English Listening Practice — October 18, 2026

⚔️ Ukrainian drone attack on Saint Petersburg kills one, sets refinery ablaze

On Sunday, a large-scale Ukrainian drone offensive targeted Saint Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city.

The aerial strike proved lethal, claiming at least one life.

Five additional individuals sustained injuries severe enough to require urgent hospitalization.

Alongside the human casualties, the operation inflicted significant damage on the region's energy infrastructure.

The inbound drones triggered intense blazes across key industrial facilities.

Specifically, the widespread assault set both an active oil refinery and a fuel depot ablaze.

📰 European diplomats attacked by Israeli settlers in West Bank

Masked Israeli settlers have attacked a delegation of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank.

Belgium swiftly condemned the assault on its consul general, while France decried the violence as appalling.

Both nations urged Israeli authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Israel Defense Forces also censured the act and launched an official investigation.

Conversely, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office cast doubt on the reports.

It suggested the allegations were part of a coordinated campaign to smear Israel.

📰 Iran urges US to accept proposal to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Iran has urged the United States to accept its proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi confirmed that Tehran’s seven-day timeline remains on the table.

However, negotiations have stalled over Washington’s reluctance to meet all seven of Iran's preconditions.

These stipulations include lifting the US blockade on Iranian ports.

Tehran also demands the removal of sanctions on its oil exports and an immediate cessation of regional hostilities.

If Washington accedes to these terms, maritime traffic could resume within six days.

Direct negotiations would follow the next day.

🖥️ Microsoft drops huge AI datacentre project in Essex over power supply concerns

Microsoft has pulled out of Nscale’s flagship artificial intelligence datacentre project in Loughton, Essex.

The tech giant was slated to serve as the facility’s anchor tenant.

However, persistent power supply constraints and protracted connection delays prompted the withdrawal.

Ministers had heralded the development in 2025 as the UK’s largest sovereign AI datacentre.

The site was scheduled to come online next year.

Microsoft’s exit deals a substantial setback to the high-profile initiative.

🏛️ Semiconductor market to remain solid ‘at least through next year,’ South Korea finance minister says

South Korean Finance Minister Lee Hyoung-Il projects that the semiconductor boom will sustain robust growth at least through next year.

Speaking to CNBC at the IMF-World Bank meetings in Bangkok, Lee indicated this upward trajectory could stretch through 2027.

He attributed this market resilience to a persistent supply-demand imbalance.

The gap between customer appetite and available chip supply remains substantial, even as manufacturers actively ramp up production capacity.

Consequently, Lee affirmed that the sector's underlying fundamentals remain exceptionally solid.

🏛️ Trump waives broad new Russia sanctions, Zelenskyy condemns it as 'wrong'

President Donald Trump signed an executive order late Friday waiving crucial components of recently enacted U.S. sanctions against Russia.

In the directive, Trump formally certified to Congress that issuing the waiver aligns with American national interests.

The policy shift prompted swift condemnation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday.

Zelenskyy denounced the decision as wrong in a statement on X.

He stressed that dismantling these economic measures exclusively aids Moscow and further fuels Russian aggression.

🤖 World Bank says ‘small AI’ could transform developing countries

The World Bank is urging emerging nations to spearhead the rollout of "small AI" models.

Chief knowledge officer Paschal Donohoe contends this technology could compress centuries of economic development into mere decades.

Unlike sprawling commercial systems, these purpose-built models leverage narrow datasets tailored to immediate local needs.

Crucially, they function on standard mobile phones in regional languages, even amidst low connectivity.

Donohoe stresses that adapting artificial intelligence to these grassroots constraints will allow developing economies to capture its full transformative potential.

🩺 New drug reverses severe fatty liver disease by repairing the gut

An experimental drug developed at Michigan Medicine has successfully reversed severe fatty liver disease in animal trials by rehabilitating the gut.

The compound, designated DT-109, targets metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, or MASH, a condition affecting roughly seven percent of the global population.

According to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, the therapeutic fortifies the intestinal lining and curtails harmful gut bacteria.

This mechanism prevents toxic microbial products from leaking into the bloodstream and triggering liver inflammation.

Senior author Dr. Eugene Chen noted that safeguarding the gut barrier effectively halts and reverses disease progression.

📈 AI stocks plunge. Inflation heats up. Where we're still finding opportunities

Artificial intelligence equities recently suffered a sharp downturn as inflationary pressures intensified across the broader market.

The concurrent sell-off in technology shares and accelerating inflation have rattled investor sentiment.

Nonetheless, financial analysts continue to identify selective pockets of opportunity amidst the macroeconomic volatility.

Market participants are actively navigating these crosscurrents to recalibrate their exposure.

While headwinds have weighed on high-growth tech valuations, discerning investors still pinpoint viable prospects.

Ongoing market data and analysis continue to track these shifting dynamics.

📰 'Devastating & dramatic' - Dubois stops Wardley to retain title

Daniel Dubois has successfully retained his WBO heavyweight title in London.

He secured a dramatic second-round stoppage victory against British challenger Fabio Wardley.

The commanding result firmly underlines Dubois’s standing as the nation's premier heavyweight fighter.

Dubois handled the encounter with clinical efficiency, bringing the high-stakes contest to an abrupt and devastating halt.

This emphatic performance ensures that his championship reign continues uninterrupted.

The decisive triumph firmly solidifies his elite stature in the heavyweight division.

🏀 LeBron James to debut with the Philadelphia 76ers in his 24th NBA season

LeBron James is poised to make his debut with the Philadelphia 76ers this Tuesday.

The landmark game inaugurates his 24th NBA campaign, setting a standard no athlete before him has attained.

No player in professional basketball history has ever sustained a longer career.

James will turn 42 in December, yet he remains far from finished on the hardwood.

His impending appearance for Philadelphia is slated to be an unmissable, must-see sports event.

📰 New Zealand avoid World Cup shock against Fiji

Tournament heavyweights New Zealand narrowly averted a major World Cup upset against debutants Fiji in Newcastle.

Expected to secure a routine victory, the Kiwi side had to mount a gritty comeback to win 18-12.

Fiji seized early momentum, establishing an imposing 12-4 lead.

The Ferns entered the interval trailing 12-10, marking their first-ever halftime deficit in World Cup history.

Head coach Ricky Henry conceded that the nerve-wracking encounter served as a stark wake-up call.