aleksey Komkov, whose responsibilities include international relations and security matters.

The delegation’s composition, he concluded, showed that the talks were intended to address “concrete issues, not abstract discussions.”

Aleksey Martynov, political analyst: A wider European security dialogue

The Abu Dhabi talks are part of a broader process aimed at creating a new European security architecture, according to political analyst Aleksey Martynov.

Speaking to Vzglyad, Martynov said he expected discussions on the issue to continue at the APEC summit, with the Russian, US, and Chinese leaders taking part.

Martynov questioned the involvement of European leaders at the current stage, arguing that they were not prepared for constructive discussions on resolving the Ukraine conflict and were unable to defend their own countries’ national interests.

However, he did not rule out future contacts, saying that an exchange of views on key issues could take place “at the expert level.” Echoing earlier assessments, Martynov said EU leaders could join the broader dialogue at the final stages of implementing a new European security architecture.

Dmitry Solonnikov, Director of the Institute of Contemporary Development: Talks could yield practical steps

The Abu Dhabi negotiations could help bring an end to the Ukraine conflict by addressing its root causes, Dmitry Solonnikov, director of the Institute of Contemporary Development, told Moscow 24.

He argued that discussions on a new European security architecture marked a return to the issues raised by President Vladimir Putin in 2021, before the start of Moscow’s military operation.

According to Solonnikov, an agreement on the broader security arrangements would pave the way for resolving more specific questions, including how to end the fighting and establish new security boundaries. Those, he said, would become “technical questions” once the parties agreed on how to coexist in the future.

On nearly all of the political fronts, the Republicans under Trump are in a steady retreat, backing away from core policies that have outraged their base and empowered the Democrats with an army of new supporters. The GOP suffered an extraordinary midterm repudiation – losing not just the House and Senate, but statewide offices in red states, from Texas to Kansas to South Carolina, that Democrats hadn’t won in decades.

Exactly how deep the humiliating loss was for the MAGA camp became clear in a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday. The American leader conceded that his deportation policy “might be too tough” and that he would “love to do something on immigration” with the Democrats about to take over Congress, he told the news program in his first interview since the midterms.

Asked by CBS correspondent Ross Douthat whether the crackdown damaged Republicans in the midterms, Trump was ambivalent: “I think it both helped and hurt. I think I got an A+ for closing up the border. I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out.” “But I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs that created one violation for breaking of the law. And that was that they came into the country illegally.”

Douthat then asked: “So you think your deportation policy went too far?” “It was too tough,” Trump said. “I think it might be too tough. Yeah.”

He said the deal he has in mind with Democrats is “something that’s actually doable”: “some kind of legal status for the landscapers,” and for people like a hotel maid or waitress who are suddenly “taken out of the country.” “It’s tough,” he said. “It’s a tough thing.”

Trump admitted that the hardcore far-right group inside of his administration would like everybody removed, while others are “more modified on that”: “get the killers out, get all the rough ones out, get the drug dealers out. But let the people that are here, and in some cases here for 10 and 15 years, work a deal for them.”

In a positive sign for dual party border cooperation, self-described “border security Democrat” James Talarico expressed his willingness to cross the aisle and work directly with Donald Trump to fix the border.

Talarico is the first Democrat to win a US Senate election in Texas since 1988 and will become the youngest US Senator; he has stated that he is eager to work with the Trump administration on immigration reform.

In February 2026, Talarico said he supported the Dignity Act, a proposed bipartisan immigration reform bill. In a January 2026 debate, he called for the increase in funding for ICE during the Trump administration to be diverted to other services. In a shocking move for a Democrat, Talarico has harshly criticized former US President Joe Biden’s border policy, saying it “created chaos in our border communities.”

However, there already appears to be a fly in the ointment as Trump, just one hour after his conversation with 60 Minutes, replaced his chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, the aggressive architect of the controversial immigrant policy.

“We are being conquered,” border czar Miller told Fox News in 2023.

“So, a generation from now, I am telling you … people will not know the country that they are living in. These consequences are permanent. Unless there’s massive large-scale deportations by the millions, it will be irrevocable.” It will be very interesting to see if Miller is able to tame his strong sentiments in order to come to a meeting ground with the Democrats on the question of amnesty for immigrants.

Another political hotspot that will require a high degree of understanding and cooperation between the Democrats and the Republicans is the war in Iran, which continues to smolder in the background.

Israel, an allied friend of the Trump administration, has played no small part in this process. According to the Financial Times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged Trump to carry out further strikes on Iran following the US midterm elections. Observers note that a continuation of the conflict could aid Netanyahu’s domestic political standing after his coalition lost its parliamentary majority.

Needless to say, Netanyahu has shown no concern whatsoever for the damage the war in Iran has caused for the Republicans in general and Trump in particular. Israel is attempting to restart the war during an open window of opportunity between now and when the Democrats assume power in January.

Just like their MAGA opponents, the Democrats are adamantly opposed to the war and will have ample ability to scuttle the US military once they take over both houses of Congress next year.

Democrats are looking to bring President Trump’s war with Iran to a halt once they retake the majority. Senate Democrats say they have some Republican support to end the conflict, which has dragged on for more than eight months, and have threatened to use the “power of the purse” to deprive the Pentagon of funds needed to wage the war.

Both the US leader and Vice President J.D. Vance singled out the Iran war as the main reason for why Republicans experienced an electoral blowout, with Democrats taking the majority in the House, Senate, governors’ mansions and statehouses.

“We are going to end the war. We have some Republicans already who have joined us in ending the war, and the Founding Fathers had the power of the purse as one of the ways of deterring a president who does war without the consent of the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, Trump, aware of the damage that the military conflict did to his base with the 2028 presidential election fast approaching, has declared his hesitation in restarting a hot war with the Islamic state.

“The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary. They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301% inflation. Highly unlikely it will be necessary. I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them.”

Finally, there is the question of inflation in food and gas prices. The war with Iran is a primary driver of the current affordability crisis, significantly inflating the cost of living for consumers through energy shocks, higher borrowing rates, and supply chain disruptions.

According to Moody’s Analytics, the conflict has cost US consumers hundreds of billions of dollars, translating to roughly $2,000 to $2,150 in added expenses for the average American household, which explains the Republican Party’s extraordinary losses on November 3.

The American people on both the right and left spoke loud and clear during the midterm elections, and it would be heedless and rash of the Trump administration to continue with war and anti-immigration business as usual. The political costs are simply too high.

The freelance US military instructor who was accused of training terrorists in Myanmar but later released by an Indian court on bail has alleged that he is a pawn caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Matthew VanDyke, described in court as a mercenary who has worked in Libya, and six Ukrainians who were arrested along with him, were granted bail in September after New Delhi’s top anti-terror agency failed to file charges against them on time.

The seven were detained in various cities in India, having returned to the country from Bangladesh, and were preparing to fly on.

“India threw me and several Ukrainians in prison for over six months,” VanDyke posted on X. “This was part of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

He added that he will reveal “shocking details” about what happened over the next few months.

India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) had earlier reportedly found evidence that VanDyke had delivered multiple consignments of drones from Europe to individuals and groups in the northeastern Indian state of Mizoram. It is not known from where the drone components were transited to Myanmar, where local insurgent groups are reportedly linked to rebel outfits in India’s northeast region.

