The Gazette
The world's checked news, in five minutes
◉ World Edition · Wed 21 Oct 2026 · 15:00 GMT
- 1Kremlin tells Ukraine to make 'necessary decisions' after Witkoff meets Putin
- 2Iran offers to reopen Hormuz in seven days, on its own terms
- 3Fuel pushes UK inflation to 3.5%; an interest-rate rise now looks likely
- 4All eyes on the US Fed next week; oil near $110, gold eases
- 5AI deepfakes of leaders are selling fake government payouts
- 6Hackers used AI agents to attack 100+ companies at about $50 a break-in
- 7Protests spread in Europe, Brazil votes on Sunday, Ebola reaches Nigeria
- 8PSG beat Barcelona 4–2; Bayern host Arsenal tonight
- 9Musk and the Pentagon blame each other over Ukraine's Starlink cut
- 10American Stephen Hubbard freed after more than four years in Russia
1 of 10Top story · Ukraine
Kremlin tells Ukraine to make 'necessary decisions' after Witkoff meets Putin
- US envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg on Wednesday
- He had met Zelenskyy in Oslo on Tuesday to discuss ceasefire formats
- Moscow says a deal is "theoretically possible" but its demands have not changed
Why it mattersThere is diplomacy but no breakthrough: the war, and its pressure on energy and food prices, goes on.
Read more
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would study Witkoff's proposals but that the process would take a long time. Russian officials warned that if Ukraine did not make "necessary decisions", its situation "will be worse".
In Oslo, Norway's prime minister and Finland's president joined the talks, which also covered security guarantees and Ukraine's recovery.
Source: CBS News, CGTN, 10 Things
2 of 10Second story · Gulf
Iran offers to reopen Hormuz in seven days, on its own terms
- Iran wants the US to lift its blockade, ease oil curbs and free frozen assets
- The strait would reopen under Iranian control
- Britain sends RAF Typhoons to defend Saudi Arabia after a Riyadh airport strike killed 13
Why it mattersAbout a fifth of the world's oil passes Hormuz. While it stays disrupted, fuel and shipping costs stay high everywhere.
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Iranian officials have told Reuters that Tehran is stretching out talks to deny Trump a win before the 3 November US midterms. Iran's own inflation reached 73.6% in September.
Britain says its jets will not strike inside Yemen. Brent crude was trading near $110 a barrel on Wednesday.
Source: 10 Things, Kotak Neo
3 of 10What changes for you
Fuel pushes UK inflation to 3.5%; an interest-rate rise now looks likely
- UK prices rose 3.5% in the year to September, up from 3.1%
- Motor fuel was 29.8% dearer; diesel the costliest since 2022
- Economists now see a Bank of England rate rise in November
Why it mattersThe war-driven fuel shock is reaching shop prices. In many countries this means dearer loans and mortgages, not cheaper ones.
Read more
Core inflation, which strips out energy and food, rose to 2.8%. Food inflation was lower at 1.3%. The Bank of England expects inflation to average about 3.75% this quarter and close to 4% early next year.
Schroders' David Rees said "a November rate hike now looks like a done deal".
Source: MoneyWeek (ONS data)
4 of 10Your money
All eyes on the US Fed next week; oil near $110, gold eases
- The Dow rose 1.02% on Tuesday; the S&P 500 is about 1.4% below its record
- Gold slipped 0.44% to about $4,114 an ounce
- Prediction-market traders give an 86.5% chance the Fed holds rates on 28 October
Why it mattersIf oil keeps inflation high, central banks from Washington to London may keep rates higher for longer: good for savers, hard on borrowers.
Read more
The US Federal Reserve's target range is 3.75–4.00%. The US 10-year Treasury yield was about 5.1%. Prediction markets are bets, not official forecasts.
Source: The Rio Times
5 of 10Scam alert
AI deepfakes of leaders are selling fake government payouts
- Videos of a prime minister or minister promise cash under a 'new scheme'
- Victims pay a 'processing fee' or approve a payment request on their phone
- Flagged this week by India's cyber agency; the trick can target anyone, anywhere
Why it mattersNo real government asks you to pay a fee to receive money. If a leader's video asks for payment, it is fake.
