Gunmen attack church funeral in Jordan, killing at least 7; government calls it terrorism
Multiple gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Karak province, southern Jordan, on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 34 to 40 others, according to CNN, the AP, the Wall Street Journal and Fox News. Jordanian officials described the assault on the Christian minority as a terrorist attack; the gunmen remained at large as King Abdullah II vowed "the harshest retaliation" and visited the wounded in hospital.
Northern Tibet 7.0 earthquake: injured rises to 76 at official press conference, deaths still 16
Reuters, citing a local government press conference on October 23, reports the injury toll at 76 — revised up five times in about 18 hours (32->46->54->65->76) — while deaths remain unchanged at 16 since the first official report. Officials said homes cracked or tilted by the main shock remain at risk of collapse in aftershocks, and that communication and power supplies are gradually being restored; over 12,000 people have been relocated and the China Earthquake Networks Center has logged 413 aftershocks. (Figures from official reports, unverified independently.)
The most important world events of the past 24 hours
7.0 earthquake in northern Tibet kills 16, injures 65; over 12,000 relocated
🐱 Scout rescue worker · Tibet 7.0 earthquake rescue
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Baqen County near Nagqu in northern Tibet at 10:33 p.m. local time on October 22, at a depth of about 18 km according to the USGS. At least 16 people were killed and 65 injured — the injury count revised upward four times in a single day (32 → 46 → 54 → 65). More than 300 police officers have been sent to the epicenter for door-to-door checks, over 12,000 people have been moved to safety, and 1,600-plus rescuers are on site; rockfalls have closed sections of National Highway 317, and intermittent snow is forecast. (Casualty figures come from local official reports and have not been independently verified.)
Background: It is the strongest earthquake in China since the 7.1 Xinjiang quake of January 2024; the high-altitude, freezing terrain makes rescue exceptionally difficult.
Sources: The Guardian, AP, Reuters, USGS (4 outlets)
Typhoon Champi bore down on Taiwan on Friday, shutting down schools, offices and financial markets across almost the entire island except Kinmen. Authorities cancelled all 262 domestic flights and more than 350 international services (estimates range from 350 to 700 across outlets). Reuters reports one person killed, 94 injured, and about 1,300 evacuated from mountainous areas. Once a super typhoon, Champi still packed gusts of 191 km/h near its center with a 320-km wind radius; forecasters expect impacts to last nearly two days before it turns toward Japan.
Background: Champi was one of the strongest Pacific storms this year; northern mountain areas face up to a meter of rain.
West Bank shooting wounds 5 Israelis; gunmen killed, Netanyahu orders full closure
Two 27-year-old Hebron residents opened fire with an M16 rifle and a handgun near Yehuda Junction in the West Bank early Friday, wounding five Israelis, two of them seriously; Israeli troops killed both attackers. Prime Minister Netanyahu said the gunmen were "planning a major attack aimed at murdering innocent civilians" and ordered a cordon around Hebron, with the military preparing a full closure of the West Bank starting Friday through at least October 27. (single source, unverified)
Background: October 27 brings Israel's first election since October 7, 2023 — this is among the worst pre-election security incidents.
Sources: New York Post (single source, unverified)
Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate: coalition intercepts more drones, Aramco evacuates Dhahran HQ
🐱 Scout field reporter · Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia escalate
The Saudi-led coalition said Friday it intercepted two Houthi drones headed for the kingdom's southern region, after separately announcing the interception of nine drones and a ballistic missile. Reuters reported that Saudi Aramco ordered the evacuation of its Dhahran headquarters on Thursday as fighting intensified. Bangladesh condemned the attacks, saying two of its nationals were injured in the Dammam airport strike. Brent crude held above $113 a barrel, up nearly 8% on the week.
Background: The Houthis have kept up strikes on Saudi targets since seizing about 115 km of Yemen's Red Sea coast in September; the US-Israeli war on Iran is in its eighth month.
