Dhananjaya de Silva (167 not out) and Kusal Mendis (117) added 249 runs without being separated as Sri Lanka reached 404 for 4 on day three of the first Test, 30 behind Pakistan’s 434 for 9 declared.
The Young Global Citizen Daily
Thursday 12 November 2026 · No. 183
Top Story Ukraine
US Envoys Leave Abu Dhabi With a Prisoner Deal and Head for Moscow
A Prisoner Deal, but No End to the War
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners but not to a ceasefire.
🧵 Follow the thread · 6 updates
Russia and Ukraine
Selected reports · last 30 days · oldest → newest
14 Oct 2026 · Published report
An 'Energy Ceasefire' That Both Sides Deny
Ukraine says it has held back from hitting Russian energy sites; Russia's strikes go on.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 14 Oct 2026
An 'Energy Ceasefire' That Both Sides Deny
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Ukraine says it has held back from hitting Russian energy sites; Russia's strikes go on.
Imagine two players agreeing to stop hitting each other's power supply while the rest of the game goes on. That is the idea of an energy ceasefire. On Sunday 11 October President Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to one, effective immediately. By Monday both sides had denied it.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy told a forum in Warsaw that Ukraine had refrained from attacking Russian energy sites since the announcement, and that Russia kept attacking Ukraine's. A Russian strike on a residential high-rise in a Kyiv suburb killed at least two people on Monday evening.
US envoys told Ukrainian officials that a deal letting Russia export diesel is meant to draw Moscow back to talks, though they said Mr Putin was not ready to negotiate an end to the war. In the Strait of Hormuz, an oil tanker was hit by a projectile on Monday, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed the attack. It said it was the third ship it had hit in two days, and at least 18 attacks on ships in or near the strait have occurred since the start of October.
Sixty countries, including EU members, Australia and the UK, backed a declaration pledging to preserve freedom of navigation and opposing tolls on straits used for international navigation.
On the battlefield, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine's forces, told the BBC that Ukraine has stabilised the front line and broken Russia's ability to advance. Russia's Defence Ministry said it hit targets in Ukraine including vessels carrying military cargo, and did not mention energy sites.
Connect the dots
Economics: attacks on fuel and power sites can affect prices far from the fighting, because oil and diesel are traded around the world.
For grown-ups: original sources
15 Oct 2026 · Published report
Power Cuts Hit 600,000 Ukrainians After a Disputed ‘Energy Ceasefire’
Trump said both sides had agreed to stop hitting power sites. Strikes continued.
What changed? Overnight strikes leave at least 600,000 Ukrainians without power; the EU approves its largest sanctions package since 2022.
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 15 Oct 2026
Power Cuts Hit 600,000 Ukrainians After a Disputed ‘Energy Ceasefire’
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Trump said both sides had agreed to stop hitting power sites. Strikes continued.
A ceasefire is an agreement to stop fighting. On Sunday, President Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy sites. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine backed the idea and was ready to sign “guarantees”, but that Russian forces hit at least six Ukrainian energy facilities after it was announced. Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, rejected any pause in the fighting. Mr Trump said there had been “violations on both sides”, and called the war “ridiculous”. He also claimed, without evidence, that at least 32,000 people had been killed this month alone.
The latest strikes came overnight. Zelenskyy says they left at least 600,000 Ukrainians without electricity. Ukraine’s emergency service says at least three people were killed and 21 injured in Kyiv. Russia’s defence ministry says it targeted communications and energy sites in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions that Ukraine’s military uses. Zelenskyy also said Washington warned it could cut intelligence sharing unless Ukraine stops long-range drone strikes on Russian oil refineries.
Fuel politics is tangled in this story. Two days before his announcement, Trump temporarily eased US sanctions on Russian diesel, which drew criticism from Europe and Ukraine. Twelve US senators from both parties called the diesel deal a “betrayal of the people of Ukraine”, and Zelenskyy said it would not lower fuel prices. Meanwhile EU foreign ministers approved the largest set of sanctions since 2022, adding about 1,569 people and businesses to the list.
