Experts say the US-Russia diesel supply agreement is unlikely to bring a significant near-term drop in global prices. Disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb, refinery damage and costly transport and insurance are constraining supply. Trump has promised rapid price relief, but experts say the deal cannot readily overcome those bottlenecks.

dieselUS-Russia dealfuel pricesStrait of Hormuz

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russian companies are discussing diesel supply contracts with US counterparts. He said Russia could raise diesel exports to 3.5 million metric tons per month by year-end.

Russia-US tradedieselfuel exports

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Russia’s Energy Ministry and the US Department of Energy are negotiating contracts for Russian diesel supplies and will find a mechanism to support deliveries.

RussiaUnited Statesdiesel suppliesenergy talks

Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, said many of Russia’s opponents are trying to derail its diesel deal with the United States, though he argued it benefits all parties, including Russia, the US and global markets. He also cited European purchases of $320 billion in Russian energy resources.

RussiaUnited Statesdiesel dealenergy markets

Colombia has opened an embassy in contested West Jerusalem, going against opposition from around the world.

ColombiaWest Jerusalemembassydiplomacy

Albanian students protesting education costs, poor university conditions and bleak job prospects clashed with police.

Albaniastudent protestseducationjobs

Violent clashes broke out between student protesters and police in Albania’s capital, Tirana, on 13 October. Demonstrations continued overnight and into Wednesday.

Albaniastudent protestsTiranaclashes

Student protests over worsening university conditions, high education costs, limited financial support and poor job prospects turned violent in Tirana. Hundreds threw bricks and concrete blocks at the Education Ministry, while police used tear gas and water cannon and detained several demonstrators.

Albaniastudent protestsTiranaclashes with police

The article says Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have escalated the Yemen war, which could lead either to a major regional operation against the Houthis or to a war of attrition. Saudi Arabia is seeking international backing; Gulf states, Pakistan and Türkiye may support it.

Yemen warHouthisSaudi Arabiaregional conflict

The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed a Houthi ballistic missile launched towards Riyadh. Saudi civil defence issued two alerts through its national warning platform and later said the danger had passed. The Houthis said they had targeted Aramco facilities, a refinery in Riyadh and King Khalid International Airport.

Saudi ArabiaHouthismissile interceptionRiyadh

Yemen’s Houthis vowed on Wednesday to continue attacks on airports and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. They said they struck Saudi Aramco’s headquarters, which had been hit the previous day.

HouthisSaudi ArabiaSaudi Aramcoattacks

Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement, the Houthis, said it struck Saudi Aramco facilities in Dhahran and the Eastern Province, King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, and a Saudi Aramco refinery there. The group said it used many ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, threatened further attacks on Saudi airports and oil facilities, and described the strikes as retaliation for Arab coalition airstrikes in Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces.

HouthisSaudi AramcoRiyadh airportcross-border attack

Explosions were reported in Riyadh after a Houthi attack near Aramco headquarters.

Saudi ArabiaHouthisRiyadh explosions

A building belonging to Aramco in Dhahran caught fire, while four people in Riyadh were wounded by debris from an intercepted missile. Houthi attacks continued after an earlier strike on the capital’s airport killed 13, the deadliest attack on Saudi soil since 2015.

HouthisSaudi AramcoSaudi Arabia attack

A drone struck a data centre belonging to Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank.

RussiaSberbankdrone attack

Reports of outages in Sberbank services surged in Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Novosibirsk region and elsewhere, affecting online banking, payments, the website and app. Ukrainian drones attacked a Sberbank data center in Balakovo, Saratov region, overnight on October 14. The bank’s first deputy chairman confirmed the attack but said its services were operating normally. Users also reported disruptions at other websites and services.

drone attackSberbankdata centerservice outages

Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s largest data centre, owned by Sberbank, the country’s largest bank and technology company, but operations were unaffected, a senior executive said on Wednesday.

Ukrainian dronesRussiaSberbankdata centre

SpaceX restricted the speed of Starlink terminals used by Ukraine’s military overnight, disrupting some missions, Ukrainian officials and experts said. Ukraine also received no intelligence warning before the first wave of Russian ballistic missile launches overnight into October 14; Zelensky said the US had warned it could suspend intelligence sharing.

