The Gazette
The world's checked news, in five minutes
☾ Evening Edition · Friday, 23 October 2026
U.S. Navy / Wikimedia Commons, public domain- 2Missiles hit Kyiv; drones fly at Moscow
- 3Meta's new business terms start 30 October
- 4Dow falls 1.2%; cyber-security shares jump
- 5Police never ask you to withdraw cash
- 6US moves to limit investment in Chinese AI
- 7Brazil's vote is a dead heat
- 8Brewers win World Series Game 1
- 9No betting on secrets, Pentagon tells troops
- 10Amazon forest loss falls to a record low
1 of 10Top story · Gulf
Oil hits a war high as the US warns the fighting could last a year
- Brent briefly topped $117 a barrel, up from under $97 in early October
- UN ambassador Mike Waltz: the war could last another year
- US cuts embassy staff in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, UAE
Why it mattersA long war keeps fuel, flights and shipping expensive well into next year.
Barrel 159 litres of oil, named after the wooden barrels used in the 1800s.
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The jump came after Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have disabled seven tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a claim not independently confirmed; President Trump accused Iran of inflating attacks to push up prices before the 3 November midterms. Saudi Aramco says its East-West pipeline, which avoids Hormuz, now carries 7 million barrels a day, up from 2 million. Iran's president is due in Moscow next week to meet Vladimir Putin. Mr Trump also invoked the Defense Production Act, with $150 million to boost US fuel refining.
Source: CBS News, Just Security
2 of 10Second story · Ukraine
21 ballistic missiles hit Kyiv; Ukraine sends drones at Moscow
- Three of the missiles carried cluster munitions, Ukraine says
- 2 killed, 34 injured, including 5 children
- Russia says it downed 630 drones near Moscow
Why it mattersIt came a day after Moscow agreed to US-mediated talks next month.
A ballistic missile falls from high up at great speed, so it is far harder to stop than a drone.
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Moscow's mayor said two people were wounded near the capital; in Russia's Belgorod region one man was killed. The two sides exchanged war dead: 252 bodies handed to Ukraine and 25 to Russia. A source close to the Kremlin said US proposals included Ukraine giving up all of Donbas in exchange for NATO security guarantees. President Zelenskyy hopes talks will be held in early November.
Source: Business Recorder (Reuters), Just Security
3 of 10What changes for you
Run a business page on Facebook or Instagram? Meta's new terms start on 30 October
- The terms let Meta crawl and index websites linked to businesses that use its products
- Meta dropped the word 'train', but critics say the wording is still broad
- European publishers are asking EU and UK regulators to step in
Why it mattersIf your business website is linked to a Facebook page, an Instagram account or WhatsApp Business, read the new terms before Friday.
A website's robots.txt file tells automated crawlers which pages they may read; Meta says it will respect it.
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Meta says the terms apply only to its advertising and business products and do not override robots.txt. The Movement for an Open Web is preparing complaints to the European Commission and the UK Competition and Markets Authority. Some campaigners suggest deleting business accounts; that is their advice, not a requirement.
Source: Media Copilot, Just Security
4 of 10Your money
Wall Street ends a rough week lower, while cyber-security shares jump
- Friday: Dow −1.23% to 52,215; S&P 500 −0.52%; Nasdaq −0.21%
- The sell-off spread from tech to shops and healthcare
- CrowdStrike +8% after a major web software flaw
Why it mattersDear oil is starting to weigh on everyday companies, not just tech. For index-fund savers, this was a down week, not a crash.
The Dow tracks just 30 big US companies; the S&P 500, with 500, is the broader guide.
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US crude stayed above $100 a barrel. A flaw in PHP, the software behind roughly 70% of websites, forced shutdowns from Japan's Finance Ministry to the Port of Rotterdam; fixes have been released. The Federal Reserve meets on 27–28 October and is expected to hold rates.
Source: TradingKey, Legacy IAS, Kitco
5 of 10Scam alert
Asked by 'the FBI' to withdraw cash for an investigation? It's a scam
- Police in Glasgow, Kentucky, warn of callers targeting older people
- They claim a bank worker is stealing and ask victims to withdraw cash
- A fake 'FBI agent' then collects it to 'check for fingerprints'
Why it mattersNo police force or bank will ever ask you to withdraw money or hand over cash or cards. Hang up and call your bank on the number on your card.
