Nov 14, 2026, 02:30 AM UTC

American envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have concluded two days of trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi with Russian and Ukrainian delegates. Kushner emphasized the need to establish a new framework for future dialogue following extensive initial discussions. The US mediation team is set to brief Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow before traveling to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who noted a brief window for potential diplomatic progress before the end of the year.

European delegates, including representatives from NATO, the European Commission, and the E4 group, held separate coordination meetings alongside the main talks. Italian diplomatic sources underscored the importance of consolidating formats to prevent fragmentation, noting that Abu Dhabi has emerged as a central diplomatic venue. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov publicly rejected European calls for an immediate ceasefire.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, Il Sole 24 Ore, La Repubblica

Spain’s national general strike over rising housing costs and inflation has concluded, exposing deep divisions between political factions and economic sector representatives. Industry groups like CEOE described participation as reaching "historic lows," highlighting a limited 4.7% decline in national electricity usage to argue that the overall economic impact was minimal. In contrast, labor unions reported strong engagement across primary industrial facilities and major logistics hubs.

Political tensions escalated further following the demonstrations. Opposition representatives forcefully criticized law enforcement responses, accusing officers of violent suppression that left demonstrators injured. Security and government officials defended police actions, stating that measures taken were proportional and necessary to preserve order at picket locations. The aftermath of the strike continues to serve as a major focal point ahead of upcoming elections.

Sources: Canarias7, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, Marca

Engineers at Microsoft continue to struggle with a global outage affecting Microsoft 365 services, including Outlook, Teams, and Copilot. Disruption was first detected on Thursday evening and quickly expanded across 74 countries, generating nearly 130,000 incident reports on monitoring platforms.

Microsoft confirmed the failure was caused by an internal technical issue where a process managing secure connections became overwhelmed, freezing servers as incoming traffic resumed. The company stated there is no evidence of a cyberattack and noted that recovery efforts are prioritising public safety, emergency, and government infrastructure. Although Microsoft reported positive results from restarting affected infrastructure and reversing recent network changes, full service stability remains under continuous monitoring.

Sources: BBC News, Cyprus Mail, STV News, The Guardian, The Herald

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated at an informal EU summit in Dublin that Germany will participate in upcoming peace negotiations regarding Russia's war in Ukraine, expected in the coming weeks. Addressing concerns over potential diplomatic shifts during anticipated U.S.-Russia discussions in China, Merz urged Washington to avoid surprises and remain aligned with European partners.

Separately, Merz announced that Germany intends to present a proposal next week regarding appointments for three top positions at the European Central Bank, including the presidency currently held by Christine Lagarde. He noted that negotiations to reach an agreement remain ongoing.

Sources: Investor.bg, Mediapool, Nova TV

Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang has stepped down from his role following an independent investigation into his personal conduct and potential corporate security breaches. The resignation comes after reports revealed Huang engaged in extramarital affairs, including one with businessperson Alice Huang, whom United States intelligence officials suspect of acting on behalf of Chinese security services. A confidential memorandum overseen by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly alerted the Trump administration to potential risks regarding sensitive technology transfer.

While Huang admitted to infidelity, Beijing has denied allegations that Alice Huang is a intelligence agent. Nvidia's board has appointed Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress as interim CEO while an investigation determines whether sensitive corporate data was compromised.

Sources: El Mundo, Canarias7, Marca, La Vanguardia, Expresso