WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Papal health concerns, an undersea cable, and Japan's boozing culture in the spotlight

 
today's international story

Pope's 'complex' health issue to prolong hospital stay

What happened
Pope Francis's respiratory tract infection is presenting a "complex clinical situation" and the 88-year-old pontiff will remain in hospital for as long as necessary, said the Vatican yesterday.

Who said what
Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said recent tests indicated that the Pope, who was admitted to Rome's Gemelli Hospital on Friday, is suffering from a polymicrobial respiratory tract infection. Scientists say polymicrobial diseases are caused by a mix of viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites.

"Public concern over his condition (is) growing," said The Guardian. To help assuage those fears, the Vatican clarified yesterday that the Pope's condition was "stable" and that he did not have a fever.

Francis had part of one lung removed when he was young due to a pulmonary infection and is "prone to bouts of bronchitis in winter", said the Associated Press. But his current hospital stay has "revived concerns about the health of the pontiff", who has also fallen twice in his suite in recent weeks.

The Pope now often uses a wheelchair or walker when seen in public. He said in a new autobiography that he was well, but "the reality is, quite simply, that I am old". He added: "The church is governed using the head and the heart, not the legs."

What next?
The Pope's general audience on Wednesday has been cancelled. No precise time frame has been given for his hospital treatment, which has already sidelined Francis for longer than a 2023 admission for pneumonia.

 
 
today's health story

Cancer patients 'batted away' by GPs, charity says

What happened
Patients with cancer are being "batted away" and "ignored" by GPs, leading to problems that could result in deaths, a report has warned.

Who said what
The cancer charity Maggie's compiled the report after speaking to dozens of patients about their experience of NHS care. Overall, patients "praised the excellent cancer treatment they received" on the NHS, according to the report, but criticised elements of their care.

The main recurring issue was difficulty in seeing a GP, both before and after getting a diagnosis, leading some to attend A&E or dial 999 instead.

The report, seen by The Times, added: "Patients felt there was an over-reliance on remote consultations since the pandemic, with bad news now commonly being delivered over the phone."

What next?
Maggie's submitted its findings to the government's 10-year health plan consultation last Friday. A report from the consultation is expected to be published in the spring.

 
 
Today's technology story

Meta plans globe-spanning undersea cable

What happened
Meta has announced plans to build a 31,000-mile around-the-world undersea internet cable to connect the US, India, South Africa and Brazil, along with other regions.

Who said what
Once completed, Project Waterworth will be the longest underwater cable in the world, providing "industry-leading connectivity" to five major continents and helping to support Meta's AI projects, according to the company.

"This project will enable greater economic co-operation, facilitate digital inclusion and open opportunities for technological development in these regions," said Meta in a recent blog post.

What next?
Undersea cables handle more than 95% of the world's internet traffic, making them vital to global digital infrastructure. But their rising importance has also fuelled concerns about them being vulnerable to accidents or deliberate sabotage.

Meta said it would lay its cable system up to four-and-a-half miles deep and "use enhanced burial techniques in high-risk fault areas, such as shallow waters near the coast, to avoid damage from ship anchors and other hazards".

 
 

It's not all bad

Australian scientists have discovered a protein in Sydney rock oysters that kills antibiotic-resistant bacteria and enhances antibiotic effectiveness. Found in the oyster's blood-like fluid, it disrupts biofilms – protective layers that shield bacteria from drugs – helping antibiotics work better. In tests the protein alone killed pneumonia-causing bacteria and, when combined with antibiotics, made them up to 32 times more potent. Researchers are now testing its safety in human lung tissue and blood.

 
 
under the radar

Japan's after-work boozing culture in the spotlight

As many people know, after-work drinks can occasionally get embarrassingly out of hand. But for two government employees in Japan, a night on the tiles resulted in the loss of files containing information about an ongoing drug smuggling investigation.

Booze-fuelled blunders involving delicate personal data have sparked debate in Japan over alcohol's place in its work culture, as well as the country's stubbornly analogue bureaucracy.

During a night out with colleagues this month, a Japanese finance ministry employee drank nine glasses of beer over a five-hour session and then lost a bag containing the personal data of people suspected of drug smuggling.

It may sound like an "astonishing blunder", said CNN, but it's "not the first time something like this has happened". In 2022, another government employee lost a USB flash drive containing the personal details of every resident in the city of Amagasaki after boozing with colleagues and then falling asleep on the street.

Alcohol has "been seen as a social lubricant" in Japan for thousands of years, said the BBC. Business deals and difficult issues are often "discussed over bottles of beer and sake".

It's not unusual to see groups of men in business suits "chugging beer" late into the evening or "slumped in the middle of the street" following "marathon drinking sessions" that are designed to "secure deals" and "curry favour in the workplace", said CNN.

But when you "combine that drinking culture" with Japan's "particularly old-fashioned preference" for "analogue technologies" over cloud storage, there's an inevitable danger of sensitive data "going astray".

 
 
on this day

18 February 2014

Anti-government protests in Ukraine erupted into revolution after security forces brutally cracked down on peaceful demonstrators protesting President Viktor Yanukovych's rejection of an EU treaty in favour of closer ties with Russia. The uprising, known as the Maidan Revolution or the Revolution of Dignity, led to democratic reforms and strengthened Ukraine’s ties with the European Union.

 
 
Today's newspapers

Keir Starmer's meeting with Donald Trump will be a test for the PM, says The Mirror. Sources tell The Times that Starmer will have "serious conversations" about the possibility of the US offering security guarantees to Ukraine. The UK is at odds with some European leaders over sending troops to Ukraine - with Germany particularly reluctant, says The Telegraph. Meanwhile, says the Daily Express, the cost-of-living crisis meant that up to nine million pensioners lived in uncomfortably cold homes in January.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

A brush with censorship

North London's Hampstead Community Centre has been branded "puritanical" after telling nude models at an art class to cover up. The community centre raised concerns that the life drawing class – which has run for three decades without issue – was taking place between two activity sessions aimed at children, but the class instructor said the door was locked and windows blacked out when nude models were posing. A spokesperson for the centre said the change was suggested as a "safeguarding" measure.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Sorcha Bradley, Ross Couzens, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Tiziana Fabi / AFP / Getty Images; Wutwhanfoto / Getty Images; Mint Images / Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images.