President Donald Trump said the US may have to target Pickaxe Mountain, a site linked to Iran's nuclear program, according to The Straits Times. In a Thursday-night interview with Newsmax, Trump also said he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war on Iran. NDTV reports that he reiterated he was not considering using US ground troops in Iran.
Low-interest federal loans kept many eateries afloat during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the restaurant industry did not recover enough for some to repay the debt. The Guardian reports that Jai Mazumdar, owner of Miami’s Spice N Curry, took out a $370,000 disaster loan in early 2021, but his business did not recover as he had expected.
A sugarcane crop withered by El Niño in India, the world’s second-largest producer, is threatening global sugar supply, according to The New York Times. The poor crop is hurting consumers and farmers and undermining India’s energy security goals.
Ten-year-old Willow is among children to benefit from a pioneering same-day test to spot infections, the BBC reports. The report describes metagenomics as a new way to detect infections in intensive care patients.
More than 44,000 people in Gaza still live in buildings marked for demolition and cannot leave because there is no alternative shelter, Euronews reports. Families in Al-Mughraqa face doubled tarpaulin prices, while timber and shelter kits are blocked from entering Gaza, according to Euronews.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, went up for preorder on Oct. 16, and 9to5Mac reports estimated delivery dates slipped into next year within minutes; CNET says it was backordered until January. Before sales, 9to5Mac advised buyers to be ready at 5 a.m. ET, while Engadget said preorders were set to open at 8 a.m. ET.
Zelenskyy appealed for European help to repel Russian attacks, as Kyiv faces financial problems and restrictions in US support while Russia prepares a winter assault, according to The Irish Times. POLITICO reported his warning that 20 million Ukrainians could flee to Europe if Russia wins the war, amid a brutal winter ahead and a cash crunch in Kyiv.
Tesla has unveiled a redesigned Roadster with rocket-style thrusters. TechRadar says it can barrel roll, climb walls and reach 230 mph, and reports a claimed 0-to-60 mph time of under a second. CBC reports Tesla said production would start in 2028, more than a decade after it first showed a next-generation version of the electric sports car.
Iran-backed Houthi attacks have disrupted sports tournaments in Saudi Arabia and threatened business events the kingdom has used to attract investment and raise its profile, The New York Times reports. France 24 reports that several major sporting events were cancelled or postponed amid repeated deadly attacks against the kingdom’s airports and infrastructure. This follows earlier reports of postponed Saudi games and exhibition events after Houthi attacks.
Trump allies Alina Habba Mildon and Richard Grenell are locked in a bitter dispute rooted in a battle over a share of the spoils in Venezuela, The New York Times reports.
France and Germany reached a compromise on car emissions and “Made in Europe,” according to POLITICO. Its German-language report says Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, who had initially blocked the paper, approved it on Friday; POLITICO's English-language report says the compromise followed the German Social Democrats dropping their opposition.
Al Jazeera’s later report says Israeli settlers burned Palestinian olive groves in Abu Falah and Turmus Ayya during the olive harvest. RTÉ reports that dozens of masked settlers burned trees and threw rocks at Palestinians in a coordinated attack on a West Bank village’s annual harvest, injuring at least two people including a journalist; The Straits Times also reports that a journalist was injured. Middle East Eye, citing Quds News Network, says Palestinian-owned vehicles were torched near Turmus Ayya on Friday morning, while the BBC reports that settlers were seen attacking Palestinian farmers and setting olive trees on fire. Al Jazeera’s earlier report says settlers set fire to Palestinian trees and vehicles during the harvest.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy smiled at a press conference in Brussels after being asked whether Donald Trump was treating him as a scapegoat. The Guardian reports that Sky News asked whether Trump was blaming him for domestic problems, including high diesel prices ahead of midterm elections; Zelenskyy paused for 15 seconds before replying, “This is my answer.” NDTV reports that journalists laughed at the press conference after Zelenskyy met EU leaders.
The Atlantic says Ukraine’s defenses depend on high-speed data links that Washington may have briefly shut down. This follows reports that a disruption to SpaceX’s Starshield network hampered Ukrainian military communications on Wednesday.
Japan withdrew an alert after officials believed a magnitude 9.9 earthquake had taken place, the New York Times reports; the tremor was hardly felt. The warning, retracted within minutes, forecast strong shaking across northern, eastern and central Japan. Hindustan Times reports that it followed a 6.9 tremor near Russia. NDTV notes that the most powerful quake had a magnitude of 9.5 and struck Chile.
After a week of tensions between Washington and Kyiv, Zelenskyy told Euronews that Trump was easier to deal with than Putin, despite the US president’s calls for new leadership in Ukraine and criticism of him. Trump said he believed the war would eventually end in a settlement, but claimed Zelensky was unwilling to reach an agreement and was harder to deal with than Putin.
Euronews reports that Renault and Citroën unveiled electric concepts inspired by classic cars at the Paris Motor Show, as some of Europe’s best-known cars are reinvented for the electric age. This follows earlier reports that European carmakers are turning to retro designs to fend off Chinese rivals.
Lufthansa is exploring a sale of software assets in a €1 billion deal, as the German airline seeks to free up cash for investments after taking a stake in a Portuguese carrier. This follows reports that Lufthansa would buy a €1.2 billion stake in TAP Air Portugal.
Researchers using NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory say the radio-wave formation known as the Treble Clef was likely caused by an outburst from a supermassive black hole, followed by a collision of two galaxy clusters. Space.com featured the formation as its space photo of the day for Oct. 16, describing it as a bizarre source of radio waves deep in the cosmos.
At an international AI summit in Dublin, European leaders promoted trusted and independent AI. Critics questioned whether the EU can catch up with the US and China while maintaining strict regulation.