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October 18: Pope Leo’s Recovery and Ukraine-Russia Energy Strikes
At the Vatican
Pope Leo the Fourteenth says he will gradually resume his duties after lung cancer surgery. At his first public event since the operation, he thanked well-wishers and staff at Rome’s Gemelli hospital and recited the Angelus prayer. Surgeons removed the lower lobe of his right lung on Tuesday. Testing of the tumor and nearby lymph nodes was underway to help doctors determine whether he needs further treatment.
In Gaza
A funeral was held for 75 Palestinians whose remains were recovered from ruins in Gaza. The Health Ministry says most were from the Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City.
In U.S. politics
At least three Texas Republican lawmakers in battleground races have removed Governor Greg Abbott’s endorsement from their campaign websites, NBC News reports. Abbott is in a margin-of-error race against Democrat Gina Hinojosa. NBC says many Republicans fear controversies surrounding Trump-backed Senate candidate Ken Paxton could hurt candidates down the ballot.
Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of Americans say President Trump is using the presidency to enrich himself, according to a Washington Post–ABC News–Ipsos poll. Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 34 percent hold that view, up from 22 percent in September 2025.
At Amazon’s warehouses
A study cited in October 12 reporting found 77 percent more non-severe injuries at Amazon’s robotic fulfillment centers than at its conventional facilities. The findings bring renewed scrutiny to the company’s deployment of more than one million robots.
In Ukraine and Russia
A Ukrainian drone attack killed one person and hit energy sites in St. Petersburg. Ukrainian forces also struck Russia’s Leningrad region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russian attacks targeted Ukraine’s energy sector in four regions overnight Saturday. He says attacks on residential buildings killed two people, with 12 others reportedly injured, and accuses Moscow of continuing to violate the energy ceasefire.
Google’s AI in court
A German court has barred Google from repeating an AI search answer that falsely said an Aachen doctor had been convicted of a sex crime. The conviction belonged to another man. The Aachen Regional Court ruled that Google is responsible for what its AI Mode says. It is the second German court this year to treat Google’s AI answers as the company’s own words.
At NATO’s Atlantic headquarters
Britain has filled 44 of its 71 assigned posts at NATO’s headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, according to Ministry of Defence evidence submitted to Parliament. The ministry says the remaining 27 posts are due to be filled by the end of 2027. The command oversees North Atlantic routes that would carry reinforcements to Europe in a crisis.
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