Global and U.S. News

The Justice Department filed a federal lawsuit asking a court to bar Alaska from certifying its Senate result if Republican Senator Dan Sullivan loses by less than the vote won by a second candidate, Daniel J. Sullivan, a retired teacher it says could confuse voters, the BBC reports. If Democrat Mary Peltola wins by such a margin, the suit seeks delayed certification pending an investigation. Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. wrote that certification would likely reflect 'an electoral process that lacked integrity'; the other Sullivan denies any link to Peltola, and Alaska's Supreme Court had already refused to remove him from the ballot. Polls show Peltola narrowly ahead before the November 3 vote.

In an excerpt from his book 'Princes and Thieves', published by Vanity Fair, reporter Matthew Cole writes that the Netherlands' military intelligence service (MIVD) found a way into Jared Kushner's iPhone in early 2018 after discovering screenshots of it on a Russian GRU server, and then watched his screen as he logged in to a UAE bank account. Cole reports that Mohamed bin Zayed and Mohammed bin Salman put at least $2 billion into accounts tied to Kushner, including about $750 million routed through a bank in Azerbaijan into an account at First Abu Dhabi Bank held by an Emirati charity, for which Kushner was a signatory. Cole describes it as an off-the-books foreign-policy fund that Kushner helped oversee while serving as a senior White House adviser; the account rests on unnamed sources.

Why it matters: If borne out, it would be the most direct account yet of Gulf rulers' money passing through the hands of a Trump family member in office; Kushner's counsel disputes the account and the arrangements it describes.

The Supreme Court allowed New Hampshire to enforce a blanket directive that stops election officials from accepting student IDs as proof of identity, the New York Times reports. A federal judge had blocked the secretary of state's directive, and the state sought an emergency stay ahead of the November 3 election.

The Justice Department charged former FBI employees Bradley Benavides and Nikki Floris with one count each of making false statements to Congress in 2023 testimony about the bureau's Hunter Biden investigations, NPR reports. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said they lied about their roles in shaping the public account of the laptop before the 2020 election. At their first appearance on Friday, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui called charging by complaint over 'quite old' conduct unusual; a preliminary hearing is set for Tuesday.

The Justice Department asked a federal appeals court to intervene in its lawsuit seeking to compel California not to count mail ballots from voters it calls likely noncitizens, the New York Times reports. The move aims to jump-start a case the administration filed this month, days before the November 3 election.

L. Louise Lucas, a Portsmouth Democrat and one of Virginia's most powerful state lawmakers, has been indicted on federal charges over a cannabis business, the New York Times and BBC report. The BBC says six other people, including members of her family, are accused with her; she was the focus of FBI searches earlier this year.

Researchers at Imperial College London and partners estimate that this summer's heat waves killed 50,391 people in 854 European cities, 71 percent more than in 2022, the previous deadliest summer, NPR reports. They attribute 32,619 of the deaths to human-caused warming, and say the toll is an underestimate because it leaves out a May heat wave and covers cities holding only about 40 percent of Europe's population. Most of the dead were 85 or older, and Italy, France, Spain and Germany were hit hardest.

A gunman firing from a car killed one person and wounded five, including a 12-year-old girl, in Trappes and La Verrière south-west of Paris on Friday, the BBC reports. France's anti-terrorism prosecutor opened an inquiry into murder linked to a terrorist enterprise, aggravated by targeting victims for their race, ethnicity or religion; Trappes's mayor said the attack had a 'probably Islamophobic' overtone. A 39-year-old suspect known to police was arrested, and Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called it 'clearly a terrorist crime' on the eve of protests France is policing with 70,000 officers.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that trilateral talks between Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. are planned for the first half of November in Abu Dhabi, Al Jazeera reports, after envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin this week. Putin said the talks should settle long-term security arrangements rather than a short truce, while Moscow still demands large territorial concessions and a bar on NATO membership. The two sides exchanged 270 prisoners of war each on Friday.

Ukrainian defence ministry sources told the BBC there is no confirmation that restrictions on Starlink have been lifted, and that drones still lose connection at speeds of 161 km/h. Trump said on Thursday that Musk had 'put it back', but would not say whether he had called Musk; Musk has denied ordering the slowdown and pointed to the Pentagon, which controls the Starshield service.

