Headlines: 12-18 October 2026

Friday, 16 October 2026

Top global climate science body IPCC suspends meeting without deal on major review timeline: the impasse has lasted nearly three years (LINK) — 16 October 2026

— Governments are set to assess progress toward goals set in the 2015 Paris agreement at the UN climate talks in November 2028, in a so-called "Global Stocktake". The panel's deliberations will resume at the earliest opportunity, the IPCC said, without providing details. Countries including India, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Russia and China are pressing for more time to prepare the IPCC's next reports to ensure scientists from less-resourced countries can make meaningful contributions.

Equatorial Guinea rewrites oil law for Monday to encourage investment after production collapses 85% (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Ahead of next week's UN biodiversity summit, COP17, UN chief urges governments to stop propping up polluting fossil fuels: 'Subsidising suicide' (LINK) — 16 October 2026

UN News: Guterres urges faster action and financing to stop biodiversity loss: "every day, humankind saws another branch off the tree of life" — (LINK)

World Food Day: 645 million people are going hungry yet more than a billion tonnes of food is wasted annually (20%). Africa suffers most. Which countries waste the most food (Maldives, Syria, Dominican Republic, Seychelles, Mexico and Tunisia), and how to reduce waste at home (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Trump pauses new Russia sanctions passed by Congress amid deepening row with Ukraine (LINK) — 16 October 2026

— Guardian: In an executive order on Friday, the US president said he was waiving many sanctions, restrictions and duties on Russia, in a move that comes as he has been publicly criticising Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, including suggesting that Ukraine needs a new leader. Trump signed the legislation last month, after Congress passed the measure in an act of rare bipartisan agreement. It sought to clamp down more quickly on the flow of financial resources fuelling Russia's war against Ukraine.

Global Dispatches: It's now a three-way race for UN Secretary-General: Grynspan, Grossi, Rodrigues-Birkett (LINK limited) — 16 October 2026

— This latest poll introduced a new dynamic to the race. Unlike the previous four straw polls, the ballots this time were color-coded to distinguish between the preferences of the five veto-wielding members of the Security Council and those of the other ten members. The veto-wielding members were given identical red ballots, while the other ten members were given different colored ballots. On each ballot, members indicated whether they encouraged, discouraged, or had no opinion on each candidate. All 3 received 2 red Discourage votes.

New photos show Pope Leo celebrating Mass at hospital as he recovers from lung cancer surgery (LINK) — 16 October 2026

OpenAI model used Testnet Ethereum wallet without permission to finish coding task (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Brent oil rises to $110 for the first time since May as Iran escalates Hormuz attacks, Ukraine vows to hit Russian refineries (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Swiss flu vaccines delayed, but no shortage expected (LINK) — 16 October 2026

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia leaving White House role less than five days into job (LINK) — 16 October 2026

— Zacharia faced heavy criticism for her first press briefing on Tuesday, which lasted less than 15 minutes and included only three questions from reporters. In the president's first term, Anthony Scaramucci left his post as White House communications director after only 10 days.

US Secret Service deputy chief stepping down after 18 months (ground news LINK) — 16 October 2026

— His departure comes days after a 60 Minutes report examined the Secret Service's efforts to counter drone threats, which Quinn acknowledged the agency has not yet solved. Quinn said the decision was partly personal and partly because the agency is well-positioned for the future.

Trump administration seeks to remove judge who rebuked it over public golf course tree removal (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Kenya confirms third Ebola case, a relative of the first patient who died (ground news LINK) — 16 October 2026

— Ministry officials state there is no evidence of community spread, as all cases remain linked to the first patient. The second patient, a 39-year-old man from the same family, remains in stable condition.

Al Jazeera: China is buying up gold — shift away from reliance on US dollar assets, experts say (LINK) — 16 October 2026

Nepal plans to build a new city with industries, hospitals and schools after landslides. The government aims to prevent displaced residents from returning to flood-destroyed settlements. (ground news LINK) — 16 October 2026

FIFA fines Spain $20,000 for anti-Muslim chants at Egypt soccer game condemned by Lamine Yamal (ground news LINK) — 16 October 2026

— For their next international friendly, the Spanish federation must close 15% of the stadium primarily behind the goals, though they may request FIFA approval to fill these seats with special interest groups like families and anti-discrimination organizations

Thursday, 15 October 2026

EU and Gulf states postpone summit due in Saudi Arabia next week (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Ukraine hits Russian refinery as Zelenskiy says 'we're done' with Trump's energy truce (LINK) — 15 October 2026

North Korea tests new AI-equipped torpedo, state media says (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

Switzerland releases fuel reserves to ease shortage risks at Zurich airport (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Trump shuts down Hegseth plan to livestream military execution (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Elon Musk says Trump is 'ultimately' responsible for any curbs on Ukraine's Starshield systems (LINK) — 15 October 2026

— Ukraine had accused SpaceX of imposing new restrictions on the Starshield internet service without warning, leading to disruptions to Ukrainian military operations amid fresh Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure. On Wednesday, Serhii Beskrestnov, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on defense technology, said SpaceX had implemented a speed limit on Starlink terminals in motion, without notifying the country's defense forces. That had disrupted some missions, and the same restrictions also applied to Starshield, a military-grade satellite network, he said on Telegram. Some restrictions appear to have been partially lifted, with former Ukrainian defense minister Mykhailo Fedorov thanking Musk early Thursday morning that Starlink connectivity at speeds of up to 160 kilometers an hour had been restored.

