The 10 Most Important Things In The World Right Now
REUTERS/Carlos BarriaA pro-democracy protester cries as he holds a placard with photos of Ken Tsang Kin-chiu, a hospitalized protester, during a rally in front of the police headquarters of Wan Chai district in Hong Kong Oct. 15, 2014.
Good morning. Here's what you need to know for Thursday.
1. Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests have been reignited by video footage that appears to show officers beating an unarmed demonstrator, while photos of the victim apparently show severe bruising from the alleged attack.
2. A second Texas nurse infected with Ebola after treating Liberian patient Thomas Eric Duncan reported having a slight fever before she flew from Ohio to Dallas the day prior to being diagnosed.
3. The plunge in oil prices has placed increasing financial pressure on countries that export it, including Russia, Iran, and Venezuela. In the short term, "the big producers will probably face budget problems in varying degrees of severity, with an array of economic, strategic and political ramifications," The New York Times writes.
4. Gen. John Allen, a former four-star general, warned on Wednesday that Islamic State militants are making significant gains in Iraq and Syria despite US-led airstrikes against the terrorist group, the Financial Times reports.
5. Two new polls on Wednesday showed that Brazil's Oct. 26 presidential election between leftist incumbent Dilma Rousseff and pro-business candidate Aecio Neves will be extremely close.
6. Hurricane Gonzalo is now churning through the Atlantic and is expected to hit Bermuda on Friday. According to CNN, this is one of the strongest Atlantic storms in recent years.
7. Chinese drugmaker Sihuan Pharmaceutical Holdings Group Ltd has sent an experimental Ebola drug to Africa where the company is planning clinical trials, Reuters reports.
8. Avalanches and blizzards in Nepal's mountain region have killed at least 20 people, while five climbers are still missing, the Associated Press reports.
9. BBC's website has been blocked across China after a video that appears to show police officers beating a pro-democracy protester began circulating online. BBC Global News director Peter Horrocks said the move appeared to be "deliberate censorship."
10. Apple is expected to unveil a bunch of new details about the iPad at its second major product launch of the season on Thursday.
And finally ...