Serbians vote on Sunday in an election in which a student protest movement is seeking to oust Aleksandar Vučić, who has dominated the country for 14 years, the Financial Times and BBC report. The FT says fears of fraud are mounting; the movement grew out of protests over the deadly collapse of the Novi Sad station canopy.

The White House said Melania Trump secured a ceasefire in Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russia since 2022, so that its roughly 2,000 remaining residents can be evacuated to Russia or Ukraine, Al Jazeera reports. A senior Ukrainian official said the truce would take effect soon and the Kremlin said its military was coordinating the timing. Ukraine's ombudsman had been negotiating over Oleshky's civilians before the announcement.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded when two Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint outside Hebron on Friday, and both attackers were shot dead, the BBC reports; the morning's first reports had the soldiers wounded. Benjamin Netanyahu said the army would 'demolish' the neighbourhood the attackers came from, demolitions began, and he said he had reviewed plans for the largest West Bank operation in decades, while cordoning off Hebron and Halhul. The escalation comes four days before Tuesday's Israeli election, with Bezalel Smotrich calling for a campaign 'exactly like in Gaza or Lebanon'.

Masked gunmen killed seven people and wounded 34 during a funeral at a Greek Orthodox church in Hamoud, in Jordan's Karak governorate, on Friday, Al Jazeera reports; survivors described an explosion followed by several minutes of shooting. Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya called it an 'unprecedented' terrorist attack by extremists, no group has claimed it, and the attackers are still being hunted. King Abdullah II promised 'an iron fist'; Jordan's roughly 300,000 Christians have rarely been targeted.

Benjamin Netanyahu ordered security forces to close Hebron and prepare a full lockdown of the occupied West Bank after two Palestinian gunmen opened fire on soldiers near the settlement of Telem; the army said it killed both, and at least five soldiers were wounded, two critically, Al Jazeera reports. Israeli forces arrested 36 Palestinians in raids on Thursday as settler and army attacks on olive-harvest farmers increased, and Itamar Ben-Gvir called for full Israeli control of the territory. The clampdown comes days before Tuesday's Israeli election.

A BBC investigation documented at least 43 attacks on hospitals and health sites in el-Fasher from May 2024 to October 2025, with 55 medical workers killed over the war, and doctors said the Saudi Maternity Hospital was hit up to 25 times a day before the Rapid Support Forces stormed it in October 2025. UN human rights chief Volker Türk called the findings deeply disturbing and said the attacks may amount to war crimes; the RSF-backed government dismissed them as propaganda.

Africa CDC is investigating whether the first Ebola patients in Nigeria and Kenya crossed paths at Uganda's Entebbe airport on 3 October, though officials say no link has been established, the BBC reports. Kenya has confirmed nine infections, all tied to its first patient, who died; Nigeria's patient, a Ugandan-born woman living in Abuja, is improving, and the source of her exposure is still unknown.

An oil slick is closing beaches near Umm Al Quwain in the UAE, and BBC Verify traced it to the Panama-flagged tanker Gem No.2, hit by a projectile near the Strait of Hormuz on October 9. Satellite radar showed a small leak on October 19 that spread more than 35 km by Wednesday, and it is moving towards a biodiversity area with corals, green turtles and endangered guitarfish.

Thousands marched in Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia and other cities on Thursday in protests called by María Corina Machado's Vente Venezuela movement, the first nationwide opposition demonstrations in nearly two years, Al Jazeera reports. No date has been set to choose a successor to Nicolás Maduro, captured by U.S. forces in January; interim president Delcy Rodríguez and Trump have promised elections, and Machado says they must be held by July 2027.

Unofficial results from Alberta's referendum show voters likely approving questions that would restrict some temporary residents' access to health care, education and social support, even as the separation question failed, the Guardian reports. Premier Danielle Smith's government says temporary residents, almost 6 percent of the population, cost over $1 billion a year in services; economists dispute the figures, and one said hundreds of thousands of voters skipped the questions, so the result is no mandate.

The fire that killed four soldiers and injured 39 at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright was sparked by a live-grenade exercise, the head of the military police told reporters on Thursday, Al Jazeera reports. High winds and a sudden change in direction drove the blaze into a neighbouring training area, and firefighters could not fight it directly because it was inside the range's permanent danger area; the soldiers were preparing to deploy to Latvia.

