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.

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 two people were killed and 17 others injured when a three-story building collapsed into an adjacent construction site in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday, according to city fire officials. Four of the injured remain in critical condition.

Rescue crews continued to search the rubble on Thursday amid concerns that additional victims could remain trapped. Officials said the operation could take several days due to unstable conditions and the risk of a secondary collapse.

According to WNBC, the collapse occurred around 4 PM near the intersection of Bedford and Flatbush avenues in Brooklyn.

The three-story building, which housed a ground-floor store and apartments above, collapsed into an adjacent construction site where a one-story building was demolished. A nine-story residential and commercial development, comprising 64 apartments, a grocery store, and a medical center, was planned for the site.

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 are working at the scene. “This will be a prolonged operation,” New York City Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said. “Members have been working methodically and haven’t stopped since they arrived this afternoon.”

“My heart is with the families and loved ones mourning those we have lost. I am also wishing a full and speedy recovery to everyone who was injured,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on X.

CNN, citing city records, reported that a demolition contractor working at the adjacent construction site was fined $10,000 for continuing work despite a stop-work order. The violation was resolved in October. The authorities have not established whether the construction contributed to the collapse.

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.

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.

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

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.

Over four million workers and protesters brought Spain to a standstill on Wednesday with a general strike against the country's catastrophic and brutal housing crisis, according to Reuters. Demonstrations of over 100,000 people in several cities cited soaring rents and demanded stronger tenant protections, according to organizers.

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

The rallies took place less than three weeks before Spain’s snap parliamentary election, scheduled for November 29. 

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the early vote after parliament rejected two housing reform decrees on October 2. The measures, which included rent caps, stronger protections against evictions, and restrictions on property speculation, were defeated by the conservative People’s Party, the right-wing Vox party, and the Catalan separatist party, Junts.

In the capital, protesters chanted “This is class struggle” and “Madrid will be the graveyard of landlordism.” Organizers estimated turnout at 600,000 to 750,000; the authorities put the figure at more than 120,000.

Histórica manifestación en la huelga por la vivienda digna en Madrid con más de 120.000 manifestantes. (Vídeo de @JavierAlonsoH). https://t.co/cpca8bsJfJ

— Fonsi Loaiza (@FonsiLoaiza) November 11, 2026

Organizers said 400,000 people marched in Barcelona. Police put attendance at 55,000, which the Tenants’ Union called a significant underestimate.

The march, organized by the Tenants’ Union and the Confederation of Housing Unions of Catalonia, saw protesters chant “Landlords, wake up, your party is over!”

🟠 AVUI SOM 400.000 PERSONES ALS CARRERS DE BARCELONA AMB UN CLAM UNÀNIME: VOLEM VIURE, NO SOBREVIURE. https://t.co/VeSz9LGopR

— Sindicat de Llogateres i Llogaters (@SindicatLloguer) November 11, 2026

According to El Pais, after the demonstration ended in Barcelona, groups of masked rioters erected makeshift barricades and targeted shops, smashing windows and setting garbage containers on fire.

🔴 Els Mossos d’Esquadra i la Guàrdia Urbana han desplegat nombroses unitats d’antiavalots al centre de Barcelona. El dispositiu també compta amb un gran nombre de policies de paisà. El total de detinguts després de la manifestació ascendeix a set. ▶️ https://t.co/lfjI5qH5yI https://t.co/5xk6iJOdno

— Directa (@La_Directa) November 11, 2026

A Lego store was among the businesses vandalized. Other establishments were looted.

Han roto el escaparate de la tienda de Lego de paseo de Gràcia de Barcelona, en el interior algunas cajas por el suelo. Los manifestantes se lo miran la mayoría desde fuera. Algunos tapan el acceso #11N https://t.co/f6yVw3TgPj https://t.co/ZfqwUTDbfX

— Rebeca Carranco (@RebecaCarranco) November 11, 2026

Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni reported around 50 arrests following the unrest; at least 75 people were detained nationwide during the general strike.

The protest was part of a nationwide general strike that disrupted transport and commerce across Spain. Demonstrators blocked roads in Madrid, Valencia, and other cities, and pickets forced some businesses to close. Rail services were disrupted, with 24% of high-speed AVE trains and 10% of Cercanias commuter services canceled, along with more than 330 flights.

Europe has seen a wave of unrest in recent weeks, with protests over rising living costs and the quality of public services in France and Germany erupting into clashes with police, vandalism, and looting.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.”

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.

“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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.”

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. 

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.

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.

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 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.”

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.”

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.

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.

“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.

“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.

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.

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.

***

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

“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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

European governments remain outside negotiations that could shape the continent’s security, as Russia, Ukraine, and the US began talks in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday despite repeated European demands for a seat at the table.

As the discussions kicked off, no representatives from Western Europe could be seen at the main negotiating table. EU and UK envoys did, however, meet with the US delegation and the Ukrainian team shortly before the main talks.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot previously claimed that Europeans would be “well represented” in Abu Dhabi, while German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul insisted that “Europe belongs at that table,” arguing that “there can be no solution without Europe, only with Europe.”

Those demands, however, follow years of European governments repeatedly shunning direct contact with Moscow while continuing to supply Kiev with weapons and money. Attempts to reopen dialogue have only exposed divisions, with Finland and Norway’s leaders recently coming under fire for daring to break rank and unilaterally contact Vladimir Putin.

Moscow has stressed that European leaders have lost all credibility after repeatedly failing to uphold previous peace agreements while continuing to supply Kiev with more arms and funds that only serve to prolong the conflict.

Russia has also consistently rejected continued European demands for an unconditional ceasefire, arguing that it would only temporarily freeze the conflict and allow Kiev to rest and rearm with even more Western weapons.

Watch RT Europe correspondent Chay Bowes’s full report below.

US President Donald Trump has said that the FBI has launched a probe into Jensen Huang’s affair with a woman accused of working for Chinese intelligence, but stressed that he believes in the Nvidia chief’s innocence. Beijing has vigorously denied the spying claims.

On Monday, Nvidia, a US company which dominates the market for chips used to power AI, said that it started its own investigation into allegations that its founder and CEO was targeted in a Chinese intelligence ‘honeypot’ operation. Earlier in the day, Huang admitted to cheating on his wife, but didn’t name the woman he had been dating.

The New York Times and Financial Times reported previously that the 63-year-old tech entrepreneur had developed a romantic relationship with Alice Huang, also known as Huang Le, a Chinese executive formerly associated with the Singapore-based technology company Megaspeed International, who had allegedly been gathering data on Nvidia for China’s Ministry of State Security.

“I just hope there’s no problem. If there is a problem, we’ll let you know about it. But I hope there’s no problem,” he added.

The US president said that he had already discussed the situation with the Nvidia CEO, whom he described as “an amazing guy” and “a high-quality person.”

“He said: ‘I had no idea that she was a spy,’ and I really believe him,” he stressed.

Trump noted that he believes that Huang is “suffering greatly” due to the whole ordeal after reading the tech entrepreneur’s statement, in which he said that he was “deeply sorry” for hurting his wife and children.

Huang is seen as one of Trump’s closest allies in Silicon Valley as the president insists on the US winning the AI race against China. The Nvidia CEO accompanied Trump on a state visit to Beijing in May and was awarded the National Medal of Science last month.

“Well, I’ve been hearing about it, and I’ve been reading a little bit about it over a period of time. But, not too long ago,” he said.

The US president was also asked if he’ll raise the issue with Chinese President ‌Xi Jinping at an APEC leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next week. “No, I don’t think so. Maybe, I’m sure, President Xi will ask me about it,” he replied.

On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun denied claims of Beijing collecting intelligence on Nvidia. “The so-called Chinese spy narrative is purely a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear,” he insisted.

Nvidia lost nearly $200 billion of market value after Huang acknowledged the affair and the company launched a probe against him.

Russia is set to build a massive mining and metals hub worth more than 667 billion rubles ($8 bn) in its Far East, the government has announced.

The project will boost domestic steelmaking and target major Asian markets, including China and India.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has signed a decree expanding the Khabarovsk Territory of Advanced Development (TOR) to make way for the industrial complex, the government announced on Sunday. The project will be built around the Milkanskoye iron ore deposit in the remote Tuguro-Chumikansky district.

The expansion will give the company behind the project, LLC Milkan, access to tax breaks, streamlined administrative procedures and a free customs zone, reducing the costs of developing the massive industrial complex. The special economic regime is designed to attract private investment and accelerate industrial development in Russia’s eastern regions.

The development will include around 180 km of new railway, automated conveyor systems and a seaport terminal to ship finished products to domestic and overseas markets.

China, India, and Indonesia are among the planned export destinations. The project is also included in a portfolio of joint investment initiatives overseen by the Russian-Chinese Intergovernmental Commission on Investment Cooperation.

