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'At least 72' miners killed in airstrike on Sudan-Egypt border

October 11, 2026 at 21:18

Dozens of miners have been killed in an airstrike in the border region between Sudan and Egypt, according to a human rights group.

Sudanese organisation Emergency Lawyers said at least 72 people had been killed in the attack, which happened on Saturday morning local time in the Border Triangle Area.

Another group, the Sudan Doctors Network (SDN), said earlier that 13 people had died but also said that the number of those killed was expected to rise.

It has not been confirmed who was responsible for the attack, and the aircraft involved has not been identified.

The SDN said the miners had been repeatedly warned by Egyptian authorities to evacuate the area.

Initial reports suggested the attack took place on the Egyptian side of the border, while Emergency Lawyers said it happened in Sudanese territory and blamed Egyptian forces.

Gold has played a central part in the war in Sudan, with the insurgent paramilitary Rapid Support Forces smuggling out thousands of tons of the precious metal from the Darfur and Kordofan regions to fund themselves.

Abdel-Aziz Yousef, a survivor, told the Associated Press news agency that the site targeted was an artisanal gold mine in a mountainous area.

He said that many people were killed or wounded, and others fled the area amid fears there would be further strikes.

The SDN said earlier that some of the wounded had serious injuries and limited access to healthcare facilities.

In June, Egyptian security forces arrested hundreds of people on the border with Sudan, accusing them of illegal gold mining and smuggling.

More than 50% of gold mined in Sudan is smuggled out of the country, according to a 2024 UN report.

At least 139 dead and 84 missing after boat capsizes off coast of Djibouti, UN agency says

October 11, 2026 at 15:38

A boat has capsized off the coast of Djibouti leaving at least 139 migrants dead and 84 missing, a United Nations agency has reported.

At least fifteen children are among the dead, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

The boat was carrying 305 people as it travelled from Djibouti to Yemen when it capsized near Guhere, north of Obock, on the night of 8 October, survivors told the IOM.

The agency described it as "one of the deadliest shipwrecks recorded" on the route.

There were more than 80 survivors, all Ethiopian nationals, it added. The number of dead rose from 109 reported earlier after more bodies were recovered and search and rescue efforts are continuing.

"This is a devastating loss of life. Our thoughts are with the survivors and the families who have lost loved ones or remain without news of their relatives," said Alexandre Coissac, the IOM's chief of mission in Djibouti.

"Our teams are on the ground alongside local authorities to provide emergency assistance. This tragedy is a stark reminder of the dangers faced by migrants along this migration corridor as they seek economic opportunities."

The IOM says it is assisting survivors at its Obock Migrant Response Centre while Djiboutian authorities continue search and rescue operations.

Thousands of migrants from the Horn of Africa travel through Djibouti, and cross the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Yemen in search of safety and employment, the IOM added.

The agency said that violence in Yemen has not deterred migrants, who can face violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, exploitation and trafficking in the country.

More than 900 migrants died, or went missing, along the route in 2025, according to IOM's Missing Migrants Project.

Pope Leo to undergo surgery in coming days after nodule discovered on his lung

October 11, 2026 at 15:15

Pope Leo has said he is to undergo surgery to remove a nodule on his lung.

The 71-year-old pontiff made the announcement during his morning weekly Sunday noon blessing from St Peter's Square in Vatican City.

During the Angelus, as pilgrims listened in the square, Leo said: "Recently, during some medical examinations, doctors discovered a well-defined lung nodule, detected at a very early stage and clearly localised.

"The doctors consider it appropriate to intervene, and so, following their advice, I have decided to undergo surgery to have it removed.

"The procedure has already been scheduled for the coming days. I thank you and entrust myself to your prayers."

The Vatican said in a statement: "The surgery will be the first days of next week. The post operation recovery will be around one week."

He also made a similar announcement on the social media site X.

Pope Leo XIV, who is originally from the US, has no previously known health problems and is known to be physically active, with weekly tennis games and swimming at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo.