Sources: Reuters, Saudi Press Agency (via Akhbrna), BBC (3 outlets)
France: businesses board up ahead of Saturday protests as student union vows to march on
🐱 Scout France anchor · France braces for Saturday protests
With a national day of protests planned for Saturday, central Paris businesses began boarding up shop windows while museums and cultural events announced weekend closures; Macron will chair a defense council Friday morning for "additional decisions." The student union UNEF vowed its rallies would go ahead, accusing Macron of "trampling upon the freedom to protest"; the CFDT union leader said the bans would do little to restore calm. Overnight curfews in parts of Paris passed without major incident. (single source, unverified)
Background: Last weekend's riots saw some 3,000 shops looted; Macron on Thursday said only union-organized marches would be allowed.
Political developments and international relations
South Korea proposes military talks with North to pin down the demarcation line
South Korea's defense ministry on Friday formally proposed military talks with North Korea to mutually confirm the precise location of the land Military Demarcation Line (MDL) and restore military communication lines to prevent accidental border clashes. The proposal follows a September 21 DMZ landmine explosion that injured three South Korean soldiers; Seoul's investigation concluded the mines were planted south of the MDL by the North, which denies it. The South says the North has laid some 960,000 land mines in the DMZ area since 2024.
Background: Seoul made a similar offer last November and Pyongyang never replied; Kim Yo Jong recently toured front-line areas and threatened retaliation.
Austria expels four Russian diplomats over suspected spying
Austria's foreign ministry said Friday it was expelling four Vienna-based Russian diplomats over "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status," the standard diplomatic euphemism for espionage. Three worked at Russia's embassy to Austria and one at its OSCE delegation; the move brings to 18 the number of Russian diplomats Austria has expelled since 2020. Russia warned an "inevitable" response would follow. (single source, unverified)
Background: Vienna hosts the OSCE and the IAEA and has long been an intelligence hub; Austria expelled three Russians in May over an "antenna forest" on diplomatic roofs.
Trump administration oversaw 980,000 deportations in 18 months, only 20% with criminal convictions
A Migration Policy Institute report published Thursday found the Department of Homeland Security oversaw 980,000 deportations in the first 18 months of Trump's second term; only 20% involved individuals with a criminal conviction, and 71% of those deported after two-plus years of US residence had no criminal record. Annualized, deportations are up from the Biden years and Trump's first term but well below early-2000s levels. The State Department says over 300,000 US visas have been revoked this term. (single source, unverified)
Background: Trump says the crackdown improves domestic security; rights advocates allege due-process violations and racial profiling.
Sources: Reuters (via The Hindu BusinessLine; single source, unverified)
US stocks Friday: tech rebound fades, Brent holds above $113 for near-8% weekly gain
Early bargain-hunting in megacap tech faded quickly Friday, leaving the Nasdaq and the Dow lower; for the week the Dow is headed for a 1.6% gain while the tech-heavy Nasdaq faces a 2.5% loss and the S&P 500 a red week. Brent held above $113 a barrel, up nearly 8% on the week, with WTI back over $100; the 10-year Treasury yield plunged 19 basis points to 4.95% on Thursday, its biggest daily drop since March 2023. FactSet data show roughly 40% of S&P 500 stocks trading 20% or more below their 52-week highs.
Background: Thursday's 2.6% Nasdaq plunge was its worst since June; Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia keep supply fears alive.
HKEX launches AI and semiconductor indexes, licenses AI index for mainland ETFs
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing on Friday launched two indexes — an AI index tracking 40 Hong Kong-listed companies across the AI value chain and a semiconductor index tracking the 30 largest chip-related listings — and signed a licensing deal with China Southern Asset Management for mainland ETFs based on the AI index. The AI index spans chip design, data centers, AI infrastructure, models, and software and physical applications. (single source, unverified)
Background: Capital markets are split over whether AI infrastructure spending is sustainable.
