Asked on Oct 22 whether he had called Elon Musk, President Trump said, 'I don't want to comment on it, whether I called or whether somebody else called... The bottom line — he put it back,' after The Wall Street Journal reported that he had asked Musk to lift restrictions on Ukraine's Starlink service and that the system worked more normally afterward (The Moscow Times/Reuters). Reuters said some Ukrainian officials told the Journal the service was not fully restored but was running faster than under the cap, and that President Zelensky said earlier on Oct 22 that speeds had not been restored and that he hoped to talk with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the coming days. A Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent that 'overall, nothing has changed anywhere' and that the 161 kph cap imposed without warning on Oct 14 remains in effect; the outlet said Rubio had promised Zelensky an answer within 48 hours on restoring speeds to 400 kph. On Oct 23, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) asked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to explain by Nov 5 who ordered the Starshield restrictions, how the U.S. military relies on Starlink and how authority is divided among the Pentagon, the White House and SpaceX, writing that the decision puts 'Ukrainian forces at risk and their people in peril' (Kyiv Independent). The Kyiv Independent said the cap hampers Ukraine's use of drones to intercept Russian attack drones.

• Indicators to watch · Statements from Ukraine's Defense or Digital Transformation ministries on terminal speeds, the State Department's follow-up to Rubio's pledge, the Pentagon's reply to Blumenthal by Nov 5, any SpaceX statement

• C3Yemen's government forces claim 780 strikes on Houthi targets in 24 hoursYemeni armed forces spokesman Col. Majed Al-Nuzaili said on X on Oct 23 that 'Operation Dawn of Yemen' carried out 780 strikes in 24 hours across Al-Jawf, areas west of Marib and Al-Bayda, 'neutralizing' 512 Houthi fighters and destroying more than 330 vehicles (Arab News). The claim has not been independently verified.

• B2Switzerland's new political office chief arrives in Pyongyang, six years after Covid forced its exitCiting NK News, SBS Biz said the Swiss Foreign Ministry confirmed the head of its new Pyongyang office 'arrived this week'; the office reports to the Swiss embassy in Beijing and is meant to support political dialogue with North Korean authorities, and NoCut News said it will have one resident diplomat and two local staff (SBS Biz, NoCut News).
• B2Champi expected to head toward Yonaguni and the Chinese coast after TaiwanReuters said Champi is forecast to pass off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and cross Japan's Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture, with effects on Taiwan lasting nearly two days (Internazionale/Reuters, Nation Thailand).

