World
A late-night attack on Dammam airport killed two people and injured eight, Saudi aviation authorities said, a day after Washington told nonessential US embassy staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia. Houthi attacks on Saudi airports and oil sites have reached an unprecedented scale this month, with 22 people killed at airports. Riyadh has shut its main airport and postponed a major investment conference. Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned it would strike US bases across the region if American warships keep escorting vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, the route that carried a fifth of world oil before the war began in February.
AFP / Taipei Times
Politics
The Supreme Court declined to let the Trump administration immediately enforce new restrictions on medical care for transgender federal prisoners, leaving a lower court's block in place. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said they would have allowed the policy. The rules, adopted after an executive order, would stop surgeries, taper hormone treatment and end social accommodations such as makeup and wigs, while keeping mental health services. A Reagan-appointed judge had ordered care to continue, noting that untreated gender dysphoria can cause depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. About 600 inmates were receiving hormone therapy in 2025.
Associated Press / ABC News
Business
A New Mexico judge ordered Meta to pay $25 billion after a jury found the company misled users about how it handled Facebook data. Judge Francis Mathew calculated a penalty of more than $219 billion under state law, then cut it to $25 billion, roughly Meta's quarterly profit. Jurors found about 43 million violations of state consumer protection law, tied to the Cambridge Analytica data harvest for the 2016 election. The fine is far larger than the $5 billion the FTC imposed in 2019. New Mexico Attorney General Raul Torrez called the ruling a warning to the tech industry.
Reuters / NBC News
Technology
Intel has reached a construction milestone at its $28 billion Ohio chip campus, with the first steel truss lifted into place at the Ohio One site built by Bechtel. The project is at least five years behind its original timeline, and the company now points to operations in the 2030-2031 window. Intel says its next Arizona fab should start running by the end of 2028, while its most advanced 18A chips are already in high-volume production in Arizona. Analysts say the foundry business still needs a large outside customer, and Intel reports third-quarter results on October 29. The campus was announced in 2022 as the centrepiece of Intel's push to build leading-edge capacity in the United States.
CNBC / JobsOhio
Science
A study in Astronomy & Astrophysics used carbon monoxide observations, largely from the ALMA telescope, to estimate the carbon-to-oxygen ratio deep inside Uranus and Neptune. Neptune appears substantially richer in oxygen than Uranus, which points to a lower carbon-to-oxygen ratio there. The authors say that split is hard to explain if both planets formed from the same material in the same part of the early solar system. One scenario has Uranus forming near its current orbit and Neptune forming closer to the Sun before migrating outward. Only Voyager 2 has ever flown past either world. The authors say vertical mixing in the deep atmospheres remains the largest source of uncertainty.
Astronomy & Astrophysics / Phys.org
Sports
Cesc Fabregas's Como tore Manchester United apart 4-1 in the Champions League at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia, with Nico Paz scoring twice and adding an assist. The defeat leaves United without a win in seven games in all competitions and increases the pressure on head coach Michael Carrick. Captain Bruno Fernandes questioned the team's pressing instructions afterwards, and was substituted in the 67th minute after playing as a centre-forward. Carrick apologised to travelling fans and said his players are hurting. United made two changes at half-time but the shape of the game did not change. Carrick apologised to travelling fans and said his players are hurting.
BBC Sport / Sky Sports
Health
Doctors treating Pope Leo XIV said the tumour removed from his right lung this month was a pulmonary adenocarcinoma and that the disease was localized, so no further treatment is necessary. The 71-year-old American pontiff had the lower lobe of his right lung removed on October 13 at Rome's Gemelli hospital in a video-assisted operation. He returned to the Vatican after five days and has resumed his duties. Adenocarcinoma accounts for about 80% of non-small cell lung cancer cases. Leo, who is not known to have smoked, still plans a two-week trip to South America in November. He is expected to keep a lighter schedule for several weeks while he recovers.
Vatican News / AP
Environment
Sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific are 6.1F above normal, the highest on record for this point in the year, and NOAA puts the chance of a very strong El Niño at 90% for this autumn and winter. The agency gives a 75% chance the event becomes the largest since 1950. UNICEF says 347 million children in nearly 100 countries live in areas likely to see drier or wetter conditions. Researchers at the University of Chicago estimate the pattern could cause 451,000 excess heat deaths worldwide. The Atlantic hurricane season has been quiet while storms raced across the Pacific. Aid agencies are pre-positioning supplies while the pattern is still building.
NBC News / NOAA