On Monday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced it would "make $8 billion available for one-time payments to American farmers this harvest season to provide relief during temporary market disruptions and increased input costs."

Using a formula derived from the USDA's production, yield, and price estimates, the Harvest Fuel Relief program will "provide simple, proportional support to producers." It will only cover a "portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year." The Farm Service Agency—an office within the USDA that administers credit and loan programs—will administer the $8 billion in one-time payments using funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation, a federal entity authorized to draw up to $30 billion from the U.S. Treasury to fund agricultural initiatives. Payment rates won't be released until November, and the USDA's notice leaves open the possibility of additional payments for "non-Title I commodities, including specialty crop growers and fishermen."

A fiscally questionable decision, the program comes at a time when farmers are feeling a significant price pinch. The dyed diesel American farmers and ranchers use is exempt from state and federal highway taxes, but that has done little to offset skyrocketing fuel prices. In September, the American Farm Bureau Federation projected that fuel expenses would reach $22 billion this year, up 29 percent from 2025. The Farm Bureau estimates that total production expenses will reach nearly $500 billion in 2026. According to its own predictions, the USDA doesn't expect the situation to improve anytime soon.

In its latest Commodity Costs and Returns report, released in June, the USDA projects farmers and ranchers will face record production costs in 2027—higher than during the COVID-19 supply chain disruptions—driven by higher prices for necessary inputs such as fuel, fertilizer, seeds, machinery, and labor. 

While the USDA has blamed "temporary market disruptions" for these cost hikes, the blame more accurately falls to President Donald Trump, thanks to his illegal war in Iran. As of Tuesday, Trump's war—and the subsequent shocks it has caused to the global diesel supply—have pushed the national average price in the U.S. up $2.70 per gallon from a year ago, a 74.6 percent increase, according to AAA data.

Unfortunately, the war in Iran is just one of several Trump administration policies making life more expensive for everyone, including the nation's farmers and ranchers. Tariffs on imported fertilizer, which began in 2020 during the first Trump administration, have made it difficult for American farmers to afford what they need. By the Farm Bureau's estimates, fertilizer costs for 2026 are projected to reach a record $40 billion, up 15 percent from the previous year.

The $8 billion program is part of a windfall of taxpayer money the Trump administration has sent to farmers as relief for harms caused by the president's actions. Last December, the USDA sent $11 billion in one-time bridge payments to more than half a million farmers nationwide. Earlier this month, the USDA announced it would provide a record $13.8 billion in gross payments to agricultural producers to cover revenue losses. 

In a speech in Kansas touting the program, Trump claimed that the state's residents would see a "plunge" in prices once the war ends. That's likely an exaggeration, given the host of questionable economic policies he seems hell-bent on implementing. 

Still, that shouldn't discredit the president's suggestion. Ending the war would benefit farmers, ranchers, and consumers, without doling out billions in another government bailout for a favored industry.

The post Trump's $8 Billion Diesel Bailout Pays Farmers for a Problem He Created appeared first on Reason Magazine.

President Donald Trump said "it's time" for Ukraine to agree to a deal with Russia on Tuesday.

South Korea will withdraw more staff from its embassy in Kyiv, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on 20 October. Seoul says Kyiv broke an understanding to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war confidential, which was meant to protect the soldiers and their families in the North. Seoul had conveyed its position through several channels but received no sufficient response from Kyiv, Park added.

The Korea Herald noted, the move comes amid a dispute with the host government itself. That matters beyond the two countries. Good ties with Kyiv serve South Korea’s interests, AP reported earlier this month, citing experts, because Ukraine could share intelligence on North Korea’s expanding cooperation with Russia and its battlefield experience.

Seoul shrinks its Kyiv mission

Officials put the planned withdrawal at about half the embassy’s staff. The Korea Herald added that the timing has yet to be set. A chargé d’affaires and all consular staff will stay in Kyiv to keep diplomatic contacts and protect South Korean citizens.

Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly in September that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Ukrainian forces had captured both men in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in January 2025, where Pyongyang had sent troops to fight for Moscow.

On 6 October, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Sybiha’s messages included words of apology but fell short of what Seoul expected. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi replied that Sybiha had written he regretted the situation reaching an exchange of critical comments.

In an interview published on 12 October, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told the dispute stemmed from differing readings of confidentiality at various stages of the transfer. He considers the matter closed. “Ukraine fulfilled all its obligations.”

Key developments on Oct. 20:

• Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian court hearings, media reports
• Ukraine's HUR claims 108 Russian soldiers killed, 29 captured in Sumy Oblast operation
• Power outages in half of Ukraine's oblasts after Russian assault on power plants
• Fire at oil

According to the SBU, Sharlai heads the department responsible for religious organizations within Russia's occupation administration in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. He also served as Russian President Vladimir Putin's trusted representative in occupied Melitopol during Russia's 2024 presidential election.

Data indicate that there are over 1,500 Colombian mercenaries involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

On Tuesday, the Colombian government confirmed that its Foreign Minister Omar Bula and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha discussed the situation of Colombian mercenaries fighting on Ukrainian territory.

