Jordan church funeral shooting death toll rises to 9, gunmen still at large, three days of national mourning declared
Jordan's health minister confirmed on Saturday that the death toll from the Karak province church funeral shooting has risen to nine, after two wounded people succumbed to their injuries, with 25 people still hospitalized; King Abdullah II chaired a National Security Council meeting on Saturday, saying Jordanians' safety is a red line. The gunmen remain unidentified, no group has claimed responsibility, and Jordan has declared three days of national mourning.
Vanuatu offshore quake revised to magnitude 6.9, tsunami threat lifted, no casualties reported
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center revised the Vanuatu offshore quake from a preliminary magnitude 7.2 to 6.9 and declared the tsunami threat over at 03:28 UTC, warning only of possible minor sea-level fluctuations. A magnitude 6.3 quake followed, with at least 10 events of magnitude 5.0 or greater recorded between 02:31 and 05:23 UTC; USGS and GDACS assessments indicate low humanitarian impact, and no casualties or damage have been reported.
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
Trump and Melania vote early in Florida as midterm sprint enters final 10 days
🐱 Scout US anchor · Trump votes early
President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump voted in person in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday afternoon before heading to a campaign rally in Georgia. Trump told reporters he voted "very much" along party lines and said he is campaigning harder than any president before him for other Republicans; early voting in Palm Beach County began on October 19 and runs through November 1, ahead of the November 3 midterms.
Background: Trump voted by mail in Florida earlier this year despite repeatedly criticizing mail-in voting and pushing for restrictions on it.
Trappes racist shooting: suspect said he wanted to avenge looted shopkeepers, targeting Black and Arab people
🐱 Scout France anchor · Trappes racist shooting
Le Monde, citing multiple sources, reports that the 39-year-old suspect, Kevin T., told the first police officers on the scene that he acted to "avenge the shopkeepers" looted during the October 17 protests, targeting "Black people and Arabs"; anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened an investigation into premeditated murder and attempted murder linked to a terrorist enterprise, and his custody has been extended. Friday's shooting killed one person and wounded five, including a 12-year-old girl shot eight times, in what President Emmanuel Macron called a "racist terrorist attack."
Background: The gunman fired from a car in Trappes and La Verrière for about 20 minutes with an automatic weapon; Macron called it the first planned terrorist act in France to kill fellow citizens because of their skin color.
Sources: Le Monde, Reuters (via Le Monde) (2 outlets)
Jordan church shooting death toll rises to 9, gunmen still at large
🐱 Scout field reporter · Jordan church shooting death toll rises to 9
Jordan's health minister confirmed on Saturday that the death toll from the Karak province church funeral shooting has risen to nine, after two wounded people succumbed to their injuries, with 25 people still hospitalized; King Abdullah II chaired a National Security Council meeting on Saturday, saying Jordanians' safety is a red line. The gunmen remain unidentified, no group has claimed responsibility, and Jordan has declared three days of national mourning.
Background: At least three gunmen opened fire on mourners at a Greek Orthodox church funeral in Hmoud on Friday, October 23, in what Jordanian officials called a terrorist attack against Christians.
Vanuatu offshore quake revised to magnitude 6.9, tsunami threat lifted
🐱 Scout rescue worker · Vanuatu quake
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center revised the quake off Vanuatu, about 200 km west of Sola, from a preliminary magnitude 7.2 to 6.9 and declared the tsunami threat over at 03:28 UTC on Saturday, warning only of possible minor sea-level fluctuations. A magnitude 6.3 quake followed in the same area, and 10 events of magnitude 5.0 or greater were recorded that day; the US Geological Survey and GDACS assessed low impact, and no casualties or damage have been reported.
Background: Vanuatu sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire and is prone to strong quakes; the offshore epicenter, far from population centers, was the key factor limiting losses.
