Latest news for 13 November 2025

UNITED STATES

Epstein.

House Democrats have released another batch of Epstein emails, including ones claiming he "knew about the girls" and even “spent hours at my [Epstein's] house” with one of them. Trump’s supporters argue this particular Epstein victim subsequently told lawyers she never witnessed any wrongdoing by Trump. (ABC)

PAKISTAN

Power trip.

Parliament has voted to give ascendant army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir more power, including oversight of both Pakistan’s navy and air force, plus even lifetime immunity. (Independent)

Comment: Tell us who’s really in charge, without telling us who’s really in charge.

CHINA

Playing by the rules?

According to Bloomberg, China is now building its own shadow fleet to import sanctioned Russian LNG. Meanwhile, China’s US soybean purchases appear to have stalled just as the US-China truce was meant to revive them — China is already sitting on record stocks of cheaper Brazilian beans. (Farmers’ Advance)

Comment: What do these two stories have in common? As China gets more powerful, it gets harder for anyone to shape its choices.

UKRAINE

Scandal up top.

Ukraine’s energy and justice ministers have now resigned amid widespread outrage over their alleged participation in a huge energy corruption scheme. (Euractiv)

Comment: The Kremlin is citing this case — involving two close Zelensky allies — as a reason for the West to stop helping Ukraine’s self-defence. Another reading is that this active investigation — reported by a free press — is evidence of the very kind of democracy Putin himself fears.

AUSTRALIA

Toughen up.

Australia’s counter-intelligence chief has (again) accused Beijing-linked hackers of trying to crack into the country’s critical infrastructure networks. (Guardian)

Comment: The interesting bit is Australia’s chief spycatcher made the accusation at a major business conference, and backed it up with other examples of alleged espionage against Australian firms, whether to manipulate contract negotiations or steal Aussie innovations. It’s an example of spooks trying to thwart foreign spies not just by catching them, but by boosting national resilience against them.

BRAZIL

COP chaos.

Indigenous protesters have clashed with security after forcing their way into the COP summit venue, demanding better climate and Amazon protection. (Folha de S. Paulo)

Comment: Brazil chose the city of Belem for the optics of hosting climate talks amid Earth’s lungs, but that also makes it easier for Amazon locals to vent their dismay.

EGYPT

Election marathon.

Egypt has just concluded the first phase of its parliamentary elections, likely to further cement President El Sisi’s grip on power amid continued crackdowns on a divided opposition. (Al-Monitor)

KENYA

Congrats, your honour.

After four rounds of UN voting, Kenyan law professor Phoebe Okawa will now fill a vacancy on the International Court of Justice following the unexplained resignation of top Somali judge, Abdulqawi Yusuf. (AA)