Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 23 October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. at least 6 killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine, officials say
Russia carried out a large-scale drone and missile assault across Ukraine on Wednesday, killing at least six people, including two children, Ukrainian officials said. The strikes came as diplomatic efforts stalled, with the White House confirming there were no imminent plans for presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to meet.
Ukraine’s Energy Minister described the assault as a “massive combined overnight attack” targeting the country’s energy infrastructure, part of Moscow’s continued bid to cripple the power grid before winter. At least 18 people were wounded, according to Kyiv city administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
The Energy Ministry reported widespread emergency blackouts nationwide, adding that repair crews were working to restore electricity “as soon as possible.”
“Another night proving Russia still feels insufficient pressure to stop this war,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said the strikes caused damage in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odessa, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, Poltava, and Vinnytsia, as well as across the broader regions of Kyiv, Cherkasy and Sumy.
2. Trump says he cancelled Putin summit due to stalled negotiations
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he had called off a planned summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, citing a lack of diplomatic progress and saying that “the timing wasn’t right.”
“We’ve cancelled the meeting with President Putin — it just didn’t feel right to me,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “It didn’t feel like we were going to reach the point we needed to, so I cancelled it. But we’ll hold it at a later date.”
Trump voiced frustration at the stalled talks, saying, “To be honest, every time I speak with Vladimir, we have good conversations, but they don’t lead anywhere. They just don’t go anywhere.”
The decision came as the White House introduced new sanctions against Russian oil exports, part of a wider strategy to increase pressure on Moscow over its ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Trump added that he hoped the measures would only be temporary.
3. Türkiye president meets Omani Sultan in Muscat
On Wednesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Sultan Haitham bin Tarik in Muscat, concluding his three-day Gulf tour.
After a ceremony at Al Alam Palace, the two leaders held talks attended by senior Turkish ministers.
Erdoğan later presented the Sultan with Türkiye’s locally made electric car, TOGG.
Oman was Erdoğan’s final stop after visits to Kuwait and Qatar.
4. U.S. hits top Russian oil companies with sanctions, EU bans Russian LNG
U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed his first Ukraine-related sanctions of his second term, targeting Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft amid growing frustration with President Vladimir Putin.
The move came after the EU approved its 19th sanctions package, banning Russian LNG imports, and Britain sanctioned the same firms last week.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures aim to cut funding for Russia’s “war machine,” urging allies to follow suit. Oil prices rose over $2 a barrel after the announcement.
Trump, who had previously avoided direct sanctions, also cancelled a planned summit with Putin in Hungary, saying “it didn’t feel like the right time.”
Experts called the move significant but incomplete, noting that without targeting banks or Asian oil buyers, it may not pressure Moscow enough.
Meanwhile, the EU’s new package also blacklists 117 more vessels from Russia’s “shadow fleet” and imposes travel bans on diplomats, expanding restrictions on Russian oil and gas trade.
5. France’s jailed ex-president Sarkozy targeted by death threats, prosecutor office says
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has received death threats from an inmate at Paris’s La Santé prison, where he began serving a five-year sentence this week, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.
A video filmed by a prisoner circulated on social media showing threats against Sarkozy, prompting an investigation. Three inmates have been questioned, and two phones seized. Sarkozy, jailed for taking campaign funds from Libya, is under police protection — a move criticised by prison unions.
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The U.S. has approved the sale of 500 Patriot PAC-3 missiles to Ukraine in a deal worth an estimated $2.1 billion, but Kyiv could face years of delays before receiving the weapons it urgently needs to defend against intensifying Russian attacks.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has ordered Iran's armed forces to respond to any threat immediately and without geographical limits in statements posted to social media platforms on Saturday (31 October).
Demonstrators carrying Iranian flags and placards supporting the hijab gathered outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in London.
A Chinese-made AI chip has matched Nvidia’s H200 in tests conducted by its developer, marking a potential breakthrough in China’s efforts to reduce its dependence on foreign technology.
A hacking group linked to North Korea is widely believed to be behind the theft of $6.3 billion from cryptocurrency giant Binance, a cyberattack that experts describe as the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.
Gen Z protests swept 34 German cities on Saturday (31 October) over education, living costs and military service proposals. Violence erupted in Frankfurt, where shops were looted and police reported Molotov cocktail attacks.
Iran designated Britain's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force as terrorist organisations on Sunday, (1 November), and classified the country's foreign intelligence agency, MI6, as a hostile group, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Thousands protested in Albania's capital, Tirana, on Saturday (31 October), demanding Prime Minister Edi Rama's resignation over perceived corruption allegations and dissatisfaction with the government over a lack of jobs and poor education standards.
Russia has agreed to work with Ghana on developing a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant following talks at the Russia-Africa Summit in Moscow, Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said on Saturday.
Foreign ministers from the U.S., Japan, Australia and India raised concerns over export restrictions and economic coercion at a Quad meeting in Atlanta, U.S., on Saturday, 31 October 2026, according to their joint statement.
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