Category World News

Here is how things stand on Thursday, November 6:

Fighting

• The Russian Ministry of Defence said encircled Ukrainian troops in the cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk should surrender as they have no chance to save themselves otherwise.
• Russia said its forces were advancing north inside Pokrovsk in a drive to take full control of the Ukrainian city, but the Ukrainian army said its units were battling hard to try to stop the Russians from gaining new ground.
• Ukraine has acknowledged its troops face a difficult situation in the strategic eastern city, once an important transport and logistics hub for the Ukrainian army, which Russia has been trying to capture for more than a year.
• Russia sees Pokrovsk city as the gateway to its capture of the remaining 10 percent, or 5,000 square-kilometres(1,930 square miles), of Ukraine’s eastern industrial Donbas region, one of its key aims in the almost four-year-old war.
• A Ukrainian drone attack caused minor damage to oil pumping stations in two districts of Russia’s Yaroslavl region, Mikhail Yevrayev, the regional governor, said.

Energy

• Ukraine has resumed gas imports from a pipeline that runs across the Balkan peninsula to Greece, to keep its heating and electric systems running through the winter after widespread damage from intensified Russian attacks on Kyiv’s energy infrastructure.
• Data from the Ukrainian gas transit operator showed that Ukraine will receive 1.1 million cubic metres (mcm) of gas from the Transbalkan route on Wednesday, after the import of 0.78 mcm on Tuesday. The route links Ukraine to LNG terminals in Greece, via Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria.
• Poland is working on a deal to import liquefied natural gas from the United States to supply Ukraine and Slovakia, an agreement that would further tighten the European Union’s ties to US energy, the Reuters news agency reports, citing two sources familiar with the negotiations.

Nuclear weapons

• Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his top officials to draft proposals for a possible test of nuclear weapons, something Moscow has not done since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
• Putin’s order – made in response to US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that Washington would resume nuclear testing – is being seen as a signal that the two countries are rapidly nearing a step that could sharply escalate geopolitical tensions.
• The US notified Russia in advance of its test launch of an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on November 5, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.
• Russia-US relations have deteriorated sharply in the past few weeks as Trump, frustrated with a lack of progress towards ending the war in Ukraine, has cancelled a planned summit with Putin and imposed sanctions on Russia for the first time since returning to the White House in January.
• Trump said he “may be working on a plan to denuclearise” with China and Russia, during a speech at the American Business Forum in Miami.

Sanctions

• Bulgaria is drafting legal changes that will allow it to seize control of sanctioned Russian oil firm Lukoil’s Burgas refinery and sell it to a new owner to protect the plant from US sanctions, local media reported.
• Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna called on China to stop its economic support of Russia’s war in Ukraine and urged Beijing to join European and US efforts to pressure President Putin into a ceasefire.
• “China says that they are not part of this military conflict, but I was very clear that China has huge leverage over Russia, every week more and more, because the Russian economy is weak,” Tsahkna told Reuters.

Economy

• Ukraine plans to replace its kopek coins to shake off a lingering symbol of Moscow’s former dominance, Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi said, adding that he hoped the change could be completed this year.
• Ukraine introduced its hryvnia currency in 1996, five years after it gained independence from the Soviet Union, minting its own coins but retaining the former Soviet name kopek – kopiyka in Ukrainian. The new coins will be known by the historical Ukrainian term “shah”.

The agency made the announcement on Wednesday as it struggles with staffing issues brought on by air traffic controllers’ unpaid work and delays across the country.

The agency, according to FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, is not going to wait until a problem arises because the shutdown is putting pressure on staff and “we can’t ignore it.”

Later on Wednesday, Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy will discuss how to safely implement the reduction. They will meet with airline leaders.

Widespread delays

13, 000 air traffic controllers and 50, 000 TSA officers were forced to work unpaid because of the shutdown, which is currently in its 36th day. This has resulted in longer lines at airport security screening, increased staff shortages, and widespread flight delays.

The action aims to relieve air traffic controllers of pressure. If additional air traffic issues arise after Friday, the FAA has also warned that it may impose more restrictions on flights.

Duffy had earlier warned on Tuesday that if the government shutdown lasted for another week, it could cause “mass chaos” and force him to shut down some of the country’s airspace, a drastic move that could end American aviation.

Airlines have repeatedly called for the shutdown to end, citing concerns about aviation safety.

