Magnitude 7.2 earthquake strikes waters near Vanuatu; tsunami threat warning issued, no casualties reported
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck waters about 200 km (124 miles) west of Sola, Vanuatu on Saturday, at a depth of 10 km, the U.S. Geological Survey said; Germany's GFZ research centre measured the quake at 7.1. The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a tsunami threat message covering coasts within 300 km of the epicenter, while Chile's navy hydrographic service SHOA said the quake did not meet the conditions to generate a tsunami on Chile's coast. No casualties or damage have been reported so far.
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.)
Myanmar calls on countries to take back scam-center detainees; Chinese the largest remaining group
Myanmar's military regime on Sunday appealed to the international community to take back foreigners detained in its crackdown on scam centers in eastern Kayin state: 13,272 people from 47 countries have been detained since January, most already deported, with 1,655 still held — Chinese nationals the largest remaining group at over 500. The AP reports the freed detainees are held in overcrowded army camps and repurposed compounds, and that Chinese detainees clashed with guards last week; Thailand is urging China to soften its scam-focused travel advisory. (single source, unverified)
The most important world events of the past 24 hours
Gunmen attack church funeral in Jordan, killing at least 7; attackers still at large
🐱 Scout anchor · Church shooting in Jordan
At least three gunmen opened fire on a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hmoud, Karak province, southern Jordan, on Friday, killing at least seven people and wounding 34 to 40 others (injury figures still differ across outlets). Jordan's government called it a terrorist attack targeting Christians; the gunmen fled by car and remain at large. King Abdullah II vowed to respond with an "iron fist" and visited the wounded in hospital.
Northern Tibet 7.0 earthquake: injured rises to 76, deaths still 16
🐱 Scout rescue worker · Tibet 7.0 earthquake relief
Citing a local press conference on October 23, Reuters 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 communications and power are being gradually restored; more than 12,000 people have been relocated, with 413 aftershocks recorded. (Casualty figures are from official briefings and remain unverified independently.)
West Bank shooting: New York Post says two critically wounded soldiers died; casualty accounts conflict
🐱 Scout field reporter · West Bank shooting escalation
The New York Post now reports that two Israeli soldiers critically wounded in Friday's shooting near Yehuda Junction have died, publishing their names and photos; Reuters and other outlets still report five wounded, two of them critical. Two 27-year-old Hebron residents opened fire with an M16 and a handgun and were killed in a roughly 20-minute exchange. Netanyahu ordered Hebron sealed and preparations for a full West Bank closure; Israel's election on October 27 makes this the most serious pre-election security incident. (Casualty accounts conflict and remain unverified.)
Background: Netanyahu accused Hamas of planning the attack and said large quantities of weapons and ammunition were seized.
France braces for Saturday protests: CGT joins student march, Marseille bans all demonstrations
🐱 Scout France anchor · Saturday protests in France
The CGT, one of France's largest unions, will join the UNEF student union march in Paris on Saturday afternoon (the Bastille-to-Nation route is authorized), with hundreds of thousands expected. Marseille and Lyon have banned all Saturday protests, and Marseille's public transport will halt from 5 a.m. Saturday to 5 a.m. Sunday. The Louvre and Musée d'Orsay close Saturday, Art Basel Paris shut two days early, the Paris Opera cancelled Saturday performances, and 20% more police are being deployed. (single source, unverified)
Background: Last weekend's riots saw about 3,000 shops looted; Macron now permits only union-organized demonstrations.
Political developments and international relations
US midterms countdown: Trump's approval hits record lows, Democrats lead by 12 points
Major polls show Trump's approval at record lows: 31% (Reuters/Ipsos), 32% (CNN/SSRS) and 36% (NYT/Siena College) — each the lowest in that pollster's tracking. Democrats lead Republicans 47% to 35% on the generic congressional ballot, the widest margin of the cycle; 71% of Americans say the country is on the "wrong track" (NBC poll). Republicans are on defense in Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Texas ahead of the November 3 midterms. (single source, unverified)
Background: Gas prices up 43% to $4.28 a gallon and inflation at 3.7% have made the cost of living the top voter concern.
Sources: Reuters, NYT, CNN, NBC, USA Today (5 outlets)
Russia says ready to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine next month
Russia said it is ready to resume US-mediated talks with Ukraine next month, after President Vladimir Putin hosted US envoy Steve Witkoff for talks in St Petersburg this week; Ukraine's President Zelenskiy said he hoped negotiations, the first since February, could take place early in November. (single source, unverified)
Background: Energy security and winter ceasefire windows are drawing attention ahead of the cold season.
Brent holds above $113, up nearly 8% on the week as Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia fuel supply fears
Brent crude held above $113 a barrel, up nearly 8% on the week for its highest settlement since May 4, while WTI reclaimed $100. The rally is driven by supply concerns over continued Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia; Saudi Aramco on Thursday ordered the evacuation of its Dhahran headquarters. In Libya, a pipeline valve from the Hamada and Tahara oilfields to Zawiya port was shut, cutting production at both fields. (single source, unverified)
Background: A US-led escort effort has brought oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz back to 82% of prewar levels.
