Two Civilians Dead as Russia Pounds Frontline Kherson Region

 A Ukrainian serviceman jumps out of the boat onto the shore of Dnipro at the frontline near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP)
A Ukrainian serviceman jumps out of the boat onto the shore of Dnipro at the frontline near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP)
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Two Civilians Dead as Russia Pounds Frontline Kherson Region

 A Ukrainian serviceman jumps out of the boat onto the shore of Dnipro at the frontline near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP)
A Ukrainian serviceman jumps out of the boat onto the shore of Dnipro at the frontline near Kherson, Ukraine, Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023. (AP)

Russian shelling pounded the frontline region of Kherson in southern Ukraine on Monday, killing two civilians, hurting at least eight others and hitting a bus, a critical infrastructure facility and cemetery, local authorities said.

"As of now, we know about seven victims as a result of the shelling of a (bus) in Kherson. Two men and five women," regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said on Telegram messenger, adding that some of them had sustained severe injuries.

The bus had been at a crossroads when a shell exploded nearby, local prosecutors said. Images published by local officials online showed the floor of a badly-damaged bus covered in shards of glass and blood.

"Residential buildings, power lines, and vehicles were also damaged," the prosecutors said on Telegram.

Prokudin said Russia also attacked an unspecified critical infrastructure facility in the region, leaving the residents of four small settlements without electricity.

The vast Dnipro river runs through Kherson region and Russian troops control the territory on the eastern bank of it. The city of Kherson and Ukrainian-held areas on the western bank come under regular Russian shelling.

A cemetery in the region's village of Kindiyka also came under fire, killing one person and injuring a 62-year-old man, Prokudin said.

The city of Kherson also came under heavy overnight shelling, which killed an 85-year-old woman, Roman Mrochko, head of the city's military administration, said on Telegram.

"In the central district of the city, high-rise buildings and one of the social institutions were hit," Mrochko added.

He said the attack caused a fire and injured a resident, posting a video showing scorched rooms with collapsed walls and ceilings, shattered windows and piles of construction waste.

In a separate morning missile strike, an administrative building and equipment in a shipyard in the Black Sea region of Odesa were also hit, local prosecutors said, adding that four workers had been injured.

Images showed a blast crater, buildings with shattered windows and two destroyed vehicles.

The attacks followed attempted Russian drone strikes on southern, central, and northern Ukraine. Kyiv's military said air defenses destroyed all 12 drones and two missiles launched against the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Cherkasy, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi and Dnipro regions.

There was no immediate comment on the strikes from Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory in the east and south.



Trump Says Iran’s Leaked Deal Terms Are Untrue

US President Donald Trump. (AFP file)
US President Donald Trump. (AFP file)
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Trump Says Iran’s Leaked Deal Terms Are Untrue

US President Donald Trump. (AFP file)
US President Donald Trump. (AFP file)

US President Donald Trump denied on Friday that the United States has made major concessions to Iran and a senior US official called an emerging pact "performance-based" with Tehran getting no frozen assets until its part of the agreement is fulfilled.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said Iran's leaked comments on a deal with the United States do not represent what has been agreed to in writing.

"What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth. Very dishonorable people to deal with. ‌With them, there ‌is no such thing as dealing in good faith. ‌AMAZING!," ⁠he wrote on ⁠Truth Social.

Iran's version of the deal as outlined by the IRNA news agency said the United States will release part of Iran's frozen assets immediately after the deal is signed with the remainder freed gradually during further negotiations.

It says Iran's nuclear program remains untouched.

The senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that under the agreement Iran's nuclear material "will ⁠be destroyed and removed" and its nuclear program will ‌be dismantled.

Iran is believed to possess 900 ‌pounds (408 kg) of highly enriched uranium.

"None of their money released until they perform. Strait ‌of Hormuz will be open. No Iran funding of terrorist groups," ‌the official said.

"This is what they have agreed to. This is a performance-based deal," the official said.

Trump said on Thursday he was calling off new strikes on Iran because a deal had been reached.

Terms of the deal as described on ‌Friday by Iranian officials appear to offer Tehran much of what it has demanded so far, with Trump ⁠appearing to win ⁠little of what he has sought, beyond the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran shut after he ordered attacks in February.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Friday that the draft would waive sanctions on Iran's oil, unfreeze billions of dollars of its funds, and require a cessation of hostilities on all fronts, including in Lebanon.

