Merz seeks European defense unity amid political weakness | JQJO

A new attack ad from Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor’s race featured Amy Acton’s estranged mother, Donna Arthur, calling the candidate a liar. Acton’s campaign and her brother Philip Stearns called the ad a “despicable low.” Arthur said, “It’s not easy for a mother to say this, but Amy was a serious problem. She is a liar; she lies about her past.” Stearns accused Ramaswamy of exploiting the sexual abuse Acton endured at age twelve, noting that their stepfather, Cledith Arthur, was arrested and charged. Ramaswamy later confirmed the ad was from his campaign and defended its content. The Ohio Republican Party has not yet responded. Acton, who served as the state’s public health commissioner, has previously spoken publicly about abuse by her stepfather.

Two critical PHP remote‑code‑execution flaws, CVE‑2026‑109618 and CVE‑2026‑109619, were disclosed on the Hacker News forum on October 20, a day before the PHP security team’s planned public disclosure and patch release at 2 pm GMT on October 21. The leaks, attributed to user ‘petecooper’, revealed the CVE identifiers and claimed the vulnerabilities would be disclosed on October 22. The PHP team confirmed the patches would be released on October 21 and assigned a CVSS score of 9.2, lower than the maximum 10.0 suggested by the leak. CERT‑EU and the UK NCSC issued emergency advisories urging users to prepare for remediation. PHP powers roughly 69.7 % of websites that use a server‑side language, including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla and Magento. The premature leak could enable attackers to exploit the flaws before patches are available.

Microsoft announced the second wave of Xbox Game Pass games for October 2026, adding the console debuts of The Séance of Blake Manor and Mouthwashing. The lineup also includes Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade, which arrived on Xbox earlier this year. New titles join on 21st, 22nd, and 27th October, while several games leave the service on 31st October. The update expands the Pass’s library with atmospheric mystery, retro horror, and a popular RPG remaster.

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff is targeting a comeback from a shoulder injury, though it remains uncertain whether he will be ready for the team’s World‑Series push.

North Korea’s state media on Wednesday warned border troops to take prompt and resolute action if South Korean forces threaten their safety, raising the risk of a clash along the heavily armed frontier. The directive followed Seoul’s pledge to punish any further provocation by Pyongyang resolutely. North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected fortifications on the border with South Korea on Tuesday, accompanied by Kim Yo Jong, the sister of leader Kim Jong Un. Kim Yo Jong said new firepower units had taken their firing positions at the border. Tensions have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its border in April two thousand and twenty‑four. The two countries are separated by the Demilitarized Zone established when the Korean War ended in an armistice in nineteen‑fifty‑three.

Independent lawmaker Helen Haines had both legs amputated after a car rammed her outside her electoral office in Wangaratta on Monday. Doctors removed her left leg and failed to save the right. The 43‑year‑old suspect, Brendan Nugent, appeared in court on Wednesday and faces charges of dangerous driving, intentional injury and harming a public official. Police say no intelligence indicated a threat to Haines. She was elected in 2019 and re‑elected in 2022 and 2025.