Virginia Times published 21 stories on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 — a day dominated by the Abu Dhabi talks, where Russia and Ukraine agreed in principle to the largest prisoner exchange of the war, while a Florida judge let Trump's $10 billion BBC case proceed, Spain staged its first general strike in 14 years, Saudi defences downed three more Houthi missiles aimed at Riyadh, and George Mason landed a $30 million gift for two new institutes.
In This Recap
- Portugal Declares Alert as Storm Charles Brings Red Warnings
- Three Drones Enter Latvian Airspace Overnight, NATO Jets Activated
- Ukraine Says It Hit Three Russian Drone Control Posts
- Russia, Ukraine Agree Large Prisoner Exchange in Abu Dhabi
- Hijack Threat Note Found on Kolkata–Mumbai Air India Flight; All Passengers Deboarded
- Bessent Moved to Military Base After Iranian Threats, Reports Say
- Trump’s $10B BBC Defamation Case Can Proceed, Judge Rules
- Umerov, Medinsky Confirm Large Prisoner Swap as Talks End
- CoreWeave Revenue Jumps 168% to $3.66 Billion, Outlook Raised
- G7 Backs Ukraine, Seeks Reciprocal Ceasefire After Paris Talks
- Zelenskyy Thanks Denmark, Warns Patriots Are Going Elsewhere
- Schar Gives $30 Million to George Mason for Two New Institutes
- Kushner: Largest Prisoner Exchange of War Agreed in Principle
- White House Counsel Warns Democrats Over Planned Probes
- Spain Stages First General Strike in 14 Years Over Housing
- Trump Judge Pick in Oklahoma Stalls as Home Senator Balks
- Russia’s Ambassador to the US, Darchiev, Dies Suddenly at 66
- Saudi Defences Destroy Three Houthi Cruise Missiles Aimed at Riyadh
- Sami Grilled Naresh Bhatt, Calling “Raja” the King of a House of Terror
- IBM Plans 1,040-Qubit Nighthawk System for 2027
- United Restricts Third-Party AI Agents From Customer Accounts
1 Portugal Declares Alert as Storm Charles Brings Red Warnings
Portugal's government declared an alert for all of mainland Portugal on Wednesday, closing schools and non-essential public services as Storm Charles approached. The weather service IPMA issued red warnings for heavy rain and wind, with gusts up to 140 km/h in exposed places, and red warnings overnight in Madeira.
2 Three Drones Enter Latvian Airspace Overnight, NATO Jets Activated
Three unmanned aircraft entered Latvian airspace overnight, Latvia's armed forces said. Two crossed the eastern border for one to two minutes, a third crossed the country toward Estonia, and fighters from NATO's Baltic air policing mission were activated along with Latvian air defence and interceptor drone units.
3 Ukraine Says It Hit Three Russian Drone Control Posts
Ukraine's Defence Forces struck three Russian drone control posts at Tokmak, Prymirne and Pokrovsk on November 10 and overnight, the General Staff said. The strikes also hit a drone depot and two command posts, targeting what Kyiv called the brains of the Russian drone operation.
4 Russia, Ukraine Agree Large Prisoner Exchange in Abu Dhabi
Russia and Ukraine agreed a large prisoner exchange at U.S.-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, officials said, even as the talks brought no breakthrough toward ending the war. Jared Kushner said the numbers would be finalized Thursday, before he and Steve Witkoff meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin.
5 Hijack Threat Note Found on Kolkata–Mumbai Air India Flight; All Passengers Deboarded
Cabin crew found a hijack threat note in the lavatory of Air India flight AI 2772 at Kolkata airport on Wednesday morning. All passengers were deboarded and the Airbus A320 was moved to an isolation bay for thorough security checks.
6 Bessent Moved to Military Base After Iranian Threats, Reports Say
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has moved from his Washington home to a U.S. military base after Iranian threats against his life, according to reports citing people familiar with the matter. Bessent is the public face of Washington's economic campaign against Tehran.
7 Trump’s $10B BBC Defamation Case Can Proceed, Judge Rules
A Florida judge refused to dismiss President Trump's $10 billion defamation claim against the BBC over a spliced clip of his January 6, 2021, speech. Trump called the ruling a huge victory, while the BBC said it was surprised and will keep defending the case.
