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Trump Calls Ukraine’s Refinery Strikes a ‘Disgrace’ as EU Leaders Close Ranks Around Zelenskyy in Brussels: October 16, 2026

BRUSSELS — U.S. President Donald Trump called Ukraine’s renewed strikes on Russian oil refineries “a disgrace” and said Volodymyr Zelenskyy is “more difficult to deal with than Putin,” as European Union leaders gathered around the Ukrainian president at a summit in Brussels on Friday, BBC News, The Guardian and DW reported.

“All he’s doing is making the world oil price higher,” Trump told Newsmax in an interview aired Thursday. “There are a lot of targets you can hit, but when you shoot at diesel refineries … then he’s not doing a good service for the world.” Trump also said he is “not a big fan of Zelenskyy.”

Kyiv had paused attacks on Russian energy sites for three days at Trump’s request, but resumed them after saying Moscow never stopped hitting Ukraine’s power grid. The rift has deepened over a U.S. deal to import 300,000 tonnes of Russian diesel and over restrictions on Ukraine’s battlefield satellite links, the BBC said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia “did not respect” the energy ceasefire “not a single minute” and that sanctions “have to increase.” European Council President António Costa said it was “no time to withdraw support” or “relieve Russian sanctions.” Zelenskyy said a winter package “is not only energy, it’s also defence and funding.” Asked whether he was a scapegoat for Trump’s troubles, he smiled and said, “This is my answer,” DW reported.

Zelenskyy also held his first bilateral meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar on the summit’s sidelines; Magyar said the two countries had agreed to put relations on a new footing, according to DW.

Overnight, Russian strikes killed three people in Kharkiv and cut power to hundreds of thousands in the western Volyn region, prompting Poland to scramble fighter jets, while Russia said it downed 644 Ukrainian drones, 94 of them headed for Moscow, Al Jazeera reported.

Sources: BBC News, The Guardian, DW, Al Jazeera

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World Brief, Evening: October 15, 2026

A 16-year-old killed three children and a teacher at an Oregon elementary school before a bystander shot him dead; Reuters reports the Starshield slowdown for Ukraine came from inside the White House; and Hurricane Trudy still aims at a major Friday with new coastal watches on southwestern Mexico. Ten stories as of Thursday evening, October 15.

1. Bend / Oregon, United States. A 16-year-old Bend resident forced his way into Silver Rail Elementary School on Thursday afternoon by shooting at locked doors, killing three children — ages 5, 8 and 11 — and a teacher before a community member who saw him enter pursued him inside and shot him dead, Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz said, per AP and BBC News. A 7-year-old student and a 54-year-old teacher were taken to St. Charles Medical Center in critical condition. The first 911 call came about 12:59 p.m. local time after shots into a vehicle; the school locked down at 1:01 p.m.; officers arrived about a minute later to find the suspect already dead. Families reunited at a nearby church; Bend-La Pine schools closed Friday; the FBI is assisting. Governor Tina Kotek called it “a horrible day” and thanked the intervening community member.

2. Washington / United States, and Kyiv / Ukraine. The order to slow SpaceX’s military-grade Starshield service for Ukraine’s battlefield communications and drones came from inside the White House, two U.S. officials and a Western official told Reuters — after Defense Department leaders were told the system needed to be slowed. A senior U.S. official said “No such request was ever made by the president”; the White House did not say whether other aides issued it. Ukrainian officials said Kyiv was told it was a White House decision; receptors that had failed on fast-moving platforms were working again Thursday but only up to about 100 mph (160 km/h). The limits complicated drone strikes and Shahed interceptors as President Trump pressed Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries. Separately, Elon Musk wrote on X that “the slaughter continues” and it was “Time for Zelensky to go.”

3. South-southwest of Acapulco / Mexico. Hurricane Trudy held near 90 mph (150 km/h) at 6:00 p.m. CST Thursday about 235 miles south-southwest of Acapulco, and the National Hurricane Center said rapid intensification is expected to resume overnight, with a major hurricane forecast Friday or Friday night and a coastal approach to southwestern and west-central Mexico on Saturday. A Hurricane Watch is in effect from north of Punta San Telmo to Playa Perula; a Tropical Storm Warning covers Punta San Telmo southward to Zihuatanejo — upgrades from the morning Tropical Storm Watch. Additional watches or warnings are likely tonight or Friday. Tropical Storm Simon, farther northwest, continued to weaken offshore.

