Global Express | October 20, 2026 — Drone Strikes Across Sudan Kill More Than 160 in Days

1. Drone Strikes Across Sudan Kill More Than 160 in Days

Source: Al Jazeera

More than 160 people have been killed in a wave of drone attacks across western Sudan since Friday, according to medics and rights groups. On Monday, drone strikes on the capital Khartoum killed three children, said Emergency Lawyers, a group that monitors violence against civilians in the civil war. The increasing use of drones in recent months has caused growing numbers of civilian casualties.

The deadliest attack came on Sunday evening near a market in al-Dabba town in West Kordofan, an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Residents and medical workers said a drone struck a transport hub where villagers had gathered after a market day to find rides home, killing 80 people. Another 47 wounded were taken to the nearby town of al-Mujlad, where 30 later died of their injuries, a medical source told AFP. The RSF's self-declared administration, known as Tasis, and Emergency Lawyers both accused the army of carrying out the attack.

Early on Monday, another drone attack hit the RSF stronghold of Nyala, capital of South Darfur, killing 17 people including seven RSF officers and wounding 23. On Friday, an RSF drone attack hit a gathering of displaced people in Blue Nile province on the border with Ethiopia, killing 41, Emergency Lawyers said. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the United Nations was "alarmed by the continued deadly drone strikes across the country that are killing civilians, including children."

The war, now in its fourth year, began in April 2023 when military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, fell out over plans to fold the paramilitary into the army. At least 59,000 people have been killed according to conflict monitor ACLED, and about 13 million have been forced from their homes. The United States on Friday urged the UN Security Council to push for a humanitarian truce and expand an arms embargo, but China and Russia opposed widening it.

Source

2. Iran Says Ties With Russia Have Never Been Closer

Source: CBS News

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday that Iran and Russia have "never in our history worked as closely as now." His Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov visited Tehran a day earlier — his first trip to Iran since the US and Israel launched joint strikes on the Islamic republic at the end of February, sparking the war. Araghchi said the two covered "everything from Europe to West Asia," including Lebanon, Palestine, Ukraine and Yemen, and focused on expanding economic and nuclear cooperation.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday at the Global Security Forum in Doha that negotiations between Iran and the United States are ongoing despite rising tension. "The negotiation is ongoing. We are seeing engagement from the parties," he said, warning that "escalation left unchecked will mean that we are spiraling towards a regional war that will expand beyond the borders of our region." President Trump has repeatedly said the US could resume major strikes on Iran next month.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tuesday morning it had destroyed another US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz and hit two oil tankers with sea mines, causing fires on board. At least 24 American MQ-9 Reapers, two MQ-1 drones and an MQ-4C Triton have been lost since the war began, a loss of more than $800 million, according to a Congressional Budget Office report in September. Saudi forces said Tuesday they intercepted a ballistic missile launched toward Riyadh.

On Sunday, Trump wrote on Truth Social that "Russia is doing very little, if anything, to help the Islamic Republic of Iran." Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth quietly visited Israel on Monday and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to a senior US military official; the Pentagon declined to comment.

Source

3. Man Charged Over Attack on Australian MP Helen Haines

Source: BBC

Australian police on Tuesday charged a 43-year-old man over the attack on independent MP Helen Haines, who was hit by a car on Monday at around 15:35 local time near her electorate office on Murphy Street in Wangaratta, Victoria. He faces charges of dangerous driving causing serious injury, intentionally causing serious injury and causing harm to a Commonwealth public official. Police said they will allege the incident was targeted.

The man from Tarrawingee remains in custody and is due to appear at Wangaratta Magistrates' Court on Wednesday. Police searched a property on Great Alpine Road in Tarrawingee on Tuesday morning and said it appears to be an isolated incident with no other known threats, adding that officers will maintain a presence in Wangaratta. Police have not named the man; local media identified him as Brendan Nugent.

Haines, 65, remains in a critical but stable condition at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, where she underwent surgery. Local media including the ABC reported that she has lost a leg. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the incident a deliberate act, while Wangaratta mayor Irene Grant described it as an "assassination attempt" and said the discourse in public life had become "a lot more tense."

The suspect's father Rod Nugent and his partner Christine Cunningham said in a statement that they had been friends with Haines "for more than 20 years" and called the incident "devastating and unfathomable." Local barber Ricky Jefferies said he pulled the suspect from the car and threw away his knife, while another person sat in front of the vehicle.