Brent crude rose about 3.5 percent on Friday to pass $117 a barrel, its highest since April, before easing to just over $116, the Guardian reports. The move followed Tehran's warning that it would hit oil facilities, undersea cables, data centres and AI facilities in the Gulf if a new U.S.-Israeli offensive is launched, and reports that Washington is weighing renewed strikes after the November 3 elections. Brent was about $72 before the war began in February and touched $126 in late April; this morning's edition had it at $114.

Oil hit $114 a barrel for the first time since May, the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal report, as traders weighed the risk of renewed U.S.-Iran hostilities and further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Global stocks were knocked at the same time by doubts over the durability of the AI boom, leaving markets facing both threats at once.

European natural-gas prices rose to their highest level since late 2022 on fears that renewed U.S.-Iran escalation will choke liquefied natural gas supplies before winter, the Wall Street Journal reports. IEA chief Fatih Birol told Al Jazeera the EU is entering winter with its lowest gas reserves on record.

The foreign capital that finances France's government may be going into reverse, investors told the Wall Street Journal, deepening a sell-off that worsened after a weekend of riots. On Friday the yen hit a one-year high against the euro and the euro fell after a weak French purchasing-managers' survey, according to WSJ market reports.

A tanker carrying Russian diesel has signalled that it is bound for a U.S. port, potentially resuming direct shipments under the Trump-Putin deal, the Wall Street Journal reports. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said this week the first cargo of 40,000 tonnes would leave on Thursday, after Moscow lifted its diesel export ban on October 9, Reuters reported. Trump has said Russia will export 300,000 tonnes immediately and 500,000 tonnes in November, a deal that has strained relations with Ukraine.

California's public pension fund, CalPERS, has slashed its holdings of the Magnificent Seven tech stocks amid growing doubts about their valuations and soaring AI spending, the Financial Times reports. The Wall Street Journal separately reports that AI-linked stocks produced $138 billion in gains across 13 public pension funds since 2022, showing how exposed retirement savings are to the boom.

AI-linked stocks have produced $138 billion of gains across 13 public pension funds since 2022, helping them recover from losses in the last financial crisis, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis. The finding comes as politicians turn against the AI industry.

OpenAI has trimmed the valuation it is seeking to $1.25 trillion, the Financial Times reports. The cut comes in a week when AI stocks fell sharply, with the Nasdaq posting its worst day since June on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

SK Hynix, the world's second-largest memory-chip maker, has shelved plans for a U.S. listing of its memory unit, citing market conditions, the Wall Street Journal reports. The retreat comes after AI stocks had their worst day since June on Thursday.

Japan is putting about $21 billion into up to two chip factories in New York State, owned jointly by the U.S. government and Japanese interests and operated by GlobalFoundries, under the $550 billion investment pledge Tokyo made in exchange for lower tariffs, Reuters reported when the deal was announced on October 14. The government's GlobalFoundries stake rises to 7 percent from about 3 percent, and free cash flow is split evenly until a set allocation is reached, after which 90 percent goes to the U.S. The first plant is due to produce from 2029; the New York Times examines it as a showcase of Trump's practice of taking equity in exchange for public money.

Volvo Cars shares fell by as much as 30 percent after the Swedish carmaker swung to a loss, the Financial Times reports. The company will cut another 2,500 jobs, about 6 percent of its workforce according to the Wall Street Journal, and warned of possible further action.

American Express plans to cut about 3,500 jobs, roughly 5 percent of its global workforce, to reduce layers and speed decisions, the Wall Street Journal reports. It is the latest large employer to announce cuts this week, after Barclays, eBay and Volvo.

SLB's third-quarter revenue rose 5.8 percent to $9.45 billion, lifted by rapid growth in its data-centre division and a gradual recovery of Middle East activity, the Wall Street Journal reports. The oilfield-services group is one of several industrial suppliers now reporting AI infrastructure as a source of growth.

Finland's government granted an operating licence on Thursday for Onkalo, the world's first permanent underground store for spent nuclear fuel, 22 years after construction began, the operator Posiva said, according to Al Jazeera. The site can hold 6,500 tonnes of uranium in copper canisters sealed in bedrock with bentonite clay, and it can open once the regulator STUK signs off on final commissioning tests. Sweden and France are building similar repositories, but Finland is expected to be first.

Moderna's mRNA cancer vaccine almost halves the risk of skin cancer coming back, according to Nature's news report on the trial results. The data follow a sharp fall in Moderna's shares on Thursday after details leaked on social media ahead of a conference presentation scheduled for Saturday.