The hub is expected to create around 3,200 permanent jobs, with more than 5,000 workers needed during construction. Khabarovsk Governor Dmitry Demeshin said LLC Milkan will finance the necessary infrastructure without government funding.

The Khabarovsk TOR already has around 130 resident companies with more than 474 billion rubles in pledged investment. Of that amount, 414 billion rubles has been invested, while businesses operating under the scheme have created more than 16,600 jobs, according to the regional authorities.

Moscow has been expanding special economic development zones across the Far East to draw private capital, build transport infrastructure and strengthen trade with Asian economies. The region’s proximity to China and access to Pacific shipping routes have made it a key focus of Russia’s efforts to deepen economic ties with Asia.

Russian Baltic Fleet training ship the Perekop has conducted joint naval maneuvers with Nigerian forces before arriving in Benin as part of its ongoing voyage around Africa, the Russian military has reported.

The exercises took place after the vessel completed a visit to Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, according to the Baltic Fleet press service, as cited by TASS on Monday. The two-day drills involved the Nigerian Navy patrol vessel Deep Blue Abuja and an AW-139 helicopter.

The crews practiced coordinated ship movements and navigation safety procedures, exchanging experience in managing maritime operations, the Russian military said. The training focused on maintaining safe distances between vessels and coordinating their movements at sea.

Following the exercises, the Perekop sailed to Cotonou, Benin’s largest city. Cultural, sporting, and official events are planned during the ship’s stay, according to TASS.

“Discussions focused on naval training, professional development and possible joint training activities, with emphasis on practical learning and the exchange of maritime experiences between personnel of both navies,” the Nigerian Navy said.

The Perekop is undertaking a long-distance training voyage that has included several African ports. Earlier in November, the ship visited Douala in Cameroon. In October, the vessel docked at Walvis Bay in Namibia after visiting Mozambique, Tanzania, and Seychelles. During the voyage, cadets from the Baltic Naval Institute have practiced navigation, ship handling, and damage control, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The training mission is scheduled to conclude on December 9, 2026, after visiting 20 ports, including 12 outside Russia.

Gunmen have killed a local security volunteer and at least ten members of his family in Nigeria’s northwestern Zamfara State, set their home ablaze, and abducted 13 other people, police have said.

The attackers raided Gidan Taba village in Maradun district over the weekend, targeting the volunteer after he repeatedly helped security forces repel armed groups from the community, Zamfara police spokesperson Yazid Abubakar said on Monday.

“They considered him an obstacle to their activities,” Abubakar said. Security forces have since been deployed to the area and are working to secure the release of the 13 abductees, he added.

Local reports initially put the death toll at 12 members of the same family, including women and children. A resident told Nigerian newspaper PUNCH that the victims had taken refuge in a room to avoid abduction before the attackers set it on fire.

Maradun council chairman Sanusi Ahmad Dosara also said in a Facebook post on Sunday that 12 people were killed in the “horrific” Gidan Taba attack. He said he had attended the funeral of the victims. In a separate post the on Monday, Dosara said he met the commander of the Nigerian Army’s 1 Brigade in Zamfara over worsening attacks that he said were causing loss of life and property in Maradun, and called for stronger military action to restore security.

Zamfara has been at the center of a long-running security crisis in northwest Nigeria, where armed groups locally known as bandits raid villages, abduct residents for ransom, steal livestock, and attack major roads. In January 2024, the state government launched a Community Protection Guard to support police and military operations against the violence.

The latest attack comes amid a wider security crisis across Africa’s most populous nation, including a jihadist insurgency in the northeast that began in 2009 with Boko Haram and later Islamic State West Africa Province. Nigeria’s military said last week that 588 operations in September and October killed 435 terrorists and bandits, led to 809 arrests, and rescued 717 kidnapped victims.

Russia, Ukraine, and the US have concluded the first day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi. The delegations held negotiations behind closed doors for nearly five hours on Tuesday and are set to resume discussions on Wednesday.

Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky is leading the Russian delegation, which includes deputy foreign ministers Mikhail Galuzin and Sergey Ryabkov, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.

US envoy Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan were seen seated between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations.

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 has said Moscow would not obstruct Washington’s contacts with European officials, but expressed doubt that such meetings would help negotiations.

“The Europeans flew to Abu Dhabi – well, let them sit in the hotel,” he told reporters, accusing them of seeking to buy time for Kiev. Lavrov said the talks should first establish the parameters of security for Russia, Ukraine, and the wider European region before moving on to a settlement of the conflict.

At the opening of the negotiations, Medinsky thanked the UAE for its hospitality and the US for its peacemaking efforts. He expressed hope that the revised composition of Russia’s delegation would help advance the peace process.

The UAE’s foreign minister also welcomed the delegations, thanking Trump, Putin, and Zelensky for their trust in the host country.

India launched a diplomatic outreach Monday to engage the leadership in both Kiev and Moscow on the eve of US-brokered peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi.

The conflict is in its fifth-year amid a refusal by Kiev and its main European backers to engage diplomatically with Russia. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has consistently advocated for dialogue and diplomacy and refused to take sides amid Western attempts to isolate Russia with sanctions on Moscow’s trade partners.

After his call with Modi, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky said “India is ready to mediate in establishing food corridors, and we are counting on these efforts to continue.”

India had previously offered a three-part peace plan, which included grain and energy moving through Black Sea ports. The Black Sea corridor remains vital for food security across Africa, Asia, and West Asia.

Zelensky, who referred to Modi’s previous statements on ending the conflict, had only in September called for more pressure on India to end the conflict. “Russia is basing its economy on India, sometimes Turkey and China,” he told the Wall Street Journal. India, which imports the lion’s share of its energy, is a top buyer of Russian crude.

Modi posted on X after that call that he “reiterated India’s firm commitment to contributing in every possible way towards a peaceful resolution” of the conflict. The Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Modi reaffirmed India’s human-centric approach and reiterated New Delhi’s position that the conflict must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.

Later on Monday, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar discussed the ongoing diplomatic initiatives and bilateral ties with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Jaishankar last month called for “genuine dialogue” and reminded the West it has “equal stakes” in ending the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran that were impacting the people of the Global South.

Ukrainian, Russian, and American negotiators are in Abu Dhabi for two-day talks – the first direct engagement of the format in over nine months. European representatives are coordinating from the sidelines amid Russian pushback to their being part of the talks.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has threatened to block the EU’s next seven-year budget unless all member states commit to providing more financial aid to Ukraine, several media outlets reported on Monday.

The EU has pledged to cover around €45 billion ($52 billion) of Ukraine’s projected €70 billion funding shortfall in 2027, as the conflict with Russia approaches its fifth year in February. However, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have signaled opposition to contributing to additional financial assistance for Kiev, while Bulgaria is expected to follow suit.

“Bilateral assistance to Ukraine is distributed unevenly and carried mostly by only a few member states,” Merz wrote in a letter to European Council President Antonio Costa, according to Bloomberg. The chancellor reportedly argued that supporting Ukraine was “a matter of our indivisible European security.”

“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 wrote, as cited by Euronews.

Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic had previously secured exemptions from financial obligations, including interest payments, on the EU’s €90 billion ‘loan’ to Ukraine agreed in December 2025.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico warned last month that linking Ukraine’s financing to negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget would be dangerous. He has also argued that financing the war would prolong the fighting rather than bring peace.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis similarly argued that funds for Kiev “should not be part of the multiannual financial framework, where member states do not have enough money.”

Merz is also facing mounting political pressure at home amid widespread dissatisfaction with his government. According to an ARD-DeutschlandTrend poll published on November 5, only 12% of Germans were satisfied with his performance, while 85% were dissatisfied. 

The chancellor’s declining popularity has coincided with major electoral setbacks for his CDU. In September, the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) won state elections in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, while the left-wing Die Linke came first in Berlin, defeating the CDU. Merz described his party’s performance in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania as a “disaster.”

Outgoing US Representative Thomas Massie has reintroduced eight articles of impeachment against US President Donald Trump’s War Secretary Pete Hegseth after Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress.

Massie, a self-described libertarian Republican from Kentucky, alleges that Hegseth violated the 1973 War Powers Resolution by waging war against Iran without congressional authorization and failed 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,” Massie said on Monday.

The congressman also argued that the 2025 strikes in Yemen and the January commando raid in Caracas, during which US forces abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, were illegal. He described US strikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean, which have reportedly killed at least 243 people, as extrajudicial killings.

“My effort to impeach Secretary Hegseth is a much gentler version of what’s coming when the Democrats assume control of the House and Senate next year,” Massie said.

Hegseth has condemned impeachment efforts against him as “sabotage.” “It’s a farce, and it’s a stunt,” he said during a press conference on Tuesday, calling criticism of him and the war on Iran “policy disagreements.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer echoed Massie’s call in a speech on the Senate floor. “America needs a serious Secretary of Defense right now – not a wannabe warlord. Hegseth must stand trial before the Senate,” he said.