In a series of posts on X, VanDyke claimed that he had not been accused of “doing anything against India.”

“The Indian government never even alleged that I was smuggling arms in India,” he posted.

VanDyke, who claims he runs a charity called Sons of Liberty, which provides military training in conflict zones, insisted “we do our missions for free and I spent money, I didn’t make money from it,” and that he will present for a court hearing in February 2027.

In August, VanDyke posted an appeal by his family on the Sons of Liberty International letterhead appealing to US diplomats to intervene and secure his release.

His family has also claimed the US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, briefed Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio about VanDyke in May.

Overnight on November 4, a spontaneous protest in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital, exposed a privately run torture facility.

In the context of the Ukraine conflict, such places are known as podvals, or “basements.” Held inside were so-called ukhylyanty – a Ukrainian term for draft evaders, derived from a verb meaning “to evade” or “to flee” – Ukrainian citizens unwilling, for various reasons, to serve in the military. Four of the detainees were subsequently hospitalized. Members of Ukraine’s National Guard had subjected them to violence and torture in an effort to force them into the 52nd International Assault Regiment.

To understand how this tragedy came about – and the abduction of citizens by their own security forces is undoubtedly a tragedy – we need to examine the origins of these units and the Ukrainian military’s current tactics.

A fish rots from the head

In about 2025, the Ukrainian armed forces faced a crippling shortage of personnel in their main mechanized units. They were also struggling to counter Russia’s use of small infantry teams to infiltrate their positions, a tactic that requires infantry on the ground to stop it. To address these problems, then-commander-in-chief Alexander Syrsky established assault regiments as his personal reserve, moving them from one sector to another to counter Russian advances. Kupyansk, Pokrovsk, Konstantinovka, Gulyaypole – wherever the Russian army was pushing forward, these regiments, known as “Syrsky’s Guard,” were there, taking heavy casualties.

Before long, Syrsky’s conflict with other powerful figures and factions within the Ukrainian state intensified. As part of a campaign to discredit him, local journalists published several investigations into the assault regiments. Among them was the notorious 425th Skala Assault Regiment, widely regarded as the Ukrainian army’s foremost meat grinder. Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation even opened inquiries into the findings. Yet nothing came of them. The only major consequence was Syrsky’s eventual removal, following his clash with the mafia profiteering from military drone production and procurement.

An investigation into another unit, the 225th Assault Regiment, built around a Kharkov territorial defense formation, offers a telling example. Its commander at the time, Oleg Shiryaev, had come through the ranks of the radical nationalist Azov paramilitary formation and served in units under Ukraine’s Interior Ministry. In 2018, he was suspected of involvement in an attempted corporate raid to seize a grain elevator in the Kharkov Region. Under his command, the regiment acquired a reputation as a place where soldiers were “raped with a stick.”

According to the investigation, soldiers caught after going AWOL were taken to the 225th Regiment and confined in a podval. There was nowhere to relieve themselves, sleep, or even sit; human excrement covered the space. Men and women were not even held separately: A female service member was confined alongside the men. The compound had a barbed-wire perimeter and guards with dogs to recapture anyone who tried to escape. One detainee described the scene to Ukrainian journalists: “A soldier comes flying into the dugout, his hands cuffed behind his back. He falls, and other soldiers – wearing masks and carrying batons – drag him out by his clothes. When you see that in your first hour, you already know what kind of place you’ve landed in.”

Unrestrained brutality and dehumanizing treatment, designed to terrify anyone contemplating disobedience: This was the price “Syrsky’s Guard” was willing to pay for effectiveness. These revelations caused an uproar in Ukraine and contributed to the commander-in-chief’s dismissal. Within weeks of taking office, however, his successor, Mikhail Drapaty, apparently concluded that this was the only army he had and that he would have to follow the old playbook. Units operating through such sadism remain an effective means of holding the front – and thus meeting the political demands Zelensky’s government places on the military.

The brutality of the assault regiments was never addressed. It was simply swept under the rug. The regiments were placed under corps commanders, while many of the central figures implicated in these atrocities, including former assault troops commander Valentin Manko, faced no criminal charges. The number of assault regiments actually grew: Ukraine’s National Guard corps established their own, operating along the same lines. The 52nd International Assault Regiment, military unit 3121, which came to public attention in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka, is one of them.

Historical roots

For a long time, then, Ukrainian assault units have operated torture facilities intended to break soldiers until they would rather launch an assault under Russian artillery fire, bombs, and drones. The apparent logic is that Ukrainian soldiers must fear their own commanders more than the Russian army – and that this, and this alone, will keep Ukraine’s armed forces holding the front.

One such facility was concealed in a residential neighborhood in the Kiev Region. Exactly who organized the protests outside it remains unclear. The woman under investigation, who played a central role in the events, appears to have been a civilian activist. According to information released by Ukrainian law enforcement, her task was to get one of the prisoners out. Based on the available information, the facility itself was under the control of the 52nd Assault Regiment’s reserve company. That company performed functions normally assigned to reserve battalions, where Ukrainian law requires personnel who have gone AWOL to be taken, and to disciplinary units of the armed forces’ Military Law Enforcement Service. The tragedy is that Ukraine’s military has all the institutional machinery it needs to avoid torturing its own service members, yet those institutions do not work. Without functioning institutions, the need to maintain discipline drives Ukrainian commanders to establish torture facilities.

These practices also have deep historical roots. As noted earlier, the commander of the 225th Assault Regiment was accused of involvement in an attempted seizure of a grain elevator in the Kharkov Region in 2018 and had belonged to Azov. While stationed in Mariupol, now part of the Donetsk People’s Republic, that same Azov formation worked with the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, to establish the most notorious torture facility of the 2010s.

Known as the “Library,” it was effectively a concentration camp where captured DPR militia members and Mariupol civilians suspected of sympathizing with separatism were tortured. Media outlets in the Donbass republics reported extensively on the atrocities committed there. For those familiar with this history, it came as no surprise that the 52nd Regiment responsible for the tragedy in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka belongs to the National Guard’s 1st Corps, built around that same Azov formation. This is a movement that has been running such podvals for more than a decade.

Another similar case involved torture facilities operated by the Tornado volunteer unit in Ukrainian-controlled territory of the Lugansk People’s Republic. The scandal caused such an outcry that even the Ukrainian government – a rare occurrence! – initiated criminal proceedings against the perpetrators. The unit was accused of torturing civilians, again including through sexual violence.

How can people who call themselves nationalists torture fellow citizens of their own nation? One possible answer lies in the writings of Dmitry Dontsov, a prominent ideologue of Ukrainian nationalism. He contrasted a strong-willed, passionately committed, patriotic minority – the so-called “Cossacks,” with whom Azov’s Ukrainian nationalists identify – with the “swineherds”: a passive mass capable of nothing but submitting to the “Cossack” elite.

***

When will Ukraine’s military-run torture facilities be shut down? When someone there takes responsibility for them and establishes a legal order capable of protecting the population from rival paramilitary groups, breaking with Mao’s famous dictum that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Is the current Ukrainian government capable of doing that?

A week after the clashes surrounding the podval in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka shocked the world, their principal consequence has been a fine imposed on former Ukrainian military intelligence chief Budanov for speaking Russian during his visit to the site.

