In the French league, Paris Saint-Germain beat Lyon 2-0, according to Sky Sports' scores for 26 October. In Spain, Sevilla beat Osasuna 2-0 in La Liga.
Europe Explained
Wednesday 28 October 2026 · No. 10
Top Story United Kingdom
Healey Delivers His First Budget With Little Room to Spend
The UK Budget Is Due on 28 October
A 'steady-as-she-goes' Budget is expected, with help on energy bills and a fuel duty freeze.
A Budget is the Chancellor's statement of how the government will raise and spend money. Chancellor John Healey, 101 days into the job, presents his first on 28 October to the House of Commons. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the official forecaster, publishes its economic and fiscal forecast the same day.
The mood music is steady rather than dramatic. Headtopics reports the Budget is meant to give 'breathing space' to hard-pressed households. Expected measures include energy bills support for poorer households, a freeze on fuel duty, action to help first-time buyers and tax relief for smaller businesses. To pay for some of it, Healey plans a new raid on banks and a crackdown on online retailers such as Amazon, eBay and Temu. The personal allowance, frozen at 12,570 pounds since 2022, is not expected to change in any major way.
The limit is money. Higher government borrowing costs linked to the Iran war have reduced Healey's room for manoeuvre. The OBR forecast a buffer of about 24 billion pounds in March; the Resolution Foundation estimates it has roughly halved to 12 billion pounds. A new tax allowance is planned for low-income pensioners who would otherwise be pulled into the tax system for the first time, though experts have called the proposal 'messy' and warned of 'cliff edges'.
Healey has said the Budget will move money and power out of Westminster and into every postcode around Britain, and that it will meet the government's fiscal rules, the self-imposed limits on borrowing.
John Healey is the UK's Chancellor. He will present his first Budget on 28 October. A Budget is a plan for taxes and spending.
He is expected to help poorer homes with energy bills and to freeze fuel duty. He also plans to take more money from banks.
There is not much spare money. A cushion of 24 billion pounds was forecast in March. It may now be about 12 billion pounds.
World Ukraine
Three-Way Ukraine Talks Are Set for Next Month, Without a Pause in Fighting
Ukraine, Russia and the US Plan Talks
For Europe, the talks decide a security question on its own doorstep.
🧵 Follow the thread · 6 updates
Russia and Ukraine
Selected reports · last 30 days · oldest → newest
12 Oct 2026 · Published report
An 'Energy Ceasefire' Is Announced, but Not Confirmed
President Trump says Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop hitting each other's energy sites. Neither country has confirmed it.
What changed? Mr Trump announces an "energy ceasefire", effective immediately. Neither Moscow nor Kyiv confirms it.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 12 Oct 2026
An 'Energy Ceasefire' Is Announced, but Not Confirmed
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
President Trump says Russia and Ukraine agreed to stop hitting each other's energy sites. Neither country has confirmed it.
On Sunday President Trump announced that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to an "energy ceasefire", effective immediately. He gave no details, and neither Moscow nor Kyiv immediately confirmed it. Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine would stop striking Russian refineries if Moscow stopped attacking Ukraine's energy system.
The announcement followed a tense weekend. Mr Trump said it was time for Ukraine to get a new president, and on Friday he struck a deal for Russia to supply diesel to the United States. Ukrainian and European officials said that deal helps fund Russia's war. A White House official said a deal to stop hitting power stations and grids could come next if refinery attacks stop. Mr Zelenskyy said a vote during the war would be unlawful, but that Ukraine could hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire, with security guarantees.
Both countries are fighting a long-range war from the air while their armies remain largely deadlocked on the ground. On Sunday a Ukrainian drone attack shut a data centre run by the Russian tech company Yandex, the third strike on its facilities in four days. Roughly a fifth of Ukraine is under Russian occupation.
Connect the dots
Europe knows how closely energy and war are linked. Many European countries buy fuel on a world market where a drone hit on a refinery can move prices. In early October the G7 agreed to coordinate the release of 100 million barrels of oil over four months, and Germany said it would release up to 15 million barrels of diesel, crude oil and heating oil from its stocks. A ceasefire on energy sites, if it holds, could ease some of that pressure. Brent crude, the main oil price benchmark, was about $103 to $105 a barrel on 9 October. Eurozone inflation reached 3.8% in September, so energy prices are a worry for households.
