Iran says it hit seven tankers in a day and Donald Trump calls it made up, as oil tops $113 and AI stocks drag markets down; a magnitude 7 quake kills 16 in Tibet; and Trump says Elon Musk has switched Ukraine’s Starlink back on. Ten stories as of Thursday evening, October 22.
1. Strait of Hormuz / Iran, and Washington. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says seven tankers were struck in a single day: four it says it hit while they were transferring oil ship to ship, and three it says hit mines west of the strait. That would be the biggest one-day toll since the war began on February 28, though the claims couldn’t be independently verified, Al Jazeera reported. The Guard warned that “the conflict will extend to” U.S. bases in the region if the escorts continue. Trump hit back on Truth Social, saying Iran is “making up fake hits, mines, and everything else” to push up oil prices before the midterms, per CBS News. Brent crude still jumped 4% to $113.17, its highest in five months. A selloff in AI stocks did the rest: the Nasdaq fell 2.6% and the S&P 500 1.2%, its worst day since July, after Seoul’s Kospi lost 3.5% and Hong Kong 3%, The Guardian reported. American Airlines now expects a loss this year because of fuel costs, per The Guardian.
2. Baqên County, Nagqu / Tibet, China. A magnitude 7 earthquake struck at about 10:33 p.m. local time Thursday, killing at least 16 people and injuring 32, 11 of them seriously, Xinhua reported, per Al Jazeera. Local reports say 339 homes collapsed and power is out, while rockfalls have closed roads into the high-altitude area, BBC News reported. It’s the strongest quake to hit China since January 2024. With foreign media restricted in Tibet, state media is the main source of information.
3. Kyiv / Ukraine, and Washington. Trump says Elon Musk has restored Ukraine’s Starlink access. “Bottom line, he put it back,” he said, without addressing a Wall Street Journal report that he’d phoned Musk to lift the speed caps, BBC News reported. Earlier on Thursday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the military system’s speed “has not been restored” fully and that he was waiting to hear back from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The caps, which began around October 13, have hobbled Ukraine’s drones and interceptors. Musk says the U.S. government controls the military-grade Starshield version, while the White House denies ordering any limits, per Al Jazeera.
4. Paris, Marseille and Lyon / France. Paris is extending its overnight curfew around Place de la République and Les Halles until Monday, while Marseille and Lyon are banning all protests this weekend, BBC News reported. The Louvre, the Orsay and the Picasso museum will close on Saturday, and Marseille is suspending public transport. Emmanuel Macron said only authorized union marches will go ahead elsewhere, and blamed “seditious acts organised by far-left groups.” Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 2,700 people were arrested and 217 jailed after last weekend’s riots.
5. Strasbourg / European Parliament. The International Criminal Court and its officials have won the European Parliament’s 2026 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, less than two weeks after Trump announced new sanctions against the court, Al Jazeera reported. Parliament President Roberta Metsola said the prize recognizes the court’s work “upholding international law and justice.” ICC President Tomoko Akane said it comes as the court faces “unprecedented challenges.” The U.S. sanctions take effect in six months, and Brussels is considering a blocking statute to shield the court in The Hague.
6. Brasília / Brazil. Three days before Sunday’s runoff, Lula’s campaign has asked the top electoral court to disqualify Flávio Bolsonaro, accusing Meta of curbing Lula’s reach on its platforms to help his rival, BBC News reported. Bolsonaro has filed his own petition to disqualify Lula over mass government WhatsApp messages. UN experts say Meta must keep a level playing field. Meta denies favoring either side. Polls show the race is very close.
7. Canuto / Ecuador. Opposition leader Luisa González, who lost the presidency to Daniel Noboa in 2023 and 2025, was arrested in the rural western town of Canuto in a money-laundering probe into about $500,000 in 2023 campaign funds, Al Jazeera reported. She called the accusations “absurd.” Her Citizen Revolution Movement and former President Rafael Correa call the case political persecution. Local elections are set for November 29.
8. Tunis and Sfax / Tunisia. In rare unrest, police fired tear gas at protesters in Ettadhamen, a suburb of Tunis, after the death of a man detained on suspicion of drug dealing, which his family blames on police abuse, Al Jazeera reported. There were clashes in Jebiniana, in Sfax governorate, over another death linked to police, and students in Sfax are planning a strike. It comes days after the largest protest against President Kais Saied in years.
9. Ottawa / Canada. Canada has told its diplomats in the U.S. to stay away from midterm candidates until Election Day on November 3, after the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa accused Canadian leaders of potential interference, CBC News reported. Diplomats are also not to be photographed with candidates and are told not to pick sides on social media. Global Affairs Canada calls the guidance routine, per Politico. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, who’s named in the embassy’s list, said meeting both Republicans and Democrats “is diplomacy.”
10. Barrow Island / Western Australia. Satellites have picked up huge methane plumes over Chevron’s Gorgon gas plant on five passes since last November, prompting a warning from the U.N. Environment Programme, ABC News reported. The latest, in late August, averaged about 7.8 tonnes of methane an hour, well above the U.S. “super emitter” threshold. Chevron says satellite data carries “a wide range of uncertainty.” The state government is investigating.
Coming Up
Confirmed dates on The Watch: October 25, Brazil’s presidential runoff (Flávio Bolsonaro vs Lula) and Serbia’s snap parliamentary election. October 27, Israel’s election for the 26th Knesset, as the Fed’s two-day meeting opens in Washington (October 27–28). November 3, the U.S. midterms. Full board at the link.
