The leaders of Russia, China and the US plan to meet on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, AP reported on Saturday, citing officials.

The White House confirmed plans for the unprecedented three-way meeting on Friday, the outlet said. The talks are expected to focus on nuclear arms control and international security, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to host his Russian and American counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, at the summit on November 18–19.

Putin’s aide Yury Ushakov said earlier that the Russian president had discussed the upcoming meeting with Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. “We hope that this first meeting in such a format will have a positive impact on the overall international situation,” Ushakov said last month.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

An asphalt tanker rammed a docked cruise ship in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Friday, causing it to capsize and sending passengers into the Mississippi River.

Videos from the scene show the much larger Atlantic Asphalt tanker striking the American Heritage cruise ship directly in the side.

The vessel, operated by American Cruise Lines, was carrying 180 passengers and crew members at the time of the collision.

The cruise ship rolled onto its side and partially sank as tugboat operators, police and other rescuers rushed to help.

Watch the moment a tanker struck a cruise ship in New Orleans. Rescues are underway. 📷: Kern Studios https://t.co/ZPspGtM0Yr https://t.co/O1qGr8kImf

— wdsu (@wdsu) November 13, 2026

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno confirmed that everyone aboard had been rescued. She added that 32 people were hospitalized, none with critical injuries.

“It is a literal miracle on the Mississippi,” Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry told reporters. “When you think about the population that was on that cruise ship, and the ability for us to get them off, get them out of the water.”

WATCH: Dramatic video shows passengers swimming for help as cruise ship capsizes after being struck by a tanker; 12 people hospitalized, officials say. https://t.co/2UtubUdktf

— Scope Report (@ScopeReport_) November 13, 2026

The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Initial reports suggest the tanker may have lost steering before striking the docked vessel.

The German parliament has passed sweeping legislation granting the country’s intelligence agencies unprecedented powers to conduct sabotage, secretly enter homes, and expand surveillance. The controversial law has prompted comparisons with the Gestapo and Stasi, the notorious secret police organizations of Nazi Germany and Communist East Germany.

The legislation, championed by Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s governing coalition, was approved on Friday by 300 votes to 190, with 71 abstentions. Only the ruling CDU/CSU bloc and Social Democrats backed the reform. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) and The Left opposed it, while the Greens abstained.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt hailed the overhaul as a “reform of the century,” declaring a “new era” for German intelligence agencies that would put them on an “equal footing with our European partners.”

He defended the measures by citing alleged threats from espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and other hostile activities aimed at destabilizing Germany.

From surveillance to sabotage

The legislation fundamentally changes the role of Germany’s two principal intelligence agencies: the foreign intelligence service (BND) and the domestic Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV).

The BND would be authorized to penetrate foreign computer networks, disable servers used by suspected hackers and delete data. Its new powers could extend to sabotaging foreign chemical laboratories and drone production facilities or disrupting supply chains by introducing defective components into shipments linked to potential threats.

The domestic intelligence agency would gain extensive surveillance and intervention powers, including covert access to smartphones and computers, interception of encrypted communications and examination of stored data.

BfV operatives could also secretly enter private homes to install surveillance software or neutralize suspected weapons.

The agency would additionally be able to obtain information from payment providers, online platforms, and vehicle manufacturers, while deploying AI-assisted facial recognition and biometric searches to identify potential suspects.

Oversight of the expanded powers would be consolidated under the Independent Oversight Council, a 12-member body established in 2021 and appointed by the Bundestag’s Parliamentary Oversight Panel.

It would also be required to report to parliamentary overseers at least annually and publish public reports excluding classified information.

Return of the secret police?

The overhaul has triggered fierce criticism from opposition lawmakers, who warn that it threatens constitutional protections and dismantles safeguards established after the fall of Nazi Germany.

AfD lawmaker Christian Wirth condemned the reform as an “attack on the rule of law with truly totalitarian characteristics.”

He particularly criticized provisions allowing the BfV to exclude regional intelligence offices from information-sharing networks, warning that they could be used against politically “undesirable” state authorities.

In September, fellow AfD lawmaker Gottfried Curio accused Merz’s government of preparing to systematically violate fundamental rights, invoking Germany’s history under the Gestapo and East Germany’s Stasi.

“Manipulating, sabotaging, deceiving – with these subversive measures, the [BfV] is being transformed into Stasi 2.0,” he warned.

Green lawmaker Konstantin von Notz supported strengthening the BND but accused the government of lacking “any sensitivity to civil rights” in its domestic intelligence overhaul. He warned that the legislation could face “serious problems” before Germany’s Constitutional Court.

The Left’s Clara Buenger went further, accusing Dobrindt of undermining democracy through nationwide AI-powered mass surveillance and laying the groundwork for a “new German secret police.”

At the heart of the controversy is Germany’s longstanding separation principle, designed to prevent intelligence agencies from acquiring police powers.

The safeguard traces its origins to the Allied powers’ 1949 ‘Police Letter,’ which sought to prevent the re-emergence of an organization resembling the Gestapo. The distinction between intelligence gathering and law enforcement was subsequently incorporated into legislation governing Germany’s security services.

Critics argue that allowing intelligence operatives to secretly enter homes, interfere with property and conduct sabotage erodes that historical barrier.

Dobrindt has dismissed accusations that the reform threatens democracy as “madness.”

Russian threat narrative

The intelligence overhaul comes as Berlin accelerates its military buildup, with Merz’s government repeatedly invoking an alleged Russian threat to justify increased defense spending and expanded security capabilities.

German officials have increasingly warned of a possible military confrontation with Moscow, while accusing Russia of conducting espionage, sabotage, and other hostile operations across Europe.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and senior-most military commander General Christian Freuding have likewise warned that Russia could attack NATO before the end of the decade.

Moscow has repeatedly rejected claims that it intends to attack NATO members, dismissing such speculation as “nonsense” and “political schizophrenia.” Russian officials have instead accused Berlin of pursuing further escalation.

The controversy also has a domestic political dimension.

Merz has described the AfD as “Russia-backed” without publicly substantiating the allegation, while his Social Democratic coalition partners have pushed for a ban on the opposition party.

The AfD, which advocates stricter immigration controls and opposes German military assistance to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia, has become a major target of political scrutiny.

Defending the intelligence overhaul on Friday, Chancellor’s Office official Nina Warken argued that Germany faces daily threats from foreign powers that “disguise sabotage as an accident, espionage as business dealings, and propaganda as an opinion.”

Peace progress in Abu Dhabi

The mere mention of a broader European security architecture represents progress, Russian analyst Fyodor Lukyanov wrote for RT, pointing out that Moscow’s calls to rethink European security were previously dismissed by Washington. Although the idea is still in its infancy, the trilateral talks ended positively, with Russia and Ukraine agreeing to a large-scale prisoner swap

Conspicuous in their absence were the Europeans themselves, who at this point had yet to decide whether they should even speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin in the first place. At a meeting with Putin in Moscow on Thursday, Witkoff and Kushner managed to secure the EU a seat at the table in the next round of discussions. However, as RT explained, ‘Europe’ is split into squabbling camps of realists, maximalists, and fantasists, all vying for control of the peace process.

EU deadlock in Dublin

Witkoff and Kushner left Moscow for Dublin on Thursday, where Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers were meeting for the European Political Community (EPC) and EU leaders’ summits. Their arrival at Baldonnel Aerodrome in the Irish capital was a more stripped-back affair than the welcome they received at the Kremlin, but Zelensky was likely unbothered: he had already bilked tens of millions of euros worth of energy-related aid from his patrons, who used the Dublin gathering to reaffirm their unconditional loyalty to Kiev. 

None dared ask where the money would end up, but a corruption case unfolding back in Ukraine offered a potential answer: in the pockets of oligarchs happy to spend it on sports cars, marble apartments, and, bizarrely, live crocodiles.

Some locals weren’t as happy to receive Zelensky, however, and his car was pelted with eggs after he left the meeting.

Sky News correspondent Stephen Murphy shows one of Zelensky’s convoy cars beign attacked by eggs in Dublin. What a warm welcome. https://t.co/uOgjIjReNy

— Margarita Simonyan (@M_Simonyan) November 13, 2026

Witkoff, Kushner, and now Zelensky are losing their patience with the Europeans. “We need to choose who will represent Europe in the negotiations,” he said on Wednesday, before issuing his ultimatum. This decision, he demanded, must be made “no later than the end of November.”

“It is essential to have a team,” he said, yet “to speak with one voice.”

Jensen Huang gets honeypotted

Beijing has dismissed the allegations as “a groundless accusation, slander, and a smear,” and US President Donald Trump has stuck by the embattled executive, describing Huang as “an amazing guy” and “a high-quality person.”

Trump’s endorsement couldn’t stop the scandal from snowballing. As memes about the “honeypot” allegations flooded the internet, a second affair was revealed on Wednesday, and Huang resigned on Thursday, right after he was summoned to testify before Congress.

Iran threatens ‘hell’

The Republican Party’s devastating midterm election loss and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shrinking odds of staying in power have placed the two principal antagonists of the war on Iran in limbo. If White House leaks are to be believed, Netanyahu wants Trump to restart attacks, and a conversation between the two descended into a “shouting match from hell” over the weekend.

This week, Tehran lifted its self-imposed 2,000km limit on the range of its ballistic missiles and threatened to unveil “surprises… on the battlefield” if a new round of military confrontation erupts. Should the US and Israel “choose war,” they will “see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned in a social media post.

Iran and the US have traded tit-for-tat strikes, with Iranian forces claiming an attack on a US early-warning radar installation in Bahrain on Friday. Yemen’s Houthis have struck Saudi oil infrastructure and the headquarters of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco in Riyadh. For all parties involved, the cost of miscalculation could be huge.