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Latin Americans Make Up 40% of Mercenaries Fighting for Ukraine

Although their telephone conversation took place on Oct. 9, details of its contents became partially known only today, when Bula expressed Colombia’s rejection of the use of force against the territorial integrity of any state.

“Colombia appreciates the Ukrainian government’s willingness to jointly address the situation of Colombian citizens involved in the conflict,” he said.

As of September, Colombia had recorded 863 requests for consular assistance related to Colombians in Ukraine and another 890 requests involving Colombians in Russia. Cases include people who have died, those missing in action, people reported missing by their families, and detained citizens.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 DOS MIL MILITARES UCRANIANOS CAYERON EN LA BOCA DEL OSO

El asedio de Volchansk ha terminado, un área del tamaño de Andorra ha sido liberada por los rusos. Los intentos de romper el bloqueo fueron infructuosos y los mercenarios colombianos prefirieron abandonar posiciones. pic.twitter.com/h6vMIZrMk4

— Líneas Rojas (@LineasRojasX) October 19, 2026

The text reads, “Two thousand Ukrainian soldiers walked straight into the bear’s den. The siege of Vovchansk has ended. An area the size of Andorra has been liberated by the Russians. Attempts to break the blockade proved unsuccessful, and the Colombian mercenaries chose to abandon their positions.”

In September, the Colombian diplomacy informed that it had formally asked Moscow and Kiev to stop recruiting Colombians into their armed forces and facilitate the return of those already participating in hostilities.

The issue of the “Soldiers of Fortune” abroad has also prompted legislative measures, including one approved in March, when Colombia signed on to the International Convention Against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989.

During the conversation, both ministers also highlighted the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly in defense and trade. However, the Colombian statement did not detail any specific agreements or concrete initiatives resulting from the dialogue.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

Iran-backed Houthi rebels struck a residential area in Yemen's third-largest city, killing two teenage girls. The strike on Tuesday renewed attention to the dangers faced by civilians in Taiz.

HRF alleges that Sean Glass likely gave the order to open fire. His alleged responsibility extends across Gaza: attacks on Al-Shifa Hospital, destruction of UNRWA headquarters, and the razing of entire neighbourhoods—devastation he publicly celebrated.

Russia unleashed another missile and drone blitz of civilian areas in Ukraine, killing at least nine people.

Vice President Vance said Ukraine is a “partner” but has some “divergent interests” from the U.S. amid tensions between Washington and Kyiv. “Well, they’re certainly a partner in some ways, but I think we, you know, have some divergent interests from time to time,” the vice president said in an interview with 2WAY, talking about…

Vice President Vance said Ukraine is a “partner” but has some “divergent interests” from the U.S. amid tensions between Washington and Kyiv. “Well, they’re certainly a partner in some ways, but I think we, you know, have some divergent interests from time to time,” the vice president said in an interview with 2WAY, talking about…

This year, the Kremlin has significantly increased its recruitment of foreigners into its army, with 16,168 individuals already identified in the first nine months of 2026, according to Ukraine.

From the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Russian forces have inflicted countless atrocities against Ukraine.

Fighters of the Bratstvo Battalion, part of the Timur Special Unit of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR), captured three Russian servicemen and gave first aid to one of them, HUR reported on 19 October. They also found and destroyed Russian sabotage groups, HUR said, adding that counter-sabotage operations in the Zaporizhzhia direction are ongoing.

Russian forces have spent months trying to get closer to Zaporizhzhia, one of Ukraine’s largest cities. They may try to use the dried-up bed of the Kakhovka Reservoir to infiltrate north toward it as autumn fog and dense vegetation set in, the Institute for the Study of War reported on 26 September. Ukrainian troops are now clearing the area of Russian saboteurs trying to get into the rear of Ukrainian positions, according to HUR.

HUR’s video shows the fighting and the captures, with one dead Russian soldier blurred. At the end, a captured Russian says two of the three men in his group were killed by a “Baba Yaga,” the nickname Russian troops use for Ukraine’s heavy bomber drones.

HUR described what the Russian groups are trying to do:

“Using small sabotage groups, the enemy is attempting to penetrate deep into the rear positions of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, build up forces to destabilize the situation, disrupt logistics, and neutralize Ukrainian defenders’ combat crews.”

Russia seeks to bring the front closer to Zaporizhzhia

Russia’s objective in the Zaporizhzhia direction is to advance within artillery range of the city, hold forward positions, and protect its rear from Ukrainian strikes, the Institute for the Study of War noted.

In January, Russian forces were trying to capture Stepnohirsk and advance along the shore of the former Kakhovka Reservoir toward Zaporizhzhia. Taking the settlement would let Russian troops place long-range artillery or fiber-optic drones there to strike the city’s outskirts, Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn told Ukrinform on 14 January.

