El Niño Watch: The impacts around the world this week

Inquirer.net - Oct 13, 2026

BANGKOK, Thailand — Food security concerns, wildfires and power warnings are among the impacts around the world this week from an exceptionally strong El Niño weather cycle. Here is a look at how this year’s phenomenon, in which warmer sea-surface temperatures shift global weather patterns, has been affecting people worldwide: Indonesia and Amazon fires, orangutans rescued

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Hackers heat French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and spoiling food

Oct 13, 2026

Hackers heat French supermarket fridges, sparking fires and spoiling food

PARIS — Hackers raised the temperature of refrigerators and freezers at hundreds of French supermarkets to as high as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, causing fires and spoiling food. The Paris prosecutor's office said on Monday that a "large-scale" attack was "affecting connected refrigerators in several major food retailers across France", leading to food losses and fires. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has instructed France's National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) to investigate, a person in his office said. France was coordinating with European counterparts because other countries could also be affected, the person said, adding that authorities were assessing whether other French companies were at risk. Felix Aime, a senior cyber threat intelligence analyst at Sekoia Threat Detection and Research, said Spain, Portugal, Poland, Germany and Belgium had also been affected. Carrefour said 80 of its supermarkets were hit, while Monoprix, which operates about 490 stores in France, said 5% of its stores were affected. Les Mousquetaires, owner of retailer Intermarche,

Saudis probe how defense systems failed to stop deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport

Oct 13, 2026

Saudis probe how defense systems failed to stop deadly Houthi attack on Riyadh airport

CAIRO — Saudi Arabia has launched an investigation to determine how its air defenses failed to intercept a barrage of missiles and drones fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, including an attack on Riyadh airport that killed at least 13 people and wounded over 300, two regional officials said Monday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, said the initial probe showed that Yemen's Houthis first fired multiple drones to pave the way for a mix of cruise and ballistic missiles to reach Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport. The Houthis possess ballistic missiles and advanced systems fitted with warheads that can change direction during flight and pose a challenge to Patriot interceptors and other defense systems used by the Saudis. One of the officials said the investigation also aims to find out why air defense systems did not provide earlier warning of the attack in which the Houthi missiles and drones flew over 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) to reach Riyadh. The incident, one of a string of Houthi attacks since last we

Trump says he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran 'at all'

Oct 13, 2026

Trump says he does not believe China and Russia are helping Iran 'at all'

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said late on Monday he did not believe that China and Russia were helping Iran "at all," adding that Moscow and Beijing had "too much to lose" if they enabled Tehran. Trump said on Truth Social that he had seen comments from his critics and opponents that China and Russia were helping Iran. "If they are, it's at a very low level, but I don't believe they are at all. They have too much to lose, and we would know about it, and know about it very fast," Trump wrote. Trump said in July he trusted China and Russia not to help Tehran in the Iran war, but warned that if they did get involved "it would be very bad for them." The United States and Iran have been at war since February 28 when the US and Israel attacked Iran and Tehran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since killed thousands and displaced millions. Trump has previously described Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin as "neutral" during the Iran war. Moscow and Beij

IMF raises its forecast for world growth this year but warns of risks from AI boom and debt

Oct 13, 2026

IMF raises its forecast for world growth this year but warns of risks from AI boom and debt

BANGKOK — The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slightly upgraded its outlook for the world economy for this year, while warning of growing risks from rising debt, including the financial frenzy around artificial intelligence. The IMF says it expects the global economy to grow at a 3.1 percent pace this year. That's up from its July forecast for 3.0 percent growth and well below the 3.5 percent expansion in 2025. Growth in 2027 should rebound to 3.4 percent, it said in its latest Economic Outlook. The report, released as world economic and financial leaders gathered in Bangkok for the fall meetings of the IMF and World Bank, predicts that growth in the United States will remain steady at 2.3 percent in 2026 and 2027. Collectively, advanced economies will grow 2.1 percent this year, up from 2.0 percent in 2025, and then slow to 1.9 percent growth next year, it said. The forecasts are based on a nearly 41 percent increase in oil prices this year, at an average of $96 a barrel. Global inflation is foreseen at 4.7 percent in 2026, falling to 4.1 percent next year. They also are based