Democrats subsequently dealt Republicans a major electoral blow, winning control of both the House and Senate. The results were widely interpreted as a rebuke to Trump’s policies, including the unpopular Iran war, which has driven up energy prices by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route for global oil and LNG trade.

On Truth Social, Trump dismissed Massie as a “total loser” and hailed Hegseth as “perhaps the most popular and successful military official in the country.” The secretary of war remained defiant, vowing over the weekend to “finish what we have started” despite the Republicans’ election losses.

On Monday, Trump said an escalation with Iran “seems to be quite unlikely” and expressed hope for a negotiated settlement. “We are seeing positive momentum toward an end to this Conflict, and will ensure that America’s interests are at all times protected,” he wrote on Truth Social.

The United States plans to discuss new security arrangements for Europe during peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi this week, US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner has said.

Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, will travel to the UAE with fellow US envoy Steve Witkoff to mediate the talks on Tuesday and Wednesday, marking the first trilateral negotiations since February.

“We are working hard to find a negotiated solution that can deliver lasting peace and create the conditions for a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Ukraine within a more stable European security environment,” Kushner wrote on X on Monday.

The envoy said the US was focusing on four key issues: ending hostilities, providing “credible postwar security guarantees,” developing an economic recovery plan for Ukraine, and addressing humanitarian concerns. Kushner said Washington was also seeking to improve existing European security arrangements and “identify where existing mechanisms have fallen short.”

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed the US negotiators’ decision to prioritize collective security. Russia has repeatedly called for a comprehensive peace agreement with Ukraine that would include security guarantees for both countries.

Lavrov said the Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi would include Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, who has extensive experience in arms control and negotiations involving NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

In a speech in Vienna on Monday, Ryabkov said that Europe’s security architecture “has been destroyed and cannot be restored,” adding that long-term stability would be impossible without taking into account the interests of Russia and its allies.

Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, said negotiators would “devote significant attention to the humanitarian track,” including efforts to accelerate prisoner exchanges.

Rustem Umerov, head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, said the Ukrainian delegation would hold separate meetings in Abu Dhabi with representatives of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the EU and NATO.

“We are doing everything possible to ensure Europe is part of the diplomatic process,” he wrote on X.

Kushner, meanwhile, expressed hope that the talks would pave the way for eventual “direct engagement between Russia and our European partners on the broader security arrangements that affect them.”

Russia has accused the EU and UK of sabotaging previous peace efforts, including the 2022 Istanbul talks, and remains skeptical of Europe’s potential contribution to future negotiations. “What matters is not what the Europeans want, but what added value they can actually bring to the table,” Lavrov said late last month.

The negotiators will meet following a rare weeklong local truce around the frontline town of Alyoshki in Russia’s Kherson Region, which allowed more than 750 civilians to be evacuated. The agreement was reached with the help of US First Lady Melania Trump.

RT’s Igor Zhdanov breaks down what’s at stake.

The West is increasingly using unlawful economic pressure to undermine Russia and other rivals in Asia and the Global South, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.

In an op-ed published by the business daily Kommersant on Tuesday, Lavrov warned that the world economy was “increasingly becoming an arena of confrontation, with trade wars being unleashed to suppress geopolitical competitors.”

He argued that a “colonial mindset” was driving Western powers to deny other nations “the right to participate in global governance in proportion to their weight in international affairs.”

Economic coercion, including tariffs, sanctions, the seizure of foreign assets, currency manipulation and attacks on critical infrastructure, has “reached unprecedented proportions,” he wrote. “Markets are being thrown into turmoil by this kind of geopolitical lawlessness.”

Such actions were effectively “dismantling the very globalization model that the West itself created and promoted for decades as the ideal system of global economic governance,” Lavrov wrote.

Russia’s top diplomat insisted that Moscow would “not use the economy to settle geopolitical scores or engage in positional battles with competitors.” He noted that Russia had continued to supply Europe with energy resources worth approximately $320 billion since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

Lavrov’s op-ed comes amid surging global energy prices fueled by the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has disrupted oil and gas supplies from the Persian Gulf.

The conflict has compounded volatility in energy markets already strained by Western sanctions on Russia and disruptions linked to the Ukraine conflict.

The resulting price increases have raised concerns about inflation and economic growth, particularly in countries which are heavily dependent on imported energy.

The US risks “dire consequences” if it escalates the war, Iran’s Foreign Ministry has warned, urging Washington to accept its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and pave the way for further negotiations.

The warning followed American strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island near the strait on Sunday night, according to local officials. Air defense and radar installations on Qeshm were also targeted last week.

Tehran’s proposal remains on the table, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday, urging the White House to choose diplomacy.

”Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell,” he wrote on X.

Tehran’s conditions include lifting the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, easing sanctions, releasing frozen assets, and ending hostilities on all fronts. Under the proposal, Washington would implement the initial measures on the first day, followed by the reopening of the waterway on the second. Before the war, about a fifth of the world’s oil passed through the strait.

Iran insists on retaining what it describes as sovereignty over the strait, including requiring vessels to coordinate passage with its authorities, a demand Washington opposes.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Tehran’s lead negotiator, accused Israel on Monday of drawing the US into an endless war. “Unless Washington drops the ‘Israel First’ mindset, America and its allies are headed straight for a dark age,” he said.

Israel has left open the prospect of further military action, with Defense Minister Israel Katz saying on Sunday that the mission against Iran was “still not complete” and accusing Tehran of renewing efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. The Islamic Republic maintains its nuclear program is peaceful.

Turkish intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin reportedly said US Vice President J.D. Vance would meet Iranian security chief Mohsen Rezaei in Doha next week. However, Tasnim news agency cited a senior Iranian security official as denying any such plans until Washington meets Tehran’s conditions.

Russia has also backed a diplomatic settlement. President Vladimir Putin met Rezaei in Moscow on Thursday to discuss the conflict and regional security.

The US and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on February 28, triggering months of fighting that have disrupted global energy supplies and shipping.

Thirty-five years ago, in August 1991, the Soviet Union was living through its final summer. The crisis was obvious, yet even then, few imagined that within months one of the world’s two superpowers would disappear from the map.

The USSR had been a pillar of the international order established after 1945 and its collapse set off a restructuring of world politics that is still underway. The attempt to replace the old balance with an American-led order has failed to produce lasting stability, while what comes next remains uncertain.

For Russia, as for the other former Soviet republics, the years since 1991 have been a difficult exercise in self-definition. At first, independence appeared straightforward: just declare a new state and begin a new life. In reality, creating a new political identity has proved far more complicated.

The Ukraine conflict is also part of this process, as however painful and contentious for Russia, it raises questions about borders that cannot be resolved simply by referring to the Soviet Union’s peculiar system of administrative divisions. It also forces the country to define its place in the world, a place necessarily different from that of the ideological superpower it once was.

Russia takes pride in its centuries of continuous statehood. Although its political forms have changed dramatically, from empire to the Soviet Union to the present federation, the state has endured. Continuity, however, has never meant standing still and each stage of Russian history has involved adapting to internal pressures and changes in the surrounding world. For a country of Russia’s size and diversity, finding the right balance between preservation and renewal is especially difficult and that search continues.

The Soviet collapse also left a legacy that still shapes relations with the West. Many Western leaders, particularly in Europe, remain reluctant to negotiate seriously with Moscow on security. One reason, I believe, is the precedent of 1991 when they saw a formidable adversary disappear, seemingly almost overnight.

For four decades, Western governments had regarded the USSR as a dangerous, even existential, opponent, so its disappearance was an outcome they welcomed, but one that even committed anti-communists had scarcely dared to expect. Until almost the final moment, the speed and scale of the collapse seemed unimaginable.

Certainly, the Soviet system had been in trouble for years and its economic weaknesses and failure to respond to global changes had become increasingly serious, but decline didn’t automatically mean extinction and the USSR might have survived in another form, or at least for much longer.

Instead, the measures introduced by its last leadership to arrest that decline helped accelerate it, while reforms undertaken without sufficient understanding of the system’s internal contradictions weakened the very institutions they were intended to save. It’s impossible to prove that a different course would have preserved the Union, but the policies actually pursued produced consequences that its opponents could hardly have hoped to achieve themselves.

Were these the results of deliberate betrayal or honest mistakes? The anniversary will doubtless revive that argument, but my own view is that the catastrophe owed more to misplaced idealism and incompetence, not to mention a failure to grasp political realities, than to a carefully organized conspiracy. The USSR’s adversaries didn’t need to engineer its demise, but they were delighted to claim the credit afterwards and that experience encouraged a dangerous Western confidence.

The reasoning is simple: escalate, refuse concessions, place pressure and wait for the Russian state to crack, and eventually its leaders will be forced to accept Western terms, or the system itself will give way.