4. Aden / Yemen. Five people were killed and 16 injured when Houthi forces fired five ballistic missiles at al-Maashiq Palace — the presidential complex that houses Yemen’s internationally recognised government in the southern port city — Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani told BBC News. Prime Minister Shaya Zindani and other ministers were unhurt; casualties included guards and civilian employees. Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarea claimed a strike on a “Saudi military operations headquarters.” The attack comes amid a wider Houthi–Saudi escalation that has already hit Riyadh’s airport and Aramco facilities this month.

5. North Ubangi / Democratic Republic of the Congo. Congo’s Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak has reached an eighth province — North Ubangi, which borders the Central African Republic — with two cases confirmed by health officials though Kinshasa has not yet announced them, Reuters reported. The mid-May outbreak is the second-largest on record, with more than 9,000 cases and more than 4,000 deaths; Ituri remains the epicentre, with recent rises in North Kivu. Suspect deaths in a mining area of the Wapinda health zone prompted lab testing. Cases have also spilled to Uganda (declared free in August) and Kenya, which confirmed a second linked case Wednesday.

6. Tirana / Albania. Student-led anti-government protests entered a third day of clashes with riot police outside the education ministry Thursday, as Prime Minister Edi Rama vowed not to resign, AP and The Guardian reported. Demonstrators threw rocks; police answered with tear gas and water cannons and detained several people. Wednesday’s unrest left 89 injured, including 61 officers, after attacks on government buildings, banks and businesses. Students join the broader “Flamingo” movement demanding Rama quit over corruption and a Kushner-linked luxury tourism project.

7. Buenos Aires / Argentina. Thousands of students, teachers, university staff and unions marched on Congress Thursday demanding that President Javier Milei’s government implement the 2025 University Funding Law — inflation-linked pay, scholarships and operating funds that courts, including the Supreme Court in June, have ordered into force, AFP reported. The main rally stayed peaceful; dozens of mostly hooded protesters broke away near Congress, throwing stones and damaging street furniture, and police answered with tear gas and water cannon. Security sources told AFP at least 25 people were detained and eight officers injured. Milei’s spokesman has called the law “suspended” while the government litigates; this was the fifth such federal university march since he took office.

8. Aksum and northern Tigray / Ethiopia. Ethiopian federal forces and allied Tigray Peace Force fighters entered the historic city of Aksum as fighting with TPLF-linked rebels continued, conflict monitors and AFP reported via Al Jazeera. A pro-government militia claimed Eritrean troops took heavy losses and withdrew toward the border; Eritrea’s information minister called the claims false. ACLED documented Eritrean withdrawal through Zalambessa after Ethiopian advances, and tanks moving toward the border earlier in the week. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio phoned Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Wednesday urging de-escalation after reports of possible Ethiopia–Eritrea confrontation. Mekelle, Adwa and Adigrat fell back to government control earlier this month.

9. New Delhi / India. For nearly two weeks, mostly young protesters have filled New Delhi streets demanding the resignation of India’s election commissioner over voting-roll and electoral-process changes they say dilute youth and opposition turnout, ABC News reported. Police have cracked down on the “cockroach” youth organisers — some jailed after a Jantar Mantar sit-in — yet demonstrators say they will return, BBC News reported. The unrest is the sharpest Gen Z challenge yet to the electoral machinery ahead of India’s next national cycle.

10. Riyadh / Saudi Arabia (Fijian patients). Doctors in Saudi Arabia successfully separated 13-month-old conjoined twins from Fiji in an “exceptionally rare” multi-stage operation, ABC News reported. The case drew Pacific attention as a medical milestone for Fijian families who seldom access that level of specialty care at home.

Coming Up

Confirmed dates on The Watch: IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok continue through October 18 (G20 finance ministers met October 15). October 15–16, the European Council in Brussels. October 19, Alberta’s referendum on whether to move toward a binding independence vote. October 25, Brazil’s presidential runoff. November 7, New Zealand’s general election. November 29, Spain’s general election. NHC: Trudy is forecast as a major hurricane by Friday with a southwestern Mexico approach Saturday. Full board at the link — we don’t reprint the whole list here.

Sources: AP; BBC News; Reuters; Al Jazeera; The Guardian; ABC News; AFP; U.S. National Hurricane Center; Bend Police Department.

World Brief: October 15, 2026

Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times Ukraine is “done” holding back on Russian oil refineries; Istanbul’s governor called Thursday’s deluge the city’s heaviest rain in 84 years; and Hurricane Trudy is rapidly intensifying off southwestern Mexico. Ten stories as of Thursday morning, October 15.