Connect the dots
The announcement came two days after the diesel move, and Al Jazeera’s reporter said it appeared aimed at lowering diesel prices before the 3 November US midterm elections. Attacking power plants is a way of attacking daily life: with no electricity, heating, water pumps and hospitals struggle. That is why the idea of a pause on energy attacks is appealing, and why a broken promise is so costly.
20 Oct 2026 · Published report
Ukraine Sends More Than 1,000 Drones at Russia
An oil port in St Petersburg burned as Russia struck Kyiv overnight.
What changed? Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia, setting an oil terminal and depot ablaze in St Petersburg; Russia says it destroyed 1,015. A Russian strike kills a woman in Kyiv.
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 20 Oct 2026
Ukraine Sends More Than 1,000 Drones at Russia
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
An oil port in St Petersburg burned as Russia struck Kyiv overnight.
On Sunday, Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of its largest air attacks of the war. Strikes set an oil export terminal and a depot ablaze in St Petersburg, Russia's second city. Russia's Defence Ministry said it destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea.
Russia struck back at Ukraine. Overnight an air strike killed a woman in Kyiv, hit a subway station and damaged a 25-storey apartment building, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Three other people were injured. Last Friday, Russian attacks on nine Ukrainian regions had already cut power to hundreds of thousands of homes.
Both sides have also been trading blows over energy. President Trump announced an “energy ceasefire” on October 11 but gave no details. Kyiv reported that Russian attacks on energy sites continued afterwards. On Thursday Kyiv said it had resumed strikes on Russian oil facilities after a three-day pause.
The attacks come as Ukraine's relationship with Washington gets harder. President Donald Trump criticised Kyiv's strikes on Russian oil sites. He also said that intelligence sharing between the US and Ukraine, which had been blocked for some period of time, had resumed.
Why it matters
Both sides now aim at each other's energy. That puts power, fuel and heating at stake, and it tests how far the US will back Ukraine.
23 Oct 2026 · Published report
Putin Agrees to Restart Three-Way Ukraine Talks
Moscow says it will return to the table after 10 November.
What changed? Putin meets US envoy Witkoff in St Petersburg; the Kremlin says he agreed in principle to resume three-way talks with the US and Ukraine after 10 November.
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 23 Oct 2026
Putin Agrees to Restart Three-Way Ukraine Talks
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Moscow says it will return to the table after 10 November.
Russia's President Putin has agreed, in principle, to restart three-way talks with the US and Ukraine after 10 November. Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said so after Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff for about three hours in St Petersburg on Wednesday. An envoy is someone sent to speak for a government.
The talks would aim at building a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the war ends. Earlier rounds, held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, produced little beyond swaps of prisoners. Ukraine's President Zelensky says only a meeting of leaders can break the deadlock, and that freezing the conflict is the minimum he needs from Russia.
Two other things happened around the meeting. Russia freed Stephen Hubbard, a retired US teacher jailed for fighting in Ukraine, after Trump asked Putin to free him; Witkoff called it a goodwill gesture. And overnight Russian attacks on Kyiv killed three people and injured 12, showing the fighting goes on while diplomats talk.
Talk of money and trade came up too. Witkoff thanked Putin for agreeing to send diesel to the US after Trump lifted a ban, which he said would help lower prices for farmers and lorry drivers. Zelensky said the talks in Oslo and St Petersburg covered security guarantees for Ukraine, occupied territories, rebuilding after the war and a possible ceasefire. Putin and Witkoff also discussed a possible meeting next month between the Russian, Chinese and US leaders at an economic summit in China.
Connect the dots
Peace efforts have moved between countries: Abu Dhabi, Geneva, Oslo and St Petersburg. Diplomats often meet in cities away from the fighting, so each side can talk without being at home.
For grown-ups: original sources
28 Oct 2026 · Published report
Three-Way Ukraine Talks Are Set for Next Month, Without a Pause in Fighting
For Europe, the talks decide a security question on its own doorstep.