Biden gets milked

Trump’s war on Iran may have dealt a generational defeat to the Republican Party, but he is not the only American president paying a price for siding with Israel. Joe Biden’s trip to Ireland was interrupted when pro-Palestinian protesters lobbed cartons of milk at the former president outside Dublin’s Trinity College on Tuesday.

Biden, whose son Hunter had just received an honorary award from the university, was met with chants of “blood on your hands” and “Genocide Joe” as he left the campus. Irish police were seen wrestling activists to the ground, and two people were pepper-sprayed and arrested.

Biden was in office when Hamas militants attacked Israel in October 2023, prompting the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to launch a full-scale assault on Gaza. Biden vetoed multiple UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire, expedited the sale of military equipment to the IDF, and transferred just under $18 billion in military aid to Israel, on top of the $3.8 billion sent annually since 2016.

Biden’s “role in the genocide of the Palestinian people is well-documented,” Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union said in a statement after Tuesday’s protest. The union also called on Trinity to revoke the honorary doctorate awarded to Biden in 2016.

Heading into the weekend, we’re preparing for further unrest across Europe, with protests planned in France, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, and strikes next week in France and Spain – all over the rising cost of living across a rapidly militarizing continent.

We’ll also be keeping an eye on the so-called Multinational Force-Ukraine (MNF-U) drills in Poland, which have been running since Monday and conclude next Friday. Held by 11 nations, including France, the UK, and Poland, in preparation for a potential deployment to post-conflict Ukraine, the drills look like an exercise in wishful thinking – Putin has already warned that the presence of foreign troops on Ukrainian soil would be “a recipe for an endless war.” Moreover, they could imperil the EU’s newfound plans to take part in talks with the US, Russia, and Ukraine.

Putin will travel to the Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum on Tuesday, where an historic trilateral meeting between him, Trump, and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to take place. Ukraine will be high on the agenda when the three heavyweights meet, and we’ll be bringing you live updates and analysis as it happens.

For more on these stories, and on everything else, stick with RT.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a rare nationwide ground stop for all departing flights across the United States, citing unspecified safety concerns.

The emergency directive took effect at 3:54pm Eastern Time on Friday, with all departing aircraft instructed to remain on the ground until further notice.

According to the advisory, international flights arriving in the US are being handled on a case-by-case basis. The FAA has not specified how long the restrictions will remain in effect.

Around 1,900 flights had been canceled and 10,500 delayed as of 6pm Eastern Time on Friday, ABC13 reported, citing flight-tracking service FlightAware.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the nationwide ground stop was prompted by a “communication issue impacting all Air Route Traffic Control Centers.”

“FAA technicians are investigating the issue. We will provide immediate updates as we have them,” he wrote on X.

Preliminary reports suggest the disruption was not caused by a cyberattack, CNN reported, citing two law enforcement officials.

The National Weather Service also reported nationwide internet and communications problems, warning that some weather information on its websites could be unavailable or outdated. The agency said technicians were working to restore services.

The last nationwide ground stop was ordered in January 2023 following a failure of the system that provides safety notices to pilots. The previous such shutdown occurred in the immediate aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

The outage came just days after the FAA announced the nationwide rollout of SMART, a new AI-powered system designed to optimize flight routes and reduce delays. The technology was deployed across all 22 regional air traffic control centers, although authorities have not established whether it played any role in Friday’s disruption.

Similar technical failures have disrupted air travel worldwide this year. In September, a communications outage halted flights at major airports in the northeastern US, while a software malfunction caused widespread flight cancellations across Britain. Greece temporarily closed its airspace in January, and Italy halved its air traffic capacity following a technical failure in October.

The downfall of Nvidia founder Jensen Huang in a scandal involving a suspected Chinese spy has raised a politically explosive question: who benefits from the removal of one of Washington’s most influential critics of chip restrictions on China?

Huang resigned on Thursday following revelations of extramarital affairs, including one with Chinese businesswoman Alice Huang, former head of Nvidia customer, Singapore-based Megaspeed International. Anonymous US intelligence officials reportedly suspect that she was recruited by Beijing to potentially influence the Nvidia CEO to push Washington to ease AI chip export restrictions.

RT examines the intrigue surrounding Huang’s exit and the struggle for control of the global AI industry.

So who benefits from Huang’s departure?

Huang’s resignation removes one of Washington’s most prominent advocates of keeping China connected to American AI technology, potentially handing China hawks a major political advantage. The Nvidia founder repeatedly warned that cutting Beijing off from American technology would accelerate China’s push for independence. In a May interview with Fox Business, he pointed to Huawei’s growing influence: “They’re flourishing in our absence.”

His exit has immediately intensified congressional demands for tighter export controls and investigations into Nvidia’s China dealings.

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

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

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

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

Republican Representative John Moolenaar, who chairs the House Select Committee on China, has seized on the scandal to question whether whether Chinese intelligence had obtained sensitive information through Huang or influenced US technology policy.

“[Huang has] been one of the strongest proponents for not having export controls,” Moolenaar said. “This shines a whole new light on that discussion.”

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast has also pushed for stronger safeguards, including measures to prevent chip smuggling and restrict access to advanced semiconductor equipment.

Despite Jensen Huang’s resignation, Congress must demand answers from Mr. Huang and others at Nvidia about how they may have put U.S. national security at risk.

The Trump administration must also answer for what it did once it learned about Mr. Huang’s relationship with a…

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 12, 2026

Trump defended Huang as a “very honorable guy” and said he believed the executive’s denial that he knew Alice Huang was allegedly involved in espionage. However, the controversy appears to have given advocates of tougher restrictions on China fresh ammunition against one of their most influential opponents.

Who benefits more – China hawks or AI rivals?

Huang’s abrupt exit has also raised questions over whether rival American technology firms could benefit from his downfall.

Independent journalist Lee Fang suggested rival US AI companies could gain, pointing to Huang’s support for cheaper Chinese open-source models that threaten established American competitors. He drew parallels with earlier campaigns targeting Huawei and TikTok.

What are the odds American AI firms are playing some role in the Huang ouster? In the same way Cisco paid PR firms to spread fears about Huawei and Meta paid PR firms to stir demands for banning competitor TikTok? Huang singularly pushed cheaper Chinese open source models.

— Lee Fang (@lhfang) November 12, 2026

Venice AI founder Erik Voorhees went further, calling Huang’s removal a “coup.”

Journalist Glenn Greenwald questioned whether extramarital affairs alone explained the removal of one of America’s most powerful technology executives.

“I don’t know who wanted Jensen Huang out but I know that whoever it was wields extreme levels of power,” he wrote on X.

The resignation also provoked a backlash across Silicon Valley. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao called it “a mistake,” Epic Games chief Tim Sweeney described it as “a sad day,” and Elon Musk said hiring Huang would be “an honor.”

A sad day for NVIDIA, developers, America, and all humanity. Jensen founded and ran one of the few companies to reach a massive scale while driving massive continued innovation and ubiquity, while others fell into the trap of ever-increasing extraction. https://t.co/AkS5XT9HF8

— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) November 12, 2026

“Dark, dark day. Horrible decision for the US and the western world,” wrote Andreessen Horowitz partner Martin Casado.

The media has some questions to answer

Questions have emerged over how the story reached the press. New York Times reporter Tripp Mickle, who helped break the story of Huang’s affair, revealed on The Daily podcast that he and colleague Ana Swanson began investigating Megaspeed after receiving a tip from an unnamed technology industry contact.

The disclosure reinforces suspicions that journalists may have been deliberately steered toward Megaspeed, raising questions about who supplied the tip – and why.

What did Washington know – and when?

The intrigue deepened following reports that senior US officials knew about Huang’s relationship with Alice Huang months before the scandal erupted.

Megaspeed operates AI computing infrastructure, allowing customers to rent access to powerful Nvidia processors outside China – a potential route around restrictions on shipping advanced chips directly to the country.

Washington was also approving direct sales to Chinese buyers. In May Reuters reported that around ten Chinese companies had been cleared to purchase Nvidia’s H200 processors, although deliveries had not begun. The approvals were separate from the Megaspeed investigation, and their precise timing relative to the intelligence warning remains unclear.

The dispute reportedly reached the highest levels of the Trump administration. Axios reported that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confronted Lutnick over his failure to blacklist Megaspeed despite repeated warnings. The Commerce Department denied the confrontation ever happened and Lutnick now faces congressional scrutiny over his department’s handling of chip exports and suspected diversion to China.

How did Singapore become entangled in the scandal

Singaporean authorities had been investigating Alice Huang’s former company, Megaspeed International, long before her alleged ties to Chinese intelligence became central to the scandal surrounding Nvidia’s founder.

In a statement Thursday, Singapore’s Home Affairs Ministry said police began investigating Megaspeed in February 2025 over suspected false declarations involving servers shipped through Singapore to Malaysia.

Alice Huang was questioned and had her passport seized in June 2025. By February 2026, however, investigators found insufficient evidence that she had committed the suspected offenses. She received a warning for knowingly providing inaccurate information about her role at Megaspeed and was barred from re-entering Singapore.

Notably, Singapore stressed that she had never been investigated for espionage.

Meanwhile, the alleged Chinese spy narrative has come under growing scrutiny in Washington itself.

Bombshell story. The spy narrative is collapsing already.

Is there clear & convincing evidence that Alice Huang was a Chinese spy?

- AG says no. (“no conclusions reached”).
- CIA says no. (“not yet convinced”).
- DNI says no (“not entirely accurate and over-torqued”).
- Ranking… https://t.co/9Pt1W2zjVX

— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) November 13, 2026

According to CNN, US intelligence officials remain divided over whether the evidence establishes that Alice Huang worked for Beijing. Attorney General Todd Blanche said that the Justice Department had reached “no conclusions” about her alleged intelligence ties.