Edition archiveRSS

• Saturday, Oct 31 · Morning Edition · 05:42 ETAttacks on ships around Hormuz hit a wartime monthly high as Trump says the Iran war will be “wrapped up soon,” Binance finds more entry points behind its $6.3 billion theft, and Seoul weighs stretching its Cheonghae naval unit toward Oman
• Friday, Oct 30 · Evening Edition · 17:44 ETTankers keep getting hit around the Strait of Hormuz as Qatari mediators carry a U.S. letter into Tehran, a tech rout hands the S&P 500 its worst day since June, and the Secret Service joins the hunt for Binance's stolen $6.3 billion
• Friday, Oct 30 · Morning Edition · 05:40 ETA small boat attached explosives to a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, Binance was hit by a roughly $6.3 billion hack that blockchain analysts tie to North Korea, and AI-spending worries sent South Korea's KOSPI down 3.48%
• Thursday, Oct 29 · Evening Edition · 17:46 ETIran's Revolutionary Guards say three tankers hit mines on Hormuz's southern route and Houthi missiles are downed over Riyadh, as a Russian drone kills at least 14 at a Dnipro rail station and Florida discloses a student-aid breach that may affect 4.9 million people
• Thursday, Oct 29 · Morning Edition · 05:42 ETNorth Korea fires about 10 short-range ballistic missiles six days after Seoul offered military talks, as DHS says it is working to contain a leak of 40,000-plus employee records and Trump says Vance's Iran outreach was about medical aid, not peace talks
• Wednesday, Oct 28 · Evening Edition · 17:40 ETIran dismisses Qatar's draft deal as 'unacceptable ideas' amid reports that U.S. and Israeli officials expect a week of strikes after the midterms if talks fail, while a leak exposes more than 40,000 DHS employees and the Fed holds with two votes for a hike
• Wednesday, Oct 28 · Morning Edition · 05:36 ETThe U.S. has reportedly told Gulf allies to brace for a short, intense Iran campaign after the Nov 3 midterms as oil rebounds, while three South Korean financial firms, including crypto exchange Bithumb, disclose hacks
• Tuesday, Oct 27 · Evening Edition · 17:39 ETA cyberattack forces ambulance diversions at New Mexico's only Level 1 trauma center, the Houthis claim a missile hit on Saudi Arabia's largest refinery, and Iran threatens 'legal action' against every ship run by Sinokor, the biggest crude carrier through Hormuz
• Tuesday, Oct 27 · Morning Edition · 05:44 ETA local truce takes hold in occupied Oleshky even as Russian missiles hit Kyiv's Southern Bridge and a student dorm, the Houthis fire ballistic missiles at Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province hours after the Tehran talks, and CISA confirms PHP2Shell is under attack
• Monday, Oct 26 · Evening Edition · 17:45 ETIran and three Mecca pact powers agree to keep talking after a first four-way meeting in Tehran and oil eases, but the Saudi-led coalition widens strikes on Houthi missile sites and North Korea parks self-propelled guns in plain view of the South
• Monday, Oct 26 · Morning Edition · 05:47 ETMediators converge on Tehran and oil eases, but a Houthi missile again targets Riyadh and South Korea reports its first hacking-related customer data leak at an insurer
• Sunday, Oct 25 · Evening Edition · 17:44 ETTrump says it's decision time on Iran, 'finish it off' or make a deal, but rules out a strike Sunday, as the Houthis claim a ballistic-missile barrage on Riyadh's newly reopened airport and CENTCOM's commander says Hormuz shipping lanes are clear of mines
• Sunday, Oct 25 · Morning Edition · 05:50 ETTrump says a U.S. strike on Iran could come 'maybe tomorrow' while floating a 'big, beautiful agreement,' as Houthi missiles and drones fly at Riyadh and Khamis Mushait and Musk says SpaceX throttled Ukraine over 'offensive' Starlink use
• Saturday, Oct 24 · Evening Edition · 17:43 ETA U.S. intelligence memo warns Iranian plots against Americans abroad have reached 'advanced stages' as the State Department thins out Gulf embassies, Houthi ballistic missiles fly at Riyadh, Taif and Yanbu, and Ukraine says its Starlink speed caps are gone

Arista said in Security Advisory 0199 that CVE-2026-114625, a SQL injection flaw (CVSS 9.9) in on-premises VeloCloud Orchestrator (VCO), is being actively exploited (SecurityOnline). Any authenticated user, including one with an Enterprise Read Only account, can escalate to 'superuser operator,' and Arista said no configuration can prevent the exposure (SecurityOnline, SOCRadar). Exploitation was observed from 74.82.197.86 and 38.54.50.151; fixed releases are 5.2.3.18, 6.1.3.10 and 6.4.2.12; and Arista-hosted and Dedicated VCO services were also affected but have already been patched (SOCRadar). It follows CVE-2026-16812 in July and CVE-2026-93952 in September as the third VCO flaw confirmed exploited since July; SecurityOnline said both earlier flaws were added to CISA's Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog, and BleepingComputer reported that CISA gave federal agencies until July 30 to mitigate the July flaw. CISA's alerts page showed no KEV additions after Oct 20 as of our check (CISA).