As for the military personnel involved in running the torture facility, Ukraine’s government appears incapable of bringing its own troops into compliance with the law – a tragedy in its own right within an already tragic situation.

The European Council has decided to send EU military personnel directly to Ukraine, despite numerous warnings from Moscow that European soldiers would be fair game for Russian strikes.

European nations are scrambling to participate in the ongoing Russia-US-Ukraine talks in Abu Dhabi, having been sidelined from several previous rounds.

On Monday, the Council extended the mandate of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine (EUMAM) until November 15, 2028, with a budget of nearly €300 million ($334 million).

“The Council also decided to establish a presence in Ukraine to ensure direct and effective coordination with the Ukrainian military authorities,” according to a press release from Brussels.

The move marks a change for EUMAM, which had previously only trained Ukrainian soldiers exclusively on EU territory.

According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, European leaders are increasingly demanding an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine to pave the way for military intervention.

“Europe’s plan is quite simple, and they make no secret of it: as soon as a ceasefire is reached, they intend to move ‘stabilization forces’ into the territory controlled by the Kiev regime,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday, addressing the EU demands aimed at the talks in Adu Dhabi.

Brussels is seeking an immediate freeze in the conflict “to buy time” for Kiev to recover from its military losses, Lavrov said, adding that Moscow would “not agree to this.”

European nations “sending troops into Ukraine” would mean “war with Russia,” Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in September.

Russia has warned repeatedly that any foreign troops or military advisers in Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets. Moscow has roundly opposed British and French plans to deploy troops in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Any NATO military presence in Ukraine is unacceptable to Russia as well, given that it considers the conflict a proxy war being waged by the US-led bloc.

Numerous serving and former military personnel from NATO member states have died during the Ukraine conflict. Serving British Army Major Paul Wilks was killed in Ukraine in September, London said earlier this year, stating that the intelligence officer died in a road accident.

Other deaths of senior military personnel from NATO countries have officially been attributed to non-combat causes, despite media reports describing them as caused by Russian strikes. One example was Polish Brigadier General Adam Marczak, who was reportedly killed by a Russian supersonic missile strike on a command bunker in Chasov Yar in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic in 2024, which Russian troops liberated the following year. Warsaw insisted that he died of natural causes.

California voters have rejected a proposal to introduce the first wealth tax of its kind in the US, targeting billionaires’ fortunes, according to Decision Desk HQ projections released on Monday.

The measure, known as Proposition 40, proposed a one-time tax of 5% on most assets held by California residents with a net worth exceeding $1 billion. At least 90% of the proceeds would have gone toward state-funded healthcare programs, including expanded Medi-Cal coverage for low-income residents, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

The measure was proposed by the SEIU United Healthcare Workers West union, which hoped to raise around $100 billion over five years to offset cuts in federal funding for healthcare programs. Union President Dave Regan said the group will put the tax back on the ballot in 2028 if the Californian authorities fail to find another way to make up for the finance shortfall.

The proposition was put to a statewide vote on November 3, alongside federal and local elections. According to Decision Desk HQ, nearly 53% of voters opposed the measure, with 84% of ballots counted.

Opponents of the tax reportedly raised roughly ten times more money for their campaign than its supporters. Google co-founder Sergey Brin is said to have donated more than $100 million to a political action committee working to defeat the measure.

In October, those seeking to defeat the proposal launched an extensive television advertising campaign, while supporters, constrained by limited funding, relied primarily on social media and influencers, the New York Times reported earlier this week. The proposal was also opposed by teachers’ and firefighters’ unions, as well as the California chapter of Planned Parenthood.

According to a UC Berkeley-POLITICO poll, critics feared that the one-time levy could eventually become a recurring measure. They also warned that wealthy residents might leave California for states with more favorable tax policies, eroding the state’s tax base.

At least six billionaires announced plans to leave California before January 1, 2026, Fortune reported in March. Larry Page and Peter Thiel moved to Florida, Sergey Brin and Don Hankey to Nevada, Steven Spielberg to New York, and Travis Kalanick to Texas. At a 5% rate, the tax on their combined wealth could reportedly have amounted to around $27 billion.

French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte have filed a new lawsuit against Candace Owens, accusing the American podcaster of profiting off of “outlandish” and “far-fetched fictions” that Brigitte is actually a man.

The 409-page defamation lawsuit was filed in Owens’ home state of Tennessee last week, and picked up by the American media on Monday. In it, the presidential couple accuse Owens of using her podcast “to expand her lies about the Macrons, sell merchandise making fun of the Macrons, and collect donations based on her ‘reporting’ on the Macrons,” including “outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions” surrounding Brigitte Macron’s “gender identity, gender, and sexuality.” 

The suit expands on a case filed by the Macrons against Owens’ company in the state of Delaware last July.

Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron’s relationship has been the subject of gossip and scrutiny for years, largely owing to the fact that Brigitte is 24 years Emmanuel’s senior, and the pair met while Emmanuel was 15 years old and a student of his future wife. 

However, a new set of rumors took hold in 2021, after self-proclaimed ‘spiritual medium’ Amandine Roy interviewed independent journalist Natacha Rey, who claimed that Mrs. Macron was born a man named Jean-Michel Trogneux. The Macrons sued Roy and Rey, who were ordered to pay the first lady €8,000 in 2024.

Owens took up the cause that year, declaring in March 2024: “I would stake my entire professional reputation on the fact that Brigitte Macron is in fact a man.” Owens expanded on these claims in an eight-part investigative series – ‘Becoming Brigitte’ – in 2025. She presented family photographs, alleging that pictures of Brigitte’s brother, Jean-Michel, actually showed Brigitte before a sex-change operation.

“These lies have caused tremendous damage to the Macrons. Defendant has subjected the Macrons to a campaign of global humiliation,” the lawsuit states.

Among the humiliations cited in the lawsuit was Owens’ use of a crude “Brigitte doll” to poke fun at Mrs. Macron during her show. Owens claimed in one episode that the doll, consisting of a blonde wig on an ‘ET’ plushie, had suffered “an LGBTQ hate crime, because, you know, Jean-Michel Trogneaux is gay.”

I’m afraid to say this is accurate. The Macrons have indeed filed a NEW set of claims against me. 88 in total, and this time, they want justice over my Brigitte-Doll. Those of you who are fans of the show know that Brigitte-Doll has never pursued the limelight. For her to be called “grotesque” by the French couple is hurtful, to say to the least. The bleach incident referenced in the filing was a traumatizing incident, which occurred during a polar vortex in Tennessee. Brigitte-Doll will be making no further statements at this time.

— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) November 9, 2026

In a post on X on Monday, Owens ridiculed the lawsuit, announcing that “Brigitte-Doll will be making no further statements at this time.”

A major pipeline carrying millions of barrels of oil from the Gulf region has come under renewed attack, the Saudi Energy Ministry has said, as cited by the Saudi Press Agency. Occurring during intense fighting with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, it puts a vital route for the kingdom’s crude exports at risk.

The East-West route was targeted in the Medina region on Monday, Riyadh said, causing a small fire. No casualties were reported, and operations were unaffected, according to the authorities. On Tuesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree denied responsibility, calling allegations of the group’s involvement a “blatant lie” and saying its forces had instead targeted pumping stations along the same pipeline near Riyadh.

