Daily briefing · Tuesday, October 13

IMF slightly raises its global growth forecast

The International Monetary Fund raised its forecast for global growth this year to 3.1% Tuesday, from 3.0% in July. It expects 3.4% growth in 2027 and U.S. growth of 2.3% in both years. Investment in artificial intelligence is helping offset higher energy costs, but the gains are concentrated in a limited number of economies. The upgrade amounts to just 0.1 percentage point. It also rests on assumptions, including renewed oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz by March; continued disruption or a reversal in AI investment could change the outlook. IMF raises its forecast for world growth this year but says economies will slow in 2027

Simon moves slowly as Mexico faces heavy rain

Hurricane Simon carried sustained winds of 90 mph early Tuesday, with its center about 100 miles west of Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. A hurricane warning remained in effect for Las Islas Marias, while a mainland hurricane watch covered areas north of Escuinapa to Bahia Tempehuaya. The National Hurricane Center forecast 5–10 inches of rain across coastal west-central Mexico, with isolated totals of 15 inches in Sinaloa through Thursday. Simon was moving at only 3 mph, and forecasters expected slow northwestward to northward movement over the next few days. Hurricane Simon Advisory Number 24

Sudan alert warns of growing famine risks

An international food-security monitoring group issued an alert Monday warning of growing famine risks in parts of Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan, Sudan. WHO said drought affecting roughly half the country was adding to conflict, displacement and funding shortages. It reported that 37% of health facilities had stopped functioning and that its humanitarian appeal was only 23% funded. Food shortages become harder to address when clean water and medical care are also scarce, leaving malnourished people more vulnerable to disease. The alert identifies worsening risks in specific areas; it does not classify all Sudan as experiencing famine. IPC Sudan Food Insecurity and Malnutrition Alert

Airlines extend cancellations as Riyadh airport stays closed

Operations at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport remained suspended Monday after repeated attacks, AFP reported. Etihad cancelled Riyadh flights until the following week, Gulf Air cancelled them until Saturday, and Delta postponed its planned Atlanta–Riyadh launch. The extensions mean the disruption now reaches further into travelers’ schedules, including planned new connections. Saudi authorities said they intercepted another missile Monday night, while Yemen’s Houthis separately claimed another airport attack. Those accounts remain attributed claims: the interception announcement alone does not establish the missile’s intended target or the outcome of the claimed attack. Houthi official warns of swift, painful response if US enters Yemen war

Indian opposition files voter-list challenge

Rahul Gandhi and other Indian opposition leaders filed a Supreme Court petition Monday alleging large-scale voter deletions and irregularities in electoral-roll revisions, PTI reported. The filing followed a march toward the court and earlier demands to halt the revisions. Electoral rolls determine who can vote, making procedures for removing entries, notifying people and correcting errors consequential. The new development is a formal legal challenge alongside the protests. A petition records the applicants’ allegations and asks the court to consider them; it does not establish that election officials acted unlawfully. Rahul Gandhi, Opposition leaders file plea in SC against voter deletions

Meta releases AI models for longer tasks

Meta introduced Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full Monday, emphasizing coding and tasks that involve several steps. The company says the models can retrieve relevant details from earlier conversations and try different approaches when work stalls. Wonder is available through the Meta Model API and Muse Code. Remembering project requirements could help an assistant work across repeated rounds of changes and testing. Claims of leading performance are company claims. How consistently the models handle everyday projects remains uncertain. Introducing Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full: Frontier Models for Agents

Brewers take a 2–0 lead over the Dodgers

Milwaukee beat Los Angeles 7–4 Monday in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series. William Contreras hit a tying home run in the fifth inning, then drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth. The Brewers added two runs in the eighth as their relief pitchers held the Dodgers scoreless after the fifth. Milwaukee now leads the best-of-seven series two games to none and needs two more victories to advance. Los Angeles, the defending champion, must win four of the remaining five possible games as the series moves to California. Los Brewers secan a Yamamoto y pegan de nuevo ante los Dodgers

Perseverance sets a new driving record on Mars

NASA announced Monday that Perseverance had driven 45.22 kilometers on Mars by October 11, passing Opportunity’s record of 45.16 kilometers. It covered that distance in about five and a half years, compared with almost 15 for Opportunity. Perseverance evaluates terrain while moving, building maps of obstacles and choosing routes between points selected on Earth. NASA says this autonomous navigation has assessed more than 90% of its driving distance. The scientific benefit is greater reach: longer drives bring more rock formations within range as the rover investigates ancient terrain around Jezero Crater. NASA’s Perseverance Sets Off-World Record for Total Distance Driven

Seabird neck bones offer clues to surviving dives

A University of Washington study published Monday found that gannets and boobies have stockier neck bones and extra contact surfaces between several vertebrae. Researchers compared diving and nondiving birds using museum specimens and CT scans. They propose that the extra surfaces help prevent the neck from bending backward during water entry, transferring the load along the spine. The findings help explain how these birds combine long, flexible necks with high-speed dives. Similar bone shapes could help identify diving behavior in fossil birds, although the team still needs to investigate how forces travel through the neck. Reinforced vertebrae allow plunge-diving seabirds to survive high-speed impact