But history doesn’t provide such convenient guarantees and today’s Russia isn’t the late Soviet Union because its economy and social structure are different, as is the international environment. The wider world is no longer organized around two opposing blocs, and Western governments no longer possess the same ability to dictate the terms of global affairs.

Above all, Russia has learned from 1991, but still its leadership must remember that misjudged reforms and ignored problems can destroy a state from within while society must understand that bitter internal divisions can bring losses to everyone, not victory to any one faction.

Western leaders, meanwhile, need to recognize that the Soviet collapse was a tragic and exceptional event, but not a reliable model for dealing with Russia and the extraordinary gift their predecessors received at the end of the Cold War will not be repeated simply because they wish it.

Russia’s future is still being shaped, but Russia itself isn’t going anywhere.

This article was first published by Rossiyskaya Gazeta, and was translated and edited by the RT team 

Iran no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed 2,000-km (1,200-mile) limit on the range of its ballistic missiles, a spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has said. Iranian officials recently warned that Tehran would target military installations in Europe used by American forces, should the US and Israel attack the country again.

Brigadier General Hossein Mohebbi said during a press conference on Saturday that “this restriction [on the range of ballistic missiles] has been lifted for us.” He stopped short of providing further details, noting that the Iranian military is currently focused on “demonstrating these capabilities in practice.”

While the Islamic Republic is not known to have in its arsenal missiles capable of reaching targets beyond the 2,000-km range, US officials believe the country possesses the technologies needed to build intercontinental ballistic missiles, as reported by the Associated Press.

The Iranian military is preparing to unveil “surprises… on the battlefield” if a new round of military confrontation erupts with the US and Israel.

“They should know that Iran’s next blows will be even harder,” the IRGC representative warned.

Speaking to RT on Monday, Ezzatollah Zarghami, a member of the Iranian government’s Council on Cyberspace, explained that given the changing nature and scope of the threats potentially facing the Islamic Republic, “we will naturally redefine our defense capabilities and policies accordingly.”

“It is natural that we will no longer impose geographical limitations… or our defense capabilities,” he said.

Last week, Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a member of the Iranian parliament’s security committee, told Euronews that “if America uses its bases in Europe, including in Italy and Germany, Iran’s missiles will be fired towards Europe.”

Around the same time, the IRGC issued a statement that quoted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei as pledging an “effective response without geographical limits to every level and type of threat.” He also reportedly ordered military commanders to update Iran’s “target bank” to include the “enemy’s material and non-material assets within range.”

US President Donald Trump on Sunday told CNN that renewed strikes on Iran are “highly unlikely,” provided that Tehran signs a “very strong agreement” with Washington.

Trump, however, indicated that US forces in the region are ready to resume hostilities if deemed necessary, with a list of targets prepared.

Russian, Ukrainian, and American negotiators are set to convene in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for a new two-day round of talks to settle the Ukraine conflict. 

The stakes extend far beyond simply ending the fighting. The discussions will potentially shape not only the future of Russia and Ukraine, but the geopolitical landscape of Europe for decades to come.

The Abu Dhabi November round marks the first formal trilateral negotiations since February, and were made possible only by Washington’s mediation efforts that involved talks between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

Moscow has said the main agenda would be “building a security system for Russia and Ukraine.” US President Donald Trump has raised the stakes by suggesting that a prospective sweeping agreement with Moscow could involve “all of Europe.” He also told 60 Minutes over the weekend that Ukraine would emerge from the conflict resolution process with “a little bit different shape.”

Kiev itself has found itself in a precarious position. Cash-strapped and increasingly dependent on reluctant Western benefactors, Ukraine is reeling under Russian strikes targeting its defense industrial base and military-related energy facilities as winter looms, while its troops are being pushed back hard on the front line.

Here is who will be at the negotiating table, what the parties intend to discuss, and where Russia, Ukraine, the US, and Europe stand.

Who is going to meet in Abu Dhabi?

In a testament to the importance of the talks, all the countries involved have dispatched some of their most senior officials.

Russia is sending a substantial delegation, headed by presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, a veteran of the negotiations with Ukraine who represented Moscow at the Istanbul talks in 2022. Russia said the negotiations were derailed by ex-UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who advised Kiev to keep fighting instead of signing a tentative peace agreement, a claim Johnson has denied.

The Russian delegation also includes Deputy Foreign Ministers Sergey Ryabkov and Mikhail Galuzin. Ryabkov’s portfolio includes work with the US on strategic stability, arms control and nonproliferation, and other issues, while Galuzin is responsible for relations with post-Soviet countries, including Ukraine, and has participated in previous negotiating rounds.

The Russian expert group in Abu Dhabi includes Yury Zhigarlovsky, a senior officer in the General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate, responsible for military planning; Dmitry Minaev, who is in charge of counterintelligence operations at the FSB; and Oleg Postnikov, the director of the Foreign Ministry’s department for non-proliferation arms control.

The other participants of the talks are Aleksandr Zorin, the deputy head of the General Staff’s Information Directorate; Elena Podobreevskaya, a member of the Russian president’s office dealing with humanitarian issues, and Aleksey Polischuk, who leads of the Foreign Ministry’s Second CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Department.

Ukraine’s delegation will be headed by Rustem Umerov, the former defense minister who currently leads the country’s Foreign Intelligence Service. He will be joined by Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff Kirill Budanov, parliamentary faction leader David Arakhamia, senior diplomat Sergey Kislitsa, and Vadim Skibitsky, deputy chief of military intelligence.

The United States will be represented by Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, both of whom have become central figures in Washington’s efforts to broker an agreement.

What about Western Europe?

Western European nations are scrambling to avoid being sidelined by Washington’s and Moscow’s discussion of the continent’s future. Exhausted by the conflict and struggling to foot Ukraine’s bill, Western European governments have dispatched officials to Abu Dhabi, despite Russia’s refusal to give them a seat at the table. 

According to the Financial Times, the Abu Dhabi talks will be attended by the national security advisers of France, Germany, and the UK, as well as the chiefs of staff to the European Commission president and NATO secretary-general.

Moscow has consistently objected to European nations’ participation in trilateral contacts, with Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov saying last month that “they can get there [Abu Dhabi] if they buy tickets, but no one intends to invite them to the negotiating table.”

Is Europe divided on talking to Russia?

It certainly is. The rift was opened when Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store called Putin for a 90-minute telephone conversation on October 27, without pre-clearing the call with their EU and NATO interlocutors.

While Stubb and Store insisted they had coordinated the call with Zelensky, it triggered a wave of angry pushback from Russia hawks. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen openly criticized the initiative, declaring “Europe should stick together rather than going solo.”

What are Moscow’s priorities in securing a lasting resolution to the Ukraine conflict? 

Its core demands have changed little since 2022:

• It seeks the “recognition of the territorial reality on the ground.” 
• Ukraine must remain militarily neutral and its future military capabilities must be capped.
• Any settlement should address the root causes of the Ukraine conflict. 
• NATO troops must not be deployed to Ukraine in the guise of a peacekeeping force.
• Any settlement must be all-encompassing and final; no ceasefires as precursors to talks are acceptable.

What is Zelensky’s position at the trilateral talks? 

Zelensky claims that formal territorial concessions are impossible but has said that he is ready to accept a peace deal freezing the conflict along the current front line. Ukraine is also seeking to halt strikes on its energy infrastructure, reopen Black Sea shipping routes, and expand prisoner exchanges, as well as post-conflict security guarantees.

Ukraine also hopes the Abu Dhabi sit-down will serve as a springboard for a Putin-Trump-Zelensky summit, in which the EU or Western states would also participate. Moscow, however, insists that any such summit should occur only once substantive agreements are ready, while Ushakov has reiterated Putin’s invitation for Zelensky to come to Moscow for direct talks, which the Ukrainian leader has rejected on numerous occasions.

What does the US want at the Abu Dhabi talks? 

Washington is seeking a deal that would encompass not only Ukraine but the future security architecture of Europe. According to Kushner, Washington’s objective is to “address the security concerns of all sides, reduce the risk of future conflict, and create a more stable and predictable security environment.”

He said that the policy is based on five principal goals, including “permanent security consultations, reliable crisis communications, greater military transparency, reciprocal measures to reduce escalation risks, and an enduring framework for long-term European security and stability.”

How are Russia and Ukraine faring ahead of the Abu Dhabi talks?

Moscow enters the negotiations holding significant leverage, with its forces pressing Ukraine’s military across the front line. Putin said in mid-October that “just over 10%” of Russia’s Donetsk Region and “16.5%” of Zaporozhye Region remained under Ukrainian control, adding that Lugansk Region was entirely in Russian hands.

Moscow is continuing its long-range strikes targeting Ukraine’s military-related facilities, including energy infrastructure, which have done immense damage to Ukraine’s steel industry. Zelensky has acknowledged that “every power plant in Ukraine” has been impacted “in one way or another.” The authorities have introduced blackouts of up to 16 hours per day in some areas.

