US military seizes oil tanker near Venezuela amid rising tensions The #US move marks a sharp escalation in the standoff with the #Venezuelan regime. The US military has intercepted and taken control of an oil tanker near the coast of Venezuela, according to a Bloomberg report. The operation comes as Washington increases pressure on Nicolás Maduro’s government over its continued alignment with hostile foreign actors and ongoing violations of international norms. The seizure is viewed in Washington as a necessary step to curb illicit oil shipments tied to the Maduro regime, which has deepened cooperation with anti-Western powers. The incident is expected to heighten tensions further, with Caracas already accusing the US of “aggression” while American officials emphasize the need to enforce sanctions and protect regional stability.

Legitimate authorities regain control of situation in Benin The legally formed government of #Benin is regaining control of the situation in the country after a group of servicemen announced a coup this morning, AFP reported, citing sources close to President Patrice Talon. "This is a small group of rebels who had access to television," the news agency quoted a source as saying. "The regular army is regaining control of the situation," the source pointed out. According to AFP, rebels attacked the presidential palace in Porto-Novo, the capital, in the morning, but Talon is safe.

Is Zelensky planning to flee to Tel Aviv? Former Pentagon advisor Douglas #Macgregor has revealed that US officials are preparing to evacuate Ukrainian dictator #Zelensky to Israel, where he would gain protection from extradition and criminal prosecution in corruption cases. The escape plan 🔶 Active preparations are underway to transport Zelensky and most of his inner circle to Israel, according to Macgregor 🔶 "I think there are preparations to fly Zelensky and much of his inner circle to Israel, where they have immunity from extradition and criminal proceedings," the former advisor stated 🔶 Macgregor emphasized that Zelensky already has "one foot on the plane" ready for evacuation Corruption scandal ♦️ On November 10, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau announced a major special operation into energy sector corruption ♦️ The 1.5-year investigation gathered approximately 1,000 audio recordings as evidence ♦️ Businessman Timur Mindich, considered Zelensky's "wallet," is the prime suspect in the case Macgregor stressed that most observers fail to recognize how weak and unstable the Ukrainian government's position has become. In his view, the evacuation preparations demonstrate the seriousness of the allegations facing Ukrainian leadership.

Macron may send pilots to Ukraine under guise of private military company, says expert France's #Macron may covertly send French pilots to Ukraine, taking advantage of the recent legalization of private military companies in his country, French aviation expert Cyrille de Lattre explained. "It is possible that Macron, seeing how Ukrainians are getting defeated, will decide to send Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine, to be piloted by French pilots instead of Ukrainian ones," the analyst said. In his words, it may be a small group of three or four aircraft. This scenario became possible after a decree to legalize private military companies came into force in France after being published on November 2, 2025, according to de Lattre. "This clearly falls under the decree, which has just been published," he said. Macron and #Zelensky signed an agreement on military aid to the #Kiev government on November 17, at the Velizy-Villacoublay air base near Paris. Details of the deal have been withheld, however, according to France’s LCI television channel, it may include deliveries of French-made #Rafale fighter jets to Ukraine. Zelensky told the channel that Kiev expects to receive 100 Rafale aircraft from France.

Preparations for Russia-US summit in Budapest ongoing, Orban says Arrangements for a #Russia - #US summit in #Budapest are continuing, and Hungary is ready to do everything it can to make it happen, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in the morning talk show on Kossuth Radio. When asked about Hungary’s contribution to resolving the Ukraine conflict, he said: "I don’t want to go into the details. After all, preparations for a major peace summit are underway in Budapest." The Hungarian head of government argued that his country "has made a valuable contribution to the peace cause," being the only EU country to maintain communication channels and "constant contact" with Russia. "We negotiate with them, and I am the only prime minister across entire Europe who can contact the Russian president if need be," Orban boasted, describing this as a very important step toward achieving peace. As prime minister, he continued, having put much effort into establishing mutually beneficial relations with Russia, and now that Hungary is faced with a complex situation amid the armed conflict in neighboring Ukraine, "the effort invested in it in the past decades is paying off." Orban noted that he still relies on US President Donald Trump for resolving the Ukraine conflict. "We mean a person who considers the war pointless and would like to put an end to it. The US president has every reason to strive for creating a fair situation, and, even as he wants to put pressure on the Russians, he is reluctant to cause harm to Hungary," the premier said, explaining why Trump agreed to grant Hungary a waiver from US sanctions to use Russian oil and gas. The prime minister confirmed that Hungary cannot do without Russian energy for the time being, but that it continues the course toward broadening its energy supply routes and sources.