The assessments leave a fundamental question unanswered: how did an unproven espionage allegation gain such traction despite the lack of conclusive evidence?

Why is Nvidia central to US technological dominance?

Founded by Huang in 1993, Nvidia has become the leading supplier of advanced processors powering the global AI boom.

Its chips and software underpin data centers and AI systems worldwide, making the company a strategic asset in Washington’s competition with Beijing.

By controlling exports of advanced processors and semiconductor technology, the US can influence which countries gain access to the computing power needed to develop cutting-edge AI.

Washington argues the restrictions are necessary to prevent China from strengthening its military and intelligence capabilities. Critics see a broader strategy of technological containment aimed at preserving American economic and geopolitical dominance.

That is what made Huang’s position so consequential: he challenged a central instrument of Washington’s effort to maintain its lead over China.

Could US chip restrictions hand China the advantage?

Washington’s campaign to contain China’s technological rise risks achieving the opposite: accelerating Beijing’s drive to build an AI industry beyond American control.

In an August regulatory filing, Nvidia warned that US export controls, combined with Chinese restrictions, had effectively excluded it from China’s data-center computing market.

The company argued that its exclusion was allowing competitors to expand their developer and customer networks, potentially challenging American technology worldwide.

That was the central contradiction Huang repeatedly highlighted: cutting China off from Nvidia could weaken American influence while strengthening Chinese competitors.

Washington’s national security hawks argue the opposite – that selling powerful processors to Beijing risks advancing its military and technological capabilities.

Huang’s departure removes a prominent voice from that debate, but not the dilemma: could Washington’s efforts to preserve its technological supremacy ultimately help China escape American dominance?

Who will take control of Nvidia now?

Huang’s resignation has triggered a leadership crisis at Nvidia. According to Wired, an internal post urging the board to consider employee sentiment attracted more than 1,600 comments, many supporting Huang’s return.

Longtime finance chief Colette Kress has taken over as interim CEO while Nvidia searches for a permanent successor.

According to Reuters, Kress and Nvidia veteran Ian Buck, a key figure behind its CUDA computing platform, are among the possibilities. Other names floated include Arm CEO Rene Haas and AMD chief Lisa Su. On Polymarket, Buck has also emerged among the leading contenders, alongside Jensen Huang’s daughter, Madison Huang, who serves at Nvidia as senior marketing director, and Apple hardware chief Johny Srouji, although betting odds offer no indication of the board’s intentions.

BREAKING: Jensen Huang's daughter, Madison Huang, emerges as the leading candidate to become Nvidia's next CEO.

See all candidates: https://t.co/Ijsq636OPo pic.twitter.com/597e31lFlw

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) November 11, 2026

Trump has also weighed in, endorsing former Apple CEO Tim Cook, now executive chairman, declaring on Truth Social that “a Legend replaces a Legend.”

President Trump proposes Tim Cook to run Nvidia and says Apple would never be what it is today if Steve Jobs were still around

“Well, you know the expression, anybody can be replaced. So it’s very hard to replace him, but I had an idea this morning that I sort of just released.… https://t.co/uxJNkLoMW2 pic.twitter.com/ylwksgXenR

— Fireside Alpha (@firesidealpha) November 13, 2026

The succession debate has extended to Israel, where media have floated Nvidia technology chief Michael Kagan, Mellanox founder Eyal Waldman, and Apple‘s Srouji. All three have strong ties to the Israeli technology sector.

Whoever succeeds Huang will inherit a company caught in the escalating US-China technology confrontation, with the stakes extending far beyond the boardroom. Huang’s replacement will have to choose whether to continue advocating for keeping China within the American technology ecosystem or bring Nvidia closer to Washington’s advocates of tougher restrictions.

The broader question, meanwhile, is not simply who replaces Huang, but whether his departure will also mark a fundamental shift in America’s AI strategy.

At least four people have been killed after heavy rain flooded camps sheltering tens of thousands in Gaza, according to UN agencies. Much of the enclave, including its sewage system, has been reduced to rubble by Israeli bombardment.

Heavy rain and strong winds, which are unusually intense for early November, battered the coastal territory for several days, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said. Floodwaters swept through makeshift camps and tents, soaking mattresses, washing away belongings, and collapsing shelters.

At Al Berka Reservoir, west of Deir al-Balah, a rain-soaked sandy embankment collapsed onto tents, reportedly killing five people, including three children and two women, with an infant feared drowned, according to local rescuers cited by OCHA. UNICEF, however, reported four deaths in the collapse.

At least 5 people are dead and thousands more without shelter after heavy rains hit Gaza. While Israeli authorities are not responsible for the rain, they are responsible for the displacement of 1.9 million Palestinians and obstructing entry of humanitarian aid. https://t.co/sVTTpc5g7n

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) November 12, 2026

According to Gaza’s Government Media Office, around 70,000 tents were flooded within 12 hours. The UN separately recorded more than 6,000 family shelters destroyed and 17,400 damaged. UNICEF reported that around 950,000 displaced Palestinians live in flood-exposed areas, including 400,000 at extremely high risk.

The scale of the devastation is exacerbated by the aftermath of more than three years of Israeli bombardment, which destroyed or damaged 82% of structures, forcing vast numbers of Palestinians into flimsy tents, according to the UN.

Israeli attacks also ruined drainage and sanitation infrastructure, which was neglected before the conflict. According to UNICEF, not a single wastewater treatment plant in Gaza is operational, and just two out of six pumps at the Sheikh Radwan stormwater basin still function, raising the risk of sewage-contaminated floodwater overflowing into nearby neighborhoods.

The agency also stressed that it sought Israeli approval to bring in repair equipment for more than a year.

💔 HEARTBREAKING Scenes From GAZA Heavy rainfall floods displacement camps, soaking the few belongings Palestinian families have left. They are exposed to freezing wet conditions. Israeli restrictions on aid must be condemned. The world cannot look away https://t.co/xjs3bh1ztr

— Dr Ahmad Rehan Khan (@AhmadRehanKhan) November 13, 2026

The UN humanitarian team suggested that Israel is responsible for the fallout, saying the damage was mainly caused “not by the storm alone, but by policy decisions.” It accused Israel of obstructing essential supplies and access to safer ground, noting that more than 150,000 tents were waiting outside Gaza for delivery.

Even the US-backed Board of Peace, established under President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, criticized Israel’s handling of the crisis, warning that delays in approving shelter, sanitation, and drainage equipment “exacerbated the consequences of a foreseeable humanitarian challenge.”

An extremist Israeli settler says the deadly floods in Gaza are a "baptism" to prepare the land for Jewish settlement. They are literally cheering for children to drown because it makes the real estate easier to steal. Pure evil https://t.co/cDodLKFBRt

— Ounka (@OunkaOnX) November 13, 2026

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the accusations, claiming that “Hamas alone is responsible for the suffering of the people of Gaza,” while urging the militant group to disarm. He also stressed that Israel facilitated the entry of more than 91,000 tents and thousands of truckloads of winter supplies.

The UK government has approved controversial plans to house up to 1,256 male migrants near a tiny Oxfordshire village of around 350 residents, Sky News reported on Thursday. To protest the plans, Piddington symbolically seceded from the UK in September.

Residents of the village, which had a population of just 358 in 2021, have fiercely opposed the proposed asylum center at a nearby former military site, raising concerns about its impact on their small community. Despite 285 residents voting in favor of secession in the symbolic referendum, the government has refused to cancel the plans.

British Housing Secretary Angela Rayner personally approved the project on Thursday, according to Sky News. A letter from her department to the Home Office said the facility would “provide a flexible and operationally resilient” response to housing demand and reduce reliance on migrant hotels, the news outlet reported, citing the correspondence.

Although the facility was intended for temporary use, Rayner assessed the project “as if it was for a permanent development,” according to Sky News.

The Home Office used the Urgent Crown Development procedure, allowing ministers to decide the application instead of the local planning authority, which would normally have the power to reject such projects following objections from residents.

“Burnham is determined to flood towns and villages across the country with fighting-age male illegal migrants,” Farage wrote on X on Thursday.

“Burnham and his government are putting women and girls at risk,” he added.

The decision comes as the UK deals with an ongoing migrant crisis and continued illegal crossings via the English Channel.

Anti-immigration protests and riots have also erupted in the UK in recent years following multiple high-profile rape, murder, and assault cases involving migrants and people with migrant backgrounds.

Immigration topped the list of concerns among Britons, with 40% naming it as one of the country’s most important issues, according to an Ipsos poll published in late October. Nearly two-thirds of Britons expected the country's economic situation to worsen over the following year, according to the survey.

EU leaders want to prolong the Ukraine conflict because they stand to lose their jobs if peace is achieved, Swiss journalist and Forum Geopolitica founder Peter Hansler has told RT.

During the two-day Russia-Ukraine-US talks in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, European officials held separate consultations with the US and Ukrainian delegations but were not included in the main negotiations. On Thursday, US President Donald Trump’s envoy Jared Kushner said Moscow agreed to expand the next round of negotiations to include “our European partners.”

Russia has not, however, confirmed that it agreed to direct European participation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has accused European governments of sending mixed signals, with their calls for peace contrasting with plans to deploy troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Moscow has consistently said it would oppose any such move.

“All the leaders in Europe, they will lose their job if there is peace. So does [Ukraine’s Vladimir] Zelensky,” Hansler told RT, arguing that the involvement of European governments in negotiations would be “highly problematic.”

Hansler claimed that European leaders are not interested in negotiating an end to the conflict. “They will prolong the war. That’s their interest. Because all the European leaders, they are dependent on this war,” he said.

