Pope Leo walking and following his regular diet as he recovers from surgery: Vatican
A view of Gemelli Hospital is seen as Pope Leo XIV is recovering from surgery. (Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Pope Leo XIV’s recovery is “proceeding as expected” following his surgery on Tuesday, the Vatican said.
The pope underwent blood tests and a chest X-ray following surgery and “the results confirm a normal postoperative course: the values are within the normal range for the type of surgery performed,” according to the Vatican.
Leo had respiratory physical therapy and was eating regularly, the Vatican said, adding that his recovery “is proceeding as expected.”
Earlier on Wednesday, the Vatican press office said the pope had a “peaceful” night in the hospital following surgery.
The pontiff was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent surgery to have the lower lobe of his right lung removed, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
Dr. Luigi Carbone and professor Stefano Margaritora said the pontiff underwent a minimally invasive camera-guided surgical procedure, according to the Vatican.
“The intraoperative histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma, as suspected by the preoperative tests,” the Vatican said.
Leo was in the operating room for about three hours, which included about 90 minutes for the “successful” surgery, the Vatican said.
He’s recovering at Gemelli Hospital, the largest hospital in Rome and the primary medical facility used by popes, including Leo’s immediate predecessor, Pope Francis, who died in 2025 at the age of 88.
Leo, a Chicago native and the first American pope, who was previously Cardinal Robert Prevost, was elected the church’s 267th pontiff in May 2025.
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago said in a statement that the pope’s diagnosis was “not the news we hoped for,” but added that he and his archdiocese were “heartened by the skill and optimism of his physicians and the countless prayers offered around the world for his complete recovery.”
“I ask that the people of good will everywhere, but particularly here, in Pope Leo’s hometown join me in asking the Lord to return this son of Chicago to wellness,” Cupich said. “He has much more good work to do, many more wise words to preach and many more ways to inspire others.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with one of the passengers involved in subduing an attacker during a flight on a FlyDubai plane, after he arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Sept. 30, 2026. (Prime Minister’s Office)
(LONDON) — A man who was among a group of passengers who subdued an attacker on a flight to Tel Aviv on Wednesday was welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he returned to Israel later in the evening.
The prime minister posted a video of meeting the passenger named Yaniv Hayun, who still had blood on his shirt from the encounter.
Yaniv and a group of other passengers aboard FlyDubai Flight 1073 were able to get into the cockpit after an unidentified pilot stabbed the co-pilot, Capt. Smit Machchhar and took control of the plane, Israeli officials said.
The suspect allegedly plummeted the plane in an attempt to crash it and kill everyone aboard, Israeli investigators said.
“And then there was a very sharp nosedive down, something that threw me to where the flight attendants stand in front of the cockpit, I flew sideways,” Yaniv said.
Yaniv said he placed the attacker in a chokehold and pulled him out. And then he quickly went for the plane’s controls and briefly flew the plane.
“And the plane started to level out a bit more, and then the (third) pilot told me he’s taking control from here,” he said.
The third pilot flew it to Saudi Arabia, where the plane landed and the passengers disembarked. Capt. Machchhar was being treated for his injuries and the suspect is in custody, officials said.
“I imagine if we entered the sky of the country it wouldn’t have been good,” Yaniv told the prime minister during their meeting.
Residents carry their belongings along a road heavily covered in mud following flash floods, August 27, 2026 in Trishuli, Nepal. (Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
LONDON — At least 358 people have been confirmed killed in the massive flash flooding that ravaged the Nepal-Tibet border region on Wednesday, emergency authorities in Nepal and China said. More than 1,300 people remained missing as of Thursday morning, authorities said.
As search and rescue efforts continued in Nepal on Thursday, police there said that at least 358 bodies had been recovered.
At least 826 people — among them 579 tourists, of whom 476 are foreign nationals and 114 Nepali nationals — were still out of contact as of Thursday morning, the Nepal National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said.
Across the border in the Chinese region of Tibet, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday that three people were confirmed killed with 558 others still missing, citing local officials.
The number of those considered missing fluctuated significantly as recovery efforts accelerated. The Nepal Tourism Board said that 63 Americans were among the missing.
The board said on Thursday that two Americans were among a group of 27 foreign tourists rescued from the Timure and Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa.
The flooding, captured in dramatic video footage, occurred in the northern Rasuwa district, along the border with Tibet, at around 8:40 a.m. local time on Wednesday, authorities said, inundating areas along the Trishuli River, burying some buildings and damaging bridges and roadways.
In a statement, Nepal’s office of the prime minister expressed “deep sorrow” over the loss of life. “Offering heartfelt tribute to all those who lost their lives in this natural disaster, it extends its sincere condolences to the bereaved families and relatives,” the statement shared on social media said.
The prime minister’s office later said search and rescue operations carried out by the Nepali Army would continue through the night.
The State Department said the number of Americans among the missing and otherwise impacted by the floods fluctuated throughout the day on Wednesday.
“The United States extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in the devastating flash floods in the Rasuwa district of Nepal. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster,” a department spokesperson said in a statement issued later Wednesday.
The spokesperson said the State Department is “closely monitoring the situation and is deploying a disaster response advisor to the region to support response efforts. The Department will also provide $500,000 in assistance through its global award with Catholic Relief Services, supporting emergency shelter, relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene assistance to flood-affected communities.”
An Indian spiritual leader and entrepreneur, known as Sadhguru, said in a post to social media that 77 people who were on tours organized by his Isha Foundation were at an immigration center at the Nepal-Tibet border when the floodwaters hit.
The Isha Foundation confirmed to ABC News that 22 of those 77 people were Americans. The organization, which is headquartered in India, also has a base in McMinnville, Tennessee. The group’s coordinator told ABC News the organization has been in touch with family members in the U.S.
Three missing Americans were listed as traveling with a Nepali company called Fishtail Tours and Travel. The agency confirmed to ABC News that three American nationals are among the missing tourists traveling with them.
The flood was reportedly triggered by a landslide about 12 miles northeast of the Rasuwagadhi border post along the Nepal-China frontier, according to Nepal Disaster Management.
A 5.2-magnitude landslide was registered in Nepal on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The seismic activity from the landslide was initially erroneously reported as a 4.4-magnitude earthquake, the agency said. It is unclear what triggered the landslide.
A geophysicist at New York’s Columbia University told ABC News it appeared a landslide in the Himalayas took away a large glacier, or parts of one, in the mountain pass.
ABC News’ Desiree Adib, Somayeh Malekian, Charlotte Gardiner, Shannon Kingston, Joseph Simonetti, Dada Jovanovic, Meghan Mistry and Othon Leyva contributed to this report.