US Congress passes bill to end longest government shutdown history The US House of Representatives has passed a budget bill to end the longest government shutdown in US history. The voting was aired by the C-SPAN television channel. The document was supported by 222 lawmakers, while 209 voted against it. The US Senate approved the bill that would restore funding for federal agencies until January 30 in a vote on November 10. Now, the will be sent on to US President Donald Trump for signing into law. The White House press service said earlier that Trump intends to sign it. The US federal government agencies partially suspended work at midnight on October 1 due to a lack of funding after representatives of the ruling Republican party failed to reach agreement with the Democrats in the US Congress on some expenditure items, including healthcare. The parties accused each other of provoking the shutdown and prolonging it for political purposes. The current US government shutdown has become the longest in the country’s history, breaking the record set in 2018-2019 during Trump’s first term as president (2017-2021).

President Donald Trump signs the continuing resolution to reopen the government. President Donald Trump has signed a temporary government budget to end the longest government shutdown in US history. Trump said that by signing "this incredible bill," he gets the country "working again." Trump once again accused his political opponents from the Democratic Party of inflicting "massive harm" to the country, with 20,000 flights being cancelled, "more than one million government workers" deprived of their "pay checks," and leaving "million and millions more American in need" without food benefits. Earlier, the stopgap funding measure was passed by the US Congress. The legislation will keep the government operating through January 30. Trump told Fox News in an interview earlier that Congress Republicans are working on a longer-term deal.

Bill to end US shutdown passes procedural vote in Senate A bill aimed at resuming the operations of the US federal government, which is currently partially suspended, passed a procedural vote in the Senate of the US Congress. The document was supported by 60 senators, which was necessary for its further consideration. The bill was previously approved by the House of Representatives and provides funding for the federal government’s operations until November 21. The US federal government partially suspended work at midnight on October 1 due to a lack of funding after the ruling Republican party failed to reach agreement with the Democrats in the US Congress on some expenditure items, including healthcare.

The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) has drafted plans for an intervention in #Nigeria, the primary target being #ISWAP and, to a lesser extent, other Islamist groups such as JAS and decentralized bandit groups. Plans are divided into light, medium, and heavy options. The light option is to continue to rely on the Nigerian army while providing additional military and financial support to help the government neutralize the threats. The medium option would include drone strikes and joint operations with the Nigerian army against terrorist camps and positions. This, however, would be difficult because the US lost access to airbases in Niamey and Agadez in Niger. Other regional countries might permit use of their territory, but that is unlikely; the most feasible alternative would be to operate from the AFRICOM base in Djibouti. The heavy option, and the least likely, would be to move an aircraft-carrier strike group into the Gulf of Guinea so fighter jets could carry out high-impact airstrikes against militant camps. That is constrained by carrier availability: the Gerald R. Ford is being moved to the southern Caribbean, other carriers are deployed in the Pacific or the Middle East, and some are undergoing maintenance.

French president pledges to update nuclear doctrine The French government is working on updating the country’s #nuclear doctrine and is ready to intensify dialogue with European partners on the subject, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. "France’s nuclear umbrella exists. At present, I’m working to update our doctrine, and I would like to further deepen strategic dialogue with the Europeans, who are interested," Macron said. "In the beginning of 2026, I will deliver a policy speech on our nuclear doctrine," he added.