• Indicators to watch · A KEV listing and the federal remediation deadline it would set, further indicators of compromise from Arista, patch uptake on on-premises VCO and any reported compromises at managed service providers or enterprises

Focus Taiwan (CNA) said 977 flights — 262 domestic and 715 international and cross-strait — had been canceled as of Friday morning, Oct 23, and 96 ferry sailings on 10 routes were suspended. According to the Central Weather Administration (CWA), at 9 a.m. Friday Champi was about 320 km east-southeast of Eluanbi, moving northwest at 11–16 kph with maximum sustained winds of 155 kph and gusts up to 191 kph; its eye is expected over waters northeast of Taiwan late Friday night, and the storm should slow from Friday evening before gradually turning north early Saturday (Focus Taiwan). Reuters said the storm is forecast to pass just off northeastern Taiwan, turn north toward the Chinese coast and cross Japan's Yonaguni Island, and quoted CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng as saying landfall could not be ruled out if it stalls, loops or wobbles on approach (Internazionale/Reuters). Focus Taiwan said one person had died and 94 had been injured as of 6 a.m., 1,397 people were evacuated in New Taipei and 350 in Yilan County, and households without power fell from 77,498 to 19,029 by 2 p.m. Reuters said Taiwan's financial markets were closed Friday and that TSMC said its operations remained normal with no significant impact.

• Indicators to watch · CWA track and landfall statements and the timing of warning cancellations, whether Taiwan's market reopens Monday, Oct 26, science park, port and airport notices, Champi's path past Yonaguni and toward the Chinese coast

• B2Libya trims output after a pipeline valve closure; Middle East crude exports estimated at 17 million barrels a dayReuters said Libya cut production at its Hamada and Tahara fields after a valve on the pipeline to Zawiya port was shut, and that Morgan Stanley estimated Middle East crude exports at about 17 million barrels a day last week, against a pre-conflict 12-month average of about 18 million (Arab News/Reuters, The Star/Reuters).

U.S. Impact Assessment

• Energy & fuel costsReuters says Brent set a fresh five-month high Friday and is on track for a third weekly gain; the collected quotes are $109.19 (+0.49%) for Brent and $100.24 (+0.77%) for WTI. With Houthi drones aimed at Riyadh, Medina and the Eastern Province and claims of strikes on Aramco's Yanbu site, airlines, truckers and chemical makers should plan for elevated diesel and jet fuel into November, and shippers with Gulf or Red Sea exposure should expect war-risk premiums to stay high.
• Cyber exposureEnterprises and managed service providers running on-premises VeloCloud Orchestrator should upgrade to 5.2.3.18, 6.1.3.10 or 6.4.2.12 now — Arista says no configuration blocks the flaw — then audit read-only and tenant accounts and search logs for the two attacker IPs Arista published. PHP2Shell is not yet on CISA's KEV list, but with in-the-wild exploitation reported, internet-facing PHP servers, including those run by suppliers and hosts, should already be on the fixed releases.
• Defense industrial base & Ukraine supportThe Starshield dispute shows how service terms on a commercial satellite network can change front-line capability for an ally without notice. Defense contractors and integrators that build on Starlink or Starshield should expect congressional scrutiny of who sets those terms — Blumenthal wants answers by Nov 5 — and should review contingency links for programs that depend on the service.
• Asian supply lines & financingTSMC says its operations are normal, but Taiwan's Friday shutdown, 977 flight cancellations and suspended ferries will delay air freight into next week, and Champi's turn toward Yonaguni and the Chinese coast could extend disruption. The Treasury rally eases borrowing costs, but SK hynix's decision to shelve Solidigm's IPO shows chipmakers rethinking how to fund U.S. capacity while investors question AI returns.