The 1,200 km pipeline runs across the Arabian Peninsula from Saudi Arabia’s oil-producing east to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. The kingdom is the world’s largest crude oil exporter and has relied heavily on the route since the US-Israeli war against Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, severely restricting exports from neighboring Gulf states. Riyadh has rerouted around four million barrels per day through the pipeline, or roughly 4% of global oil supply.

Saudi ARAMCO East/West Pipeline Pressure Breaking Station 12 (PBS-12), Al Torkiyah, Al-Madinah Province, Saudi Arabia. Copernicus & SOAR Sentinel-2 imagery on 09/11. Timelapse from 04/11 to 09/11. Google Earth recent imagery to compare. C: 23°54'17.02"N 39°12'38.71"E https://t.co/hokclpwI5s

— Hexagone Intel (@osinthexagone) November 10, 2026

The route was closed for several days in September following drone strikes blamed by Riyadh on Iraqi militias. The Houthis claimed a strike on a pumping station in October. 

Addressing the latest escalation, Saree said the group had carried out four operations involving ballistic missiles and drones. He described them as retaliation for Saudi strikes on Yemen, including attacks on a market in Taiz and a village near Sanaa.

On Sunday, the Houthi’s claimed an attack on Saudi Aramco’s offices in Riyadh. Debris from intercepted missiles damaged the building in the King Abdullah Financial District. 

On Saturday, airstrikes blamed on the Saudi-led coalition reportedly killed 33 people, including 13 children and eight women, east of Sanaa, according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry. A market attack in Taiz province on Friday killed at least 30, with the Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces blaming each other.

The Saudi-led coalition operating in Yemen said on Tuesday that its air defenses intercepted two Houthi missiles fired towards Riyadh, another towards the south, and a drone over the oil-rich Eastern Province.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that Saudi airstrikes hit a gas station and an oil facility in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. At least one person was killed and nine injured, according to the Houthi Health Ministry.

Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthis resumed in July after a truce dating back to 2022 collapsed. Tensions reignited when Saudi-backed government forces struck Sanaa Airport to prevent an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing. The rebels subsequently declared an end to de-escalation and announced a naval blockade of the kingdom.

The Houthis have since repeatedly attacked Saudi airports and energy facilities. In October, the Saudi-led coalition said 20 strikes on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh over ten days killed at least 17 people and injured more than 300.

The group has also advanced along Yemen’s Red Sea coast towards Bab el-Mandeb, a major shipping route linking the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, adding to pressure on regional maritime trade.

Armenian opposition politician Arsen Gevorgyan has died in custody less than three weeks after being arrested. His party has accused the pro-EU authorities of political persecution and blamed them for the death.

Gevorgyan, 46, headed the opposition Strong Armenia party’s list in the October 25 election in Stepanavan, northern Armenia. He was arrested on vote-buying charges four days before polls opened.

His condition deteriorated at Nubarashen prison on Tuesday morning. Officials at the facility stated that an on-duty medical officer had provided first aid before an ambulance arrived. Gevorgyan was pronounced dead at around 8:30 AM.

Armenian Justice Minister Srbuhi Galyan said the politician had suffered a cardiac arrest but did not disclose the underlying cause or any other details. She also claimed that Gevorgyan had not raised any health concerns during his detention.

Strong Armenia demanded accountability, accusing the authorities of pursuing him on fabricated charges. “The person who orders the baseless smearing and detention of hundreds of people bears responsibility for the death of yet another opposition figure in prison,” the party said.

Opposition figures have also questioned whether Gevorgyan’s medical concerns may have been ignored by prison authorities. Opposition MP Christine Vardanyan argued that medical evidence is often dismissed and defendants mocked when they seek to avoid detention on health grounds.

While state authorities have accused Gevorgyan and other party representatives of distributing money in exchange for votes, his lawyers have rejected the allegations, pointing out that footage released by investigators showed campaign funds being transferred only between party representatives, not as bribes to voters.

His death follows the arrest last week of Strong Armenia founder Samvel Karapetyan, who stands accused of financial crimes linked to his electricity business. The party, Armenia’s largest parliamentary opposition force, favors closer ties with Russia and has accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of targeting political rivals.

Other opposition candidates were arrested in the run-up to June’s parliamentary election. Strong Armenia and other groups have rejected the results of the summer vote as fraudulent.

Moscow has condemned Yerevan for pressuring the opposition. After Karapetyan’s first detention last year, the authorities took over his electricity company, a move Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said looked “more like politically motivated retaliation” against a domestic rival.

The EU has nevertheless continued backing Pashinyan’s government and fuelled its European integration ambitions. It pledged more than €50 million ($56 million) shortly before June’s election while declining to condemn Karapetyan’s prosecution, calling it a domestic matter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed that Armenia has the sovereign right to choose its future, but warned that membership in the EU is incompatible with participation in the Eurasian Economic Union. Moving toward Brussels could disrupt Armenia’s longstanding economic ties with Russia, its largest trading partner and supplier of discounted natural gas, he warned.

British comedian and bestselling children’s author David Walliams has been accused of sexual misconduct involving young women and teenage girls, according to British media.

He was identified on Tuesday as the celebrity who unsuccessfully sought to prevent the publication of sexual misconduct allegations, arguing that the revelations could drive him to suicide. His identity had been protected by a court order while he pursued legal action against two major news organizations.

Walliams, 55, best known for the comedy series Little Britain, his role as a judge on Britain’s Got Talent, and a string of bestselling children’s books, has been accused of using his celebrity status to pursue young women and teenage girls for sex. The allegations, uncovered in a three-year joint investigation by the Guardian and Independent Television News (ITN), include accounts from two women who claim he groomed them after first meeting them when they were 15.

In a personal letter to journalists investigating the allegations, published on Tuesday, Walliams denied wrongdoing while acknowledging that he had sometimes behaved thoughtlessly in past sexual relationships. “I am not a sexual predator. I have not broken the law,” he wrote, adding that he regretted hurting women’s feelings but had never abused his celebrity status.

Walliams had sought a permanent injunction against The Guardian and ITN to prevent publication of the allegations. His lawyers argued that the revelations could have fatal consequences, telling the High Court in London that he had already attempted suicide twice after being confronted with the claims in May.

The court also heard that Walliams had been detained under the Mental Health Act and was receiving inpatient psychiatric treatment. His lawyers said he had no intention of returning to public life.

Justice Matthew Nicklin rejected the injunction on November 3, acknowledging the serious risk to Walliams’ mental health but ruling that preventing publication would constitute an “exceptionally serious interference” with freedom of expression. The judge noted that psychiatric services were already taking measures to protect him and stressed that the court had not determined whether the allegations were true.

Walliams’ anonymity remained in place pending a possible appeal. His lawyers confirmed on Monday that he would not challenge the ruling, allowing the media to identify him.

The scandal has dealt another blow to one of Britain’s most recognizable entertainment figures, whose children’s books have sold more than 60 million copies worldwide.

His publisher, HarperCollins, dropped him in December 2025 following a separate investigation into allegations of inappropriate behavior toward young female employees, which he also denied. Earlier this month, Alton Towers, a major British theme park in Staffordshire, permanently closed its World of David Walliams attraction, which featured rides inspired by his books.

