Our daily safari around the world

🌍 🐳 Orcas attacked and sank a boat in the southwest Mediterranean for the fourth time in two years. A pod of orcas attacked a mid-size yacht sailing off the coast of Morocco on Halloween, with all passengers safely evacuated before the ship sank one hour into the attack. Since 2020, orcas have been harassing boats in the Strait of Gibraltar – which connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea – and the surrounding Iberian peninsula waters. Researchers say orcas are likely learning to attack boats from each other, though it’s unclear why the behavior initially arose.

💥 Israel-Hamas war update: Senior Israeli officials, including PM Benjamin Netanyahu, revealed late Monday that Israel’s goal is to assert and keep military control over Gaza for an indefinite period, and that Israel aims to turn over responsibility for governing the territory either to an international coalition – including the US, EU, and Muslim majority countries – or to local political leaders in Gaza. The announcement prompted US officials to stress their opposition to Israel reoccupying the Gaza Strip, though Israeli officials were careful not to describe the country’s future role in Gaza as a military occupation.

🇨🇳 China has become the world’s biggest debt collector. China lent more than $1.3 trillion to developing countries between 2000 and 2021, with a majority of loans issued under its Belt and Road Initiative, per a new report from the AidData research lab at William & Mary. The study also found more than half of China’s international loans have now entered repayment, making it the largest debt collector in the world – but it may be difficult for China to collect payments moving forward, since a large portion of its lending portfolio belongs to countries currently in financial distress.