The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) urged the United States and Iran on Monday to resume dialogue to overcome their bilateral crisis and called for restoring security and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, during its 168th Ministerial Council session in Manama, Bahrain.

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The foreign ministers also demanded that GCC member states participate in any negotiation or agreement that could affect their security and interests.

According to the final resolution, the ministers highlighted the need to address pending issues related to Iran’s nuclear program, missiles, drones and Tehran’s support for allied groups, while calling for respect for state sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs.

RELATED: Iran: Supertanker Catches Fire After Striking a Naval Mine in the Strait of Hormuz

The statement comes amid the confrontation between Washington and Tehran that began on February 28, and the stagnation of diplomatic efforts due to differences over Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. sanctions and maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. In that context, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reiterated Iran’s willingness to reopen the maritime route within a week, provided Washington accepts Tehran’s conditions, including lifting the blockade on Iranian ports and sanctions on its oil exports.

BREAKING: Iran announces an oil tanker has hit a naval mine while exiting the Strait of Hormuz through the US-backed southern Omani corridor, with a massive fire in the engine room. pic.twitter.com/kzMnoJr4Q0

— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) October 18, 2026

On navigation, the GCC ministers called for the situation in Hormuz to return to the conditions existing before February 28, in accordance with international law, the sovereignty of coastal states and the rights of affected countries. They stressed the importance of guaranteeing maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea, and warned against closing those routes, obstructing traffic, attacking merchant ships and crews, laying mines and imposing illegal fees or restrictions on passage. They also rejected making navigation subject to prior authorizations or imposed routes in contradiction with the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

They chose to take the straits hostage. They would have done it anyway.

Imagine if Iran had a nuclear weapon.

At that point, they could say, "And by the way, we own the Strait of Hormuz, and you guys can't do anything about it because we won't just hit… pic.twitter.com/OUgeE88qon

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 19, 2026

The meeting was chaired by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif Al-Zayani, with the attendance of his counterparts from member countries and the organization’s secretary-general.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a new low of 33% two weeks before the U.S. midterm elections, amid cost-of-living concerns, according to a new poll conducted by Ipsos, The Washington Post and ABC News.

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Disapproval stood at 66%, including 52% who strongly disapprove. The rating was four percentage points lower than in July and 12 points below February 2025, when approval was 45%. It marked a lower level than at any point in his first term. Among likely voters, 38% approved and 62% disapproved.

RELATED: No Kings Rallies Push Early Voting Ahead of U.S. Midterms

Voters were concerned about the cost of living and about the president’s decision to start the war against Iran, which affected fuel prices. 71% of respondents called gasoline unaffordable, up from 28% in February before the war in Iran raised fuel costs. 72% said the country is heading in the wrong direction, an increase of five points from April.

Trump's declining approval ratings are exposing a growing divide within the Republican Party ahead of the midterm elections.

A Fox News poll shows Trump retains 95% approval among MAGA Republicans, compared with just 47% among non-MAGA Republicans.

Source: Axios pic.twitter.com/of19EunI4p

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 19, 2026

Approval ratings traditionally serve as a key factor in anticipating midterm results in the United States, and several Republican members of Congress are struggling in districts that were once conservative strongholds.

Likely voters surveyed backed the Democratic congressional candidate over the Republican, 52% to 44%. Among all registered voters, the margin was 50% to 42%, an improvement for Democrats from July, when the gap was barely three points.

Trump has redoubled his participation in campaign events around the country to maintain control of Congress.

U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder warned that European companies could face devastating retaliation in the U.S. market if the bloc proceeds with a proposal to reserve much of a key satellite-to-smartphone spectrum band for European operators, according to an interview with a specialized financial print publication.

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The EU plan could limit access for foreign companies, including SpaceX, and the proposal could restrict U.S. companies such as SpaceX and Amazon.

RELATED: European Union Leaders Pledge Continued Support for Ukraine

SpaceX, which operates the Starlink satellite network, has criticized the proposed changes, warning they could undermine connectivity in Ukraine, where Starlink has played a fundamental role in civil and military communications since Russia’s special military operation.

Zelensky says Starlink terminals shut down at speeds above 161 km/h in Ukraine, while tests show they continue working above 180 km/h in the EU.

He calls the restrictions a “planned operation,” saying they prevent Ukraine from using some interceptor drones against jet-powered… pic.twitter.com/aC5mPr7UnG

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 17, 2026

Puzder acknowledged Europe’s right to protect sensitive government information but argued that legislation should not be used to harm U.S. competitors. He also questioned whether the EU’s enforcement of its Digital Markets Act was aimed at promoting competition or generating revenue through fines imposed on US technology companies. Puzder urged Brussels and Washington to cooperate in the race against China in artificial intelligence and quantum computing, warning that regulatory disputes risk undermining shared interests.

