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Intrigue

Daily flyovers

Latest news for 7 November 2025

Quick hits of consequential news from all corners of the world.

  1. 01

    RUSSIA

    Where’s Waldo?

    Putin’s long-time foreign minister Sergei Lavrov was notably absent from a security council meeting on Wednesday, and no longer seems to be leading Russia’s G20 delegation to South Africa later this month. The rumour is Putin has side-lined him after his failed Rubio call derailed the planned Trump-Putin summit. (Kommersant 🇷🇺)

    Comment: Take these rumours with a quarry of salt, but Lavrov’s absence has still yet to be explained.

  2. 02

    SOUTH AFRICA

    Mercenaries by mistake.

    Authorities are promising an investigation into how 17 young South African men ended up as mercenaries in the middle of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, from where they’re now pleading for help to get home. (TimesLive)

    Comment: It’s unclear which side they’ve been mercenaries for, though President Ramaphosa says someone duped them with promises of lucrative employment, which matches the Putin playbook we’ve seen in Cuba, Nepal, India, and beyond.

  3. 03

    KAZAKHSTAN

    Count us in.

    With five Central Asian leaders in DC for their US summit this week, word is Kazakhstan will join the Abraham Accords. (Times of Central Asia)

    Comment: Kazakhstan has recognised Israel for 30+ years, but the White House hopes adding more Muslim-majority states to Trump’s landmark Arab-Israeli framework could help rebuild Israel’s legitimacy after the Hamas-Israel war.

  4. 04

    NORWAY

    A kill switch for buses?

    A top public transport operator in Norway has introduced stricter security after tests found its electric buses could be remotely accessed and potentially even shut down by their manufacturer in China. The bus-maker says the remote access is —like other automakers — just for maintenance and optimisation. (Euronews)

    Comment: The headlines hint at some kind of “world domination via bus fleets” plot. But while a bit of transport mayhem is always handy during conflict, this is really more about the world’s broader security questions around China’s tech.

  5. 05

    JAPAN

    Asset slashing.

    Local automaker Nissan is selling its Yokohama headquarters for upwards of $600M in its ongoing effort to survive. It’ll rent the building from the buyer. (AP)

    Comment: We covered Nissan’s mounting woes during the short-lived Honda merger talks earlier this year. With that lifeline gone, it’s time to sell the house.

  6. 06

    UNITED STATES

    Financial means.

    The treasury department has issued fresh sanctions to close a money exchange loophole that Hezbollah has used to transfer $1B from Iran this year. (US Treasury)

    Comment: Despite massive military losses against Israel, Lebanon’s largest armed group is still limping on thanks largely to Tehran.

  7. 07

    SOMALIA

    Pirates of the Indian Ocean.

    Pirates armed with machine guns and RPGs have attacked and boarded a Greek-operated oil tanker off Somalia’s coast, with the crew now controlling the stationary ship from inside a fortified safe room. A Spanish warship is en route. (SMN)

    Comment: It’s the region’s first major pirate boarding of the year and comes after aggressive attempts over the past week, reviving fears of the kind of hijacking spree that disrupted global shipping a decade ago.