Person

Trump

1. US envoy Tom Barrack says strike on Iran 'absolutely possible' this weekend; Brent crude tops $117, a six-month high

   US ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack told Israeli Army Radio on Oct 23 that a US attack as early as this weekend was 'absolutely possible'; Trump said he knew 'nothing' about it and had earlier said he would not act before the Nov 3 midterm elections. Iran said that if the US and Israel launched a new offensive it would hit oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and AI facilities in the Gulf. Brent crude rose as much as about 3.5% on Friday to above $117 a barrel, its highest since April, compared with about $72 in February before the war, while foreign ministers of eight countries including Britain, France, Germany and Turkey urged 'maximum restraint' after meeting in Istanbul.

   Oct 24, 2026 Morning
2. White House says Melania Trump brokered local ceasefire in Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Oleshky; Russia and Ukraine confirm truce from Oct 27

   The White House said on Oct 23 that First Lady Melania Trump 'successfully brokered' a local ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky to evacuate residents and deliver aid; both sides confirmed their forces would stop firing from 02:00 GMT on Oct 27, while the White House statement said it would begin on Oct 29. Oleshky was captured early in Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 and sits between Ukrainian positions across the Dnipro and Russian forces to the east, and residents have recently survived on weeds from their gardens. The White House said Melania Trump and her representatives agreed the terms directly with Russian and Ukrainian leadership; non-military civilian officials from both countries will visit homes to assess needs and arrange transport for those who want to leave, and Trump called it her initiative.

   Oct 24, 2026 Morning
3. US Justice Department sues to block certification of Alaska Senate race if Republican Dan Sullivan loses amid namesake candidate

   The US Justice Department asked a court on Oct 23 to bar certification of Alaska's Senate election if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses to Democrat Mary Peltola. The ranked-choice race has four candidates: Sullivan, Peltola, Gerald Heikes and a teacher also named Daniel J. Sullivan, whom the department accuses of deliberately running under the same ballot name and party as the senator, arguing the result should not be valid if the senator loses because voters picked the namesake by mistake. The Guardian said Trump repeated at a Florida rally the false claim that the other Sullivan was 'cheating'; the midterms are on Nov 3.

   Oct 24, 2026 Morning
4. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham raises Falklands 'Sea Lion' oil project with Trump; US Deputy Secretary of State Landau says Washington eyes Argentine sanctions bill

   The British government said Prime Minister Andy Burnham spoke with Trump on Friday, Oct 23, about the Sea Lion joint UK-Israeli oil exploration project near the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands and raised the economic impact on Britain and the US of Argentina's 'coercive measures'; Argentina last week asked the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to block the project. At a joint press conference in Buenos Aires on Oct 22 with Argentine Foreign Minister Pablo Quirno, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said Washington was looking 'with interest' at an Argentine bill toughening sanctions on companies involved in oil projects in Falklands waters, to protect US business interests, while playing down concerns; he met President Milei on Oct 23. Britain and Argentina fought a 10-week war over the islands in 1982, and islanders voted overwhelmingly in a 2013 referendum to remain British.

   Oct 24, 2026 Morning
5. Iran's Revolutionary Guards say seven ships hit or struck mines near the Strait of Hormuz; Trump says Iran is making up attacks to drive up oil prices

   Al Jazeera reported Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Oct 22 that four oil-carrying ships were attacked and set ablaze in the northern Persian Gulf and three more lost power after hitting mines west of the Strait of Hormuz, the most in a single day on the waterway since the US and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb 28; the claims were not independently verified. The IRGC warned the conflict would extend to US bases in the region if the US kept helping tankers through the strait, while Trump said on Truth Social Iran was making up the attacks and mines to push up oil prices before the midterm elections. CNBC said Brent crude futures rose 4% to settle at $113.17 a barrel, the highest since May 4, and CBS said US Central Command marked 100 days of the renewed blockade of Iranian ports, which it said had stopped about $25 billion of Iranian crude exports.

   Oct 23, 2026 Morning