UkraineSpaceXStarlinkmilitary operations

Ukrainian officials say restrictions on Starlink satellite internet caught troops off guard and disrupted frontline operations. Kyiv also received no warning from partners for a second day about a Russian missile attack on energy facilities. On Wednesday morning, terminals used by Ukrainian drone units began failing at speeds above 160 km/h, disrupting several missions.

UkraineStarlinkfrontline operationsRussian missile attack

Ukraine is contacting the US, SpaceX and NATO for clarification on limits to its access to Starlink, a source in the Defence Ministry said. Ukrainian troops report that connections cut out at higher speeds, disrupting drone operations that rely on satellite internet for control.

UkraineStarlinkSpaceXdrones

Ukraine accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of disrupting its military operations by limiting Starlink internet service. The country was also reeling from two intense Russian missile attacks that it said came without the usual advance warning from allies.

UkraineStarlinkmilitary operationsRussian missile attacks

Dmitry Kuzyakin says Starlink restrictions are weakening the Ukrainian army’s effectiveness. He says the Kiev regime’s uncontrolled actions are irritating US President Donald Trump personally and part of the American establishment.

UkraineStarlinkmilitary effectiveness

The Financial Times, citing sources, reported that a slowdown in Starlink terminals surprised the Ukrainian military after restrictions were imposed overnight without warning. An unnamed Ukrainian official said frontline logistics and medium-range strikes were severely constrained. Ukrainian drones traveling above 160 km/h have faced signal disruptions, and some missions have been scrapped.

UkraineStarlinkdronesmilitary operations

Tens of thousands joined rallies across France on Tuesday in support of high school students demanding better conditions. Students say they will keep pressing complaints about absent teachers, run-down buildings and overcrowded schedules, in a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron as his term nears its end.

Francestudent protestseducation conditionsEmmanuel Macron

Duane “Keffe D” Davis, a former Los Angeles gang leader, was sentenced Tuesday to at least 40 years in prison for killing rapper Tupac Shakur. Davis had long boasted of taking part in the shooting but denied involvement at trial. The sentence comes nearly three decades after Shakur was killed.

crimesentencingTupac Shakur

Duane Davis received a prison sentence of at least 40 years for orchestrating Tupac Shakur’s murder. Shakur was a key figure in the US East Coast-West Coast hip-hop rivalry and was shot dead in Las Vegas at age 25.

Duane DavisTupac Shakurmurder casesentencing

Turkish authorities appointed a government trustee to run popular broadcaster Halk TV on Wednesday after police raided its headquarters, stopping live broadcasts and arresting 11 people. Chairman Cafer Mahiroglu called it “a dark day for Turkey” and said seven of his family members were among those detained.

TurkeyHalk TVpolice raidmedia freedom

Turkish police raided Istanbul, taking pro-opposition channel Halk TV off air and arresting 11 people. The move came hours before the defence was due to begin arguments in the sprawling corruption trial involving jailed Istanbul mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and about 400 other defendants.

TurkeyHalk TVarrestscorruption trial

Turkish police raided the Istanbul headquarters of pro-opposition channel Halk TV, disrupting its live broadcasts. The station said staff could not enter on Wednesday morning and a new manager had been appointed. Turkish media reported that financial crimes police searched the building and that 17 arrest warrants were issued in a raid linked to the channel’s owner.

TurkeyHalk TVpolice raidmedia freedom

Pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV said on Wednesday that police raided its Istanbul office and that a government-appointed trustee would run the channel, in what it called the latest blow to media freedom in Turkey.

TurkeyHalk TVmedia freedompolice raid

The Social Security Administration says the 2027 cost-of-living adjustment will rise to 3.6%. The adjustment is intended to keep benefits in line with inflation.

Social Securitycost-of-living adjustmentinflation

About 76 million Americans receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income benefits will get a 3.6% increase in monthly payments in 2027. The rise will accelerate for a second consecutive year compared with the previous year's increase.

United StatesSocial Securityretireesbenefits

The Social Security Administration said benefits will increase by 3.6% in 2027, with individual retirement payments rising by about $70 per month on average.

Social Securitycost-of-living adjustmentretirement benefits

A container ship sank near the Strait of Hormuz after being hit by a projectile, maritime security sources said Wednesday. A separate dry bulk carrier, damaged in an earlier attack, was also reported to be sinking.

Strait of Hormuzcontainer shipmaritime attack