Friday, 13 November 2026

Diplomacy and fighting ran in parallel. US envoys Witkoff and Kushner met Putin in the Kremlin a day after the Abu Dhabi talks, and Witkoff said a new round was agreed. Overnight Russia struck defence plants and energy sites around Kyiv, and Zelensky says renewed Starshield limits hinder drone interception. Trump said the US does not need a deal with Iran, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards say blasts disabled two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. In Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on Nasser Hospital killed at least six people, including a surgeon, despite the ceasefire. Xi said Taiwan's 'complete reunification' will be realised, and Taipei rejected that.

Expectations of a Fed rate hike lifted Treasury yields and pushed the yen down near 160, according to the Wall Street Journal and Nikkei Asia. Handelsblatt reported oil falling below $90 for the first time since August. SpaceX plans to invest more than $74 billion in AI campuses and data centers in Texas and Arizona, according to Reuters, Bloomberg and the New York Times.

Less noticed is an Amnesty International report published Thursday, which says peacekeepers knew of a likely raid on Abiemnom in South Sudan, where more than 200 people were killed. Le Monde says rebels carried out the March massacre. Watch for the new EU sanctions on Russia that French minister Benjamin Haddad says are due on Monday.