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.