He also pointed to divisions within the EU over further financial support for Kiev, saying European governments are “running out of money” and lack unity on whether to continue financing Ukraine.

Hansler argued that there would be no meaningful negotiations or prospect of peace if German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Andy Burnham took part, accusing them of being “pro-war against Russia.” He also noted that European governments have thus far failed to name a negotiator to represent them in any potential talks.

Watch the full interview below.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to “get Cuba done” before leaving office in two years, adding that he is open to ordering a military operation against the island.

Speaking to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday, Trump made clear that he “would certainly consider” a week-long campaign against Cuba, which the US has kept under a de facto blockade while openly advocating for regime change.

“I want to get Cuba done before I leave. And we have a very good, talented guy for Cuba named Marco,” he said, referring to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose parents emigrated from Cuba and who has been particularly critical of the government in Havana.

Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked Rubio’s comments, saying “there must be a great deal of desperation or misery within the agency for it to be forced to sell its services like a tube of toothpaste.”

The resulting fuel shortages have aggravated an already severe humanitarian crisis, bringing repeated nationwide blackouts and disrupting water supplies, transport, and healthcare. Russia, one of Cuba’s long-time close partners, sent hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil to the island as humanitarian aid, although the shipment provided only temporary relief.

In July, CBS News reported that Pentagon planners had considered an air assault against Cuba involving thousands of US troops from the elite 101st Airborne Division. In September, the network reported an Army Reserve inquiry about support units, including police forces and medical personnel, which might be needed within 90 to 120 days as part of potential Cuba-related planning. Neither report indicated that Trump had ordered a military operation.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has accused Washington of seeking to create a “humanitarian catastrophe” through its fuel restrictions. President Miguel Diaz-Canel has also insisted that Cuba’s future would never be decided in Washington, warning that Havana would fight back against any US invasion.

Germany’s continued military buildup, financed largely through government borrowing, could push public debt to nearly 100% of GDP by 2040, an independent government advisory body has warned, urging Berlin to promptly rein in spending.

The country’s deeply ingrained cultural and political aversion to debt has been slipping under the weight of an eroding economy and rearmament program aimed at confronting the supposed threat from Russia.

Germany launched a €100 billion ($122 billion) military buildup and restructuring program in the wake of the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022 under then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz. His successor, Friedrich Merz, has doubled down on this policy, vowing to turn the German military into Europe’s strongest conventional force while maintaining military support for Kiev.

“Public finances in Germany are coming under growing pressure. In the federal budget, projected revenue will not be sufficient to cover the planned spending in the longer term,” the German Council of Economic Experts (GCEE) warned in its annual report released on Wednesday.

According to the German Taxpayers Federation, the nation’s debt burden is currently increasing by €7,052 per second, with every citizen being effectively €34,046 in debt on behalf of the state.

For the Eurozone itself, a more deeply indebted Germany removes an important buffer. Germany has historically maintained the financial space to act as the fiscal anchor during Europe’s recurrent debt crises.

German Bunds also serve as the primary risk-free benchmark and safe asset for the entire Eurozone. Because other members price their debt against Bunds, any significant loss of fiscal discipline in Germany, with a resulting rise in Bund yields, could trigger instability across the whole bloc. At the very least, the baseline borrowing cost for every country in the Eurozone would come under upward pressure.

Berlin appears to be shying away from its traditional role as fiscal anchor. The government ignored warnings in late 2025 from the Bundesbank that Germany was on course to record its largest budget deficit since reunification by 2028. Merz’s government amended the constitutional debt brake to fund the military buildup and passed a 2026 budget allocating a record €108.2 billion for defense and €11.5 billion in military aid for Ukraine.

“Above all, it is defense spending that is rising sharply and is financed by borrowing,” a council member, Achim Truger, told AFP. “From an economic point of view, it’s simply not rational to finance defense spending of this scale permanently through debt.”

Merz has so far refused to change course and has repeatedly reaffirmed his determination to continue the military buildup and provide funding for Ukraine despite what he himself called a “structural crisis” in the German economy.

“I will not deviate by a single millimeter from my fundamental conviction that, especially now, we must defend our freedom against Russia,” he stated in September, advocating for increased military spending and continued aid to Kiev.

Moscow has consistently dismissed the notion that it poses a threat to Europe as “nonsense” and believes the hostile rhetoric emanating from EU capitals is intended to distract populaces from mounting domestic problems.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s approach to military spending is comparable to the rhetoric used by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, former Spanish diplomat Jose Antonio Zorrilla has told RT.

Earlier this week, Merz described long-term support for Ukraine as “a common European task” at a joint press conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar in Berlin, saying continued funding for Kiev should be reflected in the EU’s next budget. European governments have also been pushing to increase military spending, citing what they claim is a growing threat from Russia.

Commenting on the remarks, Zorrilla told RT: “Well, they have a very old tradition of that in Germany. If you remember a certain Goebbels, he said something like cannons and butter […] We have to make a choice between the cannons and the butter, so I think Merz is doing more or less the same.”

Zorrilla also mocked claims that Russia poses an imminent threat to Europe, asking: “Who can believe that Russia is about to invade us?” He argued that invoking the alleged threat was being used to justify militarization rather than address pressing domestic problems.

The former diplomat also criticized European support for Ukraine, saying that Spain had allocated €13 billion ($14.3 billion) for Kiev last year while failing to properly maintain its own infrastructure. He cited a recent high-speed train derailment as an example of domestic shortcomings that, in his view, should take priority over foreign military commitments.

Watch the full interview below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Old narratives, ground realities

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

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

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

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

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

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

Breaching the differences

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

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

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

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

Broader vision

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch the full interview below.

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

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

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

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

Rumsfeld’s “New Europe”

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

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

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

Who is “Europe” now?

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

The realists

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

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

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

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

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

The maximalists

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

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

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

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

The fantasists

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

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

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

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

A reckoning in Dublin

A compromise in Dublin

European Council President Antonio Costa followed through on his promise to discuss the creation of an envoy during talks at the EU’s summit in Dublin this week. However, the compromise he reached with EU leaders will leave nobody satisfied. Instead of a single envoy, ‘Europe’ will be represented by France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK at the national security adviser level, and by the European Commission and Council at leader-level discussions.

Despite selecting seven separate entities, which include all three European factions – realists, maximalists, and fantasists – Costa insisted that the panel of interlocutors will be able “to speak with one voice.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RT brings you the key statements and latest developments.

“Constructive” talks

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

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

“Very productive time,” he said.

Witkoff hails progress in peace efforts 

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

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

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

Key positions on European security 

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

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

Foreign troops in Ukraine would mean ‘endless war’  

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

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

Zelensky unwilling to end conflict

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

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

Major prisoner exchange 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Putin-Trump talks in China

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

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

Europe’s actions contradict its calls for peace  

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

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

What’s next? 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Richard Gaisford (@richardgaisford) November 12, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch Xavier Moreau’s full interview with RT below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) November 12, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

— World_Breaking_News03 (@Breaking2003) November 11, 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.”

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

A skyscraper housing offices of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil giant Aramco has been damaged in a missile and drone attack by Yemen’s Houthis. The group claimed the Sunday strike came in retaliation for Saudi-led attacks over the weekend that reportedly killed more than 50 people, including women and children.

The Aramco Tower, located in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, sustained visible damage across several floors, with windows shattered, parts of its glass facade blown out, and internal structures exposed.

Footage circulating online showed extensive damage to the exterior of the skyscraper, while witnesses reported hearing multiple explosions across the Saudi capital.

NOW: Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry reported no casualties after missile debris damaged an Aramco building in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District. https://t.co/QhBkivFJ9x

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

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Ministry acknowledged that an administrative building belonging to Aramco had been targeted in an “attempted attack,” but insisted that falling shrapnel had caused only “minor damage,” with no injuries or fatalities.

New footage of the Aramco tower in the King Abdullah Financial District shows heavy damage on the upper floors. Windows are blown out. Structural impacts are visible. https://t.co/QdOAtYQmIH

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

The Saudi-led coalition said its air defenses had intercepted several missiles, including two launched toward Riyadh, as well as projectiles targeting the kingdom’s Eastern Province and southern regions.

Another Angle of the Houthi strike on Aramco Tower in Riyadh . Firefighters can be seen working , the damage seems to be not too big for a Ballistic missile though . https://t.co/1irJ3MJH5e

— Nightmare (@Nightshade00077) November 8, 2026

Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, better known as the Houthis, claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks involving ballistic and cruise missiles and drones. The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the targets included Riyadh’s financial district, King Khalid International Airport, Aramco oil storage facilities, and the eastern Saudi city of Abqaiq.

A day earlier, an attack on a crowded market in Taiz province killed at least 30 people. The Houthis accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out airstrikes, while forces aligned with Yemen’s Saudi-backed government blamed the Houthis themselves.

The latest escalation comes amid renewed fighting in Yemen, where the Houthis made major territorial gains in September, seizing strategic Red Sea ports and islands near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, one of the world’s busiest maritime chokepoints. The militants also encircled Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city, while Yemeni troops have launched a counteroffensive supported by Saudi airstrikes.

Yemen has been engulfed in civil war since 2014, with Saudi Arabia launching a military intervention in its impoverished southern neighbor the following year. More than a decade of conflict has left over 22 million people in need of humanitarian assistance and millions displaced, with nearly 300,000 forced from their homes since August alone, according to the UN.

A UN-brokered truce in 2022 brought a relative lull in fighting, but hostilities erupted again in July. The Houthis have vowed to continue attacking Saudi targets until Riyadh ends its military operations and lifts its blockade of Yemen.