Ukraine’s military is grappling with acute manpower shortages, large-scale resistance to its forced mobilization campaign, and desertion. An investigation in October by the Associated Press found that some frontline units were operating at roughly half strength, with exhausted troops complaining of long rotations.

Are Kiev’s European backers tired of conflict?

Abroad, popular public sentiment in several Western European countries is turning significantly negative towards the millions of Ukrainians who fled almost five years ago and receive unconditional state benefits. 

How did the midterms impact US foreign policy posture?

The Abu Dhabi talks come on the heels of a crushing defeat for Trump’s Republican Party in the midterm elections, which saw Democrats seize control of both chambers of Congress. While the Democrats are already reportedly mulling a new $15 billion security assistance package for Kiev alongside tougher sanctions against Moscow, the new Congress will not take office until January.

Even afterward, Trump will retain broad authority over foreign policy and the power to veto legislation, which requires two-thirds majorities in both chambers to override. Thus, Democrats could put pressure on the White House, but their election victory does not automatically change Washington’s negotiating position toward Moscow.

How close are Russia and Ukraine to a ceasefire?

Despite renewed diplomatic efforts, Moscow and Kiev remain far apart on the fundamental terms of ending the conflict.

However, a rare breakthrough came in late October, when the two sides upheld a six-day humanitarian ceasefire in the town of Alyoshki in Russia’s Kherson Region, mediated by US First Lady Melania Trump.

The town had been largely cut off from essential supplies for months due to a Ukrainian siege, leaving its remaining residents facing severe shortages of food, medicine, and clean water. During the temporary ceasefire, Russian and Ukrainian officials coordinated humanitarian deliveries and the evacuation of some 750 people from the besieged frontline town, according to Melania Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov praised the First Lady’s mediation, saying the arrangement “could set a precedent” for similar humanitarian pauses elsewhere. Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmitry Lubinets also expressed optimism, saying “at least we saw that it’s possible to reach agreements to save lives – although it is not easy.”

What are experts in Moscow saying about the trilateral talks?

Alexander Bobrov, an associate professor at MGIMO, Russia’s leading international affairs university, argued in conversation with RT that Russia is approaching the Abu Dhabi talks with caution for two reasons: uncertainty over Ukraine’s willingness to compromise and Moscow’s bitter experience with the implementation of previous agreements.

He blames earlier negotiating deadlocks on Kiev’s “maximalist demands,” saying Ukraine pursued a strategic defeat for Russia while remaining prepared to fight “to the last Ukrainian soldier.”

In his view, progress depends on Kiev recognizing that the battlefield situation is moving against it and that a negotiated agreement offers a better outcome than continued fighting. That recognition, he said, could create an opening for compromise.

“Finding that compromise is the essence of diplomacy,” Bobrov said, pointing to the combination of professional military officers and senior diplomats in Medinsky’s negotiating team.

“We may be able to reach a final settlement,” he said. “For now, however, we remain very cautious.”

The Abu Dhabi talks could mark a significant breakthrough in the substance and tone of peace talks, or the beginning of the end of the Trump administration’s efforts to mediate the Ukraine conflict.

While deep disagreements between Moscow and Kiev remain, any breakthrough could reverberate well beyond the warring parties for decades to come.

European governments, however, are desperately struggling to remain involved in a process which they have refused to engage in for years. However, with increasing public anger across Western Europe over the cost of living and slashed services, and a continuous debt and cash line to Kiev at full throttle, it is likely that Brussels knows its years of megaphone diplomacy are going to come with a hefty bill, which it will pass on to its citizens.

US President Donald Trump has said he cannot forgive enemies he accuses of persecuting him and harming the country, even if forgiveness were the condition for entering heaven.

During a ‘60 Minutes’ interview which aired on Sunday, correspondent Ross Douthat recalled Trump’s speech at the memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead in Utah in September 2025. Trump said at the time that he hated his opponents and did not want the best for them.

Douthat asked whether, standing before God’s judgment throne, Trump could forgive opponents such as former FBI Director James Comey and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if it would allow him to enter paradise.

Trump described the figures named as “extremely dishonest people, very bad people, very bad for our country.” When asked whether his answer was therefore no, he replied: “The answer is no. I want to be honest.”

“I do hate some of my enemies. I think they’ve been terrible. Look what they’ve put me through, the weaponization. I got indicted. I got impeached,” Trump said.

Trump was impeached twice during his first presidency and subsequently faced several criminal prosecutions, which he has portrayed as politically motivated efforts to stop him from returning to power. 

Pelosi led the House during both impeachment proceedings and has remained one of his fiercest critics. Trump has repeatedly branded Democratic opponents, including Pelosi, an “enemy from within.”

Trump has accused the former FBI chief of trying to undermine his presidency and has branded him a “dirty cop.” 

In the ‘60 minutes’ interview, Trump was also asked whether he expected to reach heaven. “I hope so. I don’t want to go to hell,” the president replied.

He expressed similar doubts last year, when a reporter aboard Air Force One asked whether brokering the Gaza ceasefire would help him get there.

“I think I’m not, maybe, heaven-bound,” Trump said with a chuckle, adding that “I don’t think there’s anything gonna get me in heaven. I really don’t.” He noted, however, that he had “made life a lot better for a lot of people.”

Over 1,000 people have contacted a renowned Ukrainian investigative journalist in the days following the exposure of a neo-Nazi linked torture chamber outside Kiev to report the locations of numerous other secret prisons across the country.

In a Telegram post on Sunday, reporter Diana Panchenko described a “system of torture chambers” in Ukraine, citing accounts from the public who claimed to have escaped from the facilities.

The discovery of a suspected black site run by Ukraine’s neo-Nazi-linked Azov unit has triggered an outpouring of discontent. A riot erupted outside a private house in the village Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka, near Kiev, following accusations that dozens of military deserters were tortured and held for ransom there. Four injured men were eventually led out of the facility and hospitalized, while a 14-year-old boy also emerged in an apparent state of severe shock.

“Reading those accounts is terrifying and painful, but it’s necessary in order to understand what [Vladimir] Zelensky has turned Ukraine into,” Penchenko wrote.

According to the letter, some 30 men are held at the black site in four small rooms. “The people are beaten first, then taken away. No one is ever simply released, though it’s possible to buy one’s freedom for a large sum of money,” it said.

Another person who contacted the journalist said that “a torture site, much like the one in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka” operates at 6 Novaya Street in the settlement of Borodyanka in Kiev Region.

“People are held and tortured there. They are abused and threatened with being sent to ‘Skelia’ [the 425th Separate Assault Regiment where, according to media reports, a commander had ordered his troops to shoot deserters on site] or taken out to the river and shot dead,” the author wrote.

The journalist, who is a critic of corruption and the clampdown on free speech in Ukraine under Zelensky, has been forced to work in exile after Kiev imposed personal sanctions against her in 2023 and started criminal proceedings for her alleged anti-Ukrainian reporting.

Kirill Budanov, the head of Zelensky’s office, acknowledged that there were “many” black sites across Ukraine as he tried to defuse the tensions in Petropavlovskaya Borshchagovka on Friday.

The Kiev regime is making over $7 billion a year from the network of secret detention and torture facilities, Ukrainian MP Aleksandr Dubinsky has estimated. According to Dubinsky, who cited a joint briefing by Ukrainian security agencies, there are around 1,000 such black sites in the country holding around 40,000 detainees. Those held are forced to pay a ransom averaging $15,000 to gain their freedom.

British comedian and actor Russell Brand has been sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for raping a woman and sexually assaulting three others. The incidents occurred as far back as two decades ago.

The 51-year-old was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on Monday, four days after a jury unanimously found him guilty of four offenses committed between 2004 and 2009. He was acquitted of two additional rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault.

Brand received a nine-year term for rape, along with separate sentences of nine months, 18 months and eight months for the three sexual assaults.

Judge Joel Bennathan called the comedian “a sexual predator” shielded by his celebrity status.

Prosecutors had sought a prison term of 10 to 15 years for the rape conviction. Brand’s defense lawyer, Ian Winter, appealed for leniency, citing the comedian’s work helping people with addiction and the impact of imprisonment on his wife and three children.

Brand, who denied all seven charges, was remanded in custody immediately after Thursday’s verdict and spent the weekend at London’s Wandsworth Prison. The judge rejected his bail request over concerns that his wealth and connections could allow him to flee.

During Monday’s hearing, victims described the lasting psychological impact of the attacks. A former Channel 4 employee said an assault during a 2009 recording session had been “brushed under the carpet” by her bosses. Brand made the sign of the cross before another woman delivered her statement from behind a screen.

The convictions involved the rape of a 21-year-old fan at his London home in 2009 and sexual assaults against women employed by MTV, Channel 4, and Capital Radio.