What changed? Zelenskyy says Ukraine, Russia and the US have agreed to trilateral talks next month and renews his call to meet Putin on territory; Russia says it will not halt hostilities during the talks.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 28 Oct 2026
Three-Way Ukraine Talks Are Set for Next Month, Without a Pause in Fighting
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
For Europe, the talks decide a security question on its own doorstep.
Ukraine, Russia and the United States have agreed to hold three-way talks next month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 26 October. The Kremlin has since said it agreed in principle to a meeting on 10 November in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Europe is not named as a party in this report, even though the war is on the European continent.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on 23 October that renewed talks must focus on security for Russia, Ukraine and Europe overall, according to The Moscow Times. That wording matters to European governments, because it puts Europe's own security on the agenda.
But there is no truce attached. Russia has said it has no intention of halting hostilities during the talks, Ukrainska Pravda reported, and Putin has said he wants final agreements rather than a short-lived ceasefire. Zelenskyy, for his part, has renewed his call for a meeting with Putin on territorial issues.
Europe's own part is harder to pin down. On 20 October Zelenskyy met US envoy Steve Witkoff and European leaders in Oslo. Witkoff then carried new ideas, worked out with European countries and Ukraine, to Russia. The Kremlin brushed them aside: Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov said there wasn't really much substance in them.
On 27 October the leaders of Finland and Norway held a rare direct call with Putin, which the Finnish president's office said was arranged from Helsinki. Moscow played the call down and blamed EU and NATO policies for dragging out the war. Not every European capital welcomed it: Denmark's Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, said she was very sceptical about reaching out to Putin and urged Europe to act together.
The hardest question is still land. Russia demands that Ukraine leave the part of the eastern Donetsk region it still holds, and Ukraine says that would amount to surrender. Whether the 10 November date holds, and who will speak for Europe, are the next things to watch.
Connect the dots
Putin's phrase 'security for Europe overall' links the Ukraine talks to every European capital.
For grown-ups: original sources
- Zelenskyy says peace talks with Russia, US to restart
- Putin says renewed peace talks must focus on security
- Russia has no intention of halting hostilities in Ukraine during peace talks
- Russia and Ukraine say talks planned for November in UAE
- Kremlin downplays rare Putin call from leaders of Finland and Norway
- Russia and Ukraine trade strikes overnight as Moscow signals readiness for peace talks
- Ukraine and Russia both say ready to resume trilateral talks with US
12 Nov 2026 · Published report
US Envoys Leave Abu Dhabi With a Prisoner Deal and Head for Moscow
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners but not to a ceasefire.
What changed? The Abu Dhabi round ends with an agreement in principle on a major prisoner exchange and no breakthrough on a ceasefire or territory; US envoys Kushner and Witkoff head to Moscow to meet Putin, then to Dublin to brief Zelenskyy.
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 12 Nov 2026
US Envoys Leave Abu Dhabi With a Prisoner Deal and Head for Moscow
The Young Global Citizen Daily · Ages 12–14
Russia and Ukraine agreed to a large exchange of prisoners but not to a ceasefire.
The two Americans at the centre of the Ukraine peace talks have left Abu Dhabi with one result and a long list of unsolved problems. After two days of meetings that ended on Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a large exchange of prisoners of war. Envoy Jared Kushner called it “the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners.”
That was the only firm outcome. The two countries did not agree to a ceasefire, and they remain far apart on territory. Russia demands that Ukraine pull out of the part of the eastern Donbas region it still holds. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says Ukraine cannot discuss abandoning it.
Because the two sides trust each other so little, the United States acts as the go-between. Kushner said Washington speaks daily with both leaders’ teams. On Thursday he and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff were due in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin, then in Dublin, Ireland, to brief Zelenskyy. “We are pushing a boulder uphill,” Kushner said.
The prisoner numbers were to be settled on Thursday; Zelenskyy said between 1,000 and 1,200 may be exchanged. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting “very productive” but said a breakthrough to end the war will take time. Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said more talks will be held.