Africa is undergoing a profound geopolitical transformation. The continent is emerging as an influential actor in shaping international political and economic relations. Its geographical location, abundant natural resources, growing population, and increasing representation in international institutions have further enhanced its strategic significance.

African countries are seeking to diversify their international partnerships and preserve their independence in foreign policy decision-making. The expansion of BRICS has opened up new opportunities for African countries to diversify their economic partnerships and reduce external dependencies.

Nevertheless, Africa’s ability to benefit from these developments will depend on its capacity to pursue strategic autonomy, promote regional integration, and transform great-power competition into opportunities.

US policy toward Africa under Trump

Since US President Donald Trump’s return to office, US policy toward Africa has become increasingly transactional, emphasizing immediate economic and strategic interests rather than long-term development partnerships. Securing access to critical minerals, countering Russian and Chinese influence and expanding commercial opportunities have become central priorities.

This approach reflects a broader shift from development-oriented engagement toward economic bargaining and selective security cooperation. Meanwhile, Trump’s tariff policies have generated uncertainty for African exporters and highlighted the vulnerability of economies which are heavily dependent on access to Western markets. Tensions with South Africa have further demonstrated how Washington may employ economic and diplomatic pressure in response to political disagreements.

African responses have been pragmatic rather than uniformly confrontational. While some governments have sought to preserve close economic and security ties with Washington, the majority have accelerated efforts to diversify their international partnerships. These countries have refrained from taking part in the Western sanctions regime against Russia, choosing instead to maintain and strengthen their cooperation with Moscow in pursuit of their national interests and strategic priorities. This reflects a growing African commitment to strategic autonomy and their recognition of Russia as an important partner in advancing their national interests.

The role of Russia and BRICS in countering US pressure

African countries possess growing opportunities to mitigate American economic pressure, particularly through cooperation with Russia and other BRICS members. However, their ability to challenge US economic influence remains constrained by structural dependence on international financial institutions, dollar-denominated transactions, Western investment, and access to major export markets.

Russia offers opportunities for cooperation in food security, fertilizers, energy, nuclear technology, and defense. African partnership with Russia can strengthen Africa’s negotiating position and reduce its vulnerability to unilateral economic restrictions. BRICS could also facilitate greater use of national currencies in bilateral trade, cooperation between payment systems, and expanded development financing through the New Development Bank. Nevertheless, reducing dependence on the dollar requires credible financial infrastructure, adequate liquidity, and stable monetary arrangements.

How the Ukraine and Middle East conflicts affect Africa

The conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have significantly affected African economies, food security, migration patterns, and regional stability. The Ukraine crisis has disrupted international grain and fertilizer markets, particularly affecting African countries which are dependent on wheat imports. Although global food prices have fluctuated since the initial shock of 2022, continuing uncertainty surrounding Black Sea trade, transportation costs and agricultural supplies remain a source of vulnerability.

The Middle Eastern conflicts have created additional challenges, particularly through instability in the Red Sea and threats to international maritime trade. Disruptions to shipping routes have increased transportation and insurance costs, adversely affecting African importers and exporters. Egypt has been particularly affected by the diversion of maritime traffic away from the Suez Canal, while countries in the Horn of Africa face additional security and economic risks.

Egypt can play a constructive diplomatic role in efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict, given its established relations with Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and European countries, alongside its influential position within Africa and the Middle East.

Egypt participated in the African Peace Initiative launched in June 2023, when an African delegation visited Kiev and St. Petersburg to discuss possibilities for ending the war. The initiative emphasized dialogue, de-escalation, humanitarian considerations, and the global consequences of the conflict, particularly for food security. More broadly, Egypt’s participation demonstrates Africa’s growing determination to contribute to international conflict resolution.

Changing landscape of partnerships

Africa has become an increasingly important arena for international competition, accompanied by a gradual decline in traditional Western influence and the expansion of partnerships with emerging powers. Russia has strengthened its political and strategic presence, particularly in the Sahel, while expanding cooperation in energy, agriculture, and defense. China remains a leading economic partner, focusing on infrastructure, critical minerals, industrial development, and technology. Meanwhile, the United States has increasingly prioritized commercial diplomacy, access to strategic resources, and countering Chinese and Russian influence. France has experienced a significant decline in its traditional military presence, particularly in West Africa, prompting a reassessment of its engagement with the continent.

Regarding regional powers, Türkiye has expanded its influence through defense cooperation, infrastructure projects, and diplomatic initiatives, while the UAE and Saudi Arabia have increased their investments in ports, logistics, energy, and agriculture. India has also strengthened cooperation in pharmaceuticals, technology, and industrial development. These developments have provided African countries with greater opportunities to diversify their international partnerships, strengthen their bargaining power, and pursue more independent foreign policies.

The expansion of African representation in BRICS, with Egypt, Ethiopia, and South Africa as full members and Nigeria and Uganda as partner countries, strengthens Africa’s voice in global governance and creates opportunities for greater cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure, and development financing. It also enhances Africa’s ability to advocate reforms of international financial institutions and a more balanced global economic order.

Ultimately, Africa’s future influence will depend less on the number of external powers competing for its resources than on its ability to transform that competition into sustainable development, stronger institutions, greater economic sovereignty, and a more balanced international order.

The French government has accused Iran of hacking refrigerators in hundreds of supermarkets, claiming that the “cyber campaign” was the work of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The attack, which took place in October, affected fridges and freezers at nearly 700 distribution sites across France. Hackers reportedly targeted the fridges’ internet-connected control units and forced them to overheat, destroying tons of food and forcing several stores to temporarily close. A wave of similar attacks took place in Belgium, Ireland, Sweden, and at least six other EU countries three weeks later.

“This was a cyber campaign of unprecedented scale and aggression,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday. “Today, thanks to the work of government agencies, we know who is responsible: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

Iran’s ambassador has been summoned, Barrot said, adding that France will “sanction those responsible and take all measures we deem necessary and proportionate to respond.”

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said that investigators discovered the hackers used Farsi and IP addresses linked to Iran, and that three IRGC members are suspected of carrying out the operation “to serve the interests of a foreign power – in this case, Iran.” 

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected the allegations, accusing Paris of shifting blame for its own failures. “Unable to manage fridges let alone addressing grievances of its people, French government is shifting blame for its failures onto others,” he wrote on X on Tuesday.

“Yes, Iran is powerful. But unlike France, we do not exercise power via support for massacres in Gaza or bombings of schools and hospitals,” Araghchi added.

Although Beccuau’s accusation is stronger than that of British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who stated “we can confirm our belief that we believe Iran” was behind a bungled “terror plot” at an RAF airbase in September, it is still not entirely watertight. WikiLeaks’ 2017 ‘Vault 7’ disclosures confirmed that the CIA had developed sophisticated hacking tools capable of leaving behind false digital ‘fingerprints’ in foreign languages, including Russian, Chinese, and Farsi, to implicate other countries in cyberattacks.