For grown-ups: original sources
- https://www.fox13news.com/news/trump-russia-ukraine-agree-immediate-energy-ceasefire
- https://www.axios.com/2026/10/11/russia-ukraine-oil-energy-ceasefire-trump-putin-zelensky
- https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-trump-us-elections-saudi-arabia-yemen-houthis/
- https://www.netnewsledger.com/2026/10/07/eu-news-for-october-7-2026-emergency-fuel-talks-french-debt-concerns-china-trade-tensions-black-sea-shipping-attacks-and-enlargement-plans/
- https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/06/frances-sovereign-debt-crisis-explained-how-dangerous-could-it-be
14 Oct 2026 · Published report
An 'Energy Ceasefire' That Both Sides Deny
Ukraine says it has held back from hitting Russian energy sites; Russia's strikes go on.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 14 Oct 2026
An 'Energy Ceasefire' That Both Sides Deny
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Ukraine says it has held back from hitting Russian energy sites; Russia's strikes go on.
Imagine two players agreeing to stop hitting each other's power supply while the rest of the game goes on. That is the idea of an energy ceasefire. On Sunday 11 October President Trump said Russia and Ukraine had agreed to one, effective immediately. By Monday both sides had denied it.
Ukraine's President Zelenskyy told a forum in Warsaw that Ukraine had refrained from attacking Russian energy sites since the announcement, and that Russia kept attacking Ukraine's. A Russian strike on a residential high-rise in a Kyiv suburb killed at least two people on Monday evening.
US envoys told Ukrainian officials that a deal letting Russia export diesel is meant to draw Moscow back to talks, though they said Mr Putin was not ready to negotiate an end to the war. In the Strait of Hormuz, an oil tanker was hit by a projectile on Monday, and Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed the attack. It said it was the third ship it had hit in two days, and at least 18 attacks on ships in or near the strait have occurred since the start of October.
Sixty countries, including EU members, Australia and the UK, backed a declaration pledging to preserve freedom of navigation and opposing tolls on straits used for international navigation.
On the battlefield, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, the former commander-in-chief of Ukraine's forces, told the BBC that Ukraine has stabilised the front line and broken Russia's ability to advance. Russia's Defence Ministry said it hit targets in Ukraine including vessels carrying military cargo, and did not mention energy sites.
Connect the dots
Economics: attacks on fuel and power sites can affect prices far from the fighting, because oil and diesel are traded around the world.
For grown-ups: original sources
16 Oct 2026 · Published report
Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Power Grid as Zelenskyy Asks Europe for More
The ‘energy ceasefire’ announced by President Trump has collapsed in practice.
What changed? Russian strikes kill at least nine and cut power to over half a million; on 15 October Zelenskyy says Kyiv is done with the energy pause and refinery strikes will resume.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 16 Oct 2026
Russia Strikes Ukraine’s Power Grid as Zelenskyy Asks Europe for More
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
The ‘energy ceasefire’ announced by President Trump has collapsed in practice.
Imagine a school with no heating in winter. That is the risk Ukrainians face as Russia attacks their power plants. Overnight into Wednesday 14 October, Russian air attacks killed at least nine people and left more than half a million without power, according to Al Jazeera. Russia said it hit plants supplying power and heating in Kyiv and in Kharkiv.
The attacks came days after President Trump announced an “energy ceasefire”, a pause in strikes on power and oil sites. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of breaking it. On Thursday he told the Financial Times that Kyiv was “done” with the ceasefire, and that strikes on Russian oil refineries would resume. Russia says Ukraine hit a refinery in Ryazan, 180 km south of Moscow. Mr Zelenskyy says he would pause again only if the US supplied Patriot interceptors, which are missiles that shoot down other missiles.
Mr Zelenskyy was due to meet European leaders in Brussels on Thursday, asking for tougher sanctions on Russia, meaning penalties that hurt its economy, and faster help. The EU has pledged $50 billion for Ukraine next year, while Kyiv plans to spend $175 billion on defence. Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten urged EU leaders to “step up” their support.
Both sides are also fighting with drones. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 580 Shahed-type and other drones and two Kh-59 missiles overnight, and that 536 drones were neutralised. Moscow’s mayor said air defences downed nearly 500 drones heading for the capital, and Russia’s military put the total of Ukrainian drones downed that night at 902. Ukraine’s technology adviser said SpaceX limited the speed of Starlink terminals in motion; Elon Musk said only the US military and Mr Trump could limit its use.
Connect the dots
Energy is a weapon in this war: Russia targets power plants for winter, and Ukraine targets the refineries that help pay for Russia’s war.
20 Oct 2026 · Published report
Ukraine Launches More Than 1,000 Drones at Russia
An oil terminal in St Petersburg burned; Russia struck Kyiv overnight.