Fear strikes Yemen's 3rd largest city Taiz as Houthi rebels encircle it in new siege

Oct 13, 2026

Fear strikes Yemen's 3rd largest city Taiz as Houthi rebels encircle it in new siege

CAIRO — As word came of Houthi rebels closing in, Weam Abdullah and her family decided it was time to leave their home in Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city. They had survived a yearslong siege by the rebels earlier in their country’s civil war, and they didn’t want to endure that again. They made it out just in time: Just after Abdullah, her husband and two young children left, the rebels on Oct. 4 captured a key town, largely encircling the city and cutting off most access to supplies from government-held areas. “We already feel dead, there was already despair” in the city, Abdullah said, speaking by phone to The Associated Press from a province further south. “We feel as if we are cursed. Everyone is conspiring against us even though we’re not affiliated with any party or politics.” The Iranian-backed Houthis — even as they escalate attacks on Saudi Arabia with a string of deadly attacks on the airport in the capital Riyadh — are trying to make a major gain in Yemen's 12-year-old civil war by moving on Taiz, a prize they have long sought to capture. Their assault

Ben Affleck looks back on the lowest point of his career

Oct 13, 2026

Ben Affleck looks back on the lowest point of his career

Ben Affleck looks back on the lowest point of his careerBen Affleck dubs his experience making Justice League the low point of his career.The actor, who played Bruce Wayne and Batman in the 2017 film, made the stark admission speaking in a recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast.The...

US economists win Nobel for research helping policymakers navigate crises

Oct 13, 2026

US economists win Nobel for research helping policymakers navigate crises

Two American economists, Robert E. Hall of Stanford University and Michael Woodford of Columbia University, have won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for their work on economic stabilisation. Their research helps policymakers and central banks better understand economic fluctuations, manage recessions and inflation, and account for public expectations when shaping economic policy. The prize money, worth around $1.2 million, will be shared equally between the two laureates.

France votes on sweeping bill to combat sexual and gender-based violence

Oct 13, 2026

France votes on sweeping bill to combat sexual and gender-based violence

France’s National Assembly is voting on a comprehensive bill to tackle gender-based and sexual violence, following public outrage over the rape and murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna. The proposed law includes stronger investigations, specialised police units and courts, and dedicated support for child victims. However, campaigners and lawmakers warn that funding remains uncertain, while several measures have been dropped over budget concerns.

Manchester City and PSG’s strange alliance illustrates the biggest problem with modern football

Oct 13, 2026

Manchester City and PSG’s strange alliance illustrates the biggest problem with modern football

As geopolitical manoeuvring spills into the sport, Miguel Delaney explains why football has been too slow to act on state influence

Can I take my power bank on a flight? The rules after several airlines ban using the device

Oct 13, 2026

Can I take my power bank on a flight? The rules after several airlines ban using the device

Flight operators from Emirates to Virgin Australia have introduced new power bank regulations following fire safety concerns

Ethiopia: Social media becomes a battleground for propaganda

Oct 13, 2026

Ethiopia: Social media becomes a battleground for propaganda

Millions of Ethiopians rely on social media for daily news. But as fighting resumes in the country’s north between federal forces and a coalition of rebel groups, these platforms have become a breeding ground for propaganda and disinformation. Pro-government and pro-rebel accounts are battling to shape the news, while journalists’ limited access to the front lines makes it increasingly difficult to verify what is happening on the ground.

England call up 18-year-old Thomas Rew for Australia T20s as Jofra Archer and Co are rested ahead of South Africa Test series

Oct 13, 2026

England call up 18-year-old Thomas Rew for Australia T20s as Jofra Archer and Co are rested ahead of South Africa Test series

RICHARD GIBSON: Rew, 18, comes into a 16-strong squad that is missing the injured Jos Buttler and will be without the multi-format bowlers for the second half of the four-week tour.

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