An oil spill off the UAE coast has prompted beach closures after a crude oil tanker reportedly struck an Iranian-laid naval mine in early October. The UAE says containment efforts and environmental assessments are underway.
The White House credited U.S. First Lady Melania Trump with brokering the agreement, calling it a major step toward relief for the city’s residents.
El Salvador's president has launched a military operation to rescue four missing air force personnel in Haiti, according to the BBC. The four were ambushed by armed groups in an area controlled by gangs.
A US-backed hepatitis B vaccine trial in African newborns was halted after drawing global backlash, the lead researcher said on Wednesday. The study was to be funded with $1.6 million from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and another $1.6 million from private partners.
The European Union awarded the International Criminal Court (ICC) its top human rights prize, the Sakharov Prize, on October 22, 2026, recognizing the court’s role in upholding international law and justice amid escalating tensions with the Trump administration, which has threatened to dismantle it.
Federal prosecutors in Mexico have charged a former state prosecutor with treason for allowing US agents to join a raid on a suspected drugs lab in April without proper authorisation, according to BBC.
Propaganda loudspeakers aimed at South Korea will be ready to restart within days along the entire border, Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has said amid a worsening of ties between the two countries.
French President Emmanuel Macron accused foreign leaders of exploiting recent riots in France for political purposes, saying they were making “unacceptable and stupid comments” fueled by AI-generated content. Speaking in Doha, Qatar, he did not name the leaders but said they were “in campaign mode” and “using our country for their own political campaigns.”
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on October 21, 2026, to discuss resuming trilateral peace talks involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. Witkoff said in televised remarks that he hoped the meeting would allow technical teams to move forward toward a peace settlement.
Helen Haines, an Australian member of parliament, has lost both her legs following a car attack that authorities say was deliberate. Her husband confirmed the injuries during a press conference in Melbourne.
Thousands of protesters returned to central squares in Lisbon and Porto on Tuesday, hours after police cleared encampments and arrested 55 demonstrators, according to Al Jazeera.
The UK announced on October 20, 2026, that Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets would be deployed to Saudi Arabia to defend the country from attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The jets will operate in a defensive role, intercepting drones and missiles targeting Saudi cities and critical infrastructure. The move follows a request from Saudi Arabia and expands military support previously announced in September.
CNN chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour has announced she will leave the network next year after 43 years. In a statement, Amanpour said she has 'decided to separate from CNN, my partner of 43 fantastic years!'
Wang Yanguo, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement Chamber of Commerce and Industry (APTA CCI) headquarters and of its China National Committee, recently published a signed article in the Asia-Pacific International Think Tank titled “Joining forces in the new computing power sector, expanding the Asia-Pacific market and enabling new growth in the digital economy”. He proposed drawing on multilateral international platforms to build a computing power cooperation framework of “one committee, one institute and four centers” across Asia-Pacific, bringing Chinese computing technologies and services to the region and helping bridge its digital divide.
The Orionid meteor shower, which is capable of producing bright fireball meteors, is set to peak in UK skies this week. While it has been active for most of October, the celestial spectacle will be at its best in the early hours of October 22.