A similar trick sends a 'bank courier' to your door to collect your card; real banks never do this.
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Variants have been reported across the US and UK this year. If you have been targeted, contact your bank at once and report it: the FBI's IC3 in the US, Action Fraud in the UK.
Source: WSMV (Glasgow Police Department), Bitdefender
6 of 10Tech & AI
US moves to widen limits on investing in Chinese AI and supercomputers
- Treasury proposes adding AI, supercomputing, hypersonics and biotech
- It covers 'countries of concern' such as China and Russia
- It is a proposal, not yet a rule
Why it mattersInvestment funds may have fewer ways to put money into Chinese tech firms, and the tech race between the two powers gets sharper.
Read more
The plan would expand earlier US restrictions on investments in sensitive technologies. Separately, campaigners are asking European regulators to suspend Meta's new terms, which they say would let it use content for AI.
Source: Just Security
7 of 10Around the world
Brazil's vote is a dead heat; Israel seals off Hebron; Seoul offers the North talks
- Brazil, Sunday: Datafolha puts Lula and Flávio Bolsonaro at 50–50
- West Bank: Israel orders Hebron sealed off after troops kill two armed men
- Korea: Seoul proposes military talks with the North to prevent clashes
Why it mattersDiplomats are lining up to recognise Brazil's winner quickly, to head off any early or false claims of victory.
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Datafolha interviewed 2,154 voters on 20–22 October; the margin of error is two points. Israel votes on Tuesday, 27 October, and Netanyahu's office also ordered preparations to fully close the West Bank. It is unclear whether North Korea will accept talks.
Source: Rio Times (Datafolha), Just Security
8 of 10Sport
Brewers beat the Rays 3–2 to take Game 1 of the World Series
- Brewers 3, Rays 2 in Milwaukee
- Jacob Misiorowski and the bullpen held on after an early lead
- Game 2: Saturday, 8 pm US Eastern (00:00 GMT Sunday)
Why it mattersHistory favours the opener: Game 1 winners have gone on to take 77 of 121 World Series.
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It was Milwaukee's first World Series home game in 44 years. Neither team has ever won the title.
Source: CNN, Yahoo Sports, VAVEL
9 of 10The buzz
Pentagon bans troops from betting on prediction markets with inside information
- A memo from Pete Hegseth bars troops from betting on non-public information
- The worry: bets could tip off enemies about military plans
- Betting sites now take wagers on wars and elections
Why it mattersWhen people can bet on when a strike will happen, the odds themselves can leak secrets.
Read more
Prediction markets such as Polymarket and Kalshi let users bet on real-world events; both are taking bets on Brazil's runoff, for example.
Source: Just Security, Rio Times
Your Body TodayMind & stress
Feeling tense? Breathe out longer than you breathe in
- Breathing in nudges your heart rate up a little; breathing out slows it down
- A long, slow out-breath tells your nervous system it is safe to calm down
- This is your 'rest and digest' system, run largely by the vagus nerve
Do todayTry it for 5 minutes: two short breaths in through the nose, then one long, slow breath out through the mouth. Repeat.
If you feel dizzy, stop and breathe normally.
The evidence
In a 2023 study in Cell Reports Medicine, volunteers who practised this 'cyclic sighing' for five minutes a day for a month had a bigger lift in mood, and a larger fall in breathing rate, than a group practising mindfulness meditation. It helps with everyday stress; it is not a treatment for anxiety disorders or panic attacks, which need a doctor.
Source: Balban et al., Cell Reports Medicine (2023)
10 of 10Good news
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon falls to the lowest level on record
- 3,335 sq km cleared in the year to July, the lowest since records began in 1988
- Down about 42% on the year before
- Measured by satellite by Brazil's space agency, Inpe
Why it mattersThe Amazon stores vast amounts of carbon and makes much of South America's rain, so less cutting helps climate and farms alike.
3,335 sq km is about twice the size of Greater London.
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Environment Minister João Paulo Capobianco called the fall 'like a dream'. President Lula says his goal is zero illegal deforestation by 2030; he faces Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday's runoff.
Source: Al Jazeera (Inpe)
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Barrel 159 litres of oil, named after the wooden barrels used in the 1800s.
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The Gazette · The world's checked news, in five minutes. Every story is summarised from published reports; sources are under "Read more".