The Metropolitan Police investigation faced significant challenges because of the age of the allegations and the absence of CCTV or forensic evidence. Detectives traced more than 100 witnesses, collected over 400 statements and examined upwards of 1,400 documents.

Briefly married to American pop star Katy Perry, he later reinvented himself as an online commentator discussing politics, religion, and conspiracy theories.

The allegations gained widespread attention in September 2023 following an investigation by The Sunday Times, The Times and Channel 4, against the backdrop of the wider #MeToo movement. The revelations triggered a public backlash before criminal charges were filed, with YouTube demonetizing his channel and British broadcasters, including the BBC and Channel 4, removing some of his content.

Police are investigating further allegations against Brand, including two additional reports of rape.

The case comes against a broader backdrop of scrutiny over Britain’s handling of sexual abuse allegations. A June 2025 audit led by Baroness Louise Casey exposed longstanding failures by police and other agencies to protect victims and investigate child sexual exploitation by grooming gangs. More than 800 previously closed cases were subsequently identified for review.

Despite producing large quantities of minerals and contributing significantly to global industrial development, Africa remains at the bottom of the mineral value chain. Most of its mineral resources are extracted and exported in crude form, depriving it of the chance to add value through processing, refining, or manufacturing.

However, Africa is increasingly asserting its agency over the development of its mineral resources, challenging these colonial-era practices as it seeks to move beyond extracting and exporting raw materials. Governments are seeking greater control over mineral value chains, insisting that foreign partnerships deliver technology transfer, local employment, and productive capacity rather than merely secure access to resources.

Recent policy decisions reflect this shift. In 2022, Zimbabwe prohibited raw lithium exports to encourage investment in domestic processing facilities. Namibia followed in 2023 by restricting exports of unprocessed lithium and other critical minerals. These measures reflect a broader recognition that mineral extraction alone cannot deliver the structural transformation many African economies seek.

The issue also featured prominently at the recently-concluded third Russia–Africa Summit hosted by Moscow. African representatives emphasized the need for partnerships that would enable African countries to manufacture finished products rather than remain exporters of raw materials.

Russia, meanwhile, expressed interest in sharing technological capabilities and expertise with African partners. This shift creates opportunities for India and Russia to combine their respective strengths in mining, manufacturing, and technology to support Africa’s own industrial ambitions while expanding its strategic choices and bargaining power.

Combining Russian expertise with Indian capabilities

Russia has considerable experience in mining, geological exploration, mineral processing, metallurgy, and developing large-scale industrial projects. Its capabilities in geological data interpretation, mineral beneficiation, smelting, and refining could be particularly relevant to African countries seeking to develop domestic processing facilities.

India could complement this contribution through its industrial manufacturing base, engineering expertise, information technology, and growing investments in Africa. Indian companies already operate across several African economies in mining, metals, manufacturing, and infrastructure. India’s experience in developing cost-effective industrial technologies could support modernizing mining operations and associated industrial ecosystems.

Digital technologies offer another area of convergence. Geological mapping, remote sensing, AI-assisted mineral exploration, automated mining operations, and digital supply-chain management could improve productivity and resource management. Indian technology companies could contribute to these systems, while Russian expertise in geological sciences and mining engineering could provide the technical foundation for their application.

The two countries could also cooperate to establish training institutions, technical partnerships, and vocational programs. African universities and technical institutions could work with Indian and Russian counterparts to develop specialized courses in mining engineering, metallurgy, mineral processing, automation, and environmental management. This would help address the shortage of skilled personnel that often constrains the development of domestic processing industries.

Moving towards joint industrial ventures

The biggest opportunity lies in moving beyond conventional mining contracts to joint ventures that integrate exploration, extraction, processing, and downstream manufacturing. Instead of supplying raw minerals to international markets, African countries could work with Indian and Russian companies to develop processing facilities, industrial parks, and associated infrastructure within their own economies.

India’s established commercial relationships and experience in operating across African markets could help identify investment opportunities and connect projects to downstream manufacturing networks. Russian technical expertise could contribute to project development and industrial operations. However, the partnership would need to attract financing from a wider range of sources, including African development finance institutions, private investors, and multilateral lenders.

However, there are challenges. The Ukraine conflict and Western sanctions have complicated Russia’s access to international financial networks, advanced technologies, equipment, and project financing. These constraints could limit Russian companies’ ability to participate in large, capital-intensive African mining projects. Mining and mineral processing require substantial long-term investments, particularly where infrastructure, electricity, transport, and water supply are inadequate. Therefore, India and Russia would first need to develop innovative solutions for this financing gap. They need to not only mobilize private-sector capital and develop appropriate financing arrangements but also explore partnerships with African financial institutions.

In any case, both India and Russia would need to prove that their cooperation can move beyond summit declarations and memorandums of understanding. Previous Russia-Africa summits have generated numerous agreements, but implementation and measurable economic outcomes have remained uneven. The India-Russia partnership must avoid a similar trajectory. Concrete project-specific commitments, financing arrangements, definite implementation timelines, and transparent monitoring mechanisms will be essential.

More strategic options

As African governments seek to diversify partnerships rather than rely on any single external power, an India-Russia partnership could broaden their options at a time when access to critical minerals is increasingly shaped by geopolitics. It could offer African states another source of technology, expertise, and industrial investment – while also strengthening their hand in negotiating better commercial terms.

Nevertheless, African agency must remain central. The objective should not be to replace one externally dominated extractive arrangement with another. African governments must retain meaningful participation in ownership, decision-making, processing, and the distribution of economic benefits. Projects should create local employment, skills development, technology transfer, and domestic value addition.

Hence, the succsss of potential trilateral projects should be measured not by the volume of minerals extracted or the number of agreements signed, but by the industrial capacity developed within African economies. Joint ventures, domestic processing facilities, regional manufacturing networks, and technology partnerships would provide more meaningful indicators of progress.

US artificial intelligence giant Anthropic has struck a $3.4 billion deal for gas-powered generators to run its data centers independently of public electricity grids, according to media reports.

The Financial Times reported on the agreement over the weekend, saying the developer of the Claude AI chatbot secured commitments for 1.7 gigawatts of heavy-duty gas generators from Texas-based OnePWR Solutions in late September. The agreement is also said to cover engineering and construction services needed to install the equipment.

The purchase is intended to secure electricity for Anthropic’s expanding AI infrastructure without waiting for connections to public power grids, where mounting demand from data centers has led to lengthy delays.

Anthropic reportedly did not acquire OnePWR itself, and no employees were transferred under the agreement. The AI company has not publicly confirmed the reported transaction.

The purported deal reflects a broader shift in the AI industry, with technology giants increasingly investing directly in energy infrastructure rather than relying solely on utility companies. Developers are seeking their own power supplies to avoid grid connection delays and competition for electricity.

The rapid expansion of AI is also driving renewed demand for fossil fuels. According to the International Energy Agency, natural gas and coal will account for a substantial share of the additional electricity needed to power data centers through 2030, despite the technology industry’s commitments to reducing emissions.

Democratic candidates campaigning for tighter restrictions on AI infrastructure won several key gubernatorial races, including in Texas and Ohio. Voters in dozens of municipalities also backed measures restricting data center development, signaling growing resistance to the industry’s rapid expansion.

The backlash has added political pressure on technology companies to demonstrate that their expansion will not burden local communities. Building independent power generation offers one way to reduce reliance on public electricity grids, although it does not eliminate concerns over gas consumption and emissions.

Anthropic reportedly expects to spend more than $500 billion over the next decade on computing infrastructure to support the development of increasingly powerful AI models.

India’s Jindal Steel International is competing with Italy’s Arvedi Group to acquire the country’s troubled former Ilva steelworks, with both companies submitting binding bids for all its active industrial assets, Reuters reported on Monday.

The proposed acquisition includes the sprawling Taranto plant in southern Italy, which directly employs around 8,000 workers. Once Europe’s largest steelworks, the facility supplies steel to industries including construction and automobile manufacturing.

Ilva is an example of a ‘cathedral in the desert’, a term coined in Italy for massive industrial factories built in the agricultural south during the post-World War 2 economic boom. Such projects generally provided no long-term benefit. 

The firm, now known as Acciaierie d’Italia (AdI), has struggled with financial losses and operational difficulties. The Italian Supreme Court upheld an order last month to shut down its blast furnaces over health and environmental concerns. The shutdown began November 3, complicating plans to revive production and shift toward cleaner steelmaking.

Arvedi, which has also bid for Ilva, operates steel plants in Cremona and Terni, employs around 6,400 people, and produces flat-rolled steel products. The two are the only remaining bidders.

State-appointed administrators will now assess the proposals against the tender requirements. Neither the financial value of the bids nor a timeline for selecting a buyer has been disclosed.

Jindal’s bid comes close on the heels of India’s Adani Ports, owned by billionaire Gautam Adani, agreeing to buy another European asset, the Dutch liquid-storage operator Evos, in a $2.9 billion deal. It is also reportedly interested in Evos’ rival Rotterdam-based VTTI.