Why it matters
American negotiators carry the messages between the two sides, so what Washington decides to push for will shape any peace in a war that has lasted nearly five years.
6 of 6
More background: the story so far →
The two Americans at the centre of the Ukraine peace talks have left Abu Dhabi with one result and a long list of unsolved problems. After two days of meetings that ended on Wednesday, Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to a large exchange of prisoners of war. Envoy Jared Kushner called it “the biggest humanitarian release of prisoners.”
That was the only firm outcome. The two countries did not agree to a ceasefire, and they remain far apart on territory. Russia demands that Ukraine pull out of the part of the eastern Donbas region it still holds. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, says Ukraine cannot discuss abandoning it.
Because the two sides trust each other so little, the United States acts as the go-between. Kushner said Washington speaks daily with both leaders’ teams. On Thursday he and fellow envoy Steve Witkoff were due in Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin, then in Dublin, Ireland, to brief Zelenskyy. “We are pushing a boulder uphill,” Kushner said.
The prisoner numbers were to be settled on Thursday; Zelenskyy said between 1,000 and 1,200 may be exchanged. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the meeting “very productive” but said a breakthrough to end the war will take time. Russia’s chief negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said more talks will be held.
Russia and Ukraine held two days of talks in Abu Dhabi. The talks ended on Wednesday. The two countries agreed to a large exchange of prisoners of war. These are soldiers captured by the other side.
They did not agree to a ceasefire, which is a stop to the fighting. They also disagree about land. Russia wants Ukraine to leave part of a region called Donbas. Ukraine says no.
Two Americans, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, carry messages between the sides. Next they go to Moscow to meet Russia’s president. Then they go to Dublin to meet Ukraine’s president. He said between 1,000 and 1,200 prisoners may be exchanged.
World Climate
Fossil Fuel Emissions Set to Dip in 2026: Down in the US, Up in India
A Small Drop in the Gas That Warms the Planet
Scientists say an oil shock explains part of the fall, so it may not last.
Every year a team of more than 140 scientists adds up the carbon dioxide, or CO2, that the world releases. Their latest tally, the Global Carbon Budget, was published on Tuesday at the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, and it contains a small surprise.
The surprise is a fall. CO2 from burning oil, gas and coal is projected to drop 0.4% in 2026, to 38.2 billion tonnes. Oil emissions fall most, by 1.9%, which the scientists call a likely short-term response to the energy shock from the Iran conflict. Solar, wind and electric vehicles helped too: they now meet about two-thirds of rising energy demand.
The picture changes from country to country. Emissions are projected to fall 1.3% in the United States, mainly from lower coal use, and 0.9% in China. In India they are projected to rise 4.4%, faster than the country’s average of 3.5% a year over the past decade. China matters most to the total: it produces 32% of the world’s fossil emissions, and it accounts for half of the emissions avoided worldwide through renewables and electric vehicles.
Nor is the global dip the whole account. Add emissions from land, such as peat fires and damaged forests, and total CO2 rises to 43.3 billion tonnes, from 42.8 billion in 2025. Lead author Pierre Friedlingstein of the University of Exeter said a reduction driven partly by geopolitical shocks “is not a sustainable climate solution.”
What would make it last? Glen Peters, of the research centre CICERO, said a one-year drop “is not a peak unless it is driven by structural change.” Another author, Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia was more hopeful, saying a further acceleration of clean energy “could turn the tide on global emissions within a few years.” Time is short, though. The report puts the remaining budget for holding warming to 1.5C at 150 billion tonnes, which would be used up in less than four years at the current rate. The air already holds 54% more CO2 than before the industrial age.
Burning oil, gas and coal makes a gas called carbon dioxide, or CO2. It warms the planet. More than 140 scientists count it every year.
They expect CO2 from these fuels to fall 0.4% in 2026. One reason is that oil use fell after an energy shock from the Iran conflict. Solar power, wind power and electric cars also helped.