Political developments and international relations
US trims staffing at four Middle East embassies as intelligence says Iran plots against Americans reach advanced stage
The State Department announced on Friday that it is reducing staffing at the US embassies in Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, after Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton wrote to Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iran had "substantially increased efforts to target US personnel" and that lethal plotting had reached "advanced stages." The four posts remain open and staff are not compelled to leave, unlike in Saudi Arabia, where nonessential personnel and families were ordered out earlier in the week; US officials link the threats to Iran and Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Background: The staffing changes come amid escalating regional tensions as the US weighs renewed military action against Iran.
Serbia votes in snap election on Sunday as student list challenges Vucic camp
Serbia holds snap parliamentary elections on Sunday, with the "Student List" — born from two years of anti-corruption protests — challenging the camp of former president Aleksandar Vucic, who resigned the presidency to run for prime minister. Pre-election polls diverge: an Ipsos survey commissioned by the Vucic list puts it at 47.4% against 40.0% for the students, while an NSPM poll puts the students ahead 44.5% to 42.7%; allegations of intimidation of activists and journalists have clouded the campaign.
Background: The protest movement began after the November 2024 collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy, which killed 16 people.
Justice Department tells California's 58 counties to identify suspected noncitizen voters and segregate their mail ballots
The Justice Department wrote on Friday to all 58 California counties, giving them 48 hours to help verify the citizenship of people on federal lists and to "segregate — not cancel" the vote-by-mail ballots of anyone whose citizenship cannot be confirmed until it is determined, warning of "significant federal scrutiny" for non-compliance. California officials countered that the federal government has not adequately explained how the lists were compiled, with the secretary of state accusing the administration of seeking unlawful access to protected voter data.
Background: With less than two weeks to the midterms, the department has stepped up prosecutions over alleged noncitizen voting and pushed to accelerate reviews of voter rolls in at least 47 states.
Sources: Reuters, New York Times (via Reuters) (2 outlets)
Audi plans Georgia plant producing 200,000 SUVs a year
Reuters, citing a government official, reports that President Trump is expected to announce on Saturday that Volkswagen's premium brand Audi will build a new assembly plant in Georgia producing 200,000 SUVs annually — the Q7, Q8 and Q9 — plus plans to build 25,000 vehicles in South Carolina. Audi declined to comment; Trump has urged automakers to build more in the United States and imposed significant tariffs on foreign-made cars and trucks.
Background: Tariff pressure on imported vehicles is pushing European automakers to move production into the United States.
'Total meltdown' in riskiest debt as US high-yield risk premium hits 17-month high
Bloomberg reports a "total meltdown" in the riskiest corporate debt on Thursday, with the average risk premium for US high-yield debt climbing to a 17-month high and primary markets recording the year's biggest spate of pulled deals; London hedge fund Arini Capital Management told investors it had lost 6.9% in the first half of October. Weaker borrowers now face higher financing costs, and lenders are becoming more selective across the credit market.
Background: High-yield borrowers carry the highest default risk, so a sell-off in their debt is an early signal of a turn in the credit cycle.
Tech companies, research breakthroughs and digital policy
Ukraine's Starlink service back but speed-limited, pushing Europe and Canada toward their own satellites
The Wall Street Journal reports that Ukraine's military Starlink service is working again but that speed restrictions imposed by SpaceX hampered Ukrainian drone forces from October 14; President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had assured him unlimited speeds would be restored within 48 to 72 hours, but that has yet to happen. Europe and Canada are now rolling out satellites they control themselves, so that no single private company's pricing or throttling decisions can degrade a battlefield network.
Background: Ukraine's military relies heavily on Starlink for communications and drone operations, so any change in service terms directly affects the front line.
Sources: Wall Street Journal (via reports) (single source, unverified)
Goldman Sachs: US small-business AI adoption hits 86%, but only about 15% deeply integrate it
Goldman Sachs' October 2026 report, "The AI Economy Is a Small Business Economy," finds AI adoption among surveyed alumni of its 10,000 Small Businesses program rose to 86% in 2026 from 56% in 2024, yet only about 15% to 18% have fully integrated AI into core operations, and 74% of AI users have no formal policy governing employee use. The survey of 2,473 alumni found 93% of AI users reported a positive impact, with 74% citing efficiency and time savings.