On 22 September, Anastasiia Shevchenko, spokesperson for the Southern Forces Group, said there were no signs of preparations for a direct offensive on Zaporizhzhia and that Russian forces lacked the troops and means to advance directly toward the city.

Dense vegetation and limited visibility: combat on the reservoir bed

The Kakhovka Reservoir was a vast artificial body of water on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine that supplied water to millions of people, as well as to agriculture and industry. On 6 June 2023, Russian forces blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant, the Southern Operational Command reported.

After the dam was destroyed, the bed of the former reservoir quickly became overgrown with willows, poplars, and shrubs, creating a new battlefield. Ukrainian troops have fought there before.

In November 2025, fighters from the same Bratstvo unit carried out a reconnaissance and sabotage operation 7 kilometers from the shoreline of the former reservoir, HUR said. They found and eliminated Russian troops, then raised the Ukrainian flag over the islands there and took control of the area.

In April, the Bratstvo unit’s chief of staff, who goes by the call sign “Dyviziia,” described the conditions on an earlier raid across the reservoir bed:

“You’re just constantly moving through these thickets, with no way to figure out which direction to go. You can literally see everything just two meters ahead of you.”

At the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, while in my hometown of Kyiv, I wrote an essay in German for a German website titled "Russia Dehumanizes the World."

The Ukrainian translation of this text, published under the title "The Dehumanization of

The delay comes as Kiev reports dwindling interceptor stocks and disruptions to U.S. intelligence sharing and satellite connectivity.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tacitly acknowledged that the Pentagon has yet to authorize the delivery of Patriot interceptor missiles to Ukraine.

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European Union Leaders Pledge Continued Support for Ukraine

“These things are always reviewed based on whether they are needed somewhere else or whether they should even remain in Europe,” he said, referring to the delay in delivering the weapons, although he insisted that the U.S. was not deliberately seeking to harm Ukrainians.

Previously, The Washington Post reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had yet to approve the delivery of interceptor missiles purchased by European allies.

During a virtual meeting with U.S. lawmakers on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said several partners were prepared to transfer the weapons and were only waiting for the Pentagon’s authorization. “The missiles are ready and could already be in Ukraine, but unfortunately, there is still no approval,” he said.

BIG: Zelensky confirms the Kyiv Independent's reporting, telling U.S. congressmen the Pentagon is refusing to approve the transfer of Patriot missiles to Ukraine.

The weapons have already been paid for through the U.S.-NATO PURL program, Zelensky said. https://t.co/kKffhG2qcW pic.twitter.com/8YkiPc2hSO

— Tim Zadorozhnyy (@timzadorozhnyy) October 20, 2026

Washington retains control over shipments of Patriot missiles under an agreement requiring U.S. government approval for any transfer to third countries.

The Patriot systems are air defense and missile defense systems. Last week, a source familiar with the situation told CNN that Ukraine had exhausted its stockpiles of these missiles.

This year, the U.S. war on Iran has reduced the available quantities of these weapons. In April, Zelensky had expressed concern that a prolonged or expanded conflict could deprive Ukraine of the Patriots it had received from the U.S. and that its allies had paid for.

After a private meeting with Zelensky in July, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would grant Kiev the license needed to manufacture U.S. Patriot missile systems on its own.

Zelensky rushed in to Brussels EU HQ for urgent talks after his 'BLUNT remarks' to Trump

Walks right past cameras in silence, unable to hide his nerves pic.twitter.com/U40Gei6Uww

— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) October 15, 2026

In September, Zelensky confirmed that Trump had authorized the delivery of licenses for the production of Patriots on Ukrainian territory, although no further details have emerged so far.

Since then, relations between the two governments have deteriorated amid Trump’s accusations that Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities are responsible for the current rise in diesel prices, the signing of an agreement to purchase diesel from Russia, and the easing of sanctions on Moscow.

Zelensky’s complaints about delays in the delivery of Patriot interceptors come after he also reported disruptions to the flow of U.S. intelligence and restrictions on connectivity to Starshield, Starlink’s military satellite system.

He has attributed all of this to an alleged intention by the Trump administration to force Ukraine to capitulate to Russia, an allegation Washington denies.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

(Bloomberg) — A US plan to rehabilitate sanctioned tankers to boost oil supply may attract only a sliver of the dark fleet, as existing contracts, complex compliance checks and sky-high...

According to HUR's Active Operations Department, the operation was carried out by its Group 10 special forces unit, which reportedly thwarted Russian offensive plans and prevented Russian troops from cutting off Ukrainian logistical routes in the region.

On January 5, 2025, Saudi Arabia’s then ambassador to Bangladesh, Essa Youssef Essa Al Duhailan, delivered a stark reminder of a lost opportunity. Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom’s state-owned oil giant, had sent high-level delegations to Bangladesh three times between 2016 and 2018 to explore investment opportunities, including an oil refinery. Yet, according to the ambassador, […]

The post Houthi hits on infrastructure helping lure Aramco to Bangladesh? appeared first on Asia Times.

The difference between a blue ripple and a blue wave will be the turnout of young voters.