Sources 37

• A
  Arab News (Reuters)Oil little changed as supply concern lingers amid Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia
  B
• T
  The Star (Reuters)Oil hits five-month high as Houthi attacks fuel supply fears
  B
• M
  MarketScreener (Reuters)Tech selloff slows in Asia, oil hits five-month high
  B
• B
  BERNAMA (Anadolu)Saudi-Led Coalition Says It Intercepted 11 Houthi Drones And A Ballistic Missile
  B
• X
  XinhuaSaudi-led coalition says intercepted drones as Houthis claim new attacks on Saudi Arabia
  C
• D
  DawnHouthi attacks on Saudi sites claim four more lives
  B
• g
  gCaptainIran Claims More Ships Struck Near Hormuz as Trump Accuses Tehran of 'Faking Hits'
  C
• A
  Arab NewsYemen military reports 780 strikes against Houthi targets in 24 hours
  B
• I
  Internazionale (Reuters)Taiwan shuts down ahead of Typhoon Champi, hundreds of flights cancelled
  B
• F
  Focus Taiwan (CNA)Typhoon Champi's heaviest rain expected through Saturday morning
  B
• F
  Focus Taiwan (CNA)Typhoon Champi damages roads, knocks out power across Taiwan
  B
• N
  Nation ThailandTaiwan cancels over 600 flights as Typhoon Champi nears on October 23
  C
• F
  Financial NewsKospi recovers 5,500; SK hynix rebounds as duplicate-listing worries ease (in Korean)
  B
• S
  Seoul Economic DailyKospi closes higher despite AI investment jitters; SK hynix up 4% on Solidigm listing halt (in Korean)
  B
• K
  Korea Economic DailySK hynix halts review of Solidigm listing (in Korean)
  B
• S
  SecurityOnlineArista Warns VeloCloud Orchestrator Flaw CVE-2026-114625 Is Exploited in the Wild
  C
• S
  SOCRadarCVE-2026-114625: VeloCloud Orchestrator Flaw Exploited
  C
• B
  BleepingComputerArista patches VeloCloud Orchestrator zero-day exploited in attacks
  C
• T
  The Moscow Times (Reuters)Trump Says Musk Restored Ukraine's Starlink Access, Declines to Say if They Spoke
  B
• K
  Kyiv IndependentKyiv denies reports that Trump, Musk have restored Starlink speeds in Ukraine
  B
• K
  Kyiv IndependentUS Senator Blumenthal opens probe into Ukraine Starshield restrictions
  B
• S
  Seoul ShinmunAs the North issues sharp threats day after day, Seoul also weighs loudspeakers (in Korean)
  B
• K
  Korea Economic DailyIf the North turns on its loudspeakers, the military will take proportional measures (in Korean)
  B
• R
  RTÉ16 dead, dozens injured in Tibet earthquake
  B
• C
  CBS News (AP)At least 16 dead when powerful 7.0 magnitude earthquake strikes in Tibet, local officials say
  B
• T
  Taipei Times (Reuters)TSMC seeks factory-equipment alternatives
  B
• T
  Tom's HardwareTSMC is seeking chipmaking equipment that doesn't contain Chinese rare-earth magnets — asks suppliers to provide alternative motors as export controls threaten fab operations
  C
• X
  XinhuaJapan's core inflation tops 2 pct for 1st time in 9 months
  B
• i
  investingLiveJapan September 2026 Headline CPI 2.1% y/y (expected 2.1%)
  C
• S
  SBS BizSwitzerland returns to Pyongyang after six years, preparing to open a political office (in Korean)
  B
• N
  NoCut NewsSwitzerland opens first 'political office' in Pyongyang, restoring its North Korea presence after six years
  B
• N
  NCSC-NL (GitHub)php2shell README
  B
• w
  watchTowrPHP2Shell FAQ: CVE-2026-109618 & CVE-2026-109619 Fixes
  C
• C
  CISACybersecurity Alerts & Advisories
  A
• W
  WABINorthern Light Health lab manager suffers data breach
  C
• F
  Focus Taiwan (CNA)Taiwan issues land warning as Typhoon Champi approaches
  B
• T
  The Boston GlobeStop & Shop's online services have returned after cyberattack
  B

Reuters said Brent rose 0.9% in Asian trading on Friday, Oct 23, to a fresh five-month peak and is set to end the week 3.9% higher, its third straight weekly gain, after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked fears of further supply disruption (MarketScreener/Reuters, The Star/Reuters). Reuters also said Libya cut output at its Hamada and Tahara fields after a valve closure on the pipeline to Zawiya port (Arab News/Reuters). Saudi-led coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said air defenses intercepted 11 drones headed toward Riyadh, Medina, the Eastern Province and the southern region, and a ballistic missile headed toward Najran in the southwest (BERNAMA/Anadolu). Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed four missile and drone attacks in 48 hours on the Defense Ministry in Riyadh, King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, an Aramco facility in Yanbu and Abha International Airport, and said Saudi attacks have killed and wounded 562 people in Yemen since mid-July (Xinhua, Dawn). On the IRGC's Oct 22 claim that seven commercial vessels were hit in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, gCaptain reported that UKMTO had issued no matching incident reports and that no ships were identified. As of collection we found no Saudi confirmation of damage at Yanbu and no announcement of U.S. strikes in Yemen. Brent is at $109.19 (+0.49%) and WTI at $100.24 (+0.77%) as of collection.