Background: Small-business AI use is shifting from marketing and content creation toward financial analysis, business planning and operational decisions.
Military developments, security situations and conflicts
Netanyahu orders West Bank lockdown after Hebron checkpoint attack kills two soldiers
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered preparations for a "full lockdown" of the West Bank on Friday after two Palestinian gunmen killed two Israeli soldiers and lightly wounded three others at a checkpoint near Hebron; the gunmen were killed in a 20-minute firefight. Israeli forces then cordoned off Hebron, carried out house-to-house searches and demolished buildings in an operation expected to last several days; Netanyahu said he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank operation in decades, days before Israel's October 27 election.
Background: The election is the first national vote since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, and is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's handling of security.
Sources: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press (2 outlets)
Trump hints at another strike on Iran and seizing all its oil
At a rally in Florida on Friday, President Trump said the United States "could seize all of Iran's oil, take over the entire country" and hinted at "another attack" on Iran, while keeping the conditional qualifier "if necessary"; no specific operation was announced and no timeline was given (single source, unverified).
Background: Washington is weighing renewed military action against Iran even as intelligence warns that Iranian plots against Americans have reached an advanced stage.
France saw a new wave of nationwide protests on Saturday, with the Interior Ministry counting about 410,000 participants — 110,000 in Paris — while unions estimated roughly double, at 800,000 nationwide and 250,000 in Paris; demonstrators demanded more education funding, higher wages and action on the cost of living. The Paris march was largely peaceful, but clashes at its Porte de Vincennes endpoint brought tear gas and water cannon, and the interior minister said nearly 1,000 people were arrested nationwide, including 65 in Paris after more than 3,000 police checks.
Background: Authorities deployed 70,000 police and gendarmes and changed the Paris route in advance, aiming to avoid a repeat of last weekend's looting and vandalism.
Kenya records second Ebola death as DR Congo launches first Ebola vaccine trial
Kenya confirmed its second Ebola death on Friday, a 65-year-old woman and close relative of the first victim, bringing the toll to two among nine confirmed infections, with authorities saying there is no evidence of community transmission; the same day, the World Health Organization announced that the first participants had been vaccinated in Bunia, DR Congo, in a trial named Tumaini ("hope" in Swahili). The trial will test whether Ervebo, approved against the Zaire strain, offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo strain behind the current outbreak, which has now spread to four African countries; Nigeria's first case matches the DR Congo strain.
Background: There is no approved vaccine or proven specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola, making the trial a central hope for the response.
Sources: World Health Organization, Kenya Health Ministry (via reports) (2+ outlets)
China-related news (international media coverage only)
Kim Jong Un visits Dandong via new bridge, then returns after war memorial tour
Reuters, citing South Korea's Yonhap news agency, reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Dandong, China, on Saturday via a newly opened bridge; North Korean state media said on Sunday that he visited a Korean War memorial in the border city and returned home by road, describing the bilateral bond as "unbreakable." The visit is seen as a push by Beijing and Pyongyang to expand trade after years of strain and pandemic disruption, ahead of President Trump's trip to the region next month.
Background: The Dandong crossing is the most significant land border link between the two countries, opened this month; Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025 for a military parade.
Sources: Reuters (citing Yonhap, North Korean state media)
China urges US to halt expansion of outbound investment curbs on sensitive tech
China's commerce ministry urged the United States on Saturday to stop expanding restrictions on American investments in China, saying a US Treasury proposal issued on Thursday would add biotechnology to restricted sectors and expand coverage of high-performance computing and hypersonic systems, "discriminatorily" widening China-related curbs. Beijing said it firmly opposed the proposal, reserved the right to unspecified countermeasures, and warned it ran counter to consensus reached by the two countries' presidents; the Treasury said the measures aim to stop US capital from supporting foreign adversaries' development of dual-use strategic technologies.
Background: The US outbound-investment program had already restricted certain investments involving China in semiconductors, quantum technologies and artificial intelligence.
