These are today's top stories on October 4
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UK blames Russia’s GRU over cyber attacks: The UK has accused Russian military intelligence (GRU) on Thursday of directing a host of cyber attacks aimed at undermining Western democracies by sowing confusion in everything from sport to transport and the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The National Cyber Security Centre says targets included firms in Russia and Ukraine; the US Democratic Party; and a small TV network in the UK.
Ireland to debate abortion legislation today: This is the first time the abortion legislation will be debated in parliament since the abortion ban was overturned in a referendum in May. The government aims to have abortion services available from January 2019 but anti-abortion doctors say they don't like the idea of forcing a doctor to refer patients seeking abortions to another doctor.
Redoine Faid arrest: More details were released over the arrest of Redoine Faid, one of France’s most notorious fugitives famed for his break out of prison in 2013 and most recently, again in July, where his accomplices helped him escape with a hijacked helicopter. Faid was arrested in his hometown of Creil, north of Paris, where police found wigs, burqas and guns inside his apartment. It’s unknown which prison Faid is now being held at.
Romania: Legal challenge over gay marriage referendum: NGOs are mounting a legal challenge Thursday against what they say is a homophobic gay marriage referendum in Romania. The groups are intervening at the country’s constitutional court as it considers whether the October 7 poll can go ahead. Same-sex marriage and unions are currently illegal in Romania but the upcoming referendum is believed to lessen that possibility, narrowing the constitutional definition of marriage.
Indonesia disaster: Six days after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit, foreign aid is moving in on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi where the death toll has reached more than 1,400 on Thursday, disaster response officials said. The 7.5-magnitude quake brought down hotels, shopping malls and countless houses in Palu.