What changed? Ukraine launches more than 1,000 drones at Russia, setting an oil terminal and depot ablaze in St Petersburg; Russia says it destroyed 1,015. A Russian strike kills a woman in Kyiv.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 20 Oct 2026
Ukraine Launches More Than 1,000 Drones at Russia
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
An oil terminal in St Petersburg burned; Russia struck Kyiv overnight.
On Sunday Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia, one of its largest air attacks of the war. Strikes set an oil export terminal and a depot ablaze in St Petersburg. Russia's Defence Ministry said it destroyed 1,015 Ukrainian drones over 15 Russian regions, Crimea and the Black Sea.
Russia hit back. Overnight an air strike killed a woman in Kyiv, hit a subway station and damaged a 25-storey apartment building, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Three other people were injured. On Friday, Russian attacks on nine Ukrainian regions had cut power to hundreds of thousands of households.
Washington is part of the picture. President Donald Trump criticised Kyiv's strikes on Russian oil sites, and said that US-Ukraine intelligence sharing, blocked for some period of time, had resumed. He announced an “energy ceasefire” on October 11 but gave no details, and Kyiv says attacks on energy sites continued.
Connect the dots
Economics: attacks on oil sites on both sides link this war to fuel prices, just as the attacks near Saudi Arabia do.
24 Oct 2026 · Published report
Putin Agrees in Principle to Restart Three-Way Talks
Russia says talks with the US and Ukraine could resume after 10 November.
What changed? Witkoff meets Zelenskyy and European leaders in Oslo; at the White House Trump presses Zelenskyy to make a deal with Russia, saying the US has got “absolutely nothing back” from Ukraine.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 24 Oct 2026
Putin Agrees in Principle to Restart Three-Way Talks
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Russia says talks with the US and Ukraine could resume after 10 November.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met US envoy Steve Witkoff in St. Petersburg on 21 October for about three hours. Afterwards the Kremlin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said Putin agreed “in principle” to resume three-way talks with the US and Ukraine after 10 November. The talks would focus on a security system for Russia and Ukraine after the war ends.
Earlier rounds in Abu Dhabi and Geneva earlier this year produced little beyond prisoner exchanges. This time Russia freed an American, Stephen Hubbard, a retired teacher, which Witkoff called a goodwill gesture. Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says a freeze in the fighting is the “minimum” Russia must accept, and that only a meeting of leaders can break the impasse.
The war goes on. Russian strikes in Kyiv killed three people and wounded 12. Ukraine launched more than 1,000 drones at Russia in one of its largest attacks of the war, and an oil export terminal in St. Petersburg caught fire. Norway's prime minister, who hosted Witkoff and Zelenskyy in Oslo, said Russia may be looking for diplomatic options. US President Trump pressed Zelenskyy to make a deal and said the US had gotten “absolutely nothing back” from Ukraine.
Connect the dots
Geography: Oslo and St. Petersburg are both Baltic-region cities, while the earlier talks were held in Abu Dhabi and Geneva, neutral places far from the fighting.
For grown-ups: original sources
28 Oct 2026 · Published report
Three-Way Ukraine Talks Are Set for Next Month, Without a Pause in Fighting
For Europe, the talks decide a security question on its own doorstep.
What changed? Zelenskyy says Ukraine, Russia and the US have agreed to trilateral talks next month and renews his call to meet Putin on territory; Russia says it will not halt hostilities during the talks.
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
Earlier report · Published 28 Oct 2026
Three-Way Ukraine Talks Are Set for Next Month, Without a Pause in Fighting
Europe Explained · Ages 12–14
For Europe, the talks decide a security question on its own doorstep.
Ukraine, Russia and the United States have agreed to hold three-way talks next month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 26 October. Al Jazeera's report gave no date or venue. Europe is not named as a party in this report, even though the war is on the European continent.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on 23 October that renewed talks must focus on security for Russia, Ukraine and Europe overall, according to The Moscow Times. That wording matters to European governments, because it puts Europe's own security on the agenda.
But there is no truce attached. Russia has said it has no intention of halting hostilities during the talks, Ukrainska Pravda reported, and Putin has said he wants final agreements rather than a short-lived ceasefire. Zelenskyy, for his part, has renewed his call for a meeting with Putin on territorial issues.
What is still unknown is practical: the date, the venue and who will sit at the table for each side. Until those are announced, what Europe has is an agreement in principle between three parties, one of which says the fighting will carry on.
Connect the dots
Putin's phrase 'security for Europe overall' links the Ukraine talks to every European capital.
