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DIPLOMACY GETS A DESERT RESERVATION! The United States will mediate working-level talks with Ukraine and Russia in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff announced, with the Kremlin confirming participation Tuesday, CNBC and Reuters reported.

Witkoff said discussions will cover “post-war security arrangements, de-escalation, humanitarian measures, and ending the war.” A senior U.S. official told Reuters that Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected for Washington. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky will be Moscow’s chief negotiator — the same hawkish figure who led earlier Istanbul talks.

Before Abu Dhabi, U.S. negotiators meet European and NATO officials in Brussels this week on postwar security guarantees and Ukraine’s reconstruction. Separately, first lady Melania Trump will host Russian and Ukrainian representatives at the White House Thursday on a local Kherson ceasefire after a six-day pause around Oleshky that Ukraine accused Russia of using to reinforce positions.

Peskov also floated hopes of finalizing a Trump–Putin–Xi meeting “in the coming days”; Zelenskyy has insisted “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.” Analysts told RFE/RL not to expect a breakthrough unless Putin accepts a ceasefire — prisoner swaps remain the likelier near-term outcome.

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Sources: CNBC, Reuters, Kyiv Post

BIG TECH SPLIT DOWN THE MIDDLE! After Democrats flipped the House and Senate, hyperscalers and Apple surged Wednesday while Musk-linked names and AI data-center plays slipped, CNBC reported.

In midday trading Amazon jumped about 8%, Google over 6%, Microsoft about 4%, Meta about 3%, and Apple nearly 7%. JPMorgan’s David Kelly said divided government means “moderation in growth, moderation in inflation, less uncertainty.”

Voters told a different story on AI campuses: of 41 local ballot measures restricting or clearing data centers, they sided against data centers in 40. A CNBC Voter Poll found 56% said data centers were a crucial or major voting factor. Democrats who floated moratoriums won governors’ races in Texas, Georgia, and Ohio — fueling regulatory fears.

Tesla fell about 2%, SpaceX about 3%, Nvidia a bit over 1%. Neocloud CoreWeave dropped about 10%. Needham’s Laura Martin argued higher barriers “entrench incumbents” — hyperscalers — while raising risks for new entrants. Macquarie’s Paul Golding stayed bullish on AI infra but warned neoclouds may pay more for powered shells.

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Sources: CNBC

SATELLITES MEET THE SIDEWALK! SpaceX struck a multiyear deal with Qualcomm to supply key network technology for Starlink Mobile — Elon Musk’s U.S. cellular challenger to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile — CNBC reported Wednesday.

Qualcomm called it its largest 5G initiative to date. The terrestrial network will “complement Starlink’s satellite capabilities,” with rollout planned to begin next year. Financial terms were not disclosed. SpaceX will use Qualcomm’s Dragonwing cellular infrastructure hardware and software in base stations for high-capacity Starlink Mobile coverage.

“Together with SpaceX, we are building world-leading cellular infrastructure in the United States, advancing 5G today, with an opportunity to lay the foundation for AI-native 6G in the years ahead,” Qualcomm EVP Durga Malladi said in the statement.

Starlink already accounts for 36% of SpaceX revenue and 85% of operating profit in Q3, but direct-to-device mobile has been limited. Last month SpaceX announced a nationwide 800 MHz spectrum purchase that rattled carrier shares; the Washington Post reported talks to acquire EchoStar’s Boost Mobile. SpaceX plans tens of thousands of new cell sites with Qualcomm tech but has not named tower partners. SpaceX went public in June and is valued near $2 trillion.

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Sources: CNBC

YOUR FROZEN PIZZA JUST GOT A CYBER FEVER! Cyber-attacks that slammed supermarket refrigeration systems across at least 10 European countries on Monday forced retailers to dump food after freezer temps soared as high as 50°C (122°F), the BBC reported.

Hit list includes Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, and Sweden. Nobody has claimed the attacks. They follow an October hit on as many as 700 French grocery stores with food losses estimated in the tens of millions of euros.

Belgium was among the hardest hit; federal prosecutors opened an investigation. Ireland’s Musgrave said 13 SuperValu stores were affected. In Italy, Meloni’s government met intelligence chiefs and said impact was “currently very limited,” blaming obsolete systems with internet-exposed interfaces — at least four Co-op stores in Sicily plus a Tuscany business.

EU food commissioner Christophe Hansen said the bloc is taking the incidents “very seriously.” UK NCSC chief Richard Horne told the BBC vulnerable tech was exploited “through the whole food supply chain,” not only supermarket aisles. No public attribution yet.

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Sources: BBC News

AID PIPELINE, MEET THE SHUTOFF VALVE! President Donald Trump told Fox News on Election Day that the US will stop about $4 billion a year in assistance to Israel by year’s end because “they don’t need it,” CNN and Fox News reported.

“We were giving them $4 billion — we are — but it gets cut off at the end of the year,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” He cast it as a deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a way to kill a Democratic “talking point” about aid levels. Pressed on cash vs. military hardware, he said: “Any way you want to define it.”

The existing US–Israel memorandum of understanding provides about $3.8 billion a year through 2028. Trump did not explain how he would terminate funding early; Congress still appropriates the money. He stressed Israel “can buy whatever they want” from US suppliers.

Netanyahu’s office did not immediately detail the timing. Rival Gadi Eisenkot called learning of the change “through the media” a danger to the strategic relationship. Former negotiator Aaron David Miller told CNN the Israel issue has become “hugely polarizing” inside the GOP, and questioned whether Washington would really “turn off the spigot” with Iran risks still live.

