Wednesday, 14 October 2026

Elsewhere, drones hit two cargo ships off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast overnight and sank one, leaving 11 sailors missing. Sofia stopped short of accusing Russia but summoned its ambassador. Zelensky said Ukraine received no partner warning before a Russian ballistic missile strike on Kyiv, and Ukraine sent over 400 drones toward Moscow. In Africa, Ethiopian troops have reached the Eritrean border, unnamed sources said, and former president Joseph Kabila will lead a new front that absorbs the M23.

The IMF held its 2026 growth forecast at 3.1% but said the room to absorb shocks is narrowing, naming bond yields and a possible AI market correction as risks. Memory-chip stocks fell after Chinese chipmaker CXMT claimed a technical advance and Broadcom's chief likened AI investing to a casino, and South Korea's KOSPI closed down 5.5%. European gas reached its highest level in nearly four years.

Less noticed is Congo's Ebola outbreak, where infections have passed 9,000, the government says, according to Reuters. Al Jazeera reports that the Bundibugyo strain is driving the deadliest outbreak in the country's history, with health workers facing community mistrust. Tomorrow, watch for Trump's decision on Iran, which he says will come "very soon".