US issues fresh Iran-related sanctions, Treasury website shows: targeting 16 individuals and 10 entities in Iran, Iraq, and Hong Kong (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

Iraq parliament fills Cabinet posts vacant since Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi's government took office in May, naming a US-sanctioned deputy prime minister: Laith al-Khazali, a senior leader of the Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

Chile sentences Venezuelan gang member to 20 years for kidnapping and killing dissident Ronald Ojeda, abducted from his Santiago apartment by men posing as police officers: 16 other defendants are set to go on trial next week. (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

Pakistan roof collapse at school in Peshawar's Dir Colony kills 28; more deaths feared (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

From January 2025-August 2026 US deported more than 16,000 people to third countries with which they may have no cultural or legal ties — Al Jazeera (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Fortune: Trump's former top crypto advisor Bo Hines faces scrutiny over allegations his firm accepted millions from Tether while he shaped key stablecoin law (LINK limited) — 15 October 2026

Trump's top crypto adviser Patrick Witt departs administration — (LINK)

FBI arrest of Saudi national for allegedly planting a recording device in OpenAI's headquarters revives fears that U.S. tech companies are hiring spies (LINK) — 15 October 2026

— Last week, President Donald Trump awarded national medals to six tech titans for their contributions to American innovation. Five of them, including Google co-founder Sergey Brin and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, were immigrants.

US military weighs use of 'mother of all bombs' in potential future strikes on Iran, CNN says (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

— Designed for massive surface-level destruction, the MOAB likely lacks the capability to penetrate the granite-fortified facilities at Pickaxe, prompting skepticism from military planners about its effectiveness against deeply buried nuclear installations.

Al Jazeera: Fake viewing numbers for Israeli counter-film to NAZA: 40mn claimed, 130,000 according to public platforms on 14 October, 500,000 by 8 October according to others (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Trump's former top crypto advisor Bo Hines faces scrutiny over allegations his firm accepted millions from Tether while he shaped key stablecoin law (LINK limited) — 15 October 2026

Trump's top crypto adviser Patrick Witt departs administration — (LINK)

Infantino chairs FIFA Council meeting in Zurich as critics push to oust him (ground news LINK) — 15 October 2026

Science Alert: Princeton physicists may have found a shortcut to fusion energy: heating the plasma first, then adding density, is the best way to go — report 10 September (LINK) — 15 October 2026

Wednesday, 14 October 2026

IMF chief urges US and wealthy nations to rein in debt to ease global economic pressure: economic growth alone cannot resolve the more than $40 trillion in national debt (ground news LINK) — 14 October 2026

US government cuts subsidies for 189,000 Obamacare enrollees identified as duplicate or deceased, preventing $738 million in improper payments this year — (ground news LINK) — 14 October 2026

— CMS Deputy Administrator Peter Nelson reported that 58,000 individuals already held Medicare coverage, while another 11,000 subsidized plans were terminated for deceased individuals.

Colombia opens embassy in Jerusalem, restores free trade deal with Israel (ground news LINK) — 14 October 2026

Kenya announces second ebola case, says 'no evidence' of wider spread (ground news LINK) — 14 October 2026

— The first case emerged after a man from Kenya who had been ill in Congo flew to Nairobi on October 3, dying in a hospital isolation facility on October 5. This triggered the initial quarantine measures. Authorities have listed 128 contacts linked to the first case, with 113 traced as of October 13. Of those, 108 remain in quarantine within Kenya undergoing daily assessments for 21 days. The second, a 39-year-old man, is a close family member of the first patient. He was already in quarantine when he fell ill on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia says she misheard question on where she took bar exam when she said China: she did not pass California test (LINK) — 14 October 2026

Malaysia court denies ex-PM Najib Razak's request to suspend 15-year jail term linked to the 1MDB corruption scandal (ground news LINK) — 14 October 2026

Vietnam buries remains of 731 war dead nearly 6 decades after the Tet Offensive (ground news LINK) — 14 October 2026

World's oldest shipwreck found off coast of Turkey: 4 ,400-4,700 years old (early Bronze Age), around the same timethat the Great Pyramid was being built (LINK) — 14 October 2026

— BBC: Ceramic storage pots it was carrying were lying on the sea floor and some still contain traces of what they held inside. Ship was about 10m in length and was a trade vessel carrying cargo across the Mediterranean Sea. The wreck is close to the shore of Kekova Island in Antalya, Turkey.