The CDC declined a request from California and Washington to validate a rapid measles test that can process up to 500 samples in eight hours, citing 'other competing priorities', according to a letter from the West Coast Health Alliance reported by the Guardian. Health officials from four states asked director Erica Schwartz to reconsider; there is no commercial or CDC-validated high-throughput measles test, so labs rely on slower PCR tests.

California's flu test positivity reached 9.65 percent by 10 October, against slightly above 1 percent at the same point in the past two seasons, and Utah logged 242 influenza A cases against 10 a year earlier, the Guardian reports. Experts link the early start to a new mutation of the H1N1 strain, which accounts for 242 of 300 flu viruses reported to the CDC so far, and urge early vaccination.

Physicists have confined a single antimatter particle, a positron, in a trap, which Nature's news report says opens the door to 'revolutionary' physics.

Foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany and Italy met counterparts from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt in Istanbul on Friday and said none of them supported a new attack on Iran, Al Jazeera reports; Turkey's Hakan Fidan called diplomacy the only way to end the war and reopen Hormuz. France's Jean-Noël Barrot warned that escalation would 'create nothing but losers' and push up energy prices. The meeting came as Iran threatened wider strikes on economic and civilian targets if the U.S. attacks, the Wall Street Journal reports, and as Washington moves troops and diplomats out of harm's way.

With Brent near a five-month high and tankers hit in and around the Strait of Hormuz, analysts told Al Jazeera that the world's usable emergency oil stocks are thin: the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve has fallen to 283 million barrels, its lowest since 1982, after the IEA's 400-million-barrel release in March. Kpler estimates that a closed strait plus a Houthi block on Saudi tankers would cut Middle East crude exports from 16.8 million to about 7.5 million barrels a day, and an IG analyst said a renewed war could push oil to $150.

A magnitude-7 earthquake struck a sparsely populated, high-altitude area of northern Tibet late on Thursday, killing at least 16 people, injuring 54 and destroying at least 339 homes in Nagqu, Chinese official media said, as reported by the Guardian. CCTV called it the region's biggest quake in five years; rockfalls closed part of national highway 317 and Xi Jinping ordered an all-out rescue effort, with snow forecast for the next three days.

China's Central Committee meets with Xi Jinping seeking new ways to curb corruption ahead of a leadership shake-up, the Economist reports. The magazine expects purges and promotions to dominate the gathering.

Beijing has given Citigroup long-awaited approval to run a securities business in China, the Financial Times reports, a green light that comes ahead of a meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping expected next month.

India has imposed a 30 percent trade-margin cap on 137 more cancer drugs, which the government says will cut prices by up to 70 percent and save patients about 2,500 crore rupees (about £199m) a year, the Guardian reports. The move follows a case brought by a Kerala breast-cancer patient, Sarojam Radhakrishnan, who died while it was pending; Supreme Court justices called the mark-ups 'carnage' and 'extortion', citing a drug supplied at 2,700 rupees and sold at 27,000. The court has given the government until 27 October to explain why the cap covers only cancer drugs.

Typhoon Champi passed close to Taiwan's north-east coast on Friday, suspending work and classes in nearly all of its 22 counties and cities and closing the stock exchange, the BBC reports. One person died after being swept away by waves, 171 were injured and about 1,000 were evacuated; hundreds of flights were cancelled across the region. The storm, which peaked earlier in the week with 298 km/h winds, is Japan's 30th typhoon of the year, the most since 2013.

Demonstrators across Sumatra and Kalimantan have demanded stronger firefighting, action against the companies blamed for the blazes and a national-disaster declaration, the Straits Times reported, with protests in Palembang, Jambi, Riau and Central Kalimantan; one in Palembang turned violent. The El Niño-driven fires are among the worst in years, have killed four firefighters and sent haze into Singapore and Malaysia, and the New York Times reports the smoke has sickened hundreds of thousands.

The Economist's briefing argues that the rivalry between the UAE and Saudi Arabia is prolonging and deepening deadly wars in Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere, with each backing opposing forces. Its accompanying leader calls on the two Gulf powers to stop fuelling carnage in their backyard.

The Economist's leader argues that either a collapse in AI stocks or a public-debt scare could crash markets, but probably not both at once, because a fall in AI shares would drive investors into government bonds and push yields down. Thursday's trading, when the Nasdaq fell 2.6 percent and Treasury yields posted their biggest drop since 2023, fits the pattern it describes.