Source

4. Putin Proposes US-China-Russia Summit; Trump Says He Is Willing

Source: BBC Chinese

President Trump will travel to China next month for the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18-19. President Vladimir Putin earlier proposed a trilateral meeting of the US, Chinese and Russian leaders on the sidelines. On October 19, Trump said he was willing to take part but stressed the focus would be denuclearization rather than ending the war in Ukraine — at odds with Putin's original intention of discussing Ukraine.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning has said only that there is "no information to provide," without taking a clear position. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha criticized the idea on X, saying such a meeting would only feed Putin's "self-aggrandizement" and give him "unnecessary status," encouraging him to continue the war. The three leaders have never held a formal trilateral summit, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would not take part.

The Wall Street Journal, citing former Russian intelligence officials, reported that Putin raised the idea of a meeting with the US and Chinese leaders on Ukraine during an October 9 call with Trump. The call also produced an agreement for the US to import Russian diesel to lower fuel prices. The former officials said Putin hopes the meeting could become a "second Yalta" that divides global spheres of influence.

Mao Ning said on October 16 that China's nuclear arsenal is not in the same league as those of the US and Russia, and that demanding China join nuclear disarmament talks at this stage is "unfair, unreasonable and unfeasible." Sun Yun, China program director at the Stimson Center, said Beijing wants to be seen as a hub among major powers and could act as a mediator between Washington and Moscow.

Source

5. GM Beats Estimates, Tightens Outlook and Unveils $20 Billion Buyback

Source: Yahoo Finance

General Motors reported third-quarter results before the bell on Tuesday that topped estimates: revenue of $50.0 billion, up 2.9% from a year earlier and above the $48.52 billion Bloomberg consensus; adjusted earnings per share of $3.70 versus $3.57 expected; and adjusted EBIT of $4.1 billion, ahead of the $4.02 billion expected and up nearly 22%.

Rather than raising guidance, GM tightened it. For the full year it now expects adjusted EBIT of $14.5 billion to $15.5 billion (prior $14.0 billion to $16.0 billion) and adjusted EPS of $12.75 to $13.75 (prior $12.00 to $14.00), keeping the same midpoints while trimming both ends. The real increase came on cash: adjusted automotive free cash flow is now forecast at $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion, up from $9.5 billion to $11.5 billion. The board approved a new $20 billion multiyear share repurchase authorization with no expiration date, and GM declared a quarterly dividend of $0.18 per share.

"We think this is a proven strategy," CEO Mary Barra wrote in her letter to shareholders, adding that the new authorization "further demonstrates our board's commitment to creating even greater shareholder value." She said GM is working to keep its momentum "despite growing inflationary pressures." GM now expects about $2 billion in commodity inflation, including logistics and DRAM costs, and cut expected regulatory benefits to about $500 million from as much as $750 million.

GM's third-quarter US sales fell 5.5% to 670,974 vehicles as a collapse in EV sales offset gains from pickups and small SUVs. EV sales dropped about 62% to roughly 25,500 units, shrinking to under 4% of GM's US volume from more than 9% a year earlier; Chevrolet Equinox EV sales plunged 92.4% to 1,905 and Blazer EV fell 84.4%. Light-duty pickup sales rose 9.3%, led by a 13.3% jump in the Chevrolet Silverado light-duty to 100,221.

Source

6. Walmart Bundles Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus for $120 a Year

Source: Fox Business

Walmart announced Tuesday that it is rolling out a new membership bundle giving shoppers access to both Walmart+ and Sam's Club Plus for $120 a year — nearly $100 less than buying the two memberships separately, which cost $98 and $120. The bundle works out to the equivalent of $10 per month, but it will only be available as an annual membership, with no monthly option and no free trial.

Members receive the benefits of both programs, including free delivery from Walmart and Sam's Club, access to Sam's Club locations and member-only pricing, a choice between Peacock and Paramount+, gas discounts and 2% Sam's Cash on eligible purchases. By comparison, Amazon Prime costs $139 a year.

Annual Walmart+ members can add Sam's Club Plus for an additional $22 per year, while existing Sam's Club members can upgrade to Plus for $60 and receive Walmart+ at no additional cost. Current Sam's Club Plus members can activate Walmart+ for free. Walmart also said US field associates at Walmart and Sam's Club will receive access to both memberships as an employee benefit.

The launch comes as consumers continue to face higher prices. Consumer prices rose 3.7% in September from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with gasoline up more than 34% over the past year and grocery prices up 1.8%. On its August 20 earnings call, Walmart said membership fee revenue increased 17% to an all-time high.