1. Kyiv / Ukraine, and Brussels / Belgium. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that Ukraine’s pause on striking Russian energy sites is over — “We’re done” — after Russia kept hitting Ukrainian power networks while Washington pushed an “energy ceasefire” Moscow never confirmed, BBC News and The Guardian reported. The Kremlin accused Kyiv of a large-scale strike on a Ryazan refinery south of Moscow; Zelenskyy said he would only pause again if the U.S. supplied more Patriot interceptors. He also said U.S. intelligence-sharing gaps and Starshield/Starlink limits were “will,” not a glitch; Ukrainian defence sources told the BBC some Starshield “on the move” function had returned Thursday morning. Separately, Zelenskyy said Ukraine destroyed four Su-34 jets and damaged two more at a Voronezh-region airfield overnight. Russia, for its part, kept up what Zelenskyy called a massive Shahed drone attack through Wednesday and overnight; more than 360 drones targeted the central Kirovohrad region, killing three, The Guardian reported. In Brussels for the European Council, he met NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.

2. Istanbul / Turkey. Two people died after severe flooding that Istanbul Governor Davut Gül said was the city’s heaviest rainfall in 84 years, BBC News reported. A 14-year-old boy was electrocuted stepping into a puddle, and a 34-year-old man slipped crossing a road and hit his head. Nearly 600 people were rescued after becoming stranded; more than 8,000 workers responded; schools were closed Thursday and Friday; and 46 planes could not land. Residents were told to stay home unless necessary.

3. Washington / United States. President Donald Trump called off plans to livestream the firing-squad execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan after bipartisan backlash, saying “many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die,” BBC News reported. Hasan, who killed 13 soldiers at the Texas base in 2009, is still scheduled to die by firing squad on December 3 — the first U.S. military execution in more than 60 years. Families of the victims may still watch in person.

4. South-southwest of Acapulco / Mexico. Hurricane Trudy rapidly intensified to 90 mph (150 km/h) by 9:00 a.m. CST Thursday about 285 miles south-southwest of Acapulco, and the National Hurricane Center issued a Tropical Storm Watch from Punta San Telmo southward to Zihuatanejo. Rapid intensification is forecast, with Trudy expected to become a major hurricane by Friday and to approach southwestern and west-central Mexico this weekend. Rainfall of 4–8 inches (locally 12) is possible across Colima and Jalisco through the weekend, with life-threatening flooding and mudslides in steep terrain.

5. Peshawar / Pakistan. At least 33 pupils and a teacher were killed when the roof of a temporary private school, Al-Khair in Dir Colony, collapsed through three floors of classrooms Thursday morning, BBC News reported. Police chief Mian Saeed said the structure had “substandard” roof slabs and was overloaded; the school’s owner has been arrested. Rescuers struggled to reach the narrow street; more children were feared trapped. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor ordered a province-wide school safety audit.

6. South Sumatra / Indonesia. With Indonesia’s worst wildfire haze season in a decade blanketing Kalimantan and Sumatra and drifting into Singapore, Malaysia and East Timor, authorities scattered dry-ice pellets over Palembang and surrounding areas Thursday in an experimental attempt to break up low-level smog, BBC News reported. Unlike cloud seeding meant to make rain, the dry ice is meant to lift haze upward. An unusually strong El Niño has worsened drought and fire conditions.

7. Brasília / Brazil. Brazil’s Senate approved a constitutional amendment cutting the workweek from 44 hours to 40 with two days off and no pay cut — 75 votes to 1 — in a major win for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva less than two weeks before the October 25 runoff against Flávio Bolsonaro, BBC News reported. The change is billed as the biggest workers’-rights overhaul since 1988 and is estimated to cover more than 30 million workers. Bolsonaro, who once called the measure opportunistic, voted yes after citing its popularity.

8. London / United Kingdom, and Asmara / Eritrea. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood threatened to ban all Eritreans from entering the UK if Asmara does not take back more small-boat migrants and foreign national offenders, BBC News reported. From Thursday, Eritrean diplomats face travel limits beyond 60 km from London, and VIP fast-track visas are stopped. Eritreans were the largest nationality among small-boat arrivals in the year to June (about 18%); only seven were returned to Eritrea in that period.

9. Hamburg / Germany. A Hamburg court sentenced two men — a 54-year-old Dane with Afghan roots and a 43-year-old Afghan living in Denmark — to eight-and-a-half and four-and-a-half years for espionage and attempted murder after they plotted attacks on Jewish leaders for Iran’s Quds Force, Deutsche Welle reported. Targets included Josef Schuster of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and Green politician Volker Beck of the German-Israeli Society; prosecutors also cited preparatory work for arson at a Berlin kosher deli. Denmark extradited the pair after arrests in Aarhus.

