Wholesale prices post their biggest monthly jump since 2022, Ukraine resumes strikes on Russian refineries, seven sailors are missing after tankers catch fire off Romania, Maduro pleads not guilty to torture charges, and researchers say spyware was delivered through online ads.
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The Labor Department's producer price index rose 1.3% in September, the largest monthly increase since March 2022, and 6.3% from a year earlier. Fuel costs helped drive the jump. Stocks still rose: the Dow closed up 556 points, or 1.1%, at 52,177.69; the S&P 500 gained 0.3% and the Nasdaq 0.1%.
Ukrainian drones hit an oil refinery in Russia's Ryazan region early Thursday, starting a fire, according to Russia's Defense Ministry and the regional governor. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times that Ukraine had paused refinery strikes for three days after President Trump called on Sunday for both sides to stop attacking energy sites, and that the strikes would resume. Separately, Ukraine's emergency services said a Russian drone attack in the Kirovohrad region killed three people.
Seven of the 12 crew of the San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader are missing and five were rescued after it caught fire off Romania's Black Sea coast near Sulina. A second tanker, the Comoros-flagged Yara J, caught fire Wednesday evening; its crew is safe. Romanian President Nicusor Dan said drones hit both ships but did not say whose. Rescue efforts were hampered by very big waves. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said NATO has strengthened its eastern flank, including counter-drone capabilities.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court to new charges accusing them of conspiring to torture people held in Venezuelan prisons, including Americans. Maduro faces one count of conspiracy to commit torture; Flores faces conspiracy to commit torture and narcoterrorism. They pleaded not guilty in January to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges.
The University of Toronto's Citizen Lab says Israeli firm Discover-Tech, which presents itself as an ad company, let spyware makers use online ads to infect devices without any click. Researchers say computers at Al Jazeera were targeted. Citizen Lab's Bill Marczak advised people who might be targeted to disable ad tracking or block ads. Discover-Tech did not respond to requests for comment.
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