Read more
The videos spread on Facebook and Instagram and use AI to copy real faces and voices. If you have paid, call your bank at once and report it to your national cyber-crime or fraud service (for example Action Fraud in the UK or the FBI's IC3 in the US); fast reports are often how money is recovered.
Source: The420.in (India Cyber Crime Coordination Centre advisory)
6 of 10Tech & AI
Hackers used AI agents to attack 100+ companies at about $50 a break-in
- An open-source AI-agent tool made 1,200+ intrusion attempts
- Targets included Deere, SharkNinja and Cummins, Reuters reported
- The attacker spent about $5,000 on AI computing
Why it mattersAI is making hacking cheap. Turn on two-step login for email and banking, and never reuse a password.
Read more
Reuters said it could not establish the full extent of data theft. Separately, the US ordered federal agencies to remove the Chinese AI app DeepSeek over data-security concerns.
Source: The420.in (Reuters)
7 of 10Around the world
Protests spread in Europe, Brazil votes on Sunday, Ebola reaches Nigeria
- Europe: 550,000 marched in France; Spain calls an early election
- Brazil: Lula v Flavio Bolsonaro runoff on Sunday (47%–45% in round one)
- Nigeria: first Ebola case in this outbreak; 44 contacts traced
Why it mattersLiving-cost anger is reshaping politics across Europe, and the Ebola outbreak is now in Africa's most populous country.
Read more
The Ebola outbreak began in Congo in May and has caused more than 9,500 infections and 4,600 deaths. In Brazil, the electoral court ordered Meta to show it is treating both candidates equally. Alberta voted about 75% to stay in Canada; official results are due Thursday.
Source: 10 Things
8 of 10Sport
PSG beat Barcelona 4–2; Bayern host Arsenal tonight
- Tuesday: PSG 4–2 Barcelona, Liverpool 4–3 Villarreal, Man City 5–1 AEK
- Tonight: Bayern v Arsenal and Real Madrid v Leipzig
- Kick-off 21:00 Central European time (20:00 UK, 15:00 US Eastern)
Why it mattersChampions League matchday three: the big clash is in Munich tonight.
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Also tonight: Como v Manchester United (18:45 CET), Inter v Shakhtar, Aston Villa v Viking and Sporting v LASK. On Tuesday Roma beat Slovan Bratislava 4–0 and Napoli edged Bodø/Glimt 4–3.
Source: UEFA
9 of 10The buzzClaims
Musk and the Pentagon blame each other over Ukraine's Starlink cut
- The Wall Street Journal reports Musk ordered limits on Starlink used by Ukraine's military
- Hegseth says no directive was issued; Trump says he doesn't know who ordered it
- Musk blames the US military and president
Why it mattersWho controls the satellites that a war depends on is now a public fight. Nobody has shown proof yet.
Read more
The restrictions reportedly began on 14 October and disrupted Ukraine's attack drones. President Zelenskyy warned that lives were at risk.
Source: 10 Things (WSJ)
10 of 10Good news
American Stephen Hubbard freed after more than four years in Russia
- Confirmed by Witkoff and Putin after their meeting
- Hubbard had been held in Russian custody for over four years
- A rare humanitarian step amid tough talks
Why it mattersPrisoner releases often come first when two sides start trusting each other a little.
Read more
The release was announced on Wednesday in St Petersburg, where the US envoy presented new ceasefire proposals.
Source: CBS News
You're up to date
10 stories, about 5 minutes.
One-minute quiz
What was UK inflation in September 2026?
- 2.8%
- 3.1%
- 3.5%
- 4.0%
Show answer
c) 3.5%. 3.5%, up from 3.1% in August, driven by a 29.8% jump in motor fuel prices.
The next edition of The Gazette arrives tomorrow.
The Gazette · The world's checked news, in five minutes. Every story is summarised from published reports; sources are under "Read more".