English Listening Practice — October 23, 2026

📰 Seven shot dead by gunmen at church funeral in Jordan, state media say

A deadly shooting has struck a church funeral in Jordan’s Karak governorate.

Unidentified gunmen arrived by car on Friday and opened fire inside the venue.

They killed seven people and wounded ten others before fleeing the scene.

Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani confirmed that security forces have been deployed in response to the attack.

Authorities have launched an active operation as they secure the area and pursue the perpetrators.

📰 Russia and Ukraine swap 270 prisoners each

Russia and Ukraine have executed a reciprocal prisoner exchange, repatriating 270 individuals to each side.

The swap followed discussions facilitated by US negotiators earlier this week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed that Kyiv brought back nine civilians alongside military personnel held primarily since 2022.

Notably, five returned Ukrainians had previously been presumed dead following an explosion at the Olenivka detention facility.

Russia’s defence ministry reported that its freed servicemen are currently receiving medical and psychological care in Belarus before transiting home.

⚔️ Two Israeli soldiers killed in attack by suspected Palestinian gunmen in West Bank

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded in a shooting at a military checkpoint outside Hebron.

Two suspected Palestinian assailants opened fire before security forces shot them dead.

Military officials subsequently retrieved a substantial cache of ammunition from the perpetrators' vehicle.

Authorities believe the gunmen initially targeted a nearby highway before unexpectedly encountering the outpost.

In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the military to prepare a comprehensive lockdown across the West Bank.

⚔️ Trump invokes Cold War-era Defense Production Act for oil production, refining

President Donald Trump has invoked the Cold War-era Defense Production Act to bolster domestic energy infrastructure.

In a presidential memo issued Thursday, he designated petroleum production, refining, and related activities as vital to national defense.

This critical step enables the administration to unlock federal funding for fossil fuel initiatives.

It also authorizes financial incentives for pipelines, fuel storage, and related operations.

The directive aims to bypass persistent bottlenecks, including constrained financing and regulatory delays.

While no specific projects were named, the mandate seeks to shore up a sector currently averaging 13.6 million barrels per day.

🇨🇳 Volvo Cars plunges 26% as CEO says China sales slump came 'faster than we thought'

Volvo Cars will eliminate 2,500 jobs following an acute sales downturn in China.

The Swedish automaker posted a third-quarter operating loss of 5.6 billion kronor, or 563.7 million dollars.

That marks a steep reversal from its 6.4-billion-kronor operating profit in the prior period.

Chief Executive Håkan Samuelsson stated that market shifts in China accelerated beyond expectations.

Local consumers increasingly favor domestic alternatives over Western vehicles.

Samuelsson noted that selling globally developed models in China is no longer viable, prompting the company to overhaul its regional strategy.

⚖️ India slashes cost of cancer drugs after court rules mark-ups are ‘extortion’

India is slashing the cost of 137 cancer drugs starting next month.

The decision follows a legal battle launched by Sarojam Radhakrishnan, a retired bank employee.

Radhakrishnan faced monthly medication costs exceeding 63,000 rupees after her 2021 breast cancer diagnosis.

Unable to afford the treatment, she petitioned the courts for price controls in 2022.

The case ultimately escalated to the Supreme Court.

The judges denounced excessive retail and hospital markups as "carnage" and "extortion."

The new price caps aim to shield vulnerable patients from catastrophic debt.

🤖 OpenAI nears up to $30 billion funding round at $1.25 trillion valuation led by UAE investors

OpenAI is closing in on a massive funding round of up to $30 billion.

The transaction pegs the company’s valuation at an unprecedented $1.25 trillion.

Investors from the United Arab Emirates are spearheading the capital injection alongside Coatue.

The financing serves as an opportunistic bridge ahead of a potential initial public offering.

Alongside the investment, OpenAI is negotiating a commercial deal with the UAE to secure additional computing capacity.

The company aims to finalize the term sheets by the end of next week.

The ultimate size of the round remains under negotiation.

🩺 Moderna and Merck say their mRNA cancer vaccine cut death, recurrence by 42%

Moderna and Merck announced promising top-line results for their experimental mRNA cancer vaccine.

The treatment substantially reduced the risk of death or recurrence by 42%.

This update follows the pharmaceutical makers’ earlier report confirming the clinical trial met its primary goals.

The companies unveiled the concrete figures after demonstrating the therapy’s clinical efficacy.

These results offer a quantitative look at the vaccine’s potential to curb disease progression.

The partnership continues to advance the investigational therapy through further development stages.

🤖 Is a job guarantee the solution to mass AI unemployment?

Influential figures are warning that artificial intelligence could soon trigger massive economic fallout.

Tech leaders foresee rapid, severe workforce disruptions.

Bill Gates predicts AI will render humans unnecessary for most tasks within a decade.

Meanwhile, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warns of widespread unemployment within one to five years.

He notes that finance, law, and tech roles face imminent displacement.

Furthermore, the fallout might not stem from technological shifts alone.

If overextended investors decide AI is a bubble, that correction itself could spark a recession and heavy job losses.

🏅 World champion Jepchirchir fails drugs test

World champion runner Peres Jepchirchir has been provisionally suspended after failing a doping test.

The Athletics Integrity Unit confirmed that an out-of-competition sample tested positive for the banned substance EPO.

The 33-year-old Kenyan athlete provided the sample before winning the Sydney Marathon on August 30, 2026.

She clinched that victory with an impressive time of two hours, 18 minutes, and 31 seconds.

Synthetic EPO stimulates red blood cell production to boost oxygen delivery to muscles.

It remains detectable in an athlete’s system for only a narrow window of time.

🎵 Raye wins the Mercury Prize with This Music May Contain Hope

Raye has clinched the 2026 Mercury Prize for her acclaimed second album, This Music May Contain Hope.

Presented at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, the coveted award carries a £25,000 cash prize.

Her pop record triumphed over a formidable shortlist featuring Sir Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean, and Jade.

This milestone marks the first pop victory since M People secured the title in 1994.

Accepting the trophy, an overwhelmed Raye expressed immense gratitude for the honour.

⚖️ Trump ordered to answer questions under oath in BBC lawsuit

A US judge has ordered Donald Trump to sit for a deposition under oath by 11 December in his ongoing lawsuit against the BBC.

US Magistrate Judge Enjoliqué Lett warned that failing to comply could trigger severe sanctions.

The most extreme penalty could be the dismissal of the entire case.

Trump missed a previously scheduled deposition on 16 October, citing national priorities.

However, BBC attorney Charles Tobin argued in a Miami court that Trump chose to campaign in Georgia instead.

With discovery closing in two months, the judge held firm on the fast-approaching deadline.