President Trump announced an “effective immediately” energy ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, only for Kyiv to accuse Moscow of violating it within hours. Overnight, Houthi strikes shut down Riyadh’s main airport, a supertanker caught fire in the Strait of Hormuz, tree-cutting began at DC’s East Potomac Park, and rescuers in Nepal raced to reach trekkers stranded by a flash flood.
In This Roundup
- Trump Declares ‘Effective Immediately’ Energy Ceasefire as Zelensky Accuses Russia of Violating It
- Houthi Strikes Leave Riyadh’s Skies Empty as Airport Struggles to Reopen
- Supertanker Set Ablaze in Strait of Hormuz Hours After US Blockade Strike
- Tree-Cutting Begins at East Potomac Park as Preservationists Seek Emergency Court Order
- Flash Flood in Nepal’s Gorkha Strands More Than 100 Foreign Trekkers
- Huntley Leads Ravens Past Falcons in Overtime Thriller
- Akshay Kumar’s ‘Samuk’ Wraps UK Schedule, Heads to Mumbai for Final Leg
1 Trump Declares ‘Effective Immediately’ Energy Ceasefire as Zelensky Accuses Russia of Violating It
President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to what he called an “energy ceasefire,” declaring on social media that it was “effective immediately” and warning both sides: “Do not break it!” The announcement came two days after Trump unveiled a deal for Russia to supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel to American and global markets — a move that drew a bipartisan rebuke from seven senators who said importing Russian fuel runs counter to the 2022 law banning Russian energy imports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal was news to him — he learned about it from the media — but said Kyiv would honor it if Russia did. Hours after Trump’s post, Zelensky accused Moscow of striking a thermal power plant in Kharkiv and hitting Ukraine’s electricity grid, urging Washington to make sure Russia respects any agreement. The European Union, meanwhile, approved new sanctions targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex and pressed the United States to keep pressure on Moscow.
If President Trump negotiated it with Putin — please tell us when the cease-fire begins — we are ready and we will accept it.
Source: CNN
2 Houthi Strikes Leave Riyadh’s Skies Empty as Airport Struggles to Reopen
The skies over the Saudi capital were largely empty Monday after deadly Houthi strikes on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport, the kingdom’s second-busiest airport. About 60 percent of scheduled flights were expected to be cancelled, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium, after the airport shut down entirely on Sunday following an attack that killed one person and injured nearly a dozen others. A day earlier, another Houthi-claimed attack killed 13 people and wounded more than 300.
The strikes mark one of the most significant disruptions to Saudi civil aviation in years, forcing airlines across Europe and Asia to suspend service. The US Federal Aviation Administration told American carriers to exercise caution flying to or over Saudi Arabia, while Lufthansa cancelled all Riyadh flights through October 16 and Air France-KLM extended its suspension through the end of the month.
Source: Reuters
3 Supertanker Set Ablaze in Strait of Hormuz Hours After US Blockade Strike
A supertanker caught fire Sunday after being hit by an unknown projectile in the Strait of Hormuz, just hours after the United States struck a ship attempting to break its naval blockade on Iran. The vessel was hit on its port side, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations, setting off a fire. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed the tanker had struck one of its naval mines, sharing video of the burning ship and warning that “a devastating fire is the fate of any tanker” that disregards its rules in the strait.
Iran has launched near-daily attacks in the strait in recent weeks even as crude continues to flow at around pre-war levels under US military escort. At least 11 tankers came under attack during the week ending October 4 — the most strikes on commercial ships in the strait since the war began in February, according to the UN’s International Maritime Organization. Oil prices stayed above $100 a barrel as markets weighed the twin risks of Middle East escalation and Trump’s claimed Ukraine-Russia energy ceasefire.
Source: New York Post
4 Tree-Cutting Begins at East Potomac Park as Preservationists Seek Emergency Court Order
Crews began cutting trees Saturday at Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links, the first phase of a National Park Service plan that could remove up to 529 trees from the century-old public course. The Park Service disclosed the scale of the removals in a Friday court filing, saying the trees “do not contribute to the historic landscape” and calling the work a cultural landscape rehabilitation — not an implementation of President Trump’s proposed championship-level redesign of the course.
Preservation advocates were not convinced. The DC Preservation League, which is suing to block the larger redevelopment, asked a federal court for an emergency restraining order, saying the administration had promised not to take irreversible action without completing legal reviews and public notice. Earlier this year a judge ordered the government to give reasonable notice before removing more than 10 trees from the site. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association, which has held three protests over the project, has scheduled a fourth for October 31.
Source: International Business Times
5 Flash Flood in Nepal’s Gorkha Strands More Than 100 Foreign Trekkers
A landslide blocked the Budhi Gandaki River in Nepal’s Gorkha district on Sunday, sending a flash flood downstream that swept away hiking trails, bridges, homes and farmland in the middle of the autumn trekking season. Authorities rescued 96 people, including nine foreigners, and army helicopters were still evacuating residents and tourists on Monday. Five villagers are out of contact, five bridges were destroyed, and the construction sites of three hydropower plants were damaged.
More than 100 foreign trekkers remain stranded at different locations along the popular Manaslu route, unable to return because sections of the trail were washed away. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development said preliminary accounts suggest the flood was triggered when a temporary river blockage from the landslide gave way. The disaster comes just two months after a glacier-collapse flood on the Nepal-China border killed more than 1,400 people — a reminder of how exposed Himalayan communities remain to cascading hazards.
Source: Reuters
6 Huntley Leads Ravens Past Falcons in Overtime Thriller
Backup quarterback Tyler Huntley ran for the go-ahead touchdown in overtime as the Baltimore Ravens rallied for a 30-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night. Filling in for the injured Lamar Jackson, Huntley engineered a six-play, 71-yard drive in the final minute of regulation — capped by a 7-yard scoring pass to Devontez Walker and a game-tying two-point conversion run by Derrick Henry — before punching in a 1-yard score on the opening drive of overtime.
Kyle Hamilton sealed the win by intercepting Tua Tagovailoa, who had replaced Falcons starter Michael Penix Jr. after a rib injury late in regulation. Huntley finished 24 of 32 for 201 yards and two touchdowns, while Henry rushed for 102 yards on 24 carries. The win moved the Ravens to 4-1.
Source: Reuters
7 Akshay Kumar’s ‘Samuk’ Wraps UK Schedule, Heads to Mumbai for Final Leg
Akshay Kumar’s sci-fi action thriller “Samuk” has wrapped its extensive UK shooting schedule and will move to Mumbai for a final 20-day leg. The production has been filming in Britain since late August, with nearly 80 percent of the movie reportedly completed during the international schedule. Directed by Kanishk Varma and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film marks the reunion of Kumar and Shah after 13 years.
The large-scale production blends science fiction, action and survival elements, with Academy Award-nominated creature designer Alec Gillis — known for his work on the Alien and Predator franchises — creating its central alien creature. The ensemble cast includes Rukmini Maitra, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rajat Kapoor, Swanand Kirkire, Banita Sandhu and Sushant Singh. “Samuk” is being positioned as a major genre outing for Indian cinema, with a pan-India theatrical release planned for 2027.
Source: Filmibeat
Editor’s Note: This roundup was prepared with the assistance of AI tools. Virginia Times gathered the source material from multiple sources and thoroughly reviewed the information before publication.
