Ukraine accuses US of helping Russia as missiles hit Kyiv
Ukraine on Oct 14 accused the United States of helping Russia by failing to warn it of incoming missile strikes and hobbling Kyiv’s military response through changes to the Starlink system it uses on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on US tech billionaire Elon Musk to restore Starlink, which Kyiv says has been slowed down.
“I hope that it’s a mistake, maybe huge technical problem,” Zelensky told UK journalist Piers Morgan. “I don’t know, but we are asking to do it, to switch (it) on.”
Former Ukrainian defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov later said that “Starlink’s operation at speeds up to 160kmh is being restored. Strike drones and interceptor drones should be able to fly again”.
Attacks in Strait of Hormuz reach highest level since start of Iran war
PHOTO: REUTERS
At least ten vessels have been attacked in or near the Strait of Hormuz since Oct 11, a high since war broke out between the United States, Israel and Iran, security data showed on Oct 14.
Four vessels were struck on Oct 13 and six on Oct 11 – the highest number of attacks in a single day since the start of the conflict – according to data from security firm Vanguard, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the British maritime agency UKMTO.
Two seafarers have been reported missing and a container ship reportedly sank as a result of recent attacks, according to the maritime sources.
Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia faces scrutiny over credentials
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The White House was facing mounting questions on Oct 14 over new press secretary Katie Zacharia’s legal credentials, after a faltering first day in the job when she gave an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam.
A US watchdog group filed a complaint with the State Bar of California, asking it to investigate whether President Donald Trump’s spokeswoman – the public face of the administration – had broken the law by repeatedly presenting herself as a lawyer without a licence.
Campaign for Accountability said Zacharia had described herself as a lawyer during television appearances and listed herself as general counsel of a California-based conservative nonprofit.
Nasdaq ends sharply lower as hot inflation data stirs rate-hike worries
PHOTO: AFP
Hotter-than-expected inflation data sent the Nasdaq to a sharply lower close on Oct 14, with worries about more interest rate hikes from the Federal Reserve pummelling shares of Oracle, CoreWeave and other AI stocks sensitive to higher borrowing costs.
Increased bets that the Fed will need more rate hikes to tame inflation dealt a sharp blow to some of the market’s biggest gainers of 2026. Oracle lost 8.8%, while AI-infrastructure firms CoreWeave and Nebius tumbled 15% and 10%, respectively.
Dell and Hewlett Packard Enterprise sank 11.4% and 8.2%, respectively, after Barclays downgraded the AI server makers to “equal-weight” from “overweight”.
PSG outgun embattled Man City in six-goal Champions League thriller
PHOTO: AFP
Paris Saint-Germain further soured the mood at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City’s first home game since the guilty verdict on widespread flouting of Premier League financial rules ended in a 4-2 Champions League defeat on Oct 14.
The European champions turned on the style to strike three times inside the opening 35 minutes through Desire Doue, Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha.
But City stormed back in the second half as Erling Haaland scored twice either side of Maghnes Akliouche’s strike that briefly restored PSG’s three-goal cushion.