8 Umerov, Medinsky Confirm Large Prisoner Swap as Talks End
Ukraine's Rustem Umerov and Russia's Vladimir Medinsky both confirmed a large-scale prisoner exchange as two days of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi ended on Wednesday. Both sides stressed the details still have to be finalized and the swap carried out in practice.
9 CoreWeave Revenue Jumps 168% to $3.66 Billion, Outlook Raised
CoreWeave revenue rose 168% in the third quarter to $3.66 billion, beating the company's own guidance as AI demand surged. Management raised the full-year forecast to $13.0 billion to $13.3 billion, and the chief executive called it a breakout quarter.
10 G7 Backs Ukraine, Seeks Reciprocal Ceasefire After Paris Talks
G7 foreign ministers meeting in Paris reaffirmed unwavering support for Ukraine, backed U.S.-led efforts toward a reciprocal ceasefire, and pledged more air defense and winter energy help. The ministers also stepped up sanctions pressure on Russia.
11 Zelenskyy Thanks Denmark, Warns Patriots Are Going Elsewhere
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Denmark in a Folketing speech, praising the Danish idea of samfundssind — responsibility for one another. He warned that Patriot missiles Ukraine needs are going to the Middle East instead, leaving Patriot systems empty against Russian ballistic missiles, and rejected talk of security guarantees for Russia.
12 Schar Gives $30 Million to George Mason for Two New Institutes
Dwight Schar has given $30 million to George Mason University to create the Institute for Security, Intelligence, and Defense and the Institute for Economic Statecraft at the Schar School. The two institutes are expected to launch in fall 2027.
13 Kushner: Largest Prisoner Exchange of War Agreed in Principle
Ukraine and Russia have agreed in principle to the largest prisoner exchange of the war, Jared Kushner said, calling it a humanitarian breakthrough after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi. How many prisoners will be freed, and when, was not announced; the numbers are to be finalized Thursday.
14 White House Counsel Warns Democrats Over Planned Probes
White House counsel Will Scharf warned that abusive congressional investigations or unlawful subpoenas could prompt executive action, in a letter to Rep. Robert Garcia. Garcia rejected the warning and said Democrats would not be deterred from their planned oversight.
15 Spain Stages First General Strike in 14 Years Over Housing
Spain staged its first general strike in 14 years on Wednesday as workers protested housing costs, disrupting transport and factories. The walkout, backed by the UGT and CCOO unions and tenants' groups, came less than three weeks before a snap general election on November 29.
16 Trump Judge Pick in Oklahoma Stalls as Home Senator Balks
Sen. Alan Armstrong of Oklahoma now opposes President Trump's judicial nominee Zach West, his spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. With Sen. Thom Tillis backing Armstrong, West lacks the committee votes to advance in the lame-duck session.
17 Russia’s Ambassador to the US, Darchiev, Dies Suddenly at 66
Alexander Darchiev, Russia's ambassador to the United States, died suddenly on Wednesday at 66 in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The ministry named no successor to the Washington post Darchiev had held since March 2025.
18 Saudi Defences Destroy Three Houthi Cruise Missiles Aimed at Riyadh
Saudi air defences destroyed three Houthi cruise missiles fired toward Riyadh on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition said, along with two drones aimed at Mecca and the south. It was the second straight day of launches at the capital, and no casualties were reported.
19 Sami Grilled Naresh Bhatt, Calling “Raja” the King of a House of Terror
'Raja' — king — was Mamta Kafle Bhatt's word for her husband. In the last speech of his murder trial, prosecutor Sarah Sami seized on it, built a portrait of control around his own testimony, and the jury convicted Naresh Bhatt on all counts in a little more than four hours.
20 IBM Plans 1,040-Qubit Nighthawk System for 2027
IBM plans to connect two Nighthawk r3 processors in 2027, creating a 1,040-qubit system designed for 10,000 quantum operations. The company also reported new modular tests and performance gains from the current Nighthawk r2.
21 United Restricts Third-Party AI Agents From Customer Accounts
United said it will restrict third-party personal AI agents, warn customers about sharing credentials, and update its booking policies and Digital Trust Center. The airline said sharing credentials can expose sensitive information and lead to unintended purchases, account changes or use of MileagePlus miles.
Editor’s Note: This recap was prepared with the assistance of AI tools. Virginia Times gathered the source material from multiple sources and thoroughly reviewed the information before publication.