• Indicators to watch · CENTCOM or Pentagon notices of operations in Yemen, further Houthi strikes on Saudi oil sites and airports and any Saudi damage reports, UKMTO advisories and identities of any damaged vessels, Gulf and Red Sea war-risk premiums

Reuters said concerns over the enormous funding needs of AI led to the biggest daily rally in Treasuries in more than three years, with the 10-year yield sliding more than 19 basis points, its biggest drop since March 2023, and gapping back below 5%; a December Fed hike is no longer fully priced, with implied odds down to 85%, and markets stripped almost a full quarter-point hike from next year's pricing. ING's Padhraic Garvey said, 'We're not convinced it keeps on going.' In Asia, MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan recovered to flat after falling as much as 0.8%, Japan's Nikkei slipped 0.5% for a 4.1% weekly loss, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng and China's CSI300 rose 0.7% and 0.8% (Reuters). South Korea's Kospi opened down 2.36% at 5,403.17, fell as low as 5,305.98 (-4.12%) and closed up 16.53 points, or 0.30%, at 5,550.30, led by a 4.42% gain in SK hynix (Financial News, Seoul Economic Daily). Before the open, SK hynix said it had stopped considering a pre-IPO round and IPO for its U.S. subsidiary Solidigm, saying it needed to reassess 'whether an IPO now is the most favorable option for SK hynix and existing shareholders' given recent market conditions and its share price, and that it would keep weighing the timing, scale and financing of investment (Korea Economic Daily, Seoul Economic Daily). Foreign investors were net sellers of Korean stocks for the day. As of collection, the 10-year yield is at 4.953% (-19bp) and the VIX at 19.13 (+0.53%).

• Indicators to watch · Two- and 10-year Treasury yields and December hike odds, AI capex guidance in next week's megacap earnings, foreign flows into Korean and Taiwanese chip stocks, the Oct 28 FOMC statement

• B2Foreign investors dump Korean stocks as institutions buy the dipForeign investors were heavy net sellers on the Kospi on Oct 23 — around 1 trillion won — while institutions bought roughly 800 billion won, though the two outlets reported different figures; Samsung Biologics jumped 7.71% and Hyundai Motor fell 1.99% (Financial News, Seoul Economic Daily).
• B2Yen steadies near 156.9 per dollar as Asian equities find a floorReuters said the dollar steadied at 156.91 yen after a 0.9% overnight drop, and MSCI's Asia-Pacific index outside Japan was flat on the day but down 2.4% for the week.

• C2Quest breach fallout: Northern Light Health says it has not been told its data was involvedNorthern Light Health, whose nine hospital labs and Brewer cancer center lab are managed by Quest, said 'Quest has not indicated that any Northern Light Health associated data was involved,' added monitoring and said hospital lab services are operating normally; Quest has not said how many patients were affected (WABI).

Watchlist next 12–48 hours and beyond

• Fri night–Sat, Oct 23–24 (Taiwan time)
  Champi's pass northeast of Taiwan and turn north; any CWA landfall statement and when warnings are lifted
• Mon, Oct 26
  Whether Taiwan's market reopens, and science park and port notices
• Within days
  Rubio's promised answer to Kyiv on Starlink speeds and any Ukrainian confirmation that the 161 kph cap is gone
• Tue–Wed, Oct 27–28
  FOMC meeting and rate decision
• Through Sat, Oct 31
  Whether U.S. forces strike the Houthis in Yemen, further Houthi attacks on Saudi oil sites, and CISA KEV listings for CVE-2026-114625 and the PHP2Shell CVEs
• Thu, Nov 5
  Deadline Sen. Blumenthal set for Defense Secretary Hegseth to explain the Starshield restrictions

