10 things you need to know today: October 23, 2014

1. Ottawa locked down after gunman attacks Parliament

A gunman, identified as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed a soldier guarding Canada's National War Memorial, then entered the Parliament building across a plaza and started shooting there. Zehaf-Bibeau, who was believed to be a convert to Islam identified as a "high-risk traveler," was killed in a shootout with security personnel. The attack left Ottawa, Canada's capital on lockdown, and came three days after an attack on two soldiers in Quebec.

Bloomberg News The Washington Post

2. Four former Blackwater contractors convicted for deadly Iraq shooting

A federal jury on Wednesday found four former Blackwater Worldwide security contractors guilty of several charges connected to a 2007 shooting that killed 17 civilians in Iraq. One of the defendants was convicted of murder, and the other three were found guilty of manslaughter and weapons charges. The shooting in Baghdad's Nisour Square inflamed anti-U.S. tensions and severely tarnished the reputation of a company that was then America's main security contractor in Iraq.

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The New York Times

3. Leaked report and other evidence said to support Ferguson officer's shooting account

New evidence, including Michael Brown's leaked official autopsy, and grand jury testimony supports Ferguson, Mo., police officer Darren Wilson's assertion that Brown tried to take Wilson's gun before the officer shot and killed him, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The medical examiner said Brown had a close-range bullet wound to one hand, one of several details supporting Wilson's report of a close-range struggle. A Justice Department official called the leak of the autopsy report an "irresponsible" attempt to sway public opinion.

The Washington Post Los Angeles Times

4. UNC offered fake courses to boost athletes' grades

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offered phony courses that gave 3,100 students — most of them student-athletes — a boost to their grade-point averages, according to a report released Wednesday after an eight-month investigation. The university admitted that the scandal was worse than previously acknowledged. Students in the classes didn't have to attend class, or stay awake when they did.

Bloomberg Businessweek

5. Candidate disqualified from tribal election because he can't speak Navajo

The Navajo Nation's highest court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal from Chris Deschene, a candidate for tribal president, of a lower court order disqualifying him from the election because he is not fluent in the Navajo language. Tribal law requires the president to be fluent in Navajo because it is central to the tribe's culture. Deschene said he still hoped tribal lawmakers would find a way for him to run.

The Associated Press

6. Travelers from West Africa will be monitored for Ebola

Federal health officials imposed new restrictions Wednesday requiring travelers from countries affected by West Africa's Ebola outbreak to submit to monitoring for three weeks after entering the U.S. The travelers will have to report their temperatures daily, as well as any other possible symptoms of the deadly virus. They also will have to provide email addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information.

The New York Times

7. U.S.-led airstrikes killed 553 people in a month, group says

The U.S.-led coalition's airstrikes against ISIS and other Islamist groups over the last month in Syria have killed 553 people, including 32 civilians, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Thursday. As expected, ISIS took the greatest toll — 464 of the dead were ISIS fighters. Fifty-seven were members of the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate fighting to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Reuters

8. Latest White House fence-jumper is quickly captured

A man jumped the White House fence Wednesday night and was immediately stopped by two dogs from a Secret Service K9 unit. The man, identified as Dominic Adesanya of Maryland, has a history of mental problems, his father said. The response provided an opportunity for the embattled Secret Service to demonstrate that it had made changes since another man, Omar Gonzalez, hopped the fence in September and managed to enter the White House carrying a folding knife.

CNN

9. Mexican government suspects mayor in students' disappearance

Mexico's attorney general said Wednesday that the mayor of the city of Iguala, Jose Luis Abarca, and his wife were the "probable masterminds" of the disappearance of 43 student-teachers last month. The students from Iguala, which is in the southwestern state of Guerrero, have not been seen since they clashed with police on Sept. 26. A gang leader told authorities that the mayor ordered police to prevent the students from disrupting a political event.

Reuters

10. Royals beat Giants in Game 2, tying World Series

The Kansas City Royals beat the San Francisco Giants 7-2 on Wednesday night to even the World Series at one win apiece. The game was tied 2-2 until the sixth inning, when the Royals piled up five runs that included a two-run homer by Omar Infante off Giants pitcher Hunter Strickland. The tense inning almost included a brawl, as an argument between Salvador Perez, who hit a two-run double, and Strickland cleared the benches. The Series moves from Kansas to San Francisco for Game 3 on Friday.

The New York Times