World News at a Glance

Prince and President Escalate Battle Over Khashoggi Killing

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan swept into Ankara’s Parliament on Tuesday to level his most direct attack yet against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, accusing his government of planning the “savage murder” of dissident writer Jamal Khashoggi. Hours later, Crown Prince Mohammed bounded into a gilded conference hall in Riyadh to a standing ovation from oil executives, bankers and other businessmen who had risked association with scandal over the killing Khashoggi for a chance to profit from the kingdom’s vast wealth. Their competing stage shows were the latest salvos in a high-stakes battle.

Bolton Rejects Entreaties by Russia to Stay in Pact

Despite warnings that withdrawal could lead to a new nuclear arms race, the U.S. national security adviser rejected Russian entreaties Tuesday to remain committed to a disarmament treaty. John Bolton suggested after a meeting with President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials that little progress had been made in resolving President Donald Trump’s complaint that Russia has reneged on the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Trump has said he plans to pull out of the treaty because Russia is violating it and China is not a signatory. Earlier Tuesday, Putin told Bolton that he was open to another meeting with Trump.

Hack of Saudi Petrochemical Plant Is Linked to Russian Institute, Report Finds

A new study of the malicious computer code used in an attack on a Saudi petrochemical plant concludes that much of the effort was coordinated from a state-owned Russian scientific institute, one of the most direct links between official Russian hackers and a hostile intrusion on a major piece of infrastructure. The report, issued by FireEye, identifies the Central Scientific Research Institute of Chemistry and Mechanics, a technical research institute in Moscow. But it leaves unanswered the question of why Moscow would target a Middle Eastern plant, even given Russia’s rivalry with Saudi Arabia in the petroleum marketplace.

EU Rejects Italy’s Budget as Populists Refuse to Bend

Italy’s populist government refused to budge on Tuesday after the European Union for the first time sent back a member state’s proposed budget because it violated the bloc’s fiscal laws and posed unacceptable risks. The European Commission, the bloc’s administrative body, had repeatedly warned Italy to reduce the deficits in its 2019 draft budget to avoid heavy fines early next year. Investors fear that the collapse of the Italian economy under its enormous debt could sink the entire eurozone and hasten a global economic crisis unseen since 2008, or worse.

Migrant Caravan Forges Ahead in Mexico

Soon after dawn, the mayor of Huixtla stood on the central plaza of his town in southern Mexico and took stock. Thousands of migrants had wandered in the day before and turned the humble downtown into a vast makeshift encampment. Mayor José Luis Laparra Calderón was upbeat. "These people are fleeing from the poverty of their countries,” he said. “These are working people. They aren’t bringing bombs. They want to improve their lives.” Tuesday was Day 12 of the migrant caravan, which began in Honduras and has grown in size and force, pushing north toward the United States.

Hurricane Bears Down on Mexico

Mexican officials evacuated thousands of people Tuesday as Hurricane Willa bore down with winds reaching 120 mph. The hurricane weakened to category 3 before making landfall Tuesday night in Sinaloa state, approximately 60 miles south of Mazatlán, a resort city of nearly 500,000. The hurricane was expected to hit the state of Nayarit, along the west-central coast of Mexico, and produce a storm surge. Federal authorities in Mexico issued an “extraordinary emergency” decree for at least 19 municipalities. Forecasters said the storm had the potential to cause flash flooding, landslides and rainfall of up to 18 inches.

China Opens Giant Bridge

China officially opened the world’s longest sea bridge on Tuesday after China’s leader, Xi Jinping, and local officials inaugurated the 34-mile structure, which crosses the Pearl River Delta to link Hong Kong with Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai. The project includes sections of bridge and artificial islands linked by a four-mile tunnel west of Hong Kong’s airport. Chinese officials expect the bridge to significantly cut driving time between the two sides of the Pearl River, helping to achieve their vision of a Greater Bay Area, as China calls the effort to knit the region’s cities more closely.