American AI chipmaking giant Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into allegations that its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a Chinese intelligence ‘honeypot’ operation, after he admitted to cheating on his wife.

Following the news, Nvidia shares fell by almost 7.5% at the start of trading in New York, wiping more than $300 billion off the company’s value.

The 63-year-old billionaire did not identify the woman involved in the affair or explicitly mention China in his Sunday message to employees. However, he acknowledged the national security concerns raised by media reports, pledged to cooperate with the investigation announced by Nvidia’s board of directors, and reaffirmed his commitment to protecting the company and US national security.

“I was unfaithful to my wife. My actions hurt her and our children. There is no excuse for what I did. I am deeply sorry,” Huang wrote.

The admission follows reports by the New York Times and Financial Times alleging that Huang 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.

Beijing has rejected the spying accusations. “The relevant report is based on groundless speculation and is purely aimed at smearing and slandering China,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on October 30.

Trump had been briefed on the intelligence allegations roughly a year ago, while Huang had not received any warning from US agencies, according to the NYT.

Trump on taking Jensen Huang on his upcoming trip to Asia. "I would certainly take him. I haven't heard he's done anything wrong." https://t.co/uAsQhEe8ws

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 8, 2026

The Nvidia CEO subsequently accompanied Trump on a state visit to China in May, even traveling aboard Air Force One. In September, Huang and his wife, Lori, also attended Trump’s state dinner for Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House.

The US president is scheduled to visit the Philippines before traveling to China for the APEC summit on November 18–19, where a potential trilateral meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin is being discussed.

Nvidia’s board said on Sunday that a committee of independent directors, assisted by outside legal counsel, would investigate reports of a “foreign intelligence effort” targeting Huang. It stressed that it had no reason to believe either US national security or the company’s secrets had been compromised, while reaffirming its confidence in Huang’s leadership.

Washington has repeatedly accused Beijing of cyberespionage, including alleged attacks on NASA, the Federal Reserve and other sensitive networks. China has consistently rejected such accusations, accusing the US of exploiting cybersecurity concerns to discredit the country.

The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a naval grouping aimed at Russia, is about to expand its posture in the North Atlantic, Arctic, and Baltic regions, Britain’s chief of defence staff, Sir Richard Knighton, has told the Financial Times.

The newspaper reported on Sunday that parties to the initiative, which also includes the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, are expected to sign a pact aimed at bolstering the grouping’s presence on Tuesday, ahead of the Atlantic Future Forum conference.

Air Chief Marshal Knighton told the FT that the countries would move “beyond memorandums of understanding and exchanges and meetings into really practical measures.”

He named confronting Russian submarines in those waters among the JEF’s key objectives.

The head of the British Armed Forces argued that in the face of the US long-term pivot toward the Asia-Pacific region, European countries need to step up their rearmament drive. With this in mind, the UK government has to find ways to sell increased military spending to the British public, Knighton told the FT.

The UK, the Netherlands, Nordic nations, and the Baltic states signed a statement of intent to set up a new “multinational maritime force” outside of NATO to counter Russia in April.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense” allegations that it harbors aggressive plans against NATO, with Russian officials sounding the alarm over the rapid militarization of the Arctic by Western nations. Moscow controls more than half of the coastline in the region.

Meanwhile, NATO ramped up its activities in the Far North earlier this year by launching the Arctic Sentry initiative and established the multinational Forward Land Forces presence in Finland in June.

Around the same time, the Western military bloc announced the creation of Task Force X-Arctic (TFX-Arctic), which is an experimental unit to test assorted unmanned systems.

Speaking last March, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was “concerned by the fact that NATO countries as a whole are more frequently designating the far north as a bridgehead for possible conflicts.”

Speaking in August, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov similarly accused NATO of “driving the region towards militarization.”

“Intensive military preparations are underway in close proximity to our northern borders. NATO is conducting large-scale military exercises involving non-regional countries,” the diplomat said.

Lavrov warned that these developments could trigger an armed confrontation with “potentially disastrous consequences.”

Prominent MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, who traveled to Kiev earlier this year to promote Ukraine and downplay its neo-Nazi problem, has secretly received tens of thousands of dollars for political posts on social media, the Washington Post has reported, citing financial records and people familiar with the arrangements.

According to the newspaper’s investigation, bank records and transfer documents show four payments totaling more than $60,000 to Loomer and her Florida-based company, King Breaker Media, since May 2025. Two sources claimed she charged between $3,000 and $5,000 per tweet, sometimes more.

The allegations were made by Alex Bruesewitz, an adviser to Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and three others familiar with the arrangements. Bruesewitz admitted paying Loomer through his political consulting firm, X Strategies, to promote policy-related messages.

Loomer, who has 1.9 million followers on X and has met with Trump repeatedly, both privately and publicly, has been credited with influencing personnel decisions in his administration. Some clients reportedly hired her specifically because they believed her messages could reach the president.

I’ve been open about my work in this industry. My experience is what makes me uniquely qualified to say it’s gotten out of hand. I’m not against creators getting paid, I just think it’s probably time for political influencers to disclose what opinions they are being paid for. Our discourse would be healthier if those arrangements had to be disclosed. Why are you so opposed to disclosures?

— Alex Bruesewitz 🇺🇸 (@alexbruesewitz) November 8, 2026

Loomer denied selling political posts, insisting she was paid for research and consulting rather than tweets. “My business is public affairs and opposition research,” she told the newspaper. “It’s not illegal to make a living in America.”

I personally paid @LauraLoomer to post tweets earlier this year. A good amount of cash too. I will gladly share screenshots, receipts, texts, and the names of other people who paid her. It was always very intresting to hear from her who she was willing to be paid to trash and who was off limits. @alexbruesewitz @washingtonpost @thedailybeast @Jerusalem_Post

— Jacob Engels (@JacobEngels) November 8, 2026

The revelations have drawn renewed attention to Loomer’s dramatic reversal on Ukraine following her highly publicized visit to Kiev in July, during which she interviewed Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky and fully embraced his government’s narrative about the conflict with Russia.

Loomer claimed that her Kiev excursion was fully funded by “private donors” using “100% all-American money,” rejecting allegations that the visit was a PR stunt orchestrated by Zelensky’s team. The Washington Post investigation found no evidence linking the trip or her statements about Kiev to any of the reported payments.

Bruesewitz, meanwhile, called for the mandatory disclosure of paid political messaging, arguing that the influencer industry had become overwhelmingly financially driven. Loomer fired back, accusing him of hypocrisy for running a firm that itself pays conservative influencers to promote political content.

On the same day that he led his Republican Party into a midterm electoral slaughter, US President Donald Trump told Fox News that he would move to Israel to “become Prime Minister” if Americans “got tired” of him.

This sounds like one of those “I’m moving to Canada if I lose” things. Except that he can’t actually threaten to move to Canada. Because even some of the most populist right-wing Canadians hate him for being unable to shut up about annexing their country.

He and his apparently unquenchable thirst for colonization could head over to Israel and spend his retirement fighting with Iran from right next door. It would last about 20 minutes when Democrats cut all funding and support. Think their voters are upset about paying for Bibi’s wars? Imagine how tight-fisted they’d be with ‘Trump’s Israel.’ Iran wins, opens the Strait of Hormuz, global fuel prices stabilize, and Trump finally gets a Nobel Peace Prize for single-handedly regime changing two of the biggest global pariahs.

Barely a few hours after the midterms, Trump was already warming up to the idea of just vetoing anything that the Democrat-majority Congress tries to do. Sources close to him say that he’d also resort to executive orders. All of which would leave Congress to prioritize spending their time impeaching him and hauling his enablers and sycophants in front of congressional hearings. Great plan!

Trump doesn’t much see himself as the problem in this election, suggesting that it was the GOP candidates who weren’t up to par. Of course they weren’t – they had to be tailored to his personal satisfaction to even survive the primary process, thoroughly disqualifying them in the eyes of everyone else.

But here’s what we know about how Americans really feel from exit polling that surveyed about the same percentage of Republicans and Democrats. Most of them (60%) considered their Congressional vote little more than a Trump performance review. Most of them (53%) strongly disapprove of the job that he’s doing. Only 37% believe that he’s been fighting for people like them – the average American – with 62% feeling that he prioritizes his own personal interests over the nation’s, and made the economy worse (65%). They don’t even particularly like the Democrats (35% “strongly unfavorably”), and admit to being hardcore capitalists (57%), but they still think that the Democrats would do a better economic job than Trump at this point.

Americans across party lines feel overwhelmingly (71%) that the Republican-majority Congress abdicated its constitutional duty to exercise checks and balances on Trump’s executive powers.

The top voting issue was the domestic economy (39%) with cost of living a major consideration for 89% of voters. Their last priority was foreign policy at just 4%. In other words, by starting an economy-crushing war with Iran for his Israeli donors, Trump was literally doing the polar opposite of what Americans wanted him to focus on.

At least in Israel, his policy passions actually might have a shot at aligning with those of the electorate. Because in the US, where a whopping 3% of the voters are Jewish, two-thirds of them still voted Democrat.

So what’s next for right-wing populism in America? For now, it’s homeless. No one within a mile of Trump has any appeal.

Seven people have been killed and 110 injured in a violent train collision in Egypt that hurled several passenger carriages off the tracks.

The crash occurred on Sunday in the Al-Ayyat district of Giza province, south of Cairo, when one passenger train slammed into the rear of another, according to Egyptian Railways.

Footage from the scene shows derailed train cars and twisted wreckage as rescuers and locals scramble to help passengers trapped inside. Emergency crews also brought in cranes to clear the tracks.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ordered an urgent investigation into the collision and pledged to hold anyone found responsible for negligence accountable. The cause of the crash has not yet been established.