The accusations mark a dramatic turnaround from the climate of mid-October. Then, despite it taking place at a time of daily riots and anti-government demonstrations, almost every commentator speaking to European media outlets accused Russia of committing the attack. “We strongly believe this activity could be attributed to a Russian state-sponsored threat actor,” cybersecurity executive Xavier Bellekens told Politico last week, in an article that portrayed the hack as something straight from the pages of “the Kremlin’s hybrid playbook.”

“When we pull on the thread it does look like it could well be Russia. So, that is basically where we’re at,” Bellekens told Euronews – which, like Politico, is funded by the EU – two days later. Russia is “looking into where the weaknesses in the systems lie,” former Dutch intelligence officer Tim Bosch told NU.nl. “Right now it concerns refrigeration, but next time it might be a hospital.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the claims as “baseless,” “absurd,” and “backed up by no reasoning.”

Neither Iran’s Foreign Ministry nor the IRGC has commented on Tuesday’s accusation. However, Iran’s state Mehr News agency has dismissed it as “baseless and unsupported by evidence.” 

Former German football star and 2014 World Cup winner Mesut Ozil has been added to a Ukrainian “kill list” after accusing FIFA and UEFA of double standards over their treatment of Russia and Israel, media have reported.

The notorious Mirotvorets website, which maintains the list, publishes personal information on people it considers “enemies” of Ukraine. The database, which claims to be a private research project but enjoys tacit backing from Kiev, has published data on over 180,000 people and marks the profiles of deceased individuals with a “liquidated” stamp.

Ozil came under fire after publicly criticizing FIFA and UEFA for suspending Russian teams from international competitions while allowing Israeli teams to continue participating. The website has accused him of supporting Russia’s military operation in Ukraine.

Ozil made the remarks during a veterans’ football match in Istanbul between his former Turkish club Istanbul Basaksehir and Russia’s Zenit St. Petersburg.

“Football has always brought people together,” Ozil said, arguing that sporting organizations should not discriminate on the basis of nationality or religion.

“As you know, FIFA has not imposed any sanctions on Israeli teams, but it has done so against Russian teams,” he said, urging football authorities to abandon double standards and treat all countries equally.

Russian national teams and clubs have been barred from FIFA and UEFA competitions since February 2022, following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. Israeli teams, meanwhile, have continued to participate in international tournaments despite growing calls for their suspension over Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Ozil, 38, retired from professional football in 2023 after a career that included spells at Real Madrid, Arsenal, Fenerbahce and several German clubs. He made 92 appearances for Germany, scoring 23 goals, and helped the national team win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Launched in August 2014 following the Western-backed change of government in Kiev, Mirotvorets claims to identify individuals it considers threats to Ukraine’s national security. Its database includes Western journalists who reported from Donbass and Crimea and Ukrainian writer Oles Buzina, who was murdered in 2015 after his personal details appeared on the website. His killing remains unsolved.

The list has also included prominent foreign politicians and athletes. In August, former Soviet and Russian footballer Akhrik Tsveiba, who won the 1990 Soviet championship with Dynamo Kiev, was added to the database.

More recently, Polish MEP Ewa Zajaczkowska-Hernik and Poland’s presidential chief of staff were reportedly added after criticizing Kiev’s commemoration of Ukrainian nationalist figures who collaborated with Nazi Germany.

The website has repeatedly faced international criticism for publishing personal information without consent. In 2016, the OSCE warned that the disclosure of journalists’ details could endanger their safety, while human rights organizations raised concerns about threats against those named on the platform.

“RT en français is here today as part of a technical partnership aimed at training many of our young men and women in the media sector to build their professional capacity. Having RT en français as a strategic partner of this forum, along with its massive presence here today, reinforces our conviction that alliances must not be limited to governments and political leaders,” said Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop in an interview with RT en français on the sidelines of SAM Mali.

As part of the forum, RT en français correspondent Daria Vaganova moderated a discussion on the future of African media, information sovereignty, and pluralism.

Within the framework of the training program by RT Academy, RT’s international educational initiative, Vaganova taught a class on reporting and conducting high-profile interviews. Additionally, Lilia Zaripova, head of protocol for RT’s editor-in-chief, and senior producer Anton Shmakov discussed international techniques and the challenges of organizing shoots in Africa.

In total, educational events hosted by RT Academy were held across several venues in the capital, Bamako, including a one-day intensive session at the Russian House cultural center. Participants learned how journalists can expand their reach on social media and explored the relationship between journalism and online content.

The educational program, which took place in Mali from November 5 to 8, was inaugurated by Lebedeva and Tatyana Lyutova, producer of RT Academy. More than 300 individuals participated.

RT Academy, launched in 2024, provides free online courses, in-person workshops, and in-house training for both aspiring and professional journalists. To date, over 10,000 students and professionals from more than 80 countries have completed online and offline RT Academy programs, many of whom have gone on to work for RT.

Russia will continue supplying food and fertilizers to African countries, including through humanitarian deliveries coordinated by the UN, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said. 

In an article titled ‘The Impact of Global Economy on International Security’, published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website on Tuesday, Lavrov said Moscow would maintain its food assistance programs alongside regular exports. Russia currently supplies agricultural products and fertilizers to 160 countries and is fulfilling its existing commitments, according to the minister. 

“We will continue to meet our partners’ needs, paying particular attention to the African continent, including through the provision of food aid free of charge under the World Food Program,” Lavrov said. He linked the commitment to agreements reached at the third Russia-Africa Summit and Economic and Humanitarian Forum in Moscow held on October 28-29.

The summit brought together delegations from 48 African countries. The talks covered trade, economic development, technology, and security cooperation. 

Moscow exported 13 million metric tons of agricultural products to Africa in the first nine months of 2026, President Vladimir Putin said at the summit. More than 40 African countries received Russian grain and fertilizers during that period, according to the president.

In August, Moscow delivered 770 metric tons of yellow split peas to Mali through the UN World Food Program. Russia also sent emergency humanitarian supplies to Madagascar and Mozambique in 2026, while Ethiopia received more than 1,600 metric tons of grain in 2025. 

In April 2026, Russia donated 20,000 metric tons of mineral fertilizers to Niger to support the country’s agricultural sector. Russian fertilizer producer Uralchem also reported in October that it had donated around 135,000 metric tons of fertilizers to African countries between 2022 and 2024, covering transportation costs. 

The deliveries are part of a broader food assistance program launched after the second Russia-Africa Summit in St. Petersburg in July 2023, when President Vladimir Putin pledged to provide free grain to six African countries. By February 2024, Russia had completed the delivery of 200,000 metric tons of free grain to six African nations. Somalia and the Central African Republic received 50,000 tons each, while Burkina Faso, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Eritrea received 25,000 tons each.

US Congressman Jonathan Jackson has called on the administration of President Donald Trump to reverse its decision to remove South Africa from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), describing the move as a major setback for US-Africa relations and warning that it could hurt businesses and workers in both countries.

Trump has notified Congress of his intention to terminate South Africa’s beneficiary status under AGOA with effect from January 1, 2027. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer noted the decision followed an annual review of sub-Saharan African countries’ eligibility for the program.

Greer said Trump had determined that South Africa and Rwanda were engaging in practices inconsistent with AGOA’s eligibility requirements, including barriers to US trade and investment, as well as practices considered threats to US national security and foreign policy interests.