French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s resignation on Monday, after violent riots in several cities, BFM TV reported, citing the Élysée.

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Nuñez’s handling is being questioned amid the violent unrest, the report said. The riots were the most violent France has seen in years and left one protester dead, 600 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters injured and 2,000 people detained, according to the Interior Minister.

RELATED: France Reports 855 Arrests in Paris After Protests

The riots followed protests over the high cost of living.

Macron cited failures in anticipation and intelligence that led to the violence on Oct. 17, according to the report. In a televised appearance on Sunday, he condemned the violence and said those who tried to bring down the Republic would have to answer for it.

Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the number of people detained during the police crackdown on protests in various parts of the country.

The Ministry of the Interior reported that 550,000 people took to the streets nationwide, 110,000 of them in Paris.

The demonstrations,… pic.twitter.com/nPUxeRBPwI

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 18, 2026

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government would not be “intimidated” by violence and attributed the riots to the “far left” and criminals. The unrest has increased pressure on Macron ahead of presidential elections scheduled for next year.

Israel has arrested more than 2,000 Palestinian children since the start of the genocide in the Gaza Strip, with at least 350 still detained in severe conditions, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said in a report this week.

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The organization warned of an escalation in attacks on Palestinian children through practices including intimidation, arrest, torture, starvation, isolation and denial of medical care. It said information on the number of children detained in Gaza since the war began remains unclear, particularly due to missing-person figures in the enclave and the continued practice of forced disappearance by Israeli forces.

RELATED: U.S. Photojournalist Heidi Levine Beaten by Masked Israeli Settlers

The group said Israel’s administrative detention policy, under which Palestinians are held without publicly filed charges or a clear release timeframe, leaves children facing an uncertain future and deprives them of family and educational stability. It added that Zionist courts contribute to continued violations against children amid a lack of effective accountability.

Palestinian Prisoner’s Society reports dozens of repression raids in Israeli prisons since October 7https://t.co/4zeHJcDpsE pic.twitter.com/tHMSRkUrrJ

— WAFA News Agency – English (@WAFANewsEnglish) October 18, 2026

The report cited the case of Walid Khaled Ahmad, who died in Megiddo prison in March 2025 amid medical findings indicating severe emaciation and signs of malnutrition and dehydration. The group questioned accountability for his death, noting the investigation had been closed.

It also highlighted Mohammed Hamid, 15, who contracted scabies while detained in Ofer prison, leading to severe infections affecting vital organs. He underwent heart surgeries and was admitted to intensive care in critical condition before one of his legs was amputated. The group said Hamid continued receiving treatment for about three months after Israeli authorities released him following his health deterioration, a measure it described as an evasion of responsibility for his medical care.

The Palestinian Prisoners Society called for international action to secure the release of arbitrarily detained children, end administrative detention and coercive interrogations, and stop torture, starvation and denial of medical treatment. It said protecting Palestinian children requires firm international intervention to guarantee respect for their rights, lives and dignity.

According to UN reports and the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli forces have killed at least 21,638 children in the Strip since October 2023, including more than 1,000 infants under one year old.

A report by an independent UN commission of inquiry released in June said continued attacks have caused unprecedented deaths, injuries and trauma to children, consolidating the legal characterization of these acts as war crimes and crimes against humanity through deliberate violations of global treaties prohibiting extermination and collective punishment.

Since October 2023, more than 74,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 175,000 wounded by Israeli fire in Gaza, where around 90% of infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed by massive bombardment. Israeli Army raids and settler attacks against Palestinians and their property have intensified in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, since the start of Israel’s genocide against Gaza in October 2023.

Four Canadian military personnel were killed and dozens seriously injured in a fire at the Wainwright base in western Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed Sunday.

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In a televised statement, Carney described a violent fire that spread rapidly as among the worst tragedies suffered by the Canadian Armed Forces on its territory. He said relatives had been informed and ordered flags on all federal buildings flown at half-mast, expressing solidarity with the families of victims and the injured.

RELATED: Norway And Canada to Deepen Defense Cooperation in Arctic

Among those affected were reservists and soldiers from Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, one of the best-known infantry regiments in the Canadian Army.

Carney promised Canada would support victims and families for as long as needed, care for the injured throughout recovery and back Armed Forces members bearing the loss, saying they would not carry it alone because Canadians take care of one another.

LIVE: Statement on CFB Wainwright • EN DIRECT : Déclaration concernant la BFC Wainwright https://t.co/bMaGN3Xvl7

— Mark Carney (@MarkJCarney) October 18, 2026

The Department of National Defence previously reported that the fire began around 4:00 p.m. local time Saturday in a training area of the base, located about 200 kilometers southeast of Edmonton, and spread rapidly beyond its boundaries, forcing military and civilian emergency services to deploy.

