China
On 22 October, the Office of the National Commission for Disaster Prevention, Reduction and Relief and the Ministry of Emergency Management released preliminary figures from their assessment of natural disasters in the first nine months of 2026. Across China, disasters affected 56.46 million person-times, left 1,162 people dead or missing, and led to 5.049 million emergency relocations or cases requiring emergency living assistance. About 13,000 households, covering 52,000 rooms, collapsed; 170,000 households, covering 430,000 rooms, were damaged. Crops were affected across 4.7397 million hectares, and direct economic losses reached RMB199.36 billion.
The official assessment said the national impact was relatively light overall, but flooding in the south, drought in the north, summer and autumn typhoons, and geological disasters in the south-west produced severe effects in some areas. Geological disasters accounted for 60 per cent of those dead or missing, while typhoons accounted for about half of direct economic losses. Twenty-six typhoons formed during the period and seven made landfall in mainland China, both above historical averages. Reuters calculated from the official figures that direct losses were about 8 per cent lower than in the same period of 2025, while the number dead or missing rose from 742 to 1,162.
Australia
An independent review of KPMG Australia commissioned by the Australian Department of Finance and led by former senior public servant Ian Watt was released on 22 October. Reuters reported that the review found KPMG had mishandled matters raised by a whistleblower and identified persistent weaknesses in its culture and governance. The whistleblower allegations concerned the use of clients’ confidential information when pursuing audit work; they remain allegations and neither the review nor the reporting amounts to a criminal conviction or court finding on the conduct.
The review did not recommend permanently excluding KPMG from Commonwealth work. It said confidence should not be restored on the basis of assurances or early signs of reform alone, and that independent verification was needed to establish whether the reforms were changing practice. KPMG has agreed not to bid for new Australian Government work until 28 February 2027. Reuters reported that Commonwealth work contributed A$207.1 million, or 9.5 per cent, of KPMG’s revenue in the 2026 financial year.
KPMG said it accepted the review’s findings and recommendations and that confidence had to be earned through action. Its published action plan identifies governance, culture and professional ethics, and controls and accountability as priorities, and says recommendations from external reviews have been accepted and will be subject to independent oversight.
United States
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Democratic Governors Association, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, the Nevada State Democratic Party and a Nevada voter filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Columbia on 20 October. The defendants include President Donald Trump, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security and the heads of both departments, each in an official capacity.
The complaint alleges that the federal executive has sought to pressure states to remove registered voters identified as alleged non-citizens, withhold or segregate certain ballots, refuse to count them, and pressure state and local election officials. The plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the defendants from issuing such directions to states or threatening state and local officials who decline to comply. The complaint argues that the conduct violates section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act, exceeds federal executive authority and intrudes on powers reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment. These are the plaintiffs’ legal claims, and the court has not ruled on the merits.
The Associated Press reported that the Justice Department responded by saying election integrity was the Attorney-General’s top priority, that its actions were grounded in law, and that the issues were being litigated. The case has been assigned to Chief Judge James Boasberg of the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
Editorial framework: This briefing uses Sustenesis as an editorial framework for selecting facts, organising relationships and structuring information, with attention to differences and constraints in rules, responsibilities, resources, risks and social relations. Sustenesis functions here as a method of organisation rather than a position or commentary; the body remains limited to verifiable facts.
Sources
Ministry of Emergency Management of the People’s Republic of China, “National Commission Office and Ministry of Emergency Management release national natural-disaster figures for the first three quarters of 2026”
https://www.mem.gov.cn/xw/yjglbgzdt/202610/t20261022_736602.shtml
Reuters, “China's natural disaster losses hit $30 billion in first nine months of 2026”
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/china-reports-30-billion-natural-disaster-losses-first-9-months-2026-10-22/
Reuters, “Review finds KPMG Australia mishandled whistleblower claims, pause on government work extended”
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/review-finds-kpmg-australia-mishandled-whistleblower-claims-pause-government-2026-10-22/
Australian Government Department of Finance, “Independent Review of KPMG Australia (KPMG)”
https://www.finance.gov.au/about-us/news/2026/independent-review-kpmg-australia-kpmg
KPMG Australia, “KPMG Australia Action Plan”
https://kpmg.com/au/en/about/governance-leadership/action-plan.html
United States District Court for the District of Columbia, “Complaint, DSCC et al. v. Trump et al., Case No. 1:26-cv-03674”
https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.297829/gov.uscourts.dcd.297829.1.0.pdf
Associated Press, “Democrats sue to block Trump administration from usurping states’ authority to administer elections”
https://apnews.com/article/trump-elections-democrats-lawsuit-boasberg-8ea24aea3951ef219adc6cd4b29d4a20
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