Egypt has suffered repeated deadly railway accidents despite billions of dollars invested in modernizing its network. Poor maintenance, aging infrastructure, and management failures have long plagued the system. Two major crashes just weeks apart in 2021 killed 30 people and injured nearly 300.

The vast majority of Ukrainian migrants residing in Germany are not considering returning home in the foreseeable future, Rheinische Post has reported, citing figures attributed to the Unity Hub Berlin counseling center.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Germany has become the top destination for Ukrainian migrants within the European Union, taking in nearly 1.3 million people, according to Eurostat. Earlier this year, the German Press Agency (dpa), citing the German Interior Ministry’s figures, reported that as of the end of May, 265,804 Ukrainian men of fighting age were living in Germany.

Even though the Ukrainian authorities imposed a general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia, barring most able-bodied men ageds 22 to 60 from leaving the country, many have still managed to cross the border illegally and reached the EU.

In its article on Tuesday, Rheinische Post cited data from Unity Hub Berlin. Since the counseling center opened in April, it has received only around “60 inquiries regarding the possibilities of returning to Ukraine,” according to the publication. Just three of those reportedly came from men of military age.

“The overwhelming majority of those making inquiries are only considering a return once active hostilities have definitively ceased and the security situation in Ukraine has stabilized,” the newspaper reported, citing the counseling center’s data.

According to Rheinische Post, as of late October, Unity Hub Berlin “had no confirmed statistical data” on how many Ukrainian migrants had moved beyond initial inquiries and actually begun preparing to return home.

In recent months, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s coalition government has progressively ramped up pressure on Ukrainian migrants.

Soeder, who serves as governor of Bavaria, also urged the authorities in Berlin “to increase deportations and voluntary departures to drastically reduce costs.”

Meanwhile, as Ukrainian forces suffer mounting losses and the pool of willing recruits continues to shrink, draft enforcement squads have increasingly turned to violent methods to fill the ranks in recent months. Men are being snatched from streets, workplaces, and residential areas, as evidenced by hundreds of videos circulating online.

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt also announced in July that his country would stop granting automatic temporary protection to Ukrainians fleeing conscription.

Following a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in April, Chancellor Merz stated that Berlin and Kiev would also coordinate efforts to return military-age Ukrainian men residing in Germany to their home country.

Zelensky welcomed Berlin’s approach, saying that “of course, our armed forces would want these people to return to Ukraine.”

Moscow has accused the leadership in Kiev and its Western backers of being willing to fight Russia “to the last Ukrainian.”

Israel is not done with Iran, Defense Minister Israel Katz has warned. He accused Tehran of reviving its nuclear weapons ambitions and vowed to pursue offensive military action to counter any threats.

The threat follows new US strikes against Iranian air defenses and reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed Washington to launch another major offensive.

“With regard to Iran, the mission is still not complete. Iran is trying to renew its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons,” Katz said on Sunday, as cited by Israeli media.

Tehran has consistently denied seeking nuclear weapons and maintains that its nuclear program serves peaceful purposes.

On Friday, Trump confirmed “minor strikes” against Iranian air defenses on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz, but insisted Washington had made “a lot of progress” in negotiations with Tehran.

The US and Israel launched a major offensive against Iran on February 28 with the stated goals of destroying its nuclear and missile capabilities and bringing about regime change. Despite the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior officials, Iran’s government remains in power.

On Saturday, Iran’s military declared itself stronger than at the start of the war, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it had lifted its self-imposed 2,000 km limit on missile range. Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned last week that renewed US-Israeli attacks would trigger an immediate response without geographical restrictions.

Reuters reported on Thursday that Tehran had submitted a proposal to Washington through Qatar, which the US was reviewing. Iran has demanded an end to US sanctions and its naval blockade as conditions for resuming negotiations.

The US Democratic Party is preparing a new $15 billion package for Ukraine alongside tougher sanctions against Russia, the Financial Times reported on Saturday. The party is reportedly seeking to undermine progress made on resolving the Ukraine conflict made by US President Donald Trump, following its victory in midterm elections.

The Democrats are seeking to revive Biden-era policies even before the new Congress convenes in January, with energy assistance being “really, really high on our list,” an unnamed aide told the newspaper.

The party could reportedly seek to attach Ukraine-related provisions, including support for its energy infrastructure and air defenses, to the annual National Defense Authorization Act. However, any new legislation will be complicated by the Republicans retaining control of both chambers until January, and Trump’s potential veto of new bills afterwards.

Trump signed the bill in September but subsequently waived major provisions, arguing that enforcing them would interfere with efforts to negotiate a settlement. His administration also struck a deal with Moscow in early October allowing Russian diesel to return to American and international markets.

Although American support for Kiev initially enjoyed broad bipartisan backing, a growing number of Republicans subsequently opposed what they called Biden’s “blank-check” policies.

Trump himself has blasted Biden over what he called excessive spending on Ukraine and has resisted approving new US-funded aid packages. His administration has instead focused on selling American weapons to European NATO members, who then transferred them to Kiev.

The Trump administration has suspended some assistance on a couple of occasions, including in the aftermath of his heated row with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky in the Oval Office in February 2025.

Zelensky, meanwhile, claimed on Thursday that the US had failed to deliver $16 billion in previously promised assistance to Kiev, insisting that Ukraine “must fight” to secure the outstanding funds.

Moscow has repeatedly denounced Western arms shipments to Kiev, arguing they only prolong the conflict without changing its outcome.

A wave of protests against energy-guzzling and water-intensive AI data centers has swept across the EU, with thousands demanding a halt to new projects over their environmental impact.

Brussels is pushing to at least triple the bloc’s data center capacity within five to seven years. First announced in April 2025, the target was reinforced this June with proposed legislation to fast-track construction by easing permits and access to land, energy, and water.

The two-day campaign, organized by the Stop Dirty Data Centres coalition, brought together more than 100 groups demanding a moratorium on large-scale projects. Activists warn that the facilities could compete with homes and businesses for electricity and water, drive up energy bills, and strain infrastructure. They also cite AI-related risks, including job losses, mass surveillance, and mental health problems.

In France, protesters marched through the northern Pas-de-Calais Department on Saturday to oppose a massive data center planned near Corbehem and Brebieres. Similar demonstrations were planned in Paris and the Marseille area.

In Finland, around 1,300 people marched through Helsinki according to police, passing Google’s offices before gathering outside parliament. Protests also took place in five other cities over electricity consumption, deforestation and weak regulation.

THE CLOUD IS NOT ABOVE THE LAW: WHO OWNS OUR WATER, LAND AND FUTURE? When Big Tech builds its AI empire, who pays the environmental price? SOURCE CREDIT Campaign: [Stop Dirty Data Centres – European Days of Action, 6–7 November 2026](https://t.co/ndcxPEJAsX). WHAT IS HAPPENING IN FINLAND? On 7 November, people marched in Helsinki from Railway Square, past Google's office, towards Parliament, demanding a moratorium on new data-centre projects. More than 100 organisations across 15 European countries joined the wider campaign. This protest follows serious environmental concerns surrounding Google's proposed data centres in Muhos and Kajaani. Finnish authorities ordered construction-related preparatory work suspended pending environmental impact assessments. Police have also opened a preliminary investigation into suspected environmental damage at the Muhos site. Euronews +2 THE ENVIRONMENTAL COST OF AI Data centres are not virtual infrastructure. They occupy land, consume electricity, require cooling water and generate heat. The expansion of artificial intelligence is creating enormous demand for physical resources. Communities should not be expected to sacrifice forests, groundwater, biodiversity and affordable electricity for corporate expansion. WHY INDIA MUST PAY ATTENTION India is already facing this challenge. According to WRI India, more than half of the country's data centres are located in water-stressed regions. A February 2026 CEEW study estimates that Indian data centres consumed approximately 150 billion litres of water annually, with consumption expected to more than double by 2030. Yet sustainability provisions are explicitly included in only five of the 15 state policies examined in that study. WRI India +1 These figures demand public scrutiny, transparent reporting and enforceable environmental safeguards. THE DEMOCRATIC QUESTION Technological progress cannot become an excuse for corporate impunity. Governments must not allow powerful technology companies to dictate how public resources are allocated without meaningful consultation with affected communities. People deserve to know how much water and electricity these facilities consume, where the resources come from, what environmental damage they cause and who bears the cost. WHAT MUST CHANGE? * Independent environmental and water-impact assessments before approvals. * Public disclosure of water and electricity consumption. * Protection of forests, groundwater and biodiversity. * Mandatory renewable-energy and water-recycling standards. * Independent monitoring and meaningful penalties for violations. * A moratorium on large projects until enforceable safeguards are established. THE FINAL WORD AI must serve humanity, not turn nature into a corporate resource. The question is not whether society should embrace technology. It is whether technological progress should be allowed to undermine ecological survival, public welfare and democratic accountability. Finland's protesters have sent an important message. India must listen before its own communities are left paying the price. Water belongs to people, not corporations. The planet is not Big Tech's private resource. Further reading and reporting * [Yle: Police investigate Google's Muhos data-centre activities](https://t.co/PEuyIEmjf5). * [Euronews: Finland suspends Google's data-centre projects](https://t.co/dYAS3wtVyV). * [Euronews: European protests against energy-hungry data centres](https://t.co/qIMjZVqStj). * [CEEW: India's data-centre infrastructure, power and water use](https://t.co/LidkOZm05k). * [WRI India: Data centres and water stress](https://t.co/KMFkBHdD5c). *

— Ashok Dadhwal (@ashokdadhwal196) November 8, 2026

In Berlin, activists rallied outside data centers on Friday with banners reading ‘Data centers? No thank you!’ Environmental groups also held a conference the next day to discuss resistance to new projects.