Global News, citing several military sources, reported that the explosion occurred during a live-fire exercise and may have originated when a projectile hit a gas pipeline or natural gas well. The account has not been officially confirmed. The toll given by Carney was the first official death figure.

The Canadian Armed Forces said Sunday that while the investigation continues, there is no indication the incident resulted from terrorist activity. NASA satellite images from its forest fire monitoring system captured at least seven clusters of fires at the camp in the early hours of Saturday.

At least 29 people were detained Sunday during a march in Santiago marking the seventh anniversary of Chile’s 2019 social outburst, the largest wave of protests since the return to democracy.

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The march brought several thousand people to Plaza Italia, organized by social and student groups to remember the roughly thirty victims who died during the unrest and the thousands injured by security forces during the 2019 demonstrations.

The protests were originally triggered by a public transport fare increase during Sebastián Piñera’s government, adding to decades of accumulated discontent with the country’s neoliberal model.

RELATED: Centinela Mine Strike: 5 Critical Facts as Chilean Miners Escalate

This was the first commemoration of the social outburst during the term of far-right President José Antonio Kast, who has consistently criminalized the 2019 protests and refers to them as a “criminal outburst.” Slogans at the march targeted his government’s fiscal adjustments, and demonstrators called for a fairer economic model and greater social rights.

The government has decreed cuts in health, education, science, culture, scholarships, bonuses and subsidies, the closure of a program for women and the end of a plan that for 17 years provided computers to low-income schoolchildren.

🟥 Más de 5 horas llevan los manifestantes en Santiago de Chile, tras la fuerte represión contra la marcha en conmemoración por los 7 años de la revuelta popular de 2019, esta vez, en el marco de la grave situación social y económica que enfrenta el pais a la que se suman los… pic.twitter.com/7ysqKHDQOG

— Pao Dragnic (@PaolaDragnic) October 18, 2026

Kast, seven months into his term, has a 64% disapproval rating, driven by unfulfilled promises, falling economic indicators and rising unemployment, while rejection of social and public assistance cuts grows.

A poll by the firm Criteria published Sunday found that 68% of respondents believe the demands that sparked the 2019 unrest remain unresolved in Chile.

French police repressed protesters in Paris on Saturday, detaining dozens during unauthorized demonstrations demanding better education conditions and opposing budget cuts and the high cost of living, authorities reported.

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The Paris police prefecture said law enforcement forces intervened to disperse two unauthorized demonstrations that had formed mid-morning.

RELATED: France Suspends Stun Grenades After Teen Loses a Hand

By 11:00 local time, 61 people had been detained, 589 preventive checks had been carried out and four fines imposed under the security operations, an official report stated.

The first protest consisted of a union gathering of about 100 people in the Gare du Nord area, while the second was made up of high school students on rue de Rennes.

The PSOE’s Federal Committee on Saturday unanimously proclaimed Pedro Sánchez as its candidate for reelection and ratified its candidacies for the Nov. 29 elections.

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Territorial leaders showed unity and confidence that they can defeat the polls’ bad omens at the meeting, according to EFE.

For the first time, more women than men will head the lists for the Congress of Deputies, at 52%, and in the Senate the party is also moving toward parity by increasing ten points the percentage of women leading candidacies compared with 2023.

RELATED: Spain: President Sanchez Approves New Decrees to Address the Housing Crisis

The party’s federal leadership introduced few changes this time to the candidacies submitted by the territories, and the noise generated was much lower than in 2023.

The Federal Committee met shaken by the resignation of its spokesperson, Montse Mínguez, who on Friday decided to leave all her posts after the controversy generated by her partner’s real estate businesses.

Sánchez revealed at a press conference in Brussels that he had asked Mínguez not to resign, but that she was “broken,” and he called her an extraordinary spokesperson and an immense politician. He lamented that politics sometimes mistreats good people.

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday temporarily suspending the application of a broad package of sanctions against Russia, arguing before Congress that the measure responds to the national interest.

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The decision affects a law named after the late Republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, which seeks to toughen sanctions against the Russian economy and limit the flow of financial resources.

Trump had enacted that legislation on September 18 but has now temporarily exempted the application of several of its provisions, according to the order.

RELATED: White House Press Secretary Zacharia Resigns After 5 Days in the Job

The order exempts sanctions against persons and entities linked to the Russian government; financial and trade restrictions and tariffs planned for Russian products, and those from certain countries that buy Russian hydrocarbons, according to the order.

The decision does not eliminate the sanctions the United States had already imposed on Russia through previous executive orders.

The exemptions from the new law will remain in force until Trump or the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the U.S. Trade Representative,

BIG: Trump waived sanctions targeting Russian fossil fuel sales just days before they were due to take effect.