China's January-September fiscal revenue up 5.1%, land sales still down 27.9%
China's finance ministry said Friday that fiscal revenue for the first nine months reached 17.2 trillion yuan, up 5.1% year-on-year, with tax revenue up 6.1%; fiscal spending rose just 1.0%. Government land-sale revenue fell 27.9%, as the property downturn keeps eroding local-government finances; net local special-bond issuance reached 3.56 trillion yuan, 81% of the annual quota. (single source, unverified)
Background: Third-quarter GDP growth of 4.5% beat forecasts, reducing the urgency for fresh stimulus.
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
PHP2Shell aftershock: PHP discloses new flaw CVE-2026-115560 with no patch yet
PHP on October 23 disclosed a new remote-code-execution risk, CVE-2026-115560, tied to session serialization configuration; no dedicated patch was available at disclosure, and administrators are advised to disable session.upload_progress as mitigation. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has urged all organizations to patch "PHP2Shell" (CVE-2026-109618/109619) immediately, saying unpatchable systems should be taken offline; security firms confirmed exploitation attempts began four days before the patches. (single source, unverified)
Background: PHP powers roughly 70% of websites; the patches were released early on October 21 after details leaked.
AI funding race: DeepSeek closes roughly $15B round, OpenAI in talks for $30B
Bloomberg reports DeepSeek has closed a roughly 100 billion yuan (about $15 billion) funding round, with CATL and Tencent as the largest backers — the largest single round by a Chinese AI company — and plans a Shanghai IPO as early as 2027. TechCrunch says OpenAI is in advanced talks for a $30 billion raise at a $1.25 trillion pre-money valuation, which would make it the most valuable private company on record; Yahoo Finance says Anthropic could file its S-1 as soon as today, targeting a $2 trillion IPO. OpenAI, Anthropic and Nvidia all posted record Q3 lobbying spending in Washington. (single source, unverified)
Background: The round closed 48 hours after the US Department of Homeland Security ordered federal agencies to remove DeepSeek products.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
Iran threatens to hit Gulf undersea cables and widen retaliation to economic, civilian targets
Two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters that Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the US and Israel attack Iran again, and to block repairs to prolong disruptions; an IRGC official said seven major internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz could be targeted. The Wall Street Journal reports Iran also threatened to widen retaliation to airports, pipelines and other economic and civilian targets in Gulf states. Washington has ordered non-essential diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia. (single source, unverified)
Background: The US and Israel are reported to have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the midterm elections; Iran says it has resumed limited ballistic-missile production.
Sources: Reuters, Wall Street Journal, The Times (3 outlets)
France reports world's first human case of Shamonda virus; patient has died
France's health ministry on Thursday reported the world's first documented human infection with Shamonda virus: a man in his 60s in Lyon who was found infected while hospitalized and had died in early October. The virus previously circulated only in livestock, spread by biting midges; the patient had a severely weakened immune system. The WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) called it an isolated case with no identified risk to the general public. (single source, unverified)
Background: The virus was first detected in European farm animals in summer 2026 and has since spread across more than a dozen European countries.
Sources: CNN, ECDC, Deutsche Welle (via republication) (3 outlets)
Myanmar calls on countries to take back detainees from scam-center crackdown; Chinese are the largest remaining group
Myanmar's military regime on Sunday appealed to the international community to take back foreigners detained in its crackdown on scam centers in eastern Kayin state: 13,272 people from 47 countries have been detained since January, most already deported, with 1,655 still held — Chinese nationals the largest remaining group at over 500. The AP reports the freed detainees are held in overcrowded army camps and repurposed compounds, and that Chinese detainees clashed with guards last week; Thailand is urging China to soften its scam-focused travel advisory, saying crime is concentrated in specific border corridors. (single source, unverified)
Background: This deep dive is a thematic investigation into cases of Chinese nationals lured and detained via Thailand over the past three years, and the reality of safety in Thailand.
Sources: AP (via republication) (single source, unverified)
China-related news (international media coverage only)
China's cabinet rolls out pro-birth policies to stabilize newborn numbers
China's State Council met Friday to demand more family support to stabilize the number of newborns: refining policies on marriage, childbirth, child-rearing and education, and optimizing taxation, social security and housing to build a "fertility-friendly society." China's population fell for a fourth straight year in 2025 to a record-low birth rate; officials called population the "foundational condition" for economic and social development. Recent measures include a nationwide childcare subsidy and free preschool. (single source, unverified)
Background: Shrinking and ageing population is straining the social insurance system and economic growth.
EU ministers vow to tackle "China Shock 2.0" through talks with Beijing
EU ministers said Friday the bloc should strike deals with Beijing to curb imports in sectors such as chemicals, machinery and pharmaceuticals, as the goods trade deficit with China — already over €370 billion in 2025 — heads past €400 billion this year, more than €1 billion a day. European industry says "China Shock 2.0" is already causing factory closures and job losses, citing Volkswagen's planned 100,000 job cuts. The EU trade commissioner earlier agreed with Beijing to cut hybrid-vehicle imports from China by more than half. (single source, unverified)
Background: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the deficit "unsustainable"; Beijing has said it wants to be a partner in solving the problem.
