Pope Leo diagnosed with cancer as doctors remove lobe of lung
Pope Leo was diagnosed with a common form of lung cancer after surgeons removed a part of his right lung on Oct 13, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin, marking a significant health setback for the 71-year-old pontiff.
The 71-year-old pontiff has lung adenocarcinoma, with tissue tests conducted during the operation confirming what doctors had suspected from preparatory examinations, the bulletin said.
The pope was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Oct 13 for surgery to remove a growth on his lung that doctors found in a recent health checkup.
The Vatican had said earlier on the evening of Oct 13 that the surgery had been successful before providing a more detailed update from the pope’s lead surgeon, Professor Stefano Margaritora, the chief of thoracic surgery at the Gemelli.
Missile hits headquarters of Saudi Aramco as Houthi conflict escalates
PHOTO: AFP
A ballistic missile hit the headquarters complex of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, the world’s largest and the backbone of the kingdom’s economy, a company source told Reuters, amid an escalating war between Yemen’s Iran-allied Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition.
An office tower in the Saudi Aramco complex in the eastern city of Dhahran was struck on the night of Oct 13 and the top three floors were damaged, the source said. The source and two other people with knowledge of the matter said the building was on fire.
The complex hosts a major operations centre for Aramco, which oversees a vast network of onshore and offshore oil rigs, pipelines, refineries and export terminals.
Allies failed to warn Ukraine of impending missile attack, Zelensky says
PHOTO: REUTERS
Ukraine received no prior warning from its Western partners about a Russian ballistic missile attack on its capital, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct 13, as Kyiv comes under intense US pressure to halt attacks on Russian refineries.
Russia hit no Ukrainian energy targets overnight for the first time since US President Donald Trump’s surprise Oct 11 announcement of an “energy ceasefire”, but hammered transport and logistics with ballistic missiles and drones.
Reuters and other media have reported that US officials have threatened to cut off intelligence sharing and weapons sales to Ukraine unless it stops attacking Russian refineries. Kyiv relies heavily on US intelligence for early warnings of missile strikes, experts and officials say.
Cornell bans fraternity parties for rest of academic year after alleged gang rape
PHOTO: REUTERS
Cornell University will ban parties and social events at fraternity houses until the end of the academic year, its president said on Oct 13, responding to the outcry over an alleged gang rape on campus in 2024.
The measure is the strongest reaction yet from Cornell’s leadership to a lawsuit filed by a former undergraduate, Jane Doe, alleging that seven men sexually assaulted her during a party two years ago.
Over the last several weeks, the Ivy League school in Ithaca, New York, and its president, Michael Kotlikoff, have come under heavy criticism from students, faculty and donors over its response to the allegations.
Gianni Infantino received undisclosed US$1.7 million World Cup payment: Report
PHOTO: REUTERS
Embattled FIFA president Gianni Infantino received a previously undisclosed US$1.72 million (S$2.2 million) World Cup payment, according to FIFA and IRS documents obtained by ESPN.
According to the report published on Oct 13, the lack of transparency surrounding the compensation is a potential violation of FIFA statutes.
Infantino received the compensation in 2024 from FWC2026, the official US-based organisation set up by FIFA to manage and operate the 2026 World Cup held this summer in North America, according to IRS records.