In a statement, Jackson expressed opposition to the Trump administration’s decision, warning that removing South Africa from AGOA threatened decades of economic cooperation, undermined US engagement with Africa and put American strategic interests at risk.

”President Trump’s decision to remove South Africa from AGOA is a deeply troubling step backward in America’s relationship with the African continent,” Jackson said. ”Rather than strengthening our economic partnerships and advancing shared prosperity, this administration is choosing a path that risks alienating one of Africa’s most important economic partners,” he added.

“It also creates opportunities for other global powers, particularly China, to expand their economic influence across the continent at America’s expense,” Jackson stressed, calling on the Trump administration to reconsider its position and engage with Pretoria to find a diplomatic resolution.

He also urged Congress to exercise its oversight responsibilities to ensure that decisions affecting trade relationships and strategic partnerships with African countries were transparent, lawful and aligned with America’s long-term interests.

Meanwhile, South African Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau previously said the US decision did not define the broader relationship between the two countries, but warned that finding a solution would depend on both parties’ willingness to engage.

He said the government would support affected sectors, protect South Africa’s national interests and continue pursuing trade, investment and shared economic opportunities with the US.

”South Africa remains committed to a balanced and mutually beneficial partnership with the US that enables preferential trade, supports beneficiation of critical minerals at source and promotes investment,” Tau said.

First published by IOL

Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed the detention of his younger brother is part of a campaign by the government of Peter Magyar to eliminate political opposition in the country.

Aron Orban and three other people were arrested on Monday in a human trafficking case. The 49-year-old businessman, who owns the firearms company Multi Shot, was photographed arriving at a detention center in Budapest on the same day.

In September, reports emerged that the former prime minister’s sibling was part of a separate investigation into alleged falsification of paperwork to help Vietnamese workers enter Hungary.

In a post on X later on Monday, Viktor Orban, who left office after 16 years in power this May, accused Magyar’s government of going on a “witch hunt.”

“I am the real target. My younger brother is simply being used to get to me,” he insisted.

According to the former prime minister, the aim of the “dirty political game” played by the authorities is “to eliminate opponents and establish a one-party state.”

Orban also suggested that his brother’s detention was an attempt “to divert attention” from the scandal that erupted after Magyar’s government released the records from Hungary’s communist-era secret police last week.

Critics warned that the move could lead to public shaming, reputational damage, and painful family revelations. The historians stressed that the files, containing 50,000 to 60,000 names, were incomplete and unreliable, adding that being mentioned in them doesn’t necessarily serve as proof of collaboration with the agency.

After the pro-EU Tisza party’s election win, Magyar promised accountability for Orban-era politicians over alleged corruption and abuse of power.

Orban’s Fidesz party hosts “a list of political prisoners” on its website, which includes the names of its members who have been arrested since the change of leadership. On Tuesday, Aron Orban’s name became the sixth to be added to the list.

Magyar’s cabinet has been actively dismantling the legal, media, and financial structures set up by the previous government. It also changed the constitution to impose a 12-year term limit on MPs, effectively banning Orban from running for office again. Fidesz has repeatedly labeled the conduct by its Tisza rivals as “authoritarian.”

New Delhi sunk deeper into the infamy of being the world’s most polluted capital as air quality plunged across northern India ahead of the Diwali festivities.

The widespread bursting of crackers on Diwali, India’s festival of lights, usually just makes a bad situation worse. A host of factors are responsible for the Indian capital’s notoriously poor air quality, including vehicle and industrial emissions along with geographical, climatic, and demographical conditions.

This year though, the blame for the deteriorating air quality could not be pinned entirely on the Diwali fireworks. The Delhi administration had introduced curbs on fireworks two days prior to the festival, as the average air quality index (AQI) in the city plunged to the very poor category, recording 382 on Friday.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India’s top organization for environmental regulation, attributed the poor air quality to poor dispersion of pollutants on account of unfavorable meteorological conditions.

The CPCB has six categories to grade air pollution, with an AQI of 0-50 rated as ‘good’, 51-100 as ‘satisfactory’, and 101-200 as ‘moderately polluted’. Delhi now falls in the ‘very poor’ category (301–400), ahead of ‘poor’ (201-300) and just behind the ‘severe’ (401-500) category. 

Delhi’s air has been ‘very poor’ for the last seven days.

The Indian Meteorological Department has forecast that the AQI in Delhi would further slide into the ‘severe’ category in the days ahead. 

Experts warn that Delhi’s air pollution is a serious health threat as winter conditions trap toxic smog over the city. Doctors say that prolonged exposure to these high pollution levels poses serious respiratory and cardiovascular risks.

While the pollution in Delhi makes global headlines, ninety-nine of the world’s most polluted 100 cities are from India. Amritsar, Jalandhar, Bathinda, Sirsa, and Bhiwani had the worst air quality globally as per AQI live data at 4 PM local time on Monday.

Lahore, in neighboring Pakistan, is the only non-Indian city on this list of shame, per AQI.IN, a real-time air quality monitoring and data analytics platform. The Pakistani government on Tuesday blamed Lahore’s poor air quality on smoke drifting in from India.

Most of Delhi’s pollution comes from outside

The air pollution in New Delhi, a landlocked city, and the National Capital Region (NCR) comes from a combination of local emissions and pollutants that drift toward the city from the surrounding regions.

In winter, the lower wind speeds prevent the dispersion of pollutants, leading to frequent smog and severe pollution episodes, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) noted in January. The cold air also traps the pollution closer to the ground surface.

The Indian capital is part of the Indo-Gangetic Plain, which accounts for only 18% of the country’s land, but houses 40% of its 1.4 billion people. The high population density also makes the region a pollution hotspot, accounting for 35% of India’s emissions – a huge chunk of which blankets Delhi in winter.

One factor often blamed for Delhi’s brutal smog is “farm fires.” This refers to the burning of stubbles left on the fields after harvest in the neighboring states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.

The smoke from these fires, along with the burning of local biomass and municipal solid waste for heating, aggravates the issue. 

Only a third of PM2.5 – a key indicator of air quality, consisting of microscopic dust, soot, and smoke particles that are 2.5 micrometers or smaller – in the air in the Indian capital is generated locally. The rest is from the adjacent NCR districts and regions outside it.  

Construction and demolition in the massive infrastructure projects and industrial activities also add significantly to this pollution.

Vehicles account for around a fifth of Delhi’s pollution load – with a 23% contribution in winter and 19% in summer. As of March, Delhi has 8.76 million vehicles, with two-wheelers, cars, and jeeps forming 92% of registered automobiles.

The pollution, which has become a yearly worry, has forced the government to implement steps like tiered emergency responses, which include work-from-home mandates and restricting the entry of trucks and older vehicles that spew more emissions.

The city is also implementing a slew of longer-term steps that include phasing out older vehicles, increasing availability of cleaner fuels for both vehicles and cooking, and closing coal-fueled power plants in the region.

On Monday, India’s Supreme Court called for an “urgent and immediate intervention” to check vehicular pollution in Delhi-NCR, identifying it as a growing contributor to the slump in air quality.

The government’s response so far is “knee-jerk” and “temporary,” a public health expert at the Global Climate and Health Alliance, Shweta Narayan, was quoted in media reports as saying. “A lot of interventions happen only because the government is pressured or pushed in a corner to do something,” she said.

