10 things you need to know today: October 8, 2018

1. Scientists warn 'unprecedented' action needed to stop climate disaster

Governments around the world must take "unprecedented" action to limit global warming to "well below" 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid catastrophic climate change by as early as 2040, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned in a report released Monday. The report found that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, by 2040 the atmosphere will heat up by as much as 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit above preindustrial levels, causing a mass die off of coral reefs, intense droughts, coastal flooding, and food shortages. Physicist Bill Hare, author of previous IPCC reports, told The New York Times the report is "quite a shock, and quite concerning. We were not aware of this just a few years ago."

The New York Times

2. South Korea says U.S., North Korea will hold second summit soon

The U.S. and North Korea have agreed to work toward holding a second summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "at the earliest possible date," South Korean officials said Sunday. South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo after the top U.S. diplomat met with Kim. Moon said he hoped the second Trump-Kim summit would lead to "irreversible, decisive progress in terms of denuclearization as well as the peace process." Pompeo said he had "a good, productive conversation" with Kim. The Trump administration has been trying to get momentum going again after expressing frustration with Kim's failure to follow up on the first summit in June with concrete steps toward denuclearization. "It was another step forward. So this is, I think, a good outcome for all of us," Pompeo said.

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The Washington Post

3. Turkey demands 'convincing explanation' for Saudi journalist's disappearance

Turkey on Sunday demanded that Saudi Arabia provide a "convincing explanation" for the alleged killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and commentator who disappeared after going to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Khashoggi fled the kingdom last year fearing he would be arrested, and had gone to the consulate to pick up a document that would have allowed him to get married in Turkey. Turkish officials told journalists that investigators had concluded that Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate by Saudi agents. "There is concrete information; it will not remain an unsolved case," Yasin Aktay, an adviser to the head of Turkey's ruling A.K.P. party, said. Saudi officials have denied killing or detaining Khashoggi.

The New York Times

4. Limousine crash kills 20 in deadliest accident since 2009

Twenty people died in rural upstate New York when a limousine sped through a stop sign and into a parking lot, hitting another vehicle and two pedestrians, New York State Police said Sunday. Everyone inside the limousine was killed. It reportedly was carrying four sisters and other family members, including two pairs of newlyweds, to a birthday celebration. The two pedestrians also died. The crash was the deadliest transportation accident in the U.S. since a 2009 plane crash that killed 49 people in Buffalo. "That limo was coming down that hill probably over 60 miles per hour," said Jessica Kirby, 36, the manager of the Apple Barrel Country Store, where customers were hit near the parking lot. "All fatal ... I don't want to describe the scene."

Reuters The Associated Press

5. 2 Americans win Nobel Prize for economics

American researchers William Nordhaus and Paul Romer have won the Nobel Prize for economics for their work examining the interplay of climate change and technological innovation, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced Monday. Nordhaus, of Yale University, was the first economist to create a quantitative model that "describes the global interplay between the economy and the climate," showing that "the most efficient remedy for problems caused by greenhouse gases is a global scheme of universally imposed carbon taxes," the academy said. Romer, of New York University's Stern School of Business, helped provide the research that led to the endogenous growth theory, and has shed light on how economic forces steer companies' willingness to produce new ideas and innovations.

CNBC The Associated Press

6. China says Interpol chief suspected of 'violating the law'

The Chinese Communist Party announced Sunday that missing Interpol President Meng Hongwei was under investigation on "suspicion of violating the law." Interpol said a few hours later that it had received Meng's resignation, which was effective immediately. The Chinese Communist Party said Meng, a Chinese national, was "under the supervision" of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, an anticorruption watchdog with links to the party. Meng was reported missing during a visit to his home country on Thursday, and Interpol had demanded information from Beijing on his whereabouts on Saturday.

The New York Times

7. Far-right candidate leads first round of Brazil's presidential election

Far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro led the first round of Brazil's presidential election on Sunday, but fell short of the majority required to win outright. Bolsonaro, a congressman and former army captain, led with 46 percent of the vote. He will face Fernando Haddad, a former mayor of São Paulo and education minister, in an Oct. 28 runoff. Haddad is the hand-picked stand-in for jailed former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was barred from running due to his corruption conviction. Haddad, the left's top candidate, trailed Bolsonaro with 29 percent of the vote. The campaign brought out tensions in Latin America's largest democracy. Bolsonaro promises to fight rampant crime and corruption. Haddad appeals to working-class Brazilians who supported the social programs of Lula's government.

NPR

8. Tropical Storm Michael threatens to hit Gulf Coast as hurricane

Tropical Storm Michael formed rapidly off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Sunday and is gaining strength as it heads north, threatening to hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 2 hurricane around midweek, forecasters said. The storm's top sustained winds went from 50 miles per hour to 60 mph within hours, and it strengthened further overnight, nearing hurricane status with top winds of roughly 70 mph. It was expected to officially become a hurricane on Monday. Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) declared a state of emergency for 26 counties in the Florida Panhandle and the Big Bend area, freeing up state resources to prepare. "This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous," Scott said.

CBS News

9. 5.2-magnitude aftershock stokes fear in Haiti

Northern Haiti was rattled by a magnitude 5.2 aftershock on Sunday, a day after a 5.9-magnitude quake killed at least 12 people and injured more than 180. The second temblor hit as survivors sifted through the rubble of the first quake, which damaged dozens of homes and businesses. The Sunday tremors sparked panic and threatened to drive the death toll higher. "I feel like my life is not safe here," said nun Maryse Alsaint, director of the San Gabriel National School in Gros-Morne, where several classrooms were badly damaged. The first quake was felt lightly 140 miles away in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, which was devastated by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake in 2010.

The Associated Press

10. Venom and A Star Is Born combine for record October weekend

The comic-book movie Venom shattered the October box-office record with an $80 million debut weekend, despite bad reviews. Bradley Cooper's A Star Is Born was lifted to a $41.3 million haul by Oscar buzz and a wave of positive publicity. The film marks Cooper's directorial debut and Lady Gaga's first leading performance on the big screen. "We knew we had a hit," said Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeffrey Goldstein of A Star Is Born. "We also knew that every time people saw the movie, they felt it, they cried, they loved it. People just like the movie." The two hits contributed to a total of $174.5 million in ticket sales, easily the best October weekend ever.

The Associated Press