Israeli General Gadi Eisenkot, Former Chief of the General Staff,  has been tasked with forming the country’s next government, dealing a major setback to Benjamin Netanyahu after an election overshadowed by years of war, political scandals and deep divisions within society.

The struggle for power comes as Netanyahu faces genocide accusations over Gaza, mounting condemnation of military operations and state-backed settler violence in the occupied West Bank, and criticism of expanding regional wars, including the unprovoked campaign against Iran.

Eisenkot has promised to remove Netanyahu and restore an accountable government, but his military record and policies have raised questions about how exactly he would govern and whether Palestinians would actually see a change for the better.

Who is Netanyahu’s challenger?

Eisenkot, 66, was born in Tiberias to Moroccan Jewish immigrant parents and grew up in Eilat, far from Israel’s main political centers.

He joined the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Golani infantry brigade in 1978 and spent 41 years in the military, rising through senior commands in the occupied West Bank and northern Israel before serving as chief of staff from 2015 to 2019.

As a senior commander, he advocated the so-called Dahiya doctrine, stating in 2008 that Israel would use “disproportionate force” and inflict “huge damage and destruction” on the Lebanese villages from which it was attacked.

Eisenkot entered parliament in 2022 and joined Netanyahu’s emergency government after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack, attending the war cabinet’s discussions on the Gaza campaign as an observer.

Eisenkot resigned from the government in June 2024, criticizing Netanyahu’s handling of the war and the lack of a clear postwar plan for Gaza. He has nevertheless continued to support military action against Hamas.

What does he promise?

Eisenkot founded the centrist Yashar, or “Straight,” party in 2025, appealing to centrists and center-right voters seeking a security-focused alternative to Netanyahu, including secular and traditional Israelis united by their desire to remove him.

His military experience, personal losses and demands for accountability over October 7 have been central to his campaign. He has also sought to distinguish himself from Israel’s traditional political establishment through his Moroccan-Jewish upbringing.

The former military chief has also promised to protect judicial independence, tackle living costs and broaden compulsory military or civilian service.

The service issue has become a particular source of resentment among Israelis repeatedly called up for duty while many ultra-Orthodox men receive exemptions. Netanyahu’s religious partners have fought to preserve those arrangements.

What’s his stance on Palestinians and foreign policy?

Eisenkot shares Netanyahu’s opposition to an independent Palestinian state and has advocated for Israel to retain overriding security control between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

In Gaza, Eisenkot wants Hamas disarmed and removed from power. He has pledged to replace its administration within 18 months of taking office, either through a US-backed arrangement or military force.

He has also supported allowing reconstruction to proceed alongside partial disarmament and said the Palestinian Authority would be preferable to continued Hamas rule if those were the alternatives.

On Iran, Eisenkot has questioned the need for another campaign and has accused the government of failing to achieve its previous war objectives. Netanyahu, meanwhile, has campaigned on promises to resume the offensive against Tehran and overthrow its government.

Can he actually remove Netanyahu?

Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally gave Eisenkot the mandate on Sunday, following recommendations from parties representing 67 lawmakers. His core opposition bloc, however, controls just 48 seats in Israel’s 120-member parliament, the Knesset, short of the 61 needed for a majority.

Eisenkot could also seek support from ultra-Orthodox parties traditionally allied with Netanyahu, but is expected to face demands to compromise on conscription. His ally Avigdor Lieberman has signaled a willingness to negotiate despite years of opposing those parties.

RT correspondent Charlotte Dubenskij reports from Israel on the compromises that could determine whether he succeeds.

Netanyahu remains in office while Eisenkot negotiates, and his Likud party holds more seats than any other single party. He has urged Eisenkot to join a broad unity government that includes his existing partners, while claiming that a government dependent on Arab parties would endanger Israel’s survival.

Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, potentially extended by two weeks. If he fails, Herzog could ask Netanyahu or another candidate to try. A prolonged stalemate could trigger another election.

The new Knesset is due to be sworn in on Tuesday.

More than 300 people attended RT Academy’s first series of educational events in Mali, held from November 5 to 8, bringing together journalists, bloggers, students, and media professionals for training in reporting, interviewing, and digital media.

The program took place across several venues in the capital, Bamako, including the Salon des Medias du Mali (SAM Mali), one of the country’s major media forums, where RT en français served as the main sponsor. As part of the forum’s program on November 6, RT journalists and producers shared their experience in field reporting, interviewing heads of state, and organizing international news coverage.

RT en français correspondent Daria Vaganova led a session on reporting and high-profile interviews, while Liliia Zaripova, head of protocol for RT’s editor-in-chief, and senior producer Anton Shmakov discussed international protocol and the challenges of organizing shoots in Africa.

The training continued on November 7 with a free, one-day intensive session at the Russian House cultural center in Bamako. Participants learned how journalists can expand their reach on social media and how RT coordinates its network of African correspondents from Moscow. The program also featured a screening of the RT documentary ‘Frontline Mali’, followed by the presentation of RT Academy certificates.

Later that day, Vaganova met with local bloggers for an open discussion titled ‘Journalist and blogger: News or buzz’, exploring the relationship between journalism and online content.

The academy, a free international educational initiative, has reached more than 10,000 participants from over 50 countries. It offers online courses, webinars, and practical training in three languages, including an annual course specifically designed for African journalists.

The event comes after a cooperation agreement signed between RT and Malian broadcaster Tafouk TV in July 2026, aimed at strengthening media ties between Russia and Mali. It also follows the Russia-Africa Media Forum, held in Moscow from October 26 to 29 and organized by RT, Sputnik, and TASS. The gathering brought together more than 200 participants from 46 African countries.

Russia is among Senegal’s largest grain suppliers in 2026, meeting nearly a quarter of the country’s needs, Moscow’s ambassador to the West African nation has said. The shipments come amid a shift in the continent’s food markets, where Russian wheat has gained ground against European suppliers.

Ambassador Dmitry Kurakov told RIA Novosti in an interview published on Sunday that “around 23–24% of Senegal’s total needs are covered by imports from Russia.”

Senegal is also one of Russia’s largest trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa, purchasing petroleum products and fertilizers alongside grain, Kurakov said. He put annual Russian exports to the country at approximately $1 billion, down from more than $1.3 billion previously. The ambassador said exporters generally followed international market prices but sought to undercut competitors to increase sales in a fiercely competitive grain market.

Russian grain exports to Africa reached approximately 13 million metric tons in January–September 2026, up 8% from a year earlier, according to agricultural watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor.

The expansion has come partly at the expense of European suppliers. A July 2025 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) report found that Russia accounted for nearly half of North Africa’s wheat imports in the 2024/25 season, including around 70% in Egypt. The EU’s regional share fell to just over a quarter as its exportable supplies declined.

President Vladimir Putin said after last month’s Russia-Africa summit that Moscow would continue supplying grain commercially and free of charge, while offering support for agricultural production, processing and storage across the continent.

India’s largest state-owned oil refiner, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), is looking to buy its own crude oil and cooking gas tankers as freight costs continue to climb because of the Middle East conflict.

Having its own shipping capacity will help IOC have more control over its supply chain, in addition to keeping transportation costs lower as energy prices remain elevated.

The company currently has three crude oil carriers and nine liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) vessels on long-term charter. Transporting crude under these arrangements costs around $2-2.50 per barrel, compared with spot-market freight rates of 8-10, IOC finance director Anuj Jain said in an earnings call on October 31.

IOC secured board approval for buying the vessels and issued tenders for them months ago. However, it has not disclosed the number of ships to be acquired, their cost, or a delivery timeline. It is also exploring getting the ships built under the government’s Make-in-India initiative.

LPG freight costs have also surged to 160-180 per metric ton in the spot market, from around $40 earlier. As is the case with crude, existing charter arrangements have helped IOC secure supplies and limit transportation expenses during the crisis.

The US-Iran conflict has disrupted commercial shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, pushing up freight rates and war-risk insurance costs. The strategic waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, handled around a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the conflict.

Long-range Russian strikes have targeted Ukraine’s energy facilities and drone-making plants, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.

Electric substations providing power to Kiev’s forces and military-industrial complex were hit in four Ukrainian regions overnight, the ministry said in a statement on Monday.

The affected facilities were located in Belaya Tserkov in Kiev Region, near Krivoy Rog in Dnepropetrovsk Region and in the area of the city of Cherkasy in Cherkasy Region, the statement read.

In Vinnitsa Region in the western part of the country, a traction substation converting electric power for the needs of the railway system was also attacked, it added.

According to the ministry, another target of the raid was the Globinsky Plant in Poltava Region where long-range UAVs were assembled and stored.

The strikes were apparently carried out exclusively by drones, as the statement did not mention the use of any missiles.