Intelligence gaps · unconfirmed

• Market data conflicts: Reuters put Brent at a five-month high of $114.10 (+0.9%) in Asian trading on Oct 23 and Thursday's close at $113.17, far above the collected $109.19 (+0.49%, 05:04 ET); we could not establish why and used only the collected quotes. Gold was $4,021.99 per Reuters versus a collected $4,039.90, and the 10-year yield 4.9676% per Reuters versus a collected 4.953%.
• Korean market data: Financial News put foreign net selling at 983 billion won and institutional buying at 869 billion won, while Seoul Economic Daily had 1.094 trillion won and 795.5 billion won. Both outlets gave the Kosdaq close as 751.69 but disagreed on direction (+1.62% vs. -1.62%), so we left it out. Financial News had the won at 1,324.6 per dollar versus a collected 1,324.98.
• Hormuz: gCaptain reported that UKMTO issued no reports matching the IRGC's claim of seven vessels hit, but we could not check UKMTO's site directly. A CENTCOM statement that no U.S. warship was struck and all IRGC attempts failed appeared only in a search summary of The Hill, which we could not open.
• Saudi Arabia and Yemen: BERNAMA/Anadolu reported 11 drones and a ballistic missile intercepted, while Xinhua reported eight drones on Oct 22, reflecting different time frames. We found no Saudi confirmation of the Houthi claims about Yanbu or the Defense Ministry, and could not establish the location or circumstances of the two deaths in an oil-field attack reported by Dawn. The Yemeni government's 780-strike claim comes from a party to the conflict and was confirmed only by Arab News.
• Taiwan: Injuries were 94 per Focus Taiwan (as of 6 a.m. Friday) and 171 per Reuters; evacuations were 2,639 per Reuters versus 1,397 in New Taipei and 350 in Yilan per Focus Taiwan. Cancellations were 977 per Focus Taiwan (715 international and cross-strait), 979 per Reuters (717 international) and 'over 600' per Nation Thailand; the storm's position was given as 220 km east of Taiwan by Reuters and 320 km east-southeast of Eluanbi at 9 a.m. by Focus Taiwan, at different times.
• Arista: We could not open Arista's advisory or The Hacker News and relied on SecurityOnline and SOCRadar, which dated the advisory Oct 22 and Oct 23 respectively. The number of affected organizations and the KEV date for the September flaw are not confirmed.
• Starlink: CNN and BBC reports could not be opened, and the Wall Street Journal report was confirmed only as cited by Reuters. Accounts of who ordered the restrictions conflict, so we left that out.
• Korean Peninsula: Reports that North Korea installed new loudspeakers opposite Cheorwon and Hwacheon appeared only in a search summary of The Diplomat, and we found no JCS confirmation. NoCut News said in its headline that Switzerland 'opens' its Pyongyang office but in the text that the head of mission was due to arrive this week, so the formal start date is unconfirmed; a Yonhap report on a Swiss mediation role could not be opened.
• PHP2Shell: Reports that the Dutch NCSC is investigating first signs of successful misuse appeared only in search summaries, and we found no confirmed compromises. We checked CISA's alerts page only through items posted Oct 22.
• Tibet: Injuries were 65 per RTÉ and 54 per CBS News/AP, and collapsed homes 'more than 300' versus 339.
• Pending grading: 'taiwan-cwa-champi-land-warning-oct25' appears to have happened — Focus Taiwan reported that the CWA issued a land warning at 11 a.m. on Oct 22. 'ahold-us-online-ordering-oct31' also appears to have happened — The Boston Globe reported that Stop & Shop's online ordering for pickup and delivery returned on Oct 20. We found no new South Korean financial-sector breach disclosures and did not reassess 'kr-financial-hack-new-disclosure-oct31.'
• Other: A BBC report that Ebola patients from Nigeria and Kenya may have crossed paths at a Ugandan airport could not be opened. The Bank of Japan's October meeting dates and expected hold appeared only in search summaries, so we left them out.