10 things you need to know today: August 25, 2015

(Image credit: (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein))

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1. World stocks rebound slightly despite another sharp fall in China
2. Korean deal defuses tensions
3. Ferguson judge tosses out arrest warrants in sweeping reform move
4. Biden reportedly to meet with Democratic fundraisers as he ponders presidential bid
5. Rick Perry's Iowa chairman leaves campaign
6. Last known Sierra Leone Ebola patient goes home
7. IndyCar driver Justin Wilson dies from injuries sustained in race
8. Police report possible link of two suicides to Ashley Madison hack
9. Lion kills safari guide in Zimbabwe park where Cecil the lion lived
10. Fear the Walking Dead breaks cable viewing record

published 25 August 2015

1. World stocks rebound slightly despite another sharp fall in China

Global stock markets showed signs of stabilizing on Tuesday, despite another steep dive for China's benchmark Shanghai index, which closed down 7.6 percent. Shares around the world took a volatile ride on Monday as investors panicked over the troubles in China, the world's second largest economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by a gut-wrenching 1,000 points after Monday's opening bell, then bounced around all day before closing down nearly 600 points. All three major U.S. indexes fell by nearly 4 percent.

North and South Korea reached a deal to end the threat of war early Tuesday after three days of marathon talks. Tensions began rising early this month when two South Korean soldiers were maimed by a border-zone land mine planted by North Korea. South Korea then began broadcasting propaganda over the border with a loudspeaker, which led to an exchange of cross-border artillery fire. Under the deal, North Korea apologized for the land mine, and South Korea agreed to turn off the loudspeaker.

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Ferguson, Missouri, Municipal Court Judge Donald McCullin on Monday ordered the withdrawal of all local arrest warrants issued before Dec. 31. The judge, appointed in June, is revamping of court policies in response to withering criticism in a Justice Department report five months ago that accused the court and police of working together to squeeze money out of people, primarily minorities. The investigation was part of the federal response to the fatal shooting of unarmed black teen Michael Brown by a white officer a year ago.

Major fundraisers for the 2008 and 2012 Obama-Biden campaigns have been invited to meet with Vice President Joe Biden at his residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory after Labor Day. The news fueled anticipation as Biden reportedly leans toward entering the 2016 race for the Democratic presidential nomination as frontrunner Hillary Clinton faces questions about her use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.

Former Texas governor Rick Perry's Iowa campaign chairman, Sam Clovis, quit on Monday. Clovis, a leading Iowa conservative, said he quit partly because he was no longer being paid. "I feel bad for Governor Perry because I think he's a marvelous human being, he's a great man and it was my honor to be a part of this, but it was just time to move on," Clovis said. His departure came weeks after reports said Perry staffers were not being paid in South Carolina — like Iowa, a key early prize in the primary season.

Sierra Leone health officials released the last known Ebola patient in the country on Monday. Adama Sankoh, 40, got sick after her son died from the virus last month. "Although my child died of Ebola I am very happy that I have survived today," she said. Sierra Leone is not yet in the clear. It must get through 42 days — twice the incubation period — with no more infections before the World Health Organization declares the country to be Ebola-free.

British IndyCar driver Justin Wilson died Monday from a severe head injury caused by debris sent flying in a crash in the closing laps of a race at Pennsylvania's Pocono Raceway the day before. He was 37. Wilson had been in a coma since the accident. He was a former Formula One driver and seven-time winner in IndyCar racing. He was the first IndyCar driver to die from a race accident since fellow Briton, Dan Wheldon, was killed in a fiery 2011 crash in Las Vegas.

Canadian police said Monday that they had received two unconfirmed reports of suicides linked to the massive hack of user information from Ashley Madison, a website used by people seeking extramarital affairs. Police also are investigating numerous complaints of attempted extortion related to the posting of millions of users' personal information online. Site owner Avid Life Media, now facing a massive class-action lawsuit, is offering $378,000 for information leading to the arrest of the hackers.

A safari guide was killed by a lion on Monday in the Zimbabwe national park that was home to Cecil the lion, the animal lured outside protected land and killed by a bow hunter in July. The guide, Quinn Swales, was leading six tourists on a walking safari in Hwange National Park when he spotted six lions — two adult males, two females, and two cubs. The lion with cubs grew hostile, and Swales tried to scare the animals away, but one of the males turned and attacked.

AMC's Fear the Walking Dead set a record for the biggest cable-series debut ever, attracting 10.1 million viewers for its 90-minute opening episode Sunday. The new drama, a spin-off of the ratings-leading show The Walking Dead, will have just six episodes in its first season, but already has been renewed for a 15-episode second season. The show opens just as the zombie apocalypse chronicled in the first series is starting, and is set in Los Angeles rather than rural Georgia.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.