KOSPI plummets 7.57% on Black Thursday as AI profitability worries trigger market sell-off
South Korean stocks experienced a historic 'Black Thursday' on October 15, 2026, with the KOSPI falling 7.57% to close at 5,554.22, wiping approximately 400 trillion won in market cap. The sell-off was driven by negative outlooks on AI infrastructure returns and a U.S. CPI shock, triggering circuit breakers for the first time in two and a half months. Foreign investors were net sellers, offloading 3.7 trillion won, with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix among the steepest decliners amid semiconductor sector concerns.
US Military Develops MOAB Strike Plans Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Energy Infrastructure
The US military has prepared strike plans potentially involving the MOAB bomb to target Iranian nuclear and energy sites, escalating options available should combat operations resume. The development follows heightened tensions and prior Israeli-US joint strikes, with planners preparing the 'mother of all bombs' as part of broader military contingency planning against Iranian infrastructure.
Trump Condemns Ukraine's Refinery Strikes, Questions Zelenskyy's Leadership
Former President Donald Trump criticized Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries during a Newsmax interview, calling the attacks a 'disgrace' and blaming them for rising global energy prices. He renewed his criticism of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asserting that Zelensky is 'more difficult to negotiate with than Putin' and suggesting Ukraine should hold elections, while declaring he did not want to deal with Zelenskyy due to his refusal to pursue a peace agreement with Russia.
Bank of America hires 1,000 contractors to address AI-exposed software vulnerabilities
Bank of America hired roughly 1,000 contractors in Q2 to remediate software vulnerabilities exposed by advanced AI models like Anthropic's Mythos, as confirmed by CEO Brian Moynihan during an analyst call. The effort, part of a broader 'Mythos remediation' push costing several hundred million dollars, underscores the growing operational costs for financial institutions defending against AI-discovered flaws, occurring alongside an eight-state lawsuit against OpenAI and the White House AI task force launch.
Supreme Court adds DOGE records fight and terrorism definition to 2026-7 term docket
The U.S. Supreme Court added three significant cases to its 2026-27 oral argument docket, centering on government information access via a Department of Government Efficiency FOIA dispute and the scope of material-support prohibitions for asylum seekers. The selections highlight tensions between judicial oversight and executive transparency, as well as the boundaries of terrorism-related immigration law.
Patel Defends Agent Ousters and Expanded Hiring Criteria at Intense Senate Hearing
FBI Director Kash Patel faced a nearly five-hour Senate Judiciary Committee grilling on Tuesday, defending controversial decisions including the mass firing of experienced agents, lowered hiring standards for candidates with histories involving prostitution and bestiality, and ambiguous responses on election security deployments. Democrats criticized the moves as undermining bureau independence, while Republicans framed them as necessary reforms.
Trump appeals court ruling lifting White House ban on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly has extended his block on the Trump administration's media ban through at least October 20, 2026, ruling the White House likely violated First and Fifth Amendment rights by revoking press passes for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico correspondents. The judge determined the ban was driven by the president's belief that the outlets' reporting was inaccurate and biased, rather than legitimate policy goals. Trump announced he will appeal the decision, escalating a legal battle being closely monitored by First Amendment groups.
TU Wien researchers achieve world first with self-stabilizing nuclear clock prototype
Researchers at TU Wien have built the world’s first prototype of a self-stabilizing nuclear clock, using thorium-229 nuclei embedded in a crystal to regulate a laser’s frequency. The device operated continuously for over 24 hours, achieving fractional precision of approximately 10⁻¹⁵, demonstrating that nuclear transition-based timekeeping is feasible and potentially surpassing the accuracy of current atomic clocks.