10. Canberra / Australia. Communications Minister Anika Wells introduced the Online Safety Amendment (Digital Duty of Care) Bill 2026, which would force platforms to let Australians over 16 choose a following-only feed instead of algorithmically recommended content — “My Feed, My Way” — and tighten eSafety powers, ABC News and the minister’s office reported. Wells also left the door open to Greens-backed private lawsuits against big tech. Consultation on the feed-choice rules runs into early November.

Coming Up

Confirmed dates on The Watch: October 15, G20 finance ministers in Bangkok as the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings continue through October 18. October 15–16, the European Council in Brussels (Zelenskyy is attending Friday’s Ukraine session). October 19, Alberta’s referendum on whether to move toward a binding independence vote. Full board at the link — we don’t reprint the whole list here.

New Zealand’s Spy Service Will Help Fiji Overhaul Intelligence After U.S. China-Interference Claims: October 15, 2026

SUVA, Fiji — Fiji announced a six-month partnership with New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service to review and reform its national intelligence system amid U.S. claims of Chinese infiltration in the Pacific, RNZ Pacific reported.

The NZSIS will “assess the existing intelligence structure and develop evidence-based options for reform,” focusing on information-sharing and fixing “fragmentation” across Fijian agencies, Suva said. The review will weigh changes to functions, governance, workforce and oversight “to support a sustainable national intelligence system.”

In an August threat assessment, NZSIS said it had identified people conducting “espionage and foreign interference activities in the Pacific” for “a foreign intelligence service,” and called China “the only country we have detected doing it at scale” in New Zealand.

Last week Washington designated Fiji hotel owner Zhao Fugang for “significant corruption,” alleging bribes to advance China-linked interests. On Wednesday China’s embassy in New Zealand denied U.S. claims of Chinese-backed cyber activity against a Suva-based Pacific body — allegations Beijing also rejected after a U.S. Embassy Fiji statement earlier this week, RNZ Pacific noted.

Sources: RNZ Pacific

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Trump Ousts Kimberly Guilfoyle as U.S. Ambassador to Greece After Corruption Allegations: October 15, 2026

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration asked Kimberly Guilfoyle to resign as U.S. ambassador to Greece amid mounting allegations she sought donor help with credit-card bills in exchange for access and behaved inappropriately in Athens, new White House press secretary Katie Zacharia said, according to BBC News.

President Donald Trump said Tuesday she had done a “good job” but would “not be there” longer: “I didn’t like what I read.” Zacharia, in her first and unusually brief briefing, confirmed Guilfoyle was “asked to resign” and called her “a wonderful asset,” without detailing the claims.

Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host and ex-fiancée of Donald Trump Jr., said on X that her ambassadorship — which she called the “honour of a lifetime” — was “coming to an end,” denied wrongdoing, and vowed to “vigorously defend” her reputation against what she called “false accusations,” the BBC reported.

She was nominated in December 2024 shortly before Trump’s return to office. The Athens post had grown tenuous over the past week as the allegations piled up, the BBC said.

Sources: BBC News

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Brazil’s Senate Cuts the Workweek to 40 Hours in a Pre-Runoff Win for Lula: October 15, 2026

BRASÍLIA — Brazil’s Senate approved a constitutional amendment cutting the standard workweek from 44 hours to 40 and guaranteeing two days off without cutting pay, a major labour win for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva less than two weeks before the Oct. 25 runoff, BBC News and DW reported.

Senators passed the measure 75–1 after the Chamber of Deputies backed it in May. The government says more than 30 million workers could benefit; one survey found nearly 70% of Brazilians support ending the six-day “6×1” schedule. Lula is expected to sign it next week.

Rival Flávio Bolsonaro, who leads Lula after the first round 47% to 45.2%, reversed his opposition and voted yes, saying most workers want the change — a shift Lula called “electoral opportunism.” BBC News said it is the biggest workers’-rights overhaul since Brazil’s 1988 return to democracy.

“It means more time to live, rest, be with family,” Lula wrote on social media. Businesses warn of higher costs, and freelancers and delivery workers in the informal economy remain largely outside the reform, DW noted.