The surgery will not affect his scheduled trip next month to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, Sky News understands.

His treatment will take place at the Gemelli University Hospital in Rome. He is expected to be there between tomorrow and Wednesday, Sky understands.

His predecessor, the late Pope Francis, died ⁠at the age of 88 and was increasingly frail in his later years.

Reacting to the news, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni said: "I would like to express to the Holy Father my personal closeness and that of the Italian Government as he faces the challenge that lies ahead in the coming days.

"The calm and serenity with which he spoke about it during today's Angelus are reassuring. I am certain that the Italian people, too, will offer him their unwavering support and affection."

Pakistan's president declares state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province run by Imran Khan's party

October 11, 2026 at 19:27

The president of Pakistan has declared a state of emergency in the country's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The region had been run by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former prime ⁠minister Imran Khan.

But Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president, said the province's local government would be suspended after allegations it had failed to tackle Islamist militancy in the area.

A new government-approved governor and advisory council has now stepped in to take charge, with troops also deployed to the region, which borders Afghanistan and has been affected by several militant attacks in recent months.

The government said the arrangement would be in place for six months initially.

Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi justified the measures claiming: "The situation is so grave that you wouldn't see any residents coming out of their houses after evening in some of the districts."

But Mr Khan's party rejected the accusations and said the government had failed to provide it with the funding and equipment it needed to tackle the militants.

The move comes after recent rallies by the PTI party calling for the release of Mr Khan. It is also preparing a march on the nation's capital Islamabad in the coming days.

The government has tried to cut access to the city by blocking major roads with shipping containers and deploying tens of thousands of security forces.

Mr Khan, a 74-year-old former cricket star, was removed from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.

He was jailed in 2023 on corruption charges that he and his party argue were politically motivated.

Mr Sharif returned to office after elections in February 2024, which Mr Khan's party has claimed was rigged to deny it victory - an accusation denied by the government.

Mr Khan's aide and spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari said the state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was "more of a coup disguised as emergency".

He added that it risked causing further bloodshed and instability.

Four dead after Hurricane Isaias crashes into US - as Mexico braces itself for major storm

October 11, 2026 at 13:24

Four people have died after Hurricane Isaias smashed into the US Gulf Coast.

Two of the deaths were in Florida while the other fatalities were in Alabama.

The hurricane was a Category 2 when it came ashore on Florida's coast early on Saturday, and it has left hundreds of thousands of homes without power in the state and Alabama.

It brought damaging winds, heavy rain, flooding and life-threatening storm surges, leaving a trail of destruction.

About 10 million people remained under flood alerts from northern Florida to southern Virginia.

It comes as Simon - a Category 4 hurricane - barrelled towards the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Simon has strengthened to 155mph (250kph) which is just below the threshold for becoming a maximum Category 5 storm.

Meanwhile, Isaias weakened to a post-tropical cyclone as it moved north, but it still blew roofs off hotels and apartments, and flattened a boathouse.

One of the deaths in Florida involved a fallen tree, while in the other, a man died of carbon monoxide fumes from a generator running in his garage.

Four of his family members, ranging in age from four to 72, were treated, but were expected to survive.

One person died when a tree fell on a house in Birmingham, Alabama.

A second storm-related death in Alabama was attributed to a vehicle crash involving a downed tree in Barbour County.

The Atlantic hurricane season has been unusually quiet this year, and Isaias was the first hurricane to hit the eastern US since 2024.

The National Weather Service said parts of Georgia and the Carolinas could see heavy rain capable of causing flash floods, with some experts expecting 25cm (10in).

The storm was expected to move into the Tennessee Valley and then the mid-Atlantic on Sunday.

It's predicted that Simon could bring 25-50cm (10-20in) of rain over parts of southwestern Mexico, with some areas in the states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco getting up to 76cm (30in).

Forecasters have warned of life-threatening floods and mudslides as a result.

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