Russian attacks have put Ukraine’s power system under heavy strain ahead of the winter period, with reports of lengthy blackouts coming from Kiev and other major cities. On Sunday, public transport and industrial facilities remained paralyzed in the capital. Most of its districts were left without electricity, heating, and water supply, according to witnesses.

Moscow has ramped up its long-range campaign against Ukrainian military-related infrastructure and the defense-industrial base in recent months in response to Kiev’s terrorist attacks deep into Russia that targeted civilian facilities, including oil refineries, and residential areas. The Russian Defense Ministry maintains that it never targets civilians.

The latest bombardment comes ahead of another round of talks between delegations from Russia, Ukraine, and US scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moscow says that there should be no pause in fighting during the negotiations as it would be used by Kiev to rearm and reconstitute its forces.

Despite Ukraine’s continued setbacks on the front line and inability to counter Russian long-range missile and drone strikes, it appears Kiev will continue to reject any concessions coming into the UAE meeting. Sergey Leschenko, an aide to Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky, said last week that Kiev’s delegation in Abu Dhabi would insist on “halting the fighting where it’s currently taking place, without giving up any Ukrainian territory.”

Guinean authorities have detained more than 1,200 people in a crackdown on illegal gold mining, according to a joint statement issued by the Ministries of National Defense and Security and Civil Protection.

A total of 1,263 people, including nationals of Guinea, Burkina Faso, Mali, Togo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, and Ghana, were detained during operations in the gold-rich Siguiri region and transferred to the capital, Conakry, for legal proceedings, the ministries said on Saturday.

Police and gendarmerie investigators are questioning the detainees, who could face prosecution. The crackdown has also led to the dismissal of 22 civilian and military territorial administrators, including an acting governor, four prefects, 17 deputy prefects, and 479 district and neighborhood chiefs. The officials remain subject to possible legal action.

The authorities said similar operations are underway in Mandiana, Kerouane, Kouroussa, and other areas affected by illegal gold mining. They warned that both Guinean and foreign nationals involved in unauthorized extraction would face prosecution.

West Africa is one of the world’s leading gold-producing regions, with output estimated at nearly 500 tons in 2025, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. Guinea alone exported more than 72 tonnes of gold last year, including nearly 50 tonnes from artisanal mining, according to the country’s Ministry of Mines and Geology.

Ivory Coast has taken similar measures, tightening penalties for illegal mining in September 2026, with offenders facing up to 20 years in prison. Since 2021, authorities there have shut down around 8,500 illegal mining sites and brought nearly 4,500 people before the courts.

Unregulated gold mining also poses serious safety risks, with deadly collapses frequently reported across the region. In February 2026, at least 11 people, including ten women, were killed when a makeshift gold mine collapsed in eastern Guinea.

An anti-Israel activist has hoisted a Palestinian banner outside Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, in Berlin after climbing a nearly 30-meter flagpole, removing the national flag and throwing it to the ground.

The 22-year-old man scaled the pole while two accomplices, aged 20 and 32, filmed the stunt and livestreamed it on TikTok. All three were detained, although the two accomplices were subsequently released.

The activist group Peacefully Against Genocide claimed responsibility, describing the action as an expression of solidarity with Palestinians. The group has previously staged similar demonstrations at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate.

German police arrested three people in Berlin today after a man scaled the 30-metre flagpole outside the Reichstag, took down the German "Flag of Unity" and hoisted a Palestinian flag. Two accomplices filmed the climb. All three are suspected of insulting state symbols. Authorities removed the Palestinian flag using fire service equipment.

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) November 8, 2026

The Palestinian flag flew for about an hour before firefighters removed it. The original banner, known as the Flag of Unity, could not immediately be raised again because the flagpole’s hoisting mechanism had been damaged, according to police. The authorities are investigating suspected property damage, trespassing, violations of assembly laws, and insulting state symbols.

Germany has faced mounting criticism over its military support for Israel during the Gaza conflict. Berlin imposed partial restrictions on weapons exports in August 2025 but lifted them three months later. Between November 2025 and March 2026, the government authorized another €167 million (about $193 million) in military exports to Israel, according to official figures.

A similar display took place in June 2024, when activists unfurled a large Palestinian banner on the facade of Milan’s iconic Duomo cathedral, drawing applause from people gathered in the square below.

Israel launched its Gaza offensive following a Hamas-led attack in October 2023 that killed around 1,200. Some 250 people were taken hostage. More than 75,000 Palestinians have since been killed across the Palestinian territories, including at least 21,500 children, according to a UN Commission of Inquiry.

In October, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were preparing for a possible war with the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, where Palestinians have faced repeated attacks by Israeli settlers.

US President Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine will have to give up territory in order to achieve peace with Russia.

Trump made the statement ahead of the resumption of trilateral talks between Moscow, Kiev, and Washington, which are scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and Wednesday.

During an interview with CBS New on Sunday, Trump said “there’s a very important meeting taking place. I believe that that war is going to end, and it’s going to end soon.”

“I think we’re going to have it done, and I think it’s going happen and they’re going to end up with a little bit different shape Ukraine,” the US president said, without elaborating.

When reminded that has been promising to end the fighting between Moscow and Kiev since his campaign for the White House in 2024, Trump reiterated his claim that the conflict would not have started if he had been president in 2022. “Zero chance. But it did start. So, I inherited that war,” he added.

The US president said on Sunday that he expects to hold his first in-person meeting with Putin since Anchorage at an APEC leaders’ summit in Shenzhen next week as part of trilateral negotiations that will also include Chinese President ‌Xi Jinping. “We’ll be talking a lot of things,” he said.

There appears to be no shift in Kiev’s stance coming into the talks in UAE, with Zelensky aide Sergey Leschenko saying last week that Ukraine’s delegation would insist on “halting the fighting where it’s currently taking place, without giving up any Ukrainian territory.”

This includes Crimea, which reunited with Russia in 2014, and the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk (LPR) People’s Republics, along with Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, which were incorporated into Russia in 2022 following referendums.

Putin said last month that he believes Moscow and Kiev “can come to an agreement. We’re open to that.”

“We do not want to fight with Ukraine. But if the current Ukrainian leadership wants to fight, well, let them fight,” the president stressed. Russia will achieve all of its goals in the conflict one way or another, he added.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) has won the largest share of votes in municipal elections, but a sharp fall in support has left it needing coalition partners to govern key cities.

Results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on Sunday gave the ANC 30.76% of the vote and 3,246 council seats, down from 45.59% of the vote in 2021. The Democratic Alliance (DA) secured 24.64% and 1,695 seats, followed by former President Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe party with 9.76% and 785 seats.

Approximately 14.9 million of the 29.2 million registered voters cast ballots on November 4. The IEC reported turnout of 52%, up 6.1 percentage points from 2021, and declared the elections free and fair.

“This has been a very catastrophic outcome for the ANC,” Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula said. The party accepted the results, calling them an opportunity for “honest reflection” and renewal.

The DA retained an outright majority in Cape Town and emerged as the largest party in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Ekurhuleni and Nelson Mandela Bay, without enough seats to govern those four cities alone. Zuma’s party led in the municipality covering the eastern port city of Durban but also needs coalition partners.

The DA’s federal executive authorized coalition discussions on Saturday, saying prospective partners must support accountable government, reliable services and fighting corruption.

ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said on Sunday that his party would not support a DA administration in Johannesburg with Helen Zille as mayor. ActionSA took about 16% in the city, behind the DA’s roughly 35% and the ANC’s 20%. Meanwhile, the ANC and ActionSA have begun preliminary “talks about talks” to prevent a vacuum in local governance, Mbalula said on X.

Speaking at Sunday’s results ceremony, Ramaphosa warned that “the delivery of essential services cannot be held hostage by political disagreements.”

Water shortages, electricity failures and corruption dominated the campaign. The ANC lost its parliamentary majority in 2024 after three decades in power and now leads a ten-party Government of National Unity, including the DA. Its next leadership contest is in 2027, ahead of national elections in 2029. The ANC has pledged to “confront poor governance” and strengthen oversight.

Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has formally requested a new passport and identity card to facilitate her return from India next month, despite facing a death sentence at home, Reuters reported on Monday.

Her lawyers at the London-based Matrix Chambers wrote to the acting high commissioner at Bangladesh’s mission in New Delhi, Preeti Rahman, seeking replacement documents after her existing passport and identity card were reportedly revoked by the previous interim government in Dhaka.

Hasina was ousted following protests in August, 2024, ending her 15-year rule and forcing her to flee to India. A United Nations report estimated that as many as 1,400 people were killed during her government’s crackdown on the protests. She was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal last November.

Her lawyers have sought expedited processing, citing her Bangladeshi citizenship and international human rights obligations.

Her continued stay in India has strained relations between New Delhi and Dhaka. Bangladesh has insisted that Hasina should be extradited. Bangladeshi Deputy Foreign Minister Humaiun Kobir, however, dismissed the idea of providing her a passport last Thursday.