In extended trading, the shares of major airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, dropped by about 1%.

Since the shutdown started on October 1st, an industry group estimated that more than 3.2 million passengers have experienced flight delays or cancellations as a result of increasing air traffic controller absences. Legislators have been concerned about the impact on operations from airlines.

Airlines claim that the government shutdown hasn’t had a significant impact on their business, but they’ve warned that if it drags on, bookings may decrease. On Wednesday, there were more than 2,100 delays.

According to FAA’s Bedford, 20 to 40% of controllers at the agency’s 30 largest airports were late arriving for work on Tuesday.

The hosts repeatedly shredded Barca’s defense on Wednesday, with winger Carlos Forbs scoring twice and setting up Nicolo Tresoldi with one.

Despite having several players out injured, Ferran Torres, Yamal, and a Christos Tzolis own goal saved Barcelona from what would have been a humiliating defeat.

In recent weeks, Barcelona have struggled, including a La Liga defeat at Clasico by rival Real Madrid.

Tresoldi, who was set up by the energetic Forbs, gave the hosts a first-half lead at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

With Forbs attacking Barcelona’s top defensive line in full swing, Brugge laid the groundwork for how they could consistently defeat Catalans.

Torres, who had Fermin Lopez play him in, quickly gave Flick’s side a heads-up, and he did so with a clever finish.

In a never-ending battle between two sides determined to attack, Lopez’s midfielder hit the woodwork before Forbs netted Brugge’s second.

The Portuguese international scored a one-two with Tzolis to force a second-half spacebender in front of Barca’s defense before passing Wojciech Szczesny with speed.

As the semifinalists of last year’s competition sought a leveller, Barca defender Jules Kounde crashed a shot against the bar at the other end.

After some recent poor displays, Yamal, who was once again the key player for his side, had a good chance to score before the break, but the striker nudged the ball past goalkeeper Nordin Jackers and headed wide.

As Brugge continued to attack in the second half, showing no desire to defend their lead, Szczesny made a good save from Joaquin Seys at the near post.

Eric Garcia hit the crossbar with a nearly long range effort, but Eric Garcia was only the third Barca player to do so.

Barcelona eventually won the game with a brilliant goal thanks to Yamal’s superb combination with Lopez.

The teenager’s path was blocked by Lopez’s backheeled ball, which Yamal then flicked past Jackers and into the bottom corner.

Forbs wasted a good chance to give his team another lead before taking a commanding finish just a few minutes later.

On goal, Hans Vanaken delicately dinked past Szczesny for his second and Brugge’s third.

After colliding with Barca’s Alejandro Balde in the box, Forbs received a penalty, but it was voided after a VAR review revealed he had actually struck the Spaniard.

A Yamal effort was superbly saved by Jackers, who could only stop Barca’s equalizer, which came in a similar fashion.

Yamal beat the goalkeeper with his curling effort from the right, which deflected off Tzolis’ head.

When veteran goalkeeper Szczesny attempted to turn in his area before losing the ball as Romeo Vermant slid in on him in stoppage time, Brugges believed they had won.

After it was determined that the Belgian forward had fouled Szczesny, Vermant rolled the ball into the empty net.

Erling Haaland scored against his former club on Wednesday in the Champions League as his Manchester City thrashed Borussia Dortmund 4-1.

Victor Osimhen’s hat-trick helped Galatasaray defeat hapless Ajax 3-1 in the second half.

In the previous gameday, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Benfica 1-0 to win the match, which was 7-2 to titleholder Paris Saint-Germain.

With a 2-1 victory over Kairat Almty, Inter Milan moved to four wins in a row. Only Inter, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich are the only teams to have won all of their Champions League games so far this season.

For 15 years, China has been Russia’s principal trading partner. In 2024, trade between the two nations increased by 1.9 percent year over year to reach a total of $ 245 billion.

However, Donald Trump’s pressure has caused the pair’s business to decline in recent months.

In what he describes as an attempt to end the conflict in Ukraine, the US president has put sanctions and secondary tariffs on Moscow and its business partners.

Russia and China are now offering to jointly combat what they call “unilateral sanctions.” Do they have any success?

Presenter: Bernard Smith

Guests:

Richard Weitz, NATO Defense College senior non-resident associate fellow

Einar Tangen, Senior fellow at the Center for International Governance Innovation, is