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
"PHP2Shell" exploitation spreads as European cyber agencies issue joint warning
Exploitation of the two critical PHP remote-code-execution flaws dubbed "PHP2Shell" (CVE-2026-109618, CVE-2026-109619) is broadening: SOCRadar found a lab-tested exploit chain on an exposed attacker server, and Cisco and Palo Alto Networks confirmed affected products. The EU's ENISA, CERT-EU and Europol jointly urged immediate patching. But Sansec cautions that public exploits fail against default PHP installs, making mass exploitation less likely than feared; NBC reports nine security firms have yet to observe a successful exploit.
Background: The flaws leaked on October 21, forcing an early patch release (8.5.12); PHP powers roughly 70% of the world's websites.
DeepSeek and MiniMax win approval for global use of AI models
Chinese AI developers DeepSeek and MiniMax have won state approval for global deployment of their AI models, according to the CCTV-affiliated social media account Yuyuan Tantian. China proposed export controls on 23 AI technologies on October 16, though the commerce ministry said most AI technology would remain exportable with simplified licensing for open-source exports. (single source, unverified)
Background: Beijing is tightening transfers of AI technology it deems vital to national security.
Sources: Reuters (citing Yuyuan Tantian; single source, unverified)
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
US and Israel drew up post-midterm strike plans for Iran; Trump says war could resume
The New York Times reports the US and Israeli militaries have drawn up detailed plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the American midterms, targeting energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and missile and drone arsenals — including the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain site. Carriers, thousands of Marines and fighter jets are to be in place by early November, and Defense Secretary Hegseth discussed options with Netanyahu in Israel this week. Trump told a Sioux City rally Thursday the Iran war could end "very soon" — or resume after the midterms (single source, unverified). Iran's top security official warned any new attack would face an expanded retaliation target set.
Background: The US-Israeli war on Iran that began February 28 is in its eighth month; Tehran has threatened "zero red lines" retaliation.
Sources: The New York Times (via TBS, Particle), Drop Site (single source, unverified)
The UN said Thursday the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Ebola outbreak has reached an eighth province — Nord-Ubangi, bordering the Central African Republic — while investigators assess the risk of spread to Nigeria. WHO calls the virus "no longer confined to one place" and "a regional concern"; there is no licensed vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo strain. Since May, the outbreak has totaled over 9,400 cases and 4,500 deaths, the deadliest Ebola epidemic in DRC history.
Background: Nigeria's earlier confirmed case was reported 13 days late, raising regional alarm.
China-related news (international media coverage only)
Wang Yi urges stronger governance of deep sea, polar regions and outer space
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the opening of the Global Governance Forum in Xiongan on Friday that the deep sea, polar regions and outer space need stronger governance, calling the rise of the Global South the most momentous shift since World War II and demanding greater representation. He said artificial intelligence must remain under human control and serve humanity, and that the multilateral trading system should be safeguarded. The three-day forum was launched by Xi Jinping last year. (single source, unverified)
Background: Beijing is pushing its multilateralism and global-governance reform agenda.
China's cabinet urges agencies to cushion AI's blow to jobs
China's State Council on Friday issued AI-and-employment guidelines urging government agencies to build monitoring systems for AI-linked employment risks and contingency plans, support job transitions and re-employment for displaced workers, and regulate AI use in human-resources management — targeting algorithmic discrimination, fraudulent recruitment and privacy infringement. (single source, unverified)
Background: AI's impact on labor markets is drawing policy responses worldwide.
BYD plans to double Brazil plant capacity to 600,000 vehicles a year
Chinese EV maker BYD is seeking permits to double annual capacity at its Brazilian plant to 600,000 vehicles, its top Brazil executive told Reuters. Investment in the plant has already topped 5.5 billion reais (about $1.09 billion); the Brazil unit will bill 200,000 cars this year, with an 8.5% September market share. BYD aims to become Brazil's top-selling automaker by 2030. (single source, unverified)
Background: Local industry groups have complained BYD relied on imports and temporarily low tariffs.