New Delhi is also the only major capital city among the fastest-growing major economies that grapples with deteriorating air quality. Beijing, for example, had an AQI of 775 in 2013, during what was called the Airpocalypse crisis. Through a series of strict measures and accountability, the Chinese capital has now achieved a dramatic reduction in this number. AQI in Beijing is now between 68 and 132. 

The answer to Delhi’s pollution problem would lie in tackling all of these issues by laying out stricter standards and enforcing them.

One place the help will come from is India’s green push. The International Energy Agency projects India to be the largest clean energy producer after China through 2031. 

India’s clean energy capacity reached about 308 gigawatts (GW) by September, or about 55% of its total installed electricity capacity, five years ahead of schedule. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has said the drive acted as a shock absorber, limiting the fallout from supply disruptions linked to the Middle East conflict.

Its not-so-obvious benefit will be in giving millions of Indians clean air to breathe.

A US court has issued a summons to India’s national security adviser and former foreign intelligence chief in a civil lawsuit claiming damages for an alleged assassination attempt on a Sikh separatist leader.

The summonses were issued to Ajit Doval and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel in a suit filed by Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) member Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

New Delhi considers SFJ, which advocates the secession of the western Indian state of Punjab, a terrorist group. India has dismissed Pannun’s civil lawsuit as “unwarranted and unsubstantiated.”

The US State Department reportedly served the summonses through the Indian Embassy in Washington.

“Requests for serving of judicial documents in India can only be routed through India’s designated central authority, that is, the Ministry of Law and Justice,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said, rejecting the “frivolous” lawsuits.

The case stems from an admission that an Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, made to a US court in February to paying $15,000 to a person he believed was a hitman to kill Pannun.

Gupta was arrested in June 2023 in the Czech Republic and later extradited to the US. He pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges, all of which carry a combined maximum prison sentence of 40 years.

The US Drug Enforcement Agency has alleged a link between Gupta and Vikas Yadav, a former Indian official, in the Pannun murder plot.

US prosecutors claim that Gupta was directed by an Indian government official to plot the murder of Pannun, who regularly makes violent threats against India on social media. India has denied any role in the alleged plot but has formed a committee to examine the issues raised by the US government in the case. 

Pannun’s SFJ is among several Khalistan outfits banned by the Indian government that primarily operate outside India in countries with significant Sikh diasporas.

A military court in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has sentenced 66 soldiers to death for cowardice, military revolt and refusing orders in the country’s conflict-hit east, local media have reported.

The Goma Garrison Military Court handed down the sentences late Friday after a 12-day trial in Walikale, North Kivu province, according to Congolese news outlet Actualite.cd and state news agency ACP. One sergeant was sentenced to ten years in prison, while four soldiers were acquitted.

The soldiers belonged to the 3415th Regiment of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and were arrested on October 20 in Ngora over alleged offenses committed in Ntoto, the 34th Military Region said in a statement cited by ACP. The arrests were linked to fighting in the east of the country near its borders with Uganda and Rwanda.

Actualite.cd reported that the troops were accused of abandoning frontline positions in the Humura area while fighting the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a rebel coalition led by former DR Congo President Joseph Kabila. The outlet said some defendants also faced charges including murder and wasting military ammunition.

Kabila, who governed DR Congo from 2001 to 2019, launched the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN) in rebel-held Goma on October 12 alongside leaders of the AFC/M23 insurgency. The FRN replaced the Congo River Alliance (AFC), with AFC leader Corneille Nangaa and M23 political chief Bertrand Bisimwa named vice presidents and M23 commander Sultani Makenga put in charge of its armed forces.

Kabila was sentenced to death in absentia in September 2025 for treason, war crimes and crimes against humanity over his alleged support for M23. He denied the charges and called the proceedings politically motivated.

The latest ruling follows other mass death sentences against Congolese troops accused of battlefield offenses. Last month, a military court in South Kivu sentenced 27 soldiers to death for cowardice after they fled fighting against AFC/M23 and allied forces.

DR Congo lifted a two-decade moratorium on executions in March 2024, with the government citing the need to remove “traitors” from the army and combat serious security threats. No official executions have been reported since the decision.

At least 507 Congolese soldiers have been convicted in military trials since the start of 2025, including 381 sentenced to death, according to figures compiled by French broadcaster RFI.

Fighting has intensified in the mineral-rich east, where government forces have been battling the rebel coalition and dozens of other armed groups for control of territory. M23 seized Goma and Bukavu in early 2025 and the group continues to hold significant areas of North and South Kivu.

The Spanish Ministry of Youth and Children has asked prosecutors to investigate the TikTok social media platform after thousands of videos allegedly depicting child sexual abuse and interactions involving suspected pedophiles were uncovered on the platform, El Pais reported on Monday.

TikTok’s parent company ByteDance, along with other social media giants, has faced mounting regulatory pressure and lawsuits worldwide brought by governments, advocacy groups and individuals. The companies have been accused of mishandling users’ personal data, failing to protect children from sexual exploitation and harmful content, and using engagement-driven features that encourage excessive screen time, potentially contributing to addiction, depression and anxiety. The allegations target platforms including Facebook and Instagram, Google’s YouTube, Snap’s Snapchat, and TikTok.

According to El Pais, Minister for Youth and Children Sira Rego announced the government was considering suspending the TikTok’s operations in Spain over the reported abuse. She warned that if it failed to take urgent action, the government would push for a complete ban on the app.

The move follows an investigation by Spanish nonprofit Maldita.es, which found that TikTok had allowed child sexual abuse material to circulate with little oversight. Researchers identified 1,182 public posts containing such material, which received a total of 48 million views. The monitoring period ran for 35 days, from September 11 to October 15. According to the organization, TikTok’s search and recommendation features helped users find the content.

EU regulators have repeatedly raised concerns about the app’s impact on minors. Earlier this month, the European Commission said the platform’s recommendation algorithm could lead users into harmful content “rabbit holes.” In July, it flagged risks from minors’ public accounts and the recommendation of their videos to strangers. In February, the Commission issued preliminary findings that features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and push notifications breached the Digital Services Act by encouraging compulsive use.

The scrutiny has also led to legal action in several EU countries. In France, 16 families filed a complaint against TikTok earlier this year, accusing it of exploiting minors’ vulnerability by recommending content related to suicide and self-harm. In Ireland, the media regulator opened a formal investigation into TikTok and LinkedIn last December over concerns that their systems for reporting illegal content, including child sexual abuse material, were difficult to use and could discourage complaints. In Italy last year, the Italian Parents Movement and a group of families filed a lawsuit against TikTok and Meta seeking stricter age checks and changes to algorithms they say encourage excessive use.

The Commission has also pursued Meta, Snapchat, and YouTube over similar concerns. In April, it released preliminary findings that Facebook’s parent company had failed to adequately prevent children under 13 from accessing its platforms. In July, it raised separate concerns over the platforms’ addictive design, including infinite scrolling and personalized recommendations. Earlier this year, it opened a formal investigation into Snapchat over potential grooming, inadequate age verification and other risks to minors.

Meta, Google, ByteDance and Snap have also faced thousands of lawsuits in the US brought by states, school districts, and individuals claiming their platforms abused children and harmed their mental health.