6 of 6
More background: the story so far →
Ukraine, Russia and the United States have agreed to hold three-way talks next month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 26 October. Al Jazeera's report gave no date or venue. Europe is not named as a party in this report, even though the war is on the European continent.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin said on 23 October that renewed talks must focus on security for Russia, Ukraine and Europe overall, according to The Moscow Times. That wording matters to European governments, because it puts Europe's own security on the agenda.
But there is no truce attached. Russia has said it has no intention of halting hostilities during the talks, Ukrainska Pravda reported, and Putin has said he wants final agreements rather than a short-lived ceasefire. Zelenskyy, for his part, has renewed his call for a meeting with Putin on territorial issues.
What is still unknown is practical: the date, the venue and who will sit at the table for each side. Until those are announced, what Europe has is an agreement in principle between three parties, one of which says the fighting will carry on.
Ukraine's president says Ukraine, Russia and the US will hold talks next month. No date or place is known.
Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, says talks must cover security for Europe too.
Russia also says it will not stop fighting during the talks. Putin says he wants lasting peace deals, not a short pause. Ukraine's president also wants to meet Putin to talk about land.
🗺️ Where in the world?
United Kingdom Prices
UK Inflation Climbs to 3.5% as Fuel Costs Rise
UK Prices Rise Faster
The figure for September lands a week before the Budget.
Inflation is the rate at which prices rise over a year. In September UK consumer price inflation rose to 3.5%, up from 3.1% in August, driven mainly by fuel, according to the figures reported by ITV News.
Motor fuels cost 30% more than a year earlier, up from a 23% rise in August. Average petrol reached 169.5p a litre, the highest in around four years, and diesel hit 192.5p, its highest since July 2022. Reports attribute the rise to the Iran war, which has squeezed global oil and gas supplies.
Some economists think the rise could prompt the Bank of England to raise interest rates next month.
Prices in the UK rose 3.5% in a year to September. That is more than the 3.1% in August.
Fuel was the main reason. Motor fuels cost 30% more than a year before.
Petrol averaged 169.5p a litre, the highest in about four years. Diesel reached 192.5p a litre. Reports say the Iran war has squeezed oil and gas supplies.
🗺️ Where in the world?
Did you know?
The International Astronomical Union recognises five dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Haumea and Makemake.
Europe Cost of Living
Europe's Cost-of-Living Anger Spills Into the Streets
People in Europe Protest Over Prices
Protests in France, Italy and Portugal follow sharp rises in fuel and energy bills.
PRICE JUMPS Percent rise in a year
Across Europe, higher fuel and energy bills have set off protests. In France, weekend unrest led to 2,400 arrests, France 24 reports; President Emmanuel Macron said the protesters' demands were legitimate while condemning violence and looting. In Milan, police clashed with protesters over poor public services and rising living costs, and thousands marched in Portugal against housing costs, according to CNBC.
The numbers are large. The European Commission estimates the Iran conflict has cost Europe roughly 100 billion euros through disrupted trade and energy markets. Gas prices have jumped about 140% and diesel prices have doubled. In France, energy prices rose 21.3% year on year in September, according to the statistics office INSEE.
Politics is shifting too. In Germany, the AfD is pushing to restore energy ties with Russia, and in Poland energy-bill concerns are helping the far-right Confederation of the Polish Crown, France 24 reports.
Fuel and energy bills have risen across Europe. People have protested in France, Italy and Portugal.
In France, 2,400 people were arrested after weekend unrest. The EU's Commission says the Iran conflict has cost Europe about 100 billion euros.
Gas prices have jumped about 140%, and diesel prices have doubled. In Milan, police clashed with protesters. In Portugal, thousands marched against high housing costs.
🗺️ Where in the world?
Sport
FOOTBALL: PSG BEAT LYON 2-0
In brief
More news
- United States: The Federal Reserve decides on its key rate on Wednesday at 2 pm Eastern Time; traders put about an 11% chance on a rise.
- India: Cyclone Arnab is forecast to reach the Andhra Pradesh coast between 2 am and 4 am on 28 October.
New words
Words from this issue
- Budget
- A government's plan for raising and spending money. Today: John Healey presents his first on 28 October.
- Headroom
- The gap between what a government plans to borrow and the limit it set itself. Today: It was forecast at 24 billion pounds in March and may have halved.
- Fuel duty
- A tax charged on each litre of petrol and diesel. Today: The Budget is expected to freeze it.
- Inflation
- The rate at which prices rise over a year. Today: UK inflation rose to 3.5% in September.
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