JQJO — Your world, one story at a time · Page 1246

During the ceasefire, Gaza City’s Shorbasi family rushed out after a blast to find 6-year-old twins Yahya and Nabila bleeding, injured by an unexploded device they’d mistaken for a toy. The children underwent emergency surgery; a British physician said their life-threatening wounds include a lost hand and possible leg loss, with recovery jeopardized by scarce supplies. Health workers warn such ordnance is pervasive: Gaza’s ministry reported five children wounded this week, and UNMAS says explosive risk is “incredibly high,” with hundreds of devices found amid vast debris. The ministry reports over 68,500 Palestinians killed since the war began.

Images of long queues outside gold stores flooded social media over the past month, and professional metals traders grew increasingly uneasy. On Oct. 6, Nicky Shiels, head of research at MKS Pamp SA, told clients gold is “an overcrowded trade that’s overextended by every technical metric.” On Monday, as prices hit new record highs near $4,400 an ounce, Heraeus Precious Metals trader Marc Loeffert warned the metal was “getting even more overbought.”

Germany postponed Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's trip to China after Beijing confirmed only one meeting—with Wang Yi—despite plans for talks over two days, a Foreign Office spokesperson said. The unfulfilled schedule would have been the first ministerial visit under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's conservative-led government, in office since May. Berlin expressed regret and did not specify which side canceled. The delay comes as a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson attacked Germany's stance on Taiwan, and as trade strains deepen over rare-earth export controls and EU chip worries following the Netherlands' move on Nexperia.

New DNA analysis of teeth from 13 soldiers who died during Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow has pinpointed two culprits behind the army’s devastation: Salmonella enterica Paratyphi C, which causes paratyphoid fever, and Borrelia recurrentis, the agent of louse-borne relapsing fever. Led by Nicolás Rascovan at the Institut Pasteur and published in Current Biology, the sequencing study found no traces of typhus or trench fever in this sample, aligning with accounts of fever and diarrhea and conditions of poor hygiene. Combined with a 2006 study, the results suggest multiple infections ravaged the Grande Armée, which lost estimated 300,000 men.

The nation’s second-longest shutdown has become a stage for President Donald Trump to flex control, from attempting layoffs of thousands of federal workers to redirecting defense research funds to pay troops, while agencies post blame on Democrats. Democrats have doubled down, repeatedly rejecting a GOP reopening bill, framing the standoff as a check on expanding presidential power. With federal employees missing nearly a month of full pay, SNAP facing a Nov. 1 funding cliff, and air travel delays mounting, Sen. Angus King warns the impasse only strengthens the presidency and harms the country.

A new Nature study reports that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may boost cancer immunotherapy. Reviewing outcomes for more than 1,000 late-stage melanoma and lung cancer patients on immune checkpoint inhibitors, those vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna within 100 days were over twice as likely to be alive at three years; patients whose tumors rarely respond saw nearly fivefold gains. Animal experiments suggest the vaccines act as an immune alarm, turning “cold” tumors “hot.” Researchers will launch a nationwide trial in lung cancer to test adding the vaccine to standard immunotherapy.

A 71-year-old Japanese tourist died Friday night after falling about seven metres from a perimeter wall of the Pantheon in Rome, authorities said. Emergency doctors, local police and firefighters forced an external gate to reach him, but he could not be saved. Investigators are examining whether he leaned out too far—possibly to take a photo—or was overcome by illness, as reported by his daughter, who was traveling with him. The incident, around 9:50 p.m. on Via della Palombella, is the second such fall in the city this year, after a woman died near the Spanish Steps in March.

Trick-or-treat bags may skew fruitier as non-chocolate candies surge and chocolate loses share amid soaring cocoa costs. In the 12 weeks ending Oct. 5, chocolate accounted for 44% of U.S. Halloween candy volume, down from 52% last year; it averaged $8.02 per pound versus $5.77 for non-chocolate. Cocoa prices quadrupled to a January record of $10,710 per metric ton. Americans spent $7.4 billion on Halloween candy in 2024. Hershey led with 40.8% market share, while Mars rolled out Halloween stock July 5 and makes 30 million M&M’s daily in Topeka. Non-chocolate sales grew 4.9% in 2024; chocolate rose 0.4%.

Donald Trump’s promise to avoid distant wars is straining under an escalating campaign against Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The U.S. has launched at least eight Caribbean strikes, killing at least 38 people, plus two in the Pacific that killed at least five, while B-52s and special operations forces deploy near Venezuela. Trump authorized CIA operations amid fears of a coup bid. A power struggle elevated Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s hard line, despite some eased oil sanctions. Critics question the legality and drug rationale; the White House cites the Patriot Act.

Argentina’s libertarian president, Javier Milei, faces a fraught midterm test Sunday amid inflation-weary voters, a sliding peso and corruption scandals touching close allies, including his sister and chief-of-staff Karina Milei. While he touts progress against triple‑digit inflation, his movement suffered setbacks — stones thrown in August and a bruising loss in Buenos Aires Province. US president Donald Trump, Milei’s strongest backer, has dangled up to $40bn in aid but warned it could vanish if Milei underperforms, prompting charges of interference. Pollsters predict punishment over austerity; analysts warn a poor result could trigger fresh financial turmoil.