In Amsterdam, hundreds stormed a Microsoft data center construction site on Friday, cutting through fences, climbing cranes and clashing with riot police. Police detained 218 people, who were all released the following day, Dutch media reported. One officer sustained minor injuries, while the authorities reported property damage and suspected theft.

The campaign also reached the UK, with actions organized in London, Reading, and Northern Ireland. Another protest is planned in Edinburgh on November 14.

The demonstrations were planned weeks earlier but gained momentum after the US midterms, according to industry publication DatacenterDynamics. Candidates opposing data center expansion scored victories, while voters in several areas approved construction restrictions.

A Pakistani national will become the first foreign astronaut to visit China’s Tiangong space station, Beijing has said.

He will join the crew of the Shenzhou-24 mission, which blasts off for the station on November 25, as a payload specialist, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced on Saturday.

The Pakistani astronaut’s stay in orbit will be a rather short one, as he is scheduled to return to Earth aboard the Shenzhou-23 spacecraft, it said. The mission is expected to conclude on November 30.

Two Pakistani representatives – Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali – were selected to undergo training in China after a three-stage selection and assessment process. CMSA did not say which would travel to Tiangong and who will serve as a backup.

So far, only Chinese taikonauts have worked at the station, which began operating in low orbit in 2021.

CMSA chief Lin Xiqiang said that “Pakistan’s participation in the China Space Station program reflects the deep-rooted ties between the two countries and will contribute to mutual knowledge-sharing and the broader vision of peaceful space exploration for the benefit of humanity.”

Shenzhou-24 will mark only the second-ever Pakistani national going to space. The pioneer was Namira Salim, who experienced several minutes of weightlessness as part of a “suborbital” flight with the Virgin Galactic space tourism company in 2023.

Last week, China laid out a roadmap for a manned lunar program consisting of four missions and culminating in a crewed touchdown on the Moon “before 2030.”

Several years ago, Moscow and Beijing announced a joint International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project, with Russia seeking to build a power station on Earth’s only natural satellite to provide energy for a base within the next decade.

The US military has announced the creation of a new task force which will be dedicated to disrupting land-based supply routes to Iran.

The Task Force Iron Gate is being set up to reinforce Washington’s ongoing sea blockade of the Islamic Republic’s ports, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, said in a statement on Saturday.

Ending the naval blockade is among Tehran’s key demands for settling the conflict with the US and allowing the resumption of shipping via the Strait of Hormuz, which normally accounts for around 20% of global crude trade.

The task force, which will be based in Tampa, Florida and staffed with some 20 civilian and military personnel, will focus on “preventing the movement of advanced weapons systems, dual-use technologies, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue streams across Iran’s land borders and the Caspian Sea.” It will operate in coordination with other US government agencies, CENTCOM said.

Moscow has previously denied claims that it is supplying weapons to the Islamic Republic, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying that it’s “awkward to even hear about this.” The Iranian General Staff also stressed that “any commentary… on the purchase of equipment and weaponry from other countries lacks credibility.”

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei at the Kremlin. Bilateral cooperation and the security situation in the Middle East were discussed during the meeting, according to Moscow.

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump confirmed “minor strikes” against Iranian air defense systems on Qeshm Island in the Start of Hormuz, while also claiming that “a lot of progress” was made in Qatar-mediated talks between Washington and Tehran.

The same day, CENTCOM said that it had “disabled” a commercial vessel in the Gulf Of Oman that had “attempted to violate the naval blockade.”

CENTCOM forces disabled a commercial vessel in the Gulf of Oman, Nov. 7, after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings and attempted to violate the naval blockade against Iran multiple times. A U.S. military aircraft fired precision munitions at the stern of St. Kitts-flagged M/V Huda, disabling the ship after CENTCOM forces directed the crew to abandon targeted spaces. The cargo vessel tried to depart regional waters after visiting an Iranian port. Read the full release online: https://t.co/5wW1LqN1oW

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 7, 2026

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy reported that two oil tankers struck mines near the Strait of Hormuz after trying to traverse the waterway via an “unsafe” route, not designated by Tehran.

Rezaei issued a warning to the Trump administration on Saturday, writing on X that “you lost the war and the election. Vance has conceded... Start a war, and you’ll face a devastating response.”

French riot police have clashed with protesters across the country, firing tear gas and charging crowds as another wave of anti-government demonstrations swept through major cities on Saturday.

RT correspondent Yasin Eken witnessed the confrontation unfold in Paris’s Place de la Nation, reporting live as riot police moved in to disperse protesters.

“Up until this point, the protests have been largely peaceful, largely quiet,” Eken reported, describing how tensions escalated after several small fires broke out and police intervened. “Ever since then, it’s just been a constant back and forth between protesters and police.”

The square soon descended into chaos, with officers deploying tear gas and what Eken described as acoustic weapons, while demonstrators hurled rocks, bottles and other projectiles. As police reinforcements advanced from different sides of the square, Eken was forced to put on his gas mask and retreat.

🔴 Paris : TROP CHAUD À NATION ! Les flics foncent dans la foule, jets de grenades et lacrymo à balle. Des milliers de personnes piégées sur place, c'est l'explosion totale #ACTE4 #grevegenerale #7novembre #BREAKING_NEWS #Manifestation #Paris #nation https://t.co/EqQVzw1eUP

— INFOS RÉVOLUTION (@Jujuukfj) November 7, 2026

Police claimed around 200 violent individuals attacked officers during the arrest of a man accused of setting fire to a rubbish bin. Some demonstrators reportedly threw projectiles and fireworks at security forces.

Saturday marked the fourth consecutive weekend of mass protests over living costs, wages and deteriorating conditions in schools. Organizers estimated nationwide turnout at 250,000, while the Interior Ministry counted 146,000, including 46,000 in Paris.

⚠️ 🇫🇷 Lyon : forte répression policière contre les manifestants #7novembre https://t.co/rIOXwD2VCx

— Press TV Français (@fr_presstv) November 7, 2026

Clashes also broke out in several other cities. In Lyon, police fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of demonstrators at an unauthorized gathering. In Montpellier, officers charged protesters amid reports of barricades, while water cannons and tear gas were deployed in Marseille.

🔴⚠️ URGENT - MARSEILLE Les forces de l'ordre font usage du canon à eau et de gaz lacrymogène contre les manifestants. #7novembre https://t.co/lUROBupHLC

— confrontation française (@confrontfr) November 7, 2026

At least 360 people were arrested nationwide, as authorities mobilized some 70,000 police and gendarmes, supported by armored vehicles, water cannons and surveillance drones. Nearly 40,000 people were subjected to preventive checks on roads and at railway stations.

🔥 Montpellier : Place de la comédie c’est le feu 🔥 #Manifestation #montpellier #7novembre #7novembre #ManifestationsLyceennes #BREAKING_NEWS https://t.co/H139arfhCL

— INFOS RÉVOLUTION (@Jujuukfj) November 7, 2026

The demonstrations began with student protests in late September before spreading into a broader movement involving trade unions and workers demanding higher wages and relief from rising prices.

At a parliamentary hearing this week, shopkeepers said they had been “completely abandoned and sacrificed” during the October 17 riots, which saw more than 3,000 businesses attacked or vandalized, causing over €600 million in direct damage. The authorities subsequently advised businesses to hire private security guards, drawing further criticism.

The latest unrest comes ahead of next year’s presidential election, with Macron’s government facing continued public anger. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is expected to meet union leaders and employers on Monday to discuss wages and purchasing power.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has announced that he will task opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country’s next government, dealing a major political setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following last month’s inconclusive parliamentary elections.

Herzog informed both Eisenkot and Netanyahu of his decision on Saturday, and the former military chief, who heads the centrist Yashar party, will have 28 days to assemble a coalition, with a possible two-week extension.

During consultations earlier this week, Eisenkot secured the backing of 67 lawmakers in the 120-seat Knesset, compared to just 46 who recommended Netanyahu. However, the endorsements do not guarantee that he can assemble a functioning government.

Netanyahu’s Likud emerged as the largest single party in the October 27 election, but his right-wing and religious bloc secured only 53 seats, falling short of the 61 required for a parliamentary majority. Eisenkot’s four-party opposition alliance won just 48 seats, leaving the two Arab-led parties, which together control a record 19 seats, holding the balance of power.

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, which holds seven seats, notably declined to endorse Netanyahu during the presidential consultations and has signaled its openness to negotiations with Eisenkot.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, called on Saturday for a broad national unity government that would include his existing coalition partners, claiming that such an alliance would “permanently remove the nuclear threat from Iran.” He also warned that a government dependent on Arab parties, whom he accused of supporting Hamas, would threaten Israel’s survival.

The political deadlock follows a bitter election campaign overshadowed by the US-Israeli war on Iran, Israel’s military operations across the region, and divisions over Netanyahu’s leadership.

The incumbent campaigned on promises to resume the offensive against Tehran and overthrow its government, while Eisenkot questioned the need for another military campaign and accused Netanyahu of failing to achieve his previous war objectives.

If Eisenkot fails to assemble a majority within the allotted period, Herzog could give another candidate, potentially Netanyahu, an opportunity to form a government. A prolonged stalemate could ultimately force Israel into another election.

US President Donald Trump offered UFC CEO Dana White the post of White House press secretary over the weekend, but later clarified that he had been joking about tapping the 57-year-old mixed martial arts tycoon for the job, though the two are set to meet. The post has remained vacant for several weeks.

Referring to his longtime friend as a “violent Fighter and Warrior,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Saturday that he had asked White to “bring with him assistants, even though some are not from our Country.”

