November 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
6 results
Sweet Milk Lake and Paper Plane win at Austin Film Festival
Austin Film Festival named Sweet Milk Lake its narrative-feature winner and Paper Plane its narrative-short winner. The festival’s script competition received more than 12,500 submissions, producing 78 finalists and awards for 21 writers or teams. Sisters won the drama screenplay award and Pure Intentions won comedy at the 33rd festival.
Taliban says mediated contacts with Pakistan continue
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said messages with Pakistan continued through mediating countries, while accusing Islamabad of obstructing a peaceful settlement. His October 31 radio interview followed unsuccessful diplomatic efforts over security and cross-border armed activity. Pakistan demands action against groups it says operate from Afghanistan; the Taliban denies providing support.
Taş ve Tüy wins Antalya’s national best-film prize
Ragıp Türk’s Taş ve Tüy won best film in the national competition at the 63rd Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival. Yeşim Ustaoğlu won best director for Artakalan, which also brought Öykü Karayel the actress award. The awards were presented at the closing ceremony in Cam Piramit, with separate international, documentary and short-film winners.
Thailand holds interest rate at 1% as recovery stays uneven
The Bank of Thailand kept its policy rate at 1% on 28 October, with attending committee members voting unanimously. The central bank expects growth of 2.4% in 2026 and 2.1% in 2027. Technology exports and investment support activity, while household debt, weak purchasing power and contracting small-business credit constrain the recovery.
UBS draws $55.1 billion into wealth management in third quarter
UBS reported $2.69 billion in third-quarter net profit and $55.1 billion in net new wealth-management assets on 28 October. Inflows were led by Asia-Pacific and the Americas. The bank raised its year-end gross savings expectation for the Credit Suisse integration to $13.7 billion, while keeping completion of the integration on course for the end of 2026.
Uranium ditelluride hosts two superconducting states together
Cornell researchers found that two superconducting states can coexist in uranium ditelluride under pressure. Ultrasound measurements revised the material’s phase diagram and revealed competition between the states as temperature fell. The result advances research into a candidate for topological superconductivity, while quantum-computing applications remain several steps away.