Lead Story
Albanian police fire rubber bullets as student-led protests against PM Rama rage into a fifth day
Albanian police used rubber bullets against demonstrators in Tirana on October 17 for the first time during five days of unrest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has refused to step down. Reuters video showed police firing a shotgun toward a crowd near the education ministry, and journalists found pellets that struck reporters and protesters; police chief Skender Hita said the rounds were used "in a limited manner" and that seven officers had been suspended pending disciplinary investigations. Protesters have thrown stones and petrol bombs and set cars and government buildings alight, with police responding with tear gas and water cannon. Demonstrators, who also took part in a summer of protests against a Kushner-backed coastal development, cite corruption, scarce jobs, and poor education standards and university conditions. Reports diverge sharply on the scale of the crackdown: one outlet cites 167 arrests over five days, while Hita told Reuters that 1,067 people had been arrested and 388 criminally prosecuted.
Read more →Lead Story
Albanian police fire rubber bullets as student-led protests against PM Rama rage into a fifth day
Albanian police used rubber bullets against demonstrators in Tirana on October 17 for the first time during five days of unrest demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, who has refused to step down. Reuters video showed police firing a shotgun toward a crowd near the education ministry, and journalists found pellets that struck reporters and protesters; police chief Skender Hita said the rounds were used "in a limited manner" and that seven officers had been suspended pending disciplinary investigations. Protesters have thrown stones and petrol bombs and set cars and government buildings alight, with police responding with tear gas and water cannon. Demonstrators, who also took part in a summer of protests against a Kushner-backed coastal development, cite corruption, scarce jobs, and poor education standards and university conditions. Reports diverge sharply on the scale of the crackdown: one outlet cites 167 arrests over five days, while Hita told Reuters that 1,067 people had been arrested and 388 criminally prosecuted.
Houthi missiles and drones strike Yemen's presidential palace complex in Aden, killing guards
Houthi forces fired missiles and drones at the Al-Maashiq presidential palace complex in the Yemeni government's seat of Aden on October 15, the first attack on the complex since Yemen's civil war reignited in July. Yemen's information minister said five missiles were launched at the site; government military sources put the death toll at four with ten wounded, though Reuters, citing two government officials, reported two security guards killed, illustrating how casualty figures diverge across accounts. The prime minister and cabinet members, many of whom otherwise live in exile, were reported safe. The Houthi-run news agency claimed it had targeted a military operations headquarters staffed by Saudi officers and nearby weapons depots, a claim Reuters could not independently verify. Yemeni government forces said the Houthis also fired ballistic missiles at Marib the same day, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a separate missile aimed at Medina.
Read more →Houthi missiles and drones strike Yemen's presidential palace complex in Aden, killing guards
Houthi forces fired missiles and drones at the Al-Maashiq presidential palace complex in the Yemeni government's seat of Aden on October 15, the first attack on the complex since Yemen's civil war reignited in July. Yemen's information minister said five missiles were launched at the site; government military sources put the death toll at four with ten wounded, though Reuters, citing two government officials, reported two security guards killed, illustrating how casualty figures diverge across accounts. The prime minister and cabinet members, many of whom otherwise live in exile, were reported safe. The Houthi-run news agency claimed it had targeted a military operations headquarters staffed by Saudi officers and nearby weapons depots, a claim Reuters could not independently verify. Yemeni government forces said the Houthis also fired ballistic missiles at Marib the same day, while the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted a separate missile aimed at Medina.
Hurricane Trudy strengthens to Category 2 and bears down on Mexico's Pacific coast
Hurricane Trudy strengthened to a Category 2 storm as it approached Mexico's southwestern and west-central Pacific coast on October 17, the US National Hurricane Center said, with a hurricane warning in effect from Manzanillo, Colima, to Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. The storm had rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 3 in under 24 hours earlier in the week before weakening somewhat. Forecasters warned of 4 to 8 inches of rain through the weekend, with isolated totals near 15 inches, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and landslides after successive storms had already saturated the ground along the coast. Mexico's navy urged coastal residents to take extreme caution over high waves and flooding, and Trudy's center was expected to pass near the coast into Sunday. Tropical Storm Simon, moving nearby, was separately forecast to graze Baja California.