It differs by country. It falls 1.3% in the United States. It rises 4.4% in India. And when fires and damaged forests are counted, the world’s total still goes up, to 43.3 billion tonnes.
🗺️ Where in the world?
India Farming
Cabinet Raises Winter Fertiliser Subsidy 64% as World Prices Climb
India Pays More So Farmers Don’t Have To
The government will pay about Rs 62,370 crore so farmers’ prices stay steady.
India’s winter crops, including wheat, mustard and pulses, are sown in the Rabi season, and they depend on fertilisers that supply phosphate and potash. India relies heavily on imports for these fertilisers and their raw materials, so when world prices swing, the cost lands in India.
On Wednesday the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, decided the government would absorb that cost. It approved subsidy rates for the season from 1 October to 31 March, at an estimated Rs 62,370 crore. That is about 64% more than the Rs 37,952 crore needed last Rabi season.
The money is paid to fertiliser companies so they can sell 28 grades of fertiliser, including the widely used DAP, at lower prices. Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said farmers will not face any additional burden.
Winter crops like wheat need fertiliser to grow well. India buys much of its fertiliser from other countries. World prices have gone up.
On Wednesday the government decided to pay the extra cost. This kind of payment is called a subsidy. It will cost about Rs 62,370 crore this winter season. That is about 64% more than last time.
The money goes to fertiliser companies. Then they can sell to farmers at lower prices. A minister said farmers will not face any additional burden.
🗺️ Where in the world?
Did you know?
All the new machines built to pull carbon dioxide out of the air offset less than 30 minutes of the world’s yearly fossil fuel emissions, the Global Carbon Budget says.
United States Economy
Prices Rise 0.4% in October, and a Fed Rate Increase Looks Likely
Prices in America Rose Again
Food, housing and energy all cost more; stocks fell after the report.
MONTHLY PRICE RISES US consumer prices, % change in a month
The Consumer Price Index, or CPI, tracks the prices of things households buy. Tuesday’s report showed it rose 0.4% in October from September. Economists had expected 0.3%. Food rose 0.5%, housing 0.3% and energy 0.7%, though energy had jumped 5.2% the month before.
A hotter-than-expected number matters because of what the Federal Reserve, the US central bank, may do next. The Fed fights inflation by raising interest rates, which makes borrowing dearer and cools spending. After the report, traders put an 84% chance on a quarter-point increase in December.
One Fed governor, Chris Waller, had said beforehand that an even larger half-point rise should be considered if October came in hot. “Inflation is too high,” he said. Stocks slipped on the news: the S and P 500 index of large US companies fell 0.4%. Shares of homebuilders fell further, since higher rates make mortgages cost more.
A report on Tuesday said US prices rose 0.4% in October. Experts had expected 0.3%. Food rose 0.5%.
Rising prices are called inflation. The Federal Reserve is the US central bank. It fights inflation by raising interest rates. That makes borrowing money cost more.
Traders see an 84% chance of a rate rise in December. Stocks fell after the report. A main share index lost 0.4%.
🗺️ Where in the world?
Sport
CRICKET: SRI LANKA FIGHT BACK IN RAWALPINDI
In brief
More news
- COP31: About 40 leaders addressed the climate summit in Antalya on Wednesday; host Turkey wants electricity to supply 35% of the world’s energy by 2035, up from 23%.
- Iran: Security chief Mohsen Rezaei said the Strait of Hormuz will stay closed until the US meets Tehran’s seven conditions, and denied that talks were under way.
New words
Words from this issue
- Envoy
- A person sent to represent a government in talks. Today: US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff mediated in Abu Dhabi.
- Ceasefire
- An agreement to stop fighting. Today: Russia and Ukraine agreed to exchange prisoners but not to a ceasefire.
- Subsidy
- Money a government pays to make something cheaper. Today: India approved a Rs 62,370 crore fertiliser subsidy.
- Inflation
- A general rise in prices over time. Today: US prices rose 0.4% in October, more than expected.
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