The Brighter Side: Einstein was right: Darkness can travel faster than light without breaking relativity: it does not provide a way to send information faster than light: report published 25 March 2026 (LINK) — 14 October 2026

Tuesday, 13 October 2026

UN chief proposes $40.8m-slimmer $3.3 billion budget for 2027 — 1.2 per cent below the 2026 approved level:'Need for UN has never been greater' (LINK) — 13 October 2026

Pope Leo diagnosed with lung cancer: "surgery was completed successfully, within the expected timeframe and as planned, and the holy father has returned to his room" (LINK) — 13 October 2026

Human rights groups criticize uncontested election of 15 countries to top UN human rights body (ground news LINK) — 13 October 2026

Yemen plunges back into "full-scale civil war", Houthis trade strikes with Saudi Arabia (LINK) — 13 October 2026

WHO experts recommend HPV vaccine for girls aged between four and over (ground news LINK) — 13 October 2026

Cyber attack hits hundreds of French supermarkets, heating fridges to 122°F (50 degrees Celsius) and sparking fires: hits include French supermarket chains Carrefour, Monoprix, the Les Mousquetaires-owned Intermarché, and Coopérative U, (LINK) — 12 October 2026

US: Judge extends order blocking Trump from banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico reporters from White House (LINK) — 13 October 2026

Cyprus is ready to join the Schengen Area, says European Commission. Yet questions relating to the island's division and British military bases could still complicate accession (LINK) — 13 October 2026

— Together with Ireland, Cyprus is currently the only member of the European Union not to be part of Europe's border-free travel zone. On October 1, Cyprus's Deputy Minister for Migration and International Protection, Nicholas Ioannides, confirmed that "all recommendations made by the European Commission are now considered to have been implemented."

Trump ousts Kimberly Guilfoyle as US ambassador to Greece after corruption allegations (LINK) — 13 October 2026

— Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host, was facing mounting scrutiny over reports she allegedly asked a Trump donor to pay her hefty credit card bill in exchange for access to the administration and behaved inappropriately while in Athens. Trump said on Tuesday that she had done a good job, but will "not be there" in Greece any longer. "I didn't like what I read," he said.

ABC News: Trump again attacks Rep. Ilhan Omar, a US citizen, over immigration allegations: up for reelection in three weeks (LINK) — 13 October 2026

Fox News: Ilhan Omar's wealth scandal takes a turn just one day after raid of her DC home — (LINK)

Bank of America hit with $1.2bn fine for money laundering failings (LINK) — 13 October 2026

— The banking giant failed to report over $5bn in suspicious activity to the government, $1bn of which posed national security and illicit finance risks, the Treasury said. Those failures included not flagging transactions that possibly involved Chinese money laundering networks or trade-based laundering "with a substantial nexus to the southwest border", according to the Treasury.

Investigators hunt hackers who heated 350 French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and spoiling food (LINK) — 13 October 2026

Politician named Hitler Mussolini elected mayor in Peru (ground news LINK) — 13 October 2026

— Managing the Simeon Sac investment group in Pillco Marca, Hitler Mussolini Simeón Flores brings a business background to his new mayoral role in the small district with just over 730 residents. Peruvian politicians named Hitler have previously held office, including former Yungar mayor Hitler Alba and late Congressman Hitler Saavedra, reflecting a broader local cultural trend where Peruvians choose historic or unusual names regardless of negative connotations.

Monday, 12 October 2026

Ukraine says Russia violated Trump's 'energy ceasefire' (LINK) — 12 October 2026

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Kyiv power plant among the facilities hit after US president claims 'energy ceasefire', while Kremlin yet to confirm any deal.

Nobel prize in economics awarded to Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford of US for their work on the microeconomic foundations of macroeconomic stabiliaztion: the laureates' "work has provided us with a stable theoretical foundation" for models used by central banks and governments worldwide (ground news LINK) — 12 October 2026

— Although technically not a Nobel Prize, it is presented on Dec. 10 alongside other honors announced last week in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace.

Israeli strike on a tent in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, killed at least two Palestinians, health officials said (ground news LINK) — 12 October 2026

U.K. prime minister attributes plot against U.S. bomber base to Iran: "highly likely to have been coordinated in Iran, almost certainly directed by the IRGC" (LINK) — 12 October 2026

Delhi shuts metro stations and seals central roads ahead of anti-election chief protests in India (ground news LINK) — 12 October 2026

EBU: 97th General Assembly scheduled to be held in Geneva on 3-4 December (LINK) — 12 October 2026

Scientists find 'Doomsday Glacier', Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica, is melting 'more aggressively' than thought, with big impacts for sea level rise (LINK) — 12 October 2026

— CNN: its melting ice currently contributes around 4% to global sea level rise. Thwaites holds enough water to raise sea levels by more than 2 feet (0.6m) if it were to collapse. Because it also acts as a cork holding back the vast Antarctic ice sheet, it could ultimately lead to around 10 feet (3m) of sea level rise, devastating coastal communities from Miami to Manila.