News Wrap: Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Japanese group for work against nuclear weapons

In our news wrap Friday, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to a Japanese group of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki dedicated to abolishing nuclear weapons, new data shows an increase in migrants crossing the Darien Gap and an investigation is underway into what caused a gas leak at a Texas oil refinery that killed two people.

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Amna Nawaz: As both campaigns crisscross the critical swing states in these final weeks before Election Day.

We start the day’s other headlines with the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese group of survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The 1945 atomic bombings by U.S. forces were the first and only nuclear attacks in history. In Japan, survivors are known as Hibakusha, and many have dedicated their lives to abolishing nuclear weapons.

Their win today was, in a way, a warning. The chair of the Nobel Committee said — quote — “In a world ridden with conflicts, we wanted to highlight the importance of strengthening the nuclear taboo.”

The winners were shocked when they heard the news. The organization’s co-chair said their stories matter now more than ever before.

Toshiyuki Mimaki, Co-Chair, Nihon Hidankyo (through interpreter): What I seek the most is peace, of course. The images of the children in Gaza covered with blood held by their parents remind me of Japan 80 years ago. Children lost their fathers in the war and lost their mothers with the nuclear bomb. They became orphans.

Amna Nawaz: Palestinian officials say the war in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 people, the majority women and children.

And Russian President Vladimir Putin recently announced a shift in his country’s nuclear policy. That was seen as a warning to the West against allowing Ukraine to strike Russia with long-range weapons.

But, overnight, it was a Russian missile that struck deep into Ukraine, hitting the southern port city of Odesa and killing at least four people. Located on the Black Sea, Odesa is one of Ukraine’s biggest hubs for exporting grain. Russia has attacked it four times this week alone, in an apparent effort to damage one of Ukraine’s economic lifelines.

In the meantime, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Germany today, where he received a pledge of more than a billion dollars in military support from Chancellor Olaf Scholz. And he urged all Western partners not to let up their assistance.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through interpreter): For us, it is very important that aid does not decrease next year. For us, it is very important to think about the coming year, to have everything sufficient to protect people and lives.

Amna Nawaz: Russian President Vladimir Putin was engaging with his own allies today, meeting with Iran’s president at a conference in Turkmenistan. He told regional leaders he wants to create a — quote — “new world order” against the West.

New data shows an increase in migrants crossing the Darien Gap last month. That’s a rugged stretch of dense jungle between Colombia and Panama that connects South America to Central America. Records show that more than 25,000 migrants crossed in September, a rise of more than 50 percent from the month before.

Of those, 80 percent came from Venezuela, after that country’s controversial July elections and the crackdown that followed. In total, nearly 278,000 migrants have crossed this year amid a push by Panama’s new president to curb migration.

In Texas, an investigation is under way into what caused a gas leak at an oil refinery that killed two people. Dozens more were treated for poisoning. Emergency vehicles rushed to the Pemex facility in Deer Park outside Houston yesterday. Authorities say that the victims were killed when hydrogen sulfide leaked during work at the facility. That’s a foul-smelling gas that can be toxic at high levels.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order, but that has since been lifted. It’s the second such incident in the past two weeks. This natural gas pipeline also in Deer Park spewed massive flames for more than four days last month.

Boeing says that it’s cutting 17,000 jobs and delaying the rollout of its 777X wide-body plane as a monthlong strike by factory workers hurts its finances. That is about 10 percent of the plane maker’s global work force. In a statement, Boeing’s CEO said the cuts are necessary — quote — “to align with our financial reality.”

A strike by more than 30,000 workers has shut down production of Boeing’s 737’s MAX jet, among others. This week, Boeing withdrew its latest contract offer after talks between the union and management broke down.

American consumers are growing a bit more concerned about the state of the economy. Today’s reading on consumer sentiment from the University of Michigan showed a dip in October after two months of gains. Economists say consumers are frustrated by high prices for goods and services. That comes as a Labor Department report showed producer prices were unchanged in September from the month before, which signals a continued easing of overall inflation.

On Wall Street today, stocks surged to new records after some strong earnings from big financial companies. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped more than 400 points to a new all-time high. The Nasdaq added about 60 points on the day, and the S&P 500 closed above 5800 for the first time ever.

And stargazers were treated to a dazzling display last night, as the Northern Lights put on a show much further south than usual. A celestial collage of colors could be seen in New York, Washington, D.C., and even Kentucky. The mix of purples, greens and reds is actually caused by a series of strong solar storms hitting Earth. When particles and energy from the sun collide with gases in our atmosphere, they can emit photons of brilliant light.

Similar conditions are set for tonight, but experts say the lights will only be visible in Canada and some Northern U.S. states.