Trump Approves Firing-Squad Execution for Fort Hood Shooter

Spain's Sánchez Calls Snap Election Over Housing Crisis

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap general election for 29 November after right-wing parties in parliament rejected emergency housing legislation proposed by his minority government. Sánchez, who had repeatedly said he would serve his full four-year term until 2027, framed the vote as a response to the housing crisis roiling the country. The conservative People's Party welcomed the election, while Sánchez has also faced a migration crisis and corruption scandals involving his inner circle.

Paramount Completes Warner Bros. Discovery Merger as Skydance

Paramount has closed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, creating a combined entertainment giant named Skydance that unites major Hollywood studios, streaming services, CBS News, CNN and cable networks including Comedy Central and TNT. The deal survived months of legal disputes, court challenges and regulatory scrutiny.

Reports differed on the final price: CBS and the BBC cited $110 billion, while DW reported $81 billion.

Brazil Presidential Race Heads to October Run-off

Brazil's presidential election will go to a run-off on 25 October after incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, both failed to win a majority in Sunday's first round. Brazil's electoral authority confirmed the second-round contest, with Flávio Bolsonaro leading the first-round vote.

Lula, seeking a fourth term, expressed disappointment over the results and warned that Brazilian sovereignty was at stake amid pressure from Donald Trump. Flávio Bolsonaro has highlighted his ties to the White House and called for better U.S. deals, including over rare mineral resources.

Nobel Medicine Prize Awarded for Optogenetics Brain Research

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth of Stanford University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Peter Hegemann of Humboldt University of Berlin, and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg for their discoveries on light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The three scientists will share a prize of 12 million Swedish kronor. Their work offers new insights into how individual nerve cells are switched on or off and could inform treatments for blindness, depression, addiction and dementia.

Nobel Physics Prize Honors Neutrino Observatory Pioneer

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to Francis Halzen for his work on high-energy neutrinos, the ghostly cosmic particles detected by the IceCube observatory at the South Pole. Halzen, 82, was born in Belgium and is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research into capturing neutrinos dates back to the 1980s.

U.S. Withdraws Bombers From British Base After Security Incident

The United States has withdrawn all bombers deployed to RAF Fairford in England and returned them to their home stations, the Pentagon confirmed. The redeployment followed the arrest of several men near the base last week in connection with a suspected terror plot that the U.K. government believes may be linked to Iran.

Downing Street insisted the base remains safe and offered additional details about the redeployment, while U.S. media reported that a new threat had prompted the move.

Kenya Confirms First Ebola Death in Cross-Border Outbreak

Kenya has confirmed its first-ever Ebola death after a Kenyan national who had been living in the Democratic Republic of Congo died following his return to Kenya. The patient arrived over the weekend and tested positive for the virus. Kenya is the fourth country to record a case in the current outbreak, which was declared in eastern DR Congo in mid-May and has killed more than 4,000 people this year. Kenyan health authorities are monitoring for further cases.

Trump Remark on Iran Bombing California Cities Draws Rebuke

At a political rally in Nebraska, President Donald Trump said Iran could "take out" Los Angeles or San Diego and that losing those cities would be a "small price to pay" to keep the world safe. The remarks drew condemnation from California Democrats, with Governor Gavin Newsom calling the president "dangerous and deranged." Republican congressional candidate Jim Desmond, running in a San Diego-based House seat, also rebuked Trump, saying he served to protect Americans, not write off American cities. Al Jazeera described the comments as a joke, while other reports treated them as a suggestion.

Trump Says Super PAC Will Pay for Promo Ads

President Donald Trump said his super PAC, MAGA, Inc., will pay for a series of television advertisements promoting him after the ads drew criticism for being funded with taxpayer money. The spots cost at least $1.5 million in federal funds and were condemned by Democrats and Republicans. In a social media post, Trump defended the ads and said he would cover them with money raised for the PAC.

Former 'American Idol' Singer Gets Life for Wife's Murder

Caleb Flynn, a former "American Idol" contestant and Ohio music pastor, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of his wife, Ashley. A jury convicted him of shooting her in what prosecutors said was an execution-style killing staged as a home invasion while he was having an affair. Flynn maintained his innocence at Monday's sentencing hearing.

Televangelist Jim Bakker Dies at 86 After Scandals

Jim Bakker, the U.S. televangelist who co-founded "The PTL Club" with his then-wife Tammy Faye, has died at 86. Bakker built a multimillion-dollar broadcasting empire before being disgraced by a sex scandal and a 1989 fraud conviction for defrauding followers through a scheme involving holidays at his Christian theme park. He served four and a half years in prison.