Sources: BBC News, DW

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Kenya Confirms a Second Ebola Case in a Relative of the Businessman Who Died After Flying From Congo: October 15, 2026

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya has confirmed a second Ebola infection, a 39-year-old close relative of the businessman who died of the virus after travelling from the Democratic Republic of Congo, the health ministry said, according to BBC News.

The new patient was already in quarantine when he fell ill on Tuesday. Officials said early detection improved his odds and limited further spread. “Both cases are linked, and there is no evidence of spread in the wider community,” the ministry said, urging the public to “stay calm but vigilant” while keeping travel, trade and gatherings unrestricted.

The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan man, died on Oct. 5 after being admitted in Nairobi; a relative had collected him at the airport after he crossed from DR Congo through Uganda without the illness being detected. Officials had identified 128 contacts; by Tuesday 113 were found, with 108 in quarantine in Kenya and tracing continuing for 15, the BBC reported.

More than 4,000 people have died in DR Congo’s current Ebola outbreak this year — the second deadliest on record — raising regional alarm even as Kenya says the two domestic cases remain linked and contained.

Sources: BBC News

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Senegal’s LGBTQ Crackdown Leaves Hundreds Arrested and Communities in Hiding, Rights Groups Say: October 15, 2026

DAKAR, Senegal — More than 320 people have been arrested since February on “acts against nature” allegations in Senegal, and LGBTQ+ people are going into hiding amid forced HIV testing and pressure on lawyers, Human Rights Watch said in a report covered by The Guardian on Thursday.

At least 84 of those detained were charged with “voluntary HIV transmission” based solely on HIV status, according to HIV Justice Network figures cited in the report. Senegal’s parliament in March doubled the maximum prison term for consensual same-sex relations to 10 years and added up to seven years and heavy fines for “promoting” homosexuality or financing LGBTQ groups.

“LGBTQ+ people are being forced to curb their normal activities … for fear of arrest and increased stigma,” HRW researcher Larissa Kojoué said. Police have used seized phones, tip-offs and raids on private homes; lawyers told HRW they fear prosecution for representing clients, and doctors said people are avoiding HIV testing, The Guardian reported.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and former prime minister Ousmane Sonko backed tougher laws during the 2024 campaign. Activists say media leaks of HIV status and identities have exposed people to stigma and violence. Senegal once had a stronger HIV response in the region; consultants warn the crackdown is driving patients away from clinics.

Sources: The Guardian

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China and North Korea Open the New Yalu River Bridge After a 12-Year Delay: October 15, 2026

DANDONG, China — China and North Korea formally opened the long-delayed New Yalu River Bridge on Thursday, a 3 km (1.9-mile) crossing meant to become the main land trade route between Dandong and Sinuiju, BBC News and DW reported.

Construction finished around 2014, but North Korea long left its approach roads and customs unfinished as ties cooled; COVID border closures added further delay. Chinese Premier Li Qiang, in a video address, called the bridge a “new landmark” of friendship and said the countries were “opening a new chapter,” Xinhua via the BBC reported.

China is North Korea’s largest trading partner and a lifeline under U.N. sanctions over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme. Bilateral trade hit about $2.7 billion last year, near pre-pandemic levels, mostly Chinese exports. Experts told the BBC a sudden trade surge is unlikely while sanctions remain and while Pyongyang fears deeper Chinese market influence.

The new cable-stayed span is an alternative to the older Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge built under Japanese occupation. Train travel between the neighbours only restarted in March after six years; North Korea has still not resumed tourism visas for Chinese visitors, DW noted.

Sources: BBC News, DW

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At Least 33 Children and a Teacher Killed as a Peshawar School Roof Collapses Onto Classrooms Below: October 15, 2026

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — At least 33 children and a teacher were killed Thursday when the roof of a classroom at the private Al-Khair school in Dir Colony collapsed, bringing down ceilings on floors below, BBC News reported, citing hospital figures.

Emergency services were alerted at 08:48 local time after lessons had begun. Rescue official Bilal Faizi told the BBC an upper-floor roof failed and trapped pupils under debris. Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed said classrooms on three floors came down — about 30 pupils on top, 40 in the middle and 45 on the ground — and that “substandard” roof slabs were overloaded.

Lady Reading Hospital reported 32 children and a teacher dead; Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital reported one more child dead. More than a dozen others were injured, some critically, and several children were feared still trapped. The school sat in a temporary building on a narrow street that slowed ambulances, the BBC said.

Officials said the structure had been built on a temporary basis. Neighbors and teachers from nearby schools joined the rescue as sirens filled Dir Colony.

Sources: BBC News

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