- At a Glance
- Ukraine Sacks Justice and Energy Ministers Amid $100 Million Energoatom Kickback Probe
- Russia Unleashes Record 430-Drone, 18-Missile Barrage on Kyiv
- Trump Green-Lights ‘Operation Southern Spear,’ Mulls Direct Strikes Inside Venezuela
- Belgium & Euroclear Stall EU Plan to Leverage €183 B in Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine Loan
- Trump Rolls Back Tariffs on 200-Plus Food Imports After Affordability Backlash
- China’s First Catapult-Equipped Drone Amphib ‘Sichuan’ Starts Sea Trials
Ukraine Sacks Justice and Energy Ministers Amid $100 Million Energoatom Kickback Probe
On 12-13 Nov 2025 Kyiv removed Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk after a 15-month NABU investigation exposed a $100 million kickback racket inside state nuclear operator Energoatom.
Perspectives
Right leaning US media: Portrays the Energoatom kickback probe as fresh proof that high-level graft persists in Kyiv and could erode U.S. willingness to keep arming Ukraine. By highlighting quotes that the scandal "will be used as an argument to stop aid to Ukraine" and stressing the $100 million figure (8954504681), the coverage dovetails with domestic critics of continued American assistance, implicitly questioning the Biden administration’s policy. ( Fox News )
Western public broadcasters: Frame the resignations as evidence that Ukraine’s independent watchdogs are functioning despite wartime pressures, noting Zelenskyy’s public support for the probe. Pieces from PBS (8953020454) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2025-11-890662822) acknowledge Zelenskyy earlier tried to curb those same agencies, but still spotlight reform momentum, potentially understating how deeply the scandal could hamper Western aid. ( PBS.org , Australian Broadcasting Corporation )
Regional analysis & Turkish-aligned outlets: Stress how the investigation reaches Zelenskyy’s inner circle and warn it may trigger a domestic political crisis that weakens his wartime leadership. Eurasia Review (8955037633) and Daily Sabah (8953795404) emphasise recordings allegedly featuring the president and depict the case as “the biggest challenge he has faced,” a narrative that can amplify skepticism of Kyiv among non-Western audiences and serve Ankara’s interest in balancing ties with both Russia and the West. ( Eurasia Review , Daily Sabah )
Global & US Headlines
- Ukraine Sacks Justice and Energy Ministers Amid $100 Million Energoatom Kickback Probe
On 12-13 Nov 2025 Kyiv removed Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko and Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk after a 15-month NABU investigation exposed a $100 million kickback racket inside state nuclear operator Energoatom.
- Russia Unleashes Record 430-Drone, 18-Missile Barrage on Kyiv
In the early hours of 14 Nov 2025, Russia executed its largest single-night aerial strike of the war, saturating Kyiv with hundreds of drones and missiles that overwhelmed air-raid sirens and ignited fires across nine districts.
- Trump Green-Lights ‘Operation Southern Spear,’ Mulls Direct Strikes Inside Venezuela
On 13–14 Nov 2025 the Pentagon activated Operation Southern Spear and briefed President Trump on newly updated land-strike options against Venezuela, escalating a months-long maritime drug-interdiction campaign into a potential shooting war.
Business & Economics
- Belgium & Euroclear Stall EU Plan to Leverage €183 B in Frozen Russian Assets for Ukraine Loan
On 15 Nov 2025, Belgium and Brussels-based Euroclear signaled they may block or litigate an EU proposal to fund a €183 billion loan to Kyiv by pledging the interest on Russia’s immobilized assets held in Belgium.
- Trump Rolls Back Tariffs on 200-Plus Food Imports After Affordability Backlash
On 14 November 2025, President Trump signed an executive order retroactively exempting more than 200 imported food items from the sweeping tariffs he introduced earlier this year, reversing a key pillar of his trade policy.
Technology & Science
- China’s First Catapult-Equipped Drone Amphib ‘Sichuan’ Starts Sea Trials
At 09:00 on 14 Nov 2025, the 40,000-ton Type 076 assault ship CNS Sichuan departed Hudong-Zhonghua in Shanghai for its first multi-day sea trial to validate propulsion and electrical systems.
- Blue Origin’s New Glenn Nails First Booster Recovery While Sending ESCAPADE to Mars
On 13 Nov 2025, the second New Glenn flight both deployed NASA’s twin ESCAPADE probes and, for the first time, brought its 188-ft first stage back to droneship Jacklyn, validating Blue Origin’s heavy-lift reusability.
- China Executes First Cross-Vehicle Crew Return After Debris Cripples Shenzhou-20
China’s three Shenzhou-20 astronauts, slated to land on 5 Nov 2025, instead touched down on 15 Nov aboard the docked Shenzhou-21 capsule after space-debris cracks made their own return craft unsafe.