Nuclear issues would be set aside for later talks. Washington wants a deal to ensure that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon. Iran says it is not seeking one.

The waiving of sanctions, unfreezing of Iranian assets and halt to Israeli attacks on Lebanon are essential Iranian demands. The source made no mention of what Iran might offer in return.


UN Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hunger Threatening 300 Million People Around the World

Acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) Carl Skau. (Turky Al-Agili)
Acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) Carl Skau. (Turky Al-Agili)
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UN Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Hunger Threatening 300 Million People Around the World

Acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) Carl Skau. (Turky Al-Agili)
Acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) Carl Skau. (Turky Al-Agili)

Acting Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP) Carl Skau warned that severe hunger was threatening 300 million people around the world, with the figure continuing to rise.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Skau, who is visiting Saudi Arabia, said: “The escalations and disruptions in the region have pushed up fuel costs significantly, making both our operations and the price of food globally more expensive.”

“These rising fuel costs are then reflected directly in higher food prices around the world. When the price of food goes up by 20 percent, people often eat 20 percent less. Where we work, many people are already surviving on just one meal a day to begin with, so this has an immediate and serious impact,” he explained.

“It is also becoming more expensive for us to buy and deliver food. Shipping costs have increased by around 25 percent, as we are having to use longer and more expensive routes,” he went on to say.

“These global shocks are felt the most by people already going through crises. Like Yemen, which relies heavily on imports, or Gaza, where access was already limited, infrastructure destroyed, and people are relying on what comes through the borders,” he said.

“In Sudan, this will have longer term impacts because the fertilizers they received to plant during harvest season is stuck. They will not be able to grow their own food, while we struggle to deliver aid,” he added.

“All of this is happening while we are facing a historic funding gap, which is further constraining our ability to respond. We are making impossible decisions on who to reach. We are prioritizing emergency assistance to people, but that means taking away food from the hungry to go to the starving,” Skau said.

“WFP is operating at scale across all these crises, delivering food, cash, and nutrition support to millions every month. We are keeping essential supply chains moving, supporting local food systems, and prioritizing those most at risk,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“However, the reality is that without urgent funding and sustained humanitarian access, we face the very real prospect of scaling back assistance at a time when needs are at their peak.”

“That is why partnerships - particularly with countries like Saudi Arabia - are absolutely critical to ensuring we can continue to deliver and prevent a further deterioration of the situation,” he stressed.

“We are very keen on strengthening this partnership. Saudi Arabia plays a critical leadership role - not only as a major donor, but as a key partner in supporting regional stability and enabling humanitarian action where it is needed most,” he said.

Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and Palestine

Asked about the food situation in Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and Palestine, he told Asharq Al-Awsat: “These are among the most severe hunger crises in the world today.”

“Having visited Gaza, Sudan, and Lebanon this year, I have seen firsthand the rapidly deteriorating situation on the ground. This level of conflict and crisis did not exist five years ago in any of these countries,” Skau noted.

“Sudan is now the largest humanitarian emergency in the world, more than 19 million people in Sudan face acute hunger, and famine has been confirmed in parts of the country, and others at risk,” he warned.

“In both Yemen and Syria, more than half the population are unable to meet their basic food needs due to conflict, economic decline, and high prices,” he revealed.

“In Gaza, it has been seven months into the ceasefire, but families remain highly vulnerable, struggling to rebuild after two years of war. Many families are only eating once a day. Food items are not affordable. It’s a very fragile situation.”


Two Ebola-related Deaths Confirmed in Eastern Congo Displacement Camp

TOPSHOT - Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health center, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health center, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
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Two Ebola-related Deaths Confirmed in Eastern Congo Displacement Camp

TOPSHOT - Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health center, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)
TOPSHOT - Volunteers of the Democratic Republic of Congo Red Cross wearing personal protective equipment carry the body of an Ebola virus disease victim from the morgue of the Rwampara health center, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 8, 2026 before loading it into a vehicle for transfer to a cemetery as part of safe and dignified burial operations aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. (Photo by Jospin Mwisha / AFP)

Two Ebola-related deaths have been confirmed in a displacement camp in eastern ‌Congo, ‌the United Nations ‌refugee ⁠agency (UNHCR) said in ⁠a report.

The two victims were internally ⁠displaced people ‌living in the ‌Kpangba camp, ‌which ‌hosts 30,000 refugees, UNHCR said in ‌the report published on Thursday, ⁠adding that ⁠the high risks of transmission required strengthened prevention and response measures, said Reuters.