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Sources: CNN, Fox News

THE CAPITOL JUST FLIPPED COLORS! Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in Tuesday’s midterms, AP and Ballotpedia reported — a sweeping rebuke to President Donald Trump and Republicans over prices, the Iran war, and corruption concerns.

Per Ballotpedia, Democrats will hold at least a 231–141 House majority and a 54–44 Senate majority as late ballots keep coming. They flipped at least seven Senate seats in states Trump carried in 2024: Kansas, Iowa, Texas, Ohio, Maine, North Carolina, and South Carolina — including Kansas’s first Democratic senator since 1932 and Texas’s first statewide Democratic win since 1994.

AP said Democrats also flipped more than two dozen House districts, some that voted for Trump by double digits two years ago, and held battleground Senate seats in Georgia and Michigan. Ballotpedia counted 14 Republican House incumbents beaten and zero Democratic incumbents lost.

Governors flipped too: Democrats gained at least four — Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and Texas — for a majority of statehouses for the first time since 2010. When the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, Trump faces Democratic committee chairs with subpoena power for the first time in his second term.

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Sources: AP News, AP News, Ballotpedia

SEVEN PLANES. ZERO BOMBS. MAXIMUM CHAOS! Authorities across Europe searched seven passenger flights Tuesday after a wave of suspected bomb threats, the BBC reported — and found no explosives.

Two Ryanair jets landing in Rome (from Dublin and Lisbon) were searched after anonymous tips; the Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force. A Manchester–Murcia Ryanair flight was surrounded by fire engines and a bomb squad; passenger Sarah told BBC Radio 5 Live crews kept them on the runway about 30 minutes, then evacuated them without their bags. Two Warsaw-bound flights were hit, including a Heathrow flight diverted to Modlin, briefly closing that airport. Bulgaria checked Bergamo–Sofia and Dublin–Sofia flights after an email threat; nothing found.

The UK government called the incidents “malicious hoax threats” and said it has well-tested aviation-security processes. Aviation expert Paul Mason told BBC Radio 5 Live the spread across airlines looked “very deliberate” rather than coincidence. European airspace is on high alert while countries assess whether the threats were coordinated.

Tuesday’s wave came a day after a Wizz Air Luton–Sofia flight made an emergency landing in Budapest under Hungarian fighter escort after a mid-air threat — also a blank. Separately, Greek media said 1,537 people were evacuated from the Israel-bound cruise ship Crown Iris at Syros after a bomb alert; initial checks found nothing.

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Sources: BBC News

MEMORY ATE THE MARGIN! Apple stock slid about 3% Tuesday after new CEO John Ternus’s first earnings report warned that soaring memory-chip costs will squeeze holiday-quarter profits, CNBC reported.

Apple beat on revenue and earnings Monday — September-quarter revenue hit a record $114.5 billion — but CFO Kevan Parekh guided December-quarter gross margin to 45%–46%, below the 46.3% analyst average per LSEG. At the midpoint that would be Apple’s lowest gross margin since fiscal Q4 2023.

“What we’re seeing with memory pricing right now is unprecedented,” Ternus said, adding costs will keep rising beyond December. Parekh blamed higher memory prices plus some Siri AI ramp costs. September gross margin was 47.9%, helped by about 1 point of tariff refunds.

Apple raised iPhone prices $100 in September “reluctantly,” Ternus said, after earlier Mac and iPad hikes. COO Sabih Khan said manufacturing purchase commitments jumped $33 billion from June to September to lock supply, and Apple still expects holiday iPhone and Mac constraints driven by memory. AI servers are vacuuming up RAM; phone and PC makers are left fighting for scraps.

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Sources: CNBC, Reuters

A RESIGNATION AFTER THE WRECKAGE! Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente has resigned — six days after the high-speed train collision near Urda that killed at least 69 people and injured dozens, the BBC reported.

He announced the decision in Congress on Tuesday evening after outlining new rail safety measures and facing opposition grilling. “A transport minister in a country like Spain cannot remain in office after two accidents of this seriousness in less than a year,” Puente said, also citing a deadly January crash in Andalusia.

The Urda disaster happened when a state-operated Renfe high-speed train smashed into the back of a stationary Iryo train. Leaked audio published in Spanish media appears to show Madrid’s control centre clearing one high-speed train to move even though another had stopped about 25km (15 miles) ahead.

Puente said he decided to go immediately after the 28 October crash. Opposition parties and some government allies had pressed him to step down. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has vowed authorities will “get to the bottom of every last detail of this tragedy.”

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Sources: BBC News

BRUSSELS JUST BLEW A FUSE! Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever tendered his resignation to King Philippe on Monday after coalition talks deadlocked on a deficit-cutting budget, AFP reported.

De Wever’s five-party centre-right coalition has been chasing about €10 billion ($11.6 billion) in savings by 2029. The latest talks broke down hours before he went to the palace. A royal statement said the king is withholding his decision, will consult coalition party leaders, and will see De Wever again on Friday. Belgium “cannot afford a prolonged political crisis,” the palace warned.

The deficit exceeds five percent of GDP. Plans lean on public-spending cuts, including healthcare, plus a VAT hike that Francophone liberal partner MR strongly opposes as inflationary. Flemish socialists Vooruit, CD&V and Les Engagés have pushed for more taxes on the “strongest financial shoulders,” which MR and De Wever’s N-VA reject.

Per VRT NWS, the king meets Les Engagés and CD&V on Tuesday, Vooruit and MR on Wednesday, N-VA on Thursday, then De Wever Friday at 10:30am. De Wever did not immediately comment; the Instagram account of his cat Maximus posted that “there are days like that.”

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Sources: AFP, VRT NWS