Source

7. Floods in Eastern Spain Kill at Least Four, More Than 450 Rescued

Source: DW

At least four people have died after torrential rain battered Spain's eastern Mediterranean coast. The severe flooding left more than 450 people stranded on rooftops, in buildings or in cars, and emergency services have rescued them — some airlifted from rooftops, flooded buildings and vehicles, others brought to safety by boat. The worst-affected areas are the Valencia and Alicante regions.

In the town of Oliva, two bodies were recovered: a 79-year-old woman found at her home and a man who died from a heart attack at a campsite. In Sagunto, a man drowned while swimming at the beach, while in Catalonia a woman died after falling into a rain-swollen stream.

Authorities imposed emergency restrictions across several municipalities asking people to stay indoors; most restrictions have since been lifted. The Balearic Islands, including Mallorca and Ibiza, were also affected, with schools closed and some flights cancelled or delayed. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said military emergency teams were assisting with rescue efforts and pledged full government support. The flooding comes almost two years after a disaster in the Valencia region killed more than 220 people.

Source

8. Nearly 1.6 Million Pounds of Hot Dogs, Bacon and Other Meats Recalled

Source: Fox Business

Kayem Foods Inc. has issued a voluntary recall of about 1,584,361 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products, including hot dogs, bacon, brisket and ham, over potential "temperature abuse" during storage, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced over the weekend.

FSIS gave the recall its highest-level classification, meaning there is a "reasonable probability" that eating the products could cause "serious, adverse health consequences or death." The products were shipped to retail and foodservice locations across the country as well as to Hong Kong. They were produced approximately from March 31 through October 7 and bear establishment numbers "EST. M/P 7839," "EST. P 20935A" and "EST. M 9520" inside the USDA mark of inspection.

The problem was discovered after the company received a retail customer complaint on October 1 about warm product temperatures at the point of delivery. Kayem investigated and determined that it had stored ready-to-eat meat and poultry products in a warehouse cooler that experienced temperature deviations caused by a cooling-system malfunction. The company said it has corrected the issue and is conducting the recall out of an abundance of caution. There have been no confirmed reports of illness; FSIS said consumers should not eat the products and should throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

Source

9. OpenAI Engineer Arrested Over Listening Device in Conference Room

Source: ABC News

A detention memo filed by the Justice Department on Sunday night says the OpenAI engineer charged with planting a listening device in a company conference room was allegedly communicating with a member of the Saudi royal family and was arrested days before he and his family were booked on a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia.

Abdulrahman Alfozan, a Saudi national, is accused of placing the device inside a USB port in the back of a television in a conference room at OpenAI's San Francisco headquarters that prosecutors say is frequently used by executives to host internal leadership meetings "as well as external briefings with government officials and business counterparts." According to the memo, he set up an AI chatbot account to "build a continuous audio recorder."

The memo says that throughout 2025 and 2026 the defendant was in frequent communication via WhatsApp with a member of the Saudi royal family, including as recently as October 5, 2026. The individual told him an artificial intelligence initiative was being launched in Saudi Arabia and wanted him to join it, and in May 2026 said "Saudi needs you more then [sic] the US!" — to which the defendant replied "100." Investigators also found a note titled "Riyadh tasks," last edited September 13.

Alfozan had been scheduled to go to Saudi Arabia on parental leave on October 12 and had booked a one-way ticket with no set return date. His wife and son flew from San Francisco to Doha, Qatar, on October 10 — the day after his arrest — on a one-way business-class ticket booked and paid for by a Saudi military official, according to the memo. OpenAI said it identified him, referred the matter to the FBI and fired him, and that it has no indications he inappropriately accessed or exfiltrated model weights, source code or customer data.

Source

10. China Records 192 Million Border Crossings in Third Quarter

Source: China Daily

China's National Immigration Administration released its third-quarter immigration data at a press conference on October 20. Immigration authorities processed 192 million border crossings in the quarter, up 7.9% year on year, including 95.96 million trips by mainland residents, 73.14 million by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents, and 23.272 million by foreigners — up 7.4%, 6.4% and 15.6% respectively.

Mainland residents made 48.508 million outbound trips, up 7.5%. The top ten destinations were Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Russia and Indonesia. Foreign arrivals reached 11.601 million, up 15.6%, of which 8.992 million entered visa-free, accounting for 77.5% of all foreign arrivals and up 24.1% year on year.

The top ten sources of foreign arrivals were Russia, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, the United States, Mongolia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand and Australia, together making up 63.9% of the total. Authorities also inspected 10.955 million transportation vehicles — aircraft, trains, ships and road vehicles — up 10.6%, and issued 5.338 million ordinary passports and 603,000 foreign visa documents.

Source