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Pope Leo XIV hospitalised ahead of surgery to remove lung growth
Pope Leo XIV, 71, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on October 13 ahead of surgery to remove a small nodule discovered in his lung, which he said was caught at an early stage during routine testing. The Vatican has not disclosed whether the growth is cancerous; oncologists note that even if it proves malignant, the prognosis for an early-stage, surgically removed lung nodule is generally excellent. Leo cancelled all public engagements through October 20 while he recovers, with the Vatican saying the operation will require about a week of hospitalisation; his planned November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is not expected to be affected.
Read more →Lead Story
Pope Leo XIV hospitalised ahead of surgery to remove lung growth
Pope Leo XIV, 71, was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on October 13 ahead of surgery to remove a small nodule discovered in his lung, which he said was caught at an early stage during routine testing. The Vatican has not disclosed whether the growth is cancerous; oncologists note that even if it proves malignant, the prognosis for an early-stage, surgically removed lung nodule is generally excellent. Leo cancelled all public engagements through October 20 while he recovers, with the Vatican saying the operation will require about a week of hospitalisation; his planned November trip to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru is not expected to be affected.
UK says Iran's Revolutionary Guard 'almost certainly' directed plot against RAF Fairford
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on October 12 that a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, the air base roughly 100 miles west of London used by US bombers that struck Iran during the recent war, was almost certainly directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Seven men were arrested in the investigation and later released on bail without charge; police said they found gasoline, but no explosives, in vans linked to the first five suspects. Britain added two Iranian officials, including a senior Revolutionary Guard counterespionage officer, to its sanctions list and summoned Iran's ambassador, while Tehran denied involvement. The foreign ministers of the UK, US and roughly two dozen other Western countries issued a joint statement condemning Iranian attacks on their territory.
Read more →UK says Iran's Revolutionary Guard 'almost certainly' directed plot against RAF Fairford
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham told Parliament on October 12 that a suspected plot targeting RAF Fairford, the air base roughly 100 miles west of London used by US bombers that struck Iran during the recent war, was almost certainly directed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Seven men were arrested in the investigation and later released on bail without charge; police said they found gasoline, but no explosives, in vans linked to the first five suspects. Britain added two Iranian officials, including a senior Revolutionary Guard counterespionage officer, to its sanctions list and summoned Iran's ambassador, while Tehran denied involvement. The foreign ministers of the UK, US and roughly two dozen other Western countries issued a joint statement condemning Iranian attacks on their territory.
Saudi Arabia vows 'serious response' after deadliest Houthi attacks on the kingdom in a decade
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told a Riyadh energy conference on October 12 that "the events of recent weeks are serious, our response must be equally serious," after a string of Houthi missile, drone and claimed oil-facility strikes that outlets reported killed between 14 and 18 people, the deadliest attacks to hit the kingdom in a decade. Saudi forces have already carried out fresh air strikes on the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, killing at least one person, as oil prices climbed past $105 a barrel amid the wider escalation. The attacks follow the collapse of a years-long ceasefire and a Saudi-led offensive to retake Red Sea territory the Houthis seized last month.
Read more →Saudi Arabia vows 'serious response' after deadliest Houthi attacks on the kingdom in a decade
Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told a Riyadh energy conference on October 12 that "the events of recent weeks are serious, our response must be equally serious," after a string of Houthi missile, drone and claimed oil-facility strikes that outlets reported killed between 14 and 18 people, the deadliest attacks to hit the kingdom in a decade. Saudi forces have already carried out fresh air strikes on the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, killing at least one person, as oil prices climbed past $105 a barrel amid the wider escalation. The attacks follow the collapse of a years-long ceasefire and a Saudi-led offensive to retake Red Sea territory the Houthis seized last month.
Americans Robert Hall and Michael Woodford win 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on October 12 that Stanford's Robert Hall and Columbia's Michael Woodford share the 2026 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, worth 12 million Swedish crowns (about $1.2 million), for work on the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation. Their models trace how individual household and firm decisions shape the way monetary and fiscal policy affect inflation and recessions, underpinning much of modern central-bank thinking. It was the final Nobel Prize awarded in the 2026 cycle.
Read more →Americans Robert Hall and Michael Woodford win 2026 Nobel Prize in Economics
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences announced on October 12 that Stanford's Robert Hall and Columbia's Michael Woodford share the 2026 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, worth 12 million Swedish crowns (about $1.2 million), for work on the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabilisation. Their models trace how individual household and firm decisions shape the way monetary and fiscal policy affect inflation and recessions, underpinning much of modern central-bank thinking. It was the final Nobel Prize awarded in the 2026 cycle.
North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles as tensions with South Korea escalate
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched several ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang on October 12, with at least one reportedly flying more than 900 kilometres into waters off the east coast; the exact number fired was not disclosed. It was the second such launch this month, after an October 3 test Pyongyang described as an intermediate-range strategic missile. The tests follow a border landmine blast that wounded three South Korean soldiers, which Seoul blames on the North and Pyongyang denies, and come days after South Korea flight-tested its own first domestically developed hypersonic weapon on October 8.
Read more →North Korea fires multiple ballistic missiles as tensions with South Korea escalate
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said North Korea launched several ballistic missiles from near Pyongyang on October 12, with at least one reportedly flying more than 900 kilometres into waters off the east coast; the exact number fired was not disclosed. It was the second such launch this month, after an October 3 test Pyongyang described as an intermediate-range strategic missile. The tests follow a border landmine blast that wounded three South Korean soldiers, which Seoul blames on the North and Pyongyang denies, and come days after South Korea flight-tested its own first domestically developed hypersonic weapon on October 8.