China’s factory activity slips as new export orders weaken

BEIJING (AP) — China's factory activity contracted in October, reversing the previous month's reboujnd. The National Bureau of Statistics reported Saturday that the official purchasing managers' index fell to 49.3, down from 50.1 in September. A PMI below 50 indicates contraction. Key subindexes, like new export orders and production, also showed declines. Chinese companies have been exporting more due to weakened domestic demand, but this has led to complaints from trading partners about trade deficits. The European Union has been particularly vocal with demands to rebalance trade. Some economists have predicted China's exports will remain strong for the rest of this year despite ongoing trade tensions.

A third weekend of protests in France as youth-led rallies sweep Europe

PARIS (AP) — Thousands of young protesters have taken to the streets across France for a third weekend. The French government estimated that 320,000 people turned out for the demonstrations on Saturday. They were protesting over living costs and education. Around 70,000 police officers were deployed nationwide with Paris marches rerouted to the city’s outskirts. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a high risk of disorder especially after dark on Halloween. The protests began last month with high school students and have since grown to include labor unions and others. Similar youth-led protests have been reported in Germany and Italy with calls for action on education, health, climate protection and affordable living.

FBI blames North Korea for stolen billions from Binance in biggest hack in history

New York (AP) — The FBI says the billions of dollars stolen from Binance within minutes in the biggest crypto heist in history was orchestrated by North Korean hackers. The bureau says this week's attack was tied to “malicious cyber activity” by an entity known as TraderTraitor. That same entity behind a $1.5 billion Bybit hack last year. The FBI said Saturday that it is advising crypto exchanges, blockchain analytics companies and others to block transactions tied to certian addresses to keep the money from being laundered further. Later Saturday night, President Donald Trump said authorities were still learning about the case, however, and added, “We don't know if it was North Korea.”

Iran's leader says response to attack would have no 'geographic limits,' and other Mideast news

Iran's supreme leader has threatened an immediate response to any potential attack from the U.S. or Israel. This comes as diplomatic efforts continue to prevent a return to all-out war. Iran's foreign minister said a proposal had been reached with mediators for fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz in two days. Talks with mediators are ongoing in Qatar. Iran isn't planning to meet with U.S. officials but views recent U.S. dialogue efforts positively. Regional leaders including those from Saudi Arabia and Egypt urge calm to prevent escalation.

NASA telescope is on the verge of plunging back to Earth after failed rescue mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A NASA telescope is barely clinging to space after a failed rescue effort left it tottering lower and lower. The U.S. Space Force predicts the Swift Observatory will come crashing down on or around Friday. Most of the 1 1/2-ton telescope is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. But NASA says a handful of pieces could survive reentry. Swift observed some of the universe's biggest explosions during its 22 years in orbit. Intense solar activity dragged it down faster than expected, prompting NASA to stage a rescue mission. But the robot could not reach the telescope and plunged back to Earth in September.

Rising health costs and coverage changes are big concerns for older adults as Election Day nears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rising healthcare costs are a major concern for older Americans, and it's affecting their finances and political priorities. Open enrollment for Medicare began in October, with changes in costs and coverage. Prescription drug prices remain high and that's forcing some people to ration medications. Long-term care costs have also increased significantly. Social Security's future is uncertain, with potential benefit reductions by 2034 if funding issues aren't addressed. One 83-year-old retiree from Ohio says she faces financial strain due to medical expenses despite her careful retirement planning. Barbara Weigand recently withdrew $4,000 from her retirement account to cover cancer treatment costs.

Wall Street drops to its worst day since June after the sell-off for tech stocks deepens

NEW YORK (AP) — The sell-off for tech stocks on Wall Street got even worse on worries that the frenzy around AI sent prices too high. The S&P 500 dropped 1.8% Friday for its worst day since June. The Nasdaq composite fell 2.9%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.1%. Intel plunged to its biggest loss since 1974 after giving a profit forecast that fell below analysts’ expectations, while Amazon’s latest profit report raised more worries about how much companies are spending on their AI Investments. Treasury yields sank as investors searched for safer things to own, even though oil prices rose.

Amazon offers cautious view after disappointing 3Q results but delivers strong cloud growth

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon offered a cautious sales outlook for the current fourth quarter that encompasses the critical holiday shopping period after delivering fiscal third-quarter results that came in below Wall Street analysts’ expectations. The Seattle-based company, however, posted strong growth in its prominent cloud computing unit. Sales in the cloud computing unit, called Amazon Web Services, or AWS, rose 39.3% during the latest quarter ending Sept. 30, higher than the 37% clip during the previous quarter. The company said it marked the fastest growth rate in nearly five years.

Long accused of abetting crypto crimes, Binance has now become a victim

NEW YORK (AP) — Binance and its billionaire founder have long been accused of profiting off crypto criminals. Now they have become victims. Targeted in what looks like the largest cryptocurrency heist in history, Binance and Changpeng Zhao have been front-page news for most of the crypto exchange’s short history. He and his company have been accused of looking the other way as the exchange was used by drug traffickers, child abusers, terrorists and money launderers. Now in a curious turn of fate, the alleged abettor of crypto crimes has become a target as details suggest North Korea is behind a massive bitcoin theft.

Europe's economy brushes off energy shock from Iran war, shows moderate growth in Q3

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s economy persevered with moderate growth in the third quarter despite higher oil prices from the US-Iran war, as gross domestic product increased by 0.4% over the quarter before. The figure released Friday for the 21-country eurozone was better than the 0.2% expected by market analysts. Compared to the same quarter a year ago, the economy of the 21 countries using the euro grew by 1.3% in the July-September period, according to EU statistics agency Eurostat.