“We need these people to defend us against the Lunatic Left,” Trump claimed, listing Russian mixed martial artists Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, current and former US fighters Justin Gaethje, Daniel Cormier, and Kayla Harrison, as well as Brazil’s Amanda Nunes.

“Dana will be a Press Secretary like none other,” Trump stated.

Speaking to reporters after a boxing event in London on Saturday, White said he was heading to the US capital immediately. “I’m flying to Washington, DC right now,” he said.

Asked how he would balance the White House position with his existing responsibilities, White replied: “Yeah, I got a lot of jobs already.”

🚨 Dana White says he’s flying to Washington DC “right now” after President Trump offered him the White House press secretary role 👀 https://t.co/GGK3F2VUSr

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 7, 2026

The UFC boss declined to elaborate on his previous conversations with Trump or say whether he intended to accept the offer. “We have a meeting on Monday, so I’m sure I’ll have more to talk about after that,” he said.

Earlier, White posted an AI-generated clip of himself at the podium in the White House press briefing room on Instagram, with the caption “On to the next chapter.”

🚨 JUST IN: Dana White drops this gem after President Trump offers him the job of White House press secretary “On to the next chapter” Make it happen, he’d have a blast with the fake news 😅🔥 Stephen Miller will likely keep slapping down the media himself in public as Chief of Staff! TIME TO UNLEASH

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 7, 2026

Speaking to reporters in Florida on Sunday, Trump insisted that his offer had not been serious. “I was kidding, but I think Dana likes the idea, and he is a very capable guy,” he said, describing the announcement as “just a little fun.” Trump added that he would meet White at the White House on Monday to discuss other matters.

CNN had earlier reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that White had declined the offer, while a White House aide confirmed that Trump was indeed joking about the offer.

Former White House press secretary Katie Zacharia stepped down in mid-October after just five days on the job, the shortest tenure of any White House press secretary in US history. The conservative political commentator had faced widespread criticism over her handling of her debut press briefing, as well as allegations that she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer after she failed to confirm whether she had passed a US bar exam.

As for White, Trump has had a close relationship with the UFC CEO for years. The promotion company helped organize a fight on the White House South Lawn in June as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence.

Speaking last April, White said that unlike multiple other sports organizations that barred Russian athletes from competitions after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, the UFC had never ceased cooperation with mixed martial artists from the country.

The potential appointment comes amid a broader White House reshuffle following the Republicans’ bruising defeat in the midterm elections. On Friday, Trump announced that his longtime adviser, immigration hardliner Stephen Miller, would replace Susie Wiles as White House chief of staff, effective Monday. Wiles, who had served in the role since Trump returned to office, will move to his political operation.

Germany can’t provide Ukraine with any more US-made Patriot air defense systems because it would dangerously deplete its own stocks, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said.

In an interview with the newspaper Berliner Morgenpost published on Friday, Pistorius noted that Berlin had already delivered several Patriot systems and large numbers of guided missiles to Kiev.

“We cannot provide any more at this moment,” the German defense chief stated, explaining that anything Germany supplied now would not be replaced “for the foreseeable future.”

Pistorius urged other Western nations, whom he accused of having “contributed significantly less,” to step up deliveries of air defense systems to Ukraine.

Pistorius had already warned in January that Germany could not send any more Patriot systems, saying it had already handed over more than a third of its capabilities to Ukraine.

Germany, one of Kiev’s key Western backers, has launched a massive rearmament drive since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz setting the goal of building Europe’s strongest conventional army. Berlin has cited a perceived threat from Russia, while Moscow has repeatedly dismissed as “nonsense” claims that it intends to attack NATO.

Apart from a shortage of Patriot air defense systems themselves, Ukraine has experienced significant shortages of modern PAC-3 missiles capable of intercepting ballistic rockets. The deficit intensified after Russia stepped up its long-range missile and drone strikes on military-related targets across Ukraine. Moscow has described its strikes as retaliation for Kiev’s UAV attacks on energy facilities and other civilian infrastructure inside Russia.

Intercepting ballistic missiles can require launching two Patriot interceptors at a single target, with each missile costing between $3.5 and $5 million. Russia, meanwhile, has repeatedly launched large-scale strikes involving dozens of missiles and hundreds of drones.

Nevertheless, Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly demanded that Western backers provide Kiev with more interceptors.

Late last month, Ukrainian Defense Minister Evgeny Khmara asked France, Germany, Italy, the UK, and Poland to donate 10% of their respective interceptor stockpiles to Kiev.

However, the Netherlands and Poland had previously indicated that they had no Patriot missiles to spare, while other European countries are reportedly holding back their own PAC-3 reserves as well.

Moscow has consistently denounced Western weapons deliveries to Ukraine, arguing that they only serve to unnecessarily prolong the bloodshed without changing the conflict’s ultimate outcome, while increasing the risk of
a direct clash between Russia and NATO.

On November 5, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Mohsen Rezaei in the Kremlin during the official’s working visit to Moscow. According to the Kremlin, the two sides discussed the development of bilateral cooperation under the Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as well as international and regional issues, with a particular focus on the situation in the Persian Gulf and the Middle East. The Kremlin also confirmed that Rezaei conveyed a message from the Supreme Leader of Iran Mojtaba Khamenei.

The fact that the meeting was also attended by Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov and Head of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov is quite notable. While the details of the conversation have not been disclosed, Kostyukov’s presence suggests that the discussions likely extended beyond political relations to include urgent security matters, which are of paramount concern for Iran.

Rezaei is an influential figure in Iran’s military and political landscape. As the former commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), he has a strong reputation in military circles; he also has longstanding ties to influential clerics. Rezaei’s appointment as Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and the task entrusted to him – that of personally delivering Khamenei’s message to Vladimir Putin – indicate the high level of trust placed in him by the Supreme Leader of Iran. Therefore, his trip to Moscow carries substantial weight. Rezaei advocates for a robust strategic alignment between Iran, Russia, and China, viewing these relationships as crucial for Iran’s security and independent foreign policy. His visit reaffirms that the strengthening of ties with Moscow is supported at the highest level in Tehran.

This uncertainty is exacerbated by discussions surrounding the potential use of weapons of mass destruction. Tucker Carlson has recently claimed that Trump is considering a nuclear strike on a site near Natanz, one of Iran’s key nuclear facilities. Trump responded that there is no need for such an attack; no further confirmation of Carlson’s claims has emerged. While American officials cited by major Western outlets assure that Washington has no intention of using nuclear weapons, such reassurances are insufficient for Tehran.

At the same time, a debate about chemical weapons is unfolding. According to recent reports, Israel has informed the US that Iran is allegedly contemplating the use of chemical weapons. Some American officials view these reports as an attempt to pressure Washington into resuming large-scale military operations. Meanwhile, the Gulf countries have reacted to the news with skepticism. Iran itself categorically denies possessing any chemical weapons. Even if the likelihood of extreme scenarios is low, such discussions force the Iranian leadership to consider worst-case scenarios and seek external support.

There’s also a pragmatic aspect. As Russia’s role in the Iran issue becomes more prominent, there are more reasons for Moscow to be involved in the resolution of the conflict. On October 21, President Putin expressed Russia’s readiness to assist in addressing the crisis surrounding Iran. High-level contacts with Tehran lend weight to this statement ahead of possible negotiations: discussions are underway regarding a meeting between leaders, including Putin and Trump, on the sidelines of the APEC summit, which will be held on November 18-19.

Russia has the means to facilitate a resolution, and the absence of mutual defense obligations with Iran doesn’t negate that capacity. Moscow maintains ties with Tehran while also engaging with Washington. This position enables Russia to act as a mediator and allows it to offer a platform for talks, which Iran is keen to pursue, as achieving lasting peace is crucial for avoiding further military action. 

Additional opportunities emerge as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu loses his political standing. Netanyahu has been the main driver of the strategy of military pressure on Iran and the involvement of the US in the conflict. Following the elections, however, he faces a real threat of losing his position: Gadi Eisenkot holds an edge in the race to form a new government. While a shift in power isn’t guaranteed just yet, Netanyahu’s situation has certainly become more precarious. His departure wouldn’t resolve the underlying tensions between Israel and Iran, but it might alleviate some of the pressure on Washington. 

Against this backdrop, Rezaei’s visit to Moscow takes on significant meaning. It signals Tehran’s reliance on Russia as its primary political partner and a potential ally that may help resolve the crisis. For Moscow, this represents an opportunity to strengthen its ties with Iran and advocate for solutions that align with its own security interests in the region.

An Irish academic who built a career studying fake news and disinformation has been caught up in a misinformation scandal over a doctorate he apparently never earned, according to an investigation by national broadcaster RTE.

Tom Felle, an associate professor and former head of journalism at the University of Galway, one of Ireland’s leading universities, was referred to as ‘Dr Tom Felle’ for years. His supposed credentials appeared on university websites, recruitment materials, and social media. In his CV and an interview with RTE last summer, Felle claimed that he earned a journalism PhD in 2022 from London’s City University, now City St George’s, where he previously worked as a senior lecturer. Its journalism department ranks among Britain’s most prestigious.

However, an RTE Prime Time investigation published on Friday found that Felle was never awarded the doctorate he claimed to hold. A former senior academic at City St George’s told the broadcaster that Felle enrolled in a PhD program but left without completing it. Felle claimed that he earned his degree through previously published research, a legitimate route involving a shorter thesis. Yet he reportedly could not recall its title or explain its absence from the university library. He also said he had no supervisor or external examiner and had never defended his thesis – all requirements for obtaining a doctorate at City St George’s.

The University of Galway declined to say whether it checked Felle’s qualifications prior to hiring him. Several university webpages have since been edited or deleted to remove his doctoral title. Felle did not respond to RTE’s requests for comment.