Read more →Hurricane Trudy strengthens to Category 2 and bears down on Mexico's Pacific coast
Hurricane Trudy strengthened to a Category 2 storm as it approached Mexico's southwestern and west-central Pacific coast on October 17, the US National Hurricane Center said, with a hurricane warning in effect from Manzanillo, Colima, to Cabo Corrientes, Jalisco. The storm had rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 3 in under 24 hours earlier in the week before weakening somewhat. Forecasters warned of 4 to 8 inches of rain through the weekend, with isolated totals near 15 inches, raising the risk of life-threatening flooding and landslides after successive storms had already saturated the ground along the coast. Mexico's navy urged coastal residents to take extreme caution over high waves and flooding, and Trudy's center was expected to pass near the coast into Sunday. Tropical Storm Simon, moving nearby, was separately forecast to graze Baja California.
Trump waives sanctions on Russian diesel to ease fuel prices, drawing Zelensky's rebuke
President Trump announced on October 9 that he would waive sanctions on a large quantity of Russian diesel, a move framed as a way to lower fuel prices ahead of November's US midterm elections and which Axios reported followed a phone call with President Putin. The decision caught Ukraine and several European governments off guard. President Zelensky called the waiver "not fair and not honest," and separately pushed back on a suggestion from Trump that he be replaced as Ukraine's leader, saying it was "up to our people" to choose and that Ukraine could hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. The move drew criticism not only from Kyiv but from US allies in Europe and from some Republicans, and echoes an earlier Treasury waiver in April that Zelensky also criticized, issued despite Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent having said it would not be renewed.
Read more →Trump waives sanctions on Russian diesel to ease fuel prices, drawing Zelensky's rebuke
President Trump announced on October 9 that he would waive sanctions on a large quantity of Russian diesel, a move framed as a way to lower fuel prices ahead of November's US midterm elections and which Axios reported followed a phone call with President Putin. The decision caught Ukraine and several European governments off guard. President Zelensky called the waiver "not fair and not honest," and separately pushed back on a suggestion from Trump that he be replaced as Ukraine's leader, saying it was "up to our people" to choose and that Ukraine could hold elections if Russia agreed to a 60-day ceasefire. The move drew criticism not only from Kyiv but from US allies in Europe and from some Republicans, and echoes an earlier Treasury waiver in April that Zelensky also criticized, issued despite Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent having said it would not be renewed.
Pope Leo XIV recovering well after lung cancer surgery, resumes work from hospital
Pope Leo XIV underwent a roughly 90-minute operation at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on October 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, after which the Vatican confirmed tests during surgery showed he has lung adenocarcinoma; doctors had described his prognosis as excellent because the nodule was caught early. By October 15 the Vatican said he had resumed working and met with a top aide from his hospital bed, with a chest X-ray showing good recovery of the operated lung. The 71-year-old pontiff is expected to remain hospitalized for about a week, with his audiences canceled through October 20. Reports differ on whether a planned November trip to Latin America can go ahead, since oncologists typically advise against flying for three weeks after this kind of surgery, though that window would still leave time before the trip.
Read more →Pope Leo XIV recovering well after lung cancer surgery, resumes work from hospital
Pope Leo XIV underwent a roughly 90-minute operation at Rome's Gemelli Hospital on October 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung, after which the Vatican confirmed tests during surgery showed he has lung adenocarcinoma; doctors had described his prognosis as excellent because the nodule was caught early. By October 15 the Vatican said he had resumed working and met with a top aide from his hospital bed, with a chest X-ray showing good recovery of the operated lung. The 71-year-old pontiff is expected to remain hospitalized for about a week, with his audiences canceled through October 20. Reports differ on whether a planned November trip to Latin America can go ahead, since oncologists typically advise against flying for three weeks after this kind of surgery, though that window would still leave time before the trip.