The measures would have imposed tariffs of up to 100% on goods from major importers of Russian oil and gas.

Russian officials welcomed the waiver, while U.S. lawmakers… pic.twitter.com/j5DGn28Ml8

— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 17, 2026

The decision comes after Washington temporarily authorized commercial operations with Russian-origin diesel until April 7, 2027, including its import into the United States, despite the sanctions in force against Moscow.

Trump announced on October 9 that he had agreed with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the supply of diesel to international markets, with the aim of easing energy and fuel prices.

The Republican president said Russia would initially deliver more than 300,000 tons of fuel and would later supply additional quantities, conditioned in part on the state of its refineries, he said.

The agreement has drawn criticism from lawmakers of both parties, who question its possible effects on economic pressure against Moscow and its compatibility with U.S. legislation, according to the critics.

Detractors warn that revenue from the sale of Russian fuel could help finance the war against Ukraine, while the Administration defends the need to contain energy costs, according to the critics and the Administration.

The Global South Academic Forum is being held in Shanghai this Saturday and Sunday, bringing together prominent political leaders, academics, researchers and media representatives from Asia, Africa and Latin America.

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Inspired by the spirit of the historic Tricontinental Conference held in Havana in 1966, the forum commemorates that legacy six decades on and warns that the task of decolonizing the Global South has not yet been completed, according to the forum.

RELATED: China Proposes Open-Source AI Platform For BRICS At Summit

The event’s debates will focus on how to strengthen state governance capacity, social mobilization and institutional innovation through party organizations, according to the forum.

Today in Shanghai, China, I addressed the 2026 Global South Academic Forum, convened under the theme “Global South Political Parties: Governance and Modernisation.”

At the opening, I reflected on the historical struggles that shaped the Global South, particularly the pursuit of… pic.twitter.com/T54hZxJ91R

— Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang (@NJOAgyemang) October 17, 2026

The official program includes a rigorous analysis structured around various high-level panels, including Governance and Institution Building, highlighting the importance of state capacity and institutional strength as cornerstones of national development in the Global South, according to the program.

TVBrics and Cuba’s Canal Habana signed a cooperation agreement today to expand their joint content library, Prensa Latina reported.

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Under the agreement, the two outlets will exchange content on BRICS countries, develop joint projects and promote quality journalism to strengthen the objective international news agenda of Global South media.

RELATED: African Union Head Asks BRICS to Strengthen Ties

“For the channel it is a real pleasure to begin collaborative work with TVBrics. It is a way to show part of the dynamics of the Cuban capital as a partner of this important association, the BRICS,” Canal Habana director Erduy Varela said. He added that his expectations are to share experiences and ways of doing and communicating television in this new multimedia era.

TVBrics general director Janna Tolstikova said information cooperation between BRICS countries and states sharing the association’s values is important, adding that constructive dialogue between media helps lay the foundations for fruitful cooperation at the highest state level and favors the stability of international relations. She added that TVBrics is open to all countries willing to cooperate on the basis of equality, mutual respect, consideration of national interests and recognition of global diversity.

Tolstikova congratulated Canal Habana on the start of the collaboration, which she said will make Cuba’s cultural richness known to an international audience and offer the channel’s viewers audiovisual content of interest about BRICS and other Global South countries.

Canal Habana, founded in 2006, is part of the state-run Televisión Cubana system. It broadcasts in Spanish throughout Cuba and reports on political, economic, social, cultural and sports news in Havana, as well as major national and international events.

In Cuba, Prensa Latina and Canal Caribe already participate in content exchange through TVBrics. In Latin America, the network also collaborates with media from Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Chile and Uruguay. Among BRICS partner countries, media from Belarus, Bolivia, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand and Nigeria participate.

U.S. photojournalist Heidi Levine, a contributor to The Washington Post, was hospitalized Friday after being violently attacked by about 80 masked Israeli settlers while covering the olive harvest in the West Bank village of Abu Falah, northeast of Ramallah.

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The attackers beat Levine with sticks, kicked her while she was on the ground and stripped her of her cameras, phone and belongings, despite her wearing a marked press vest, according to accounts of the assault.

RELATED: Gaza Famine Deaths Hit 466 as Hunger Crisis Deepens After 3 Years of Genocide

Speaking from the Ramallah hospital where she was in stable condition, Levine said the attackers pushed her to the ground and kept kicking her, and that her bulletproof vest and helmet likely saved her life.

Reporters at the scene denounced that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) did not intervene to stop the assault and backed the extremists.

Masked Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villagers on Friday, setting olive groves on fire and slinging rocks.

Caught in the attack was Post photographer Heidi Levine. “They just kept kicking me and kicking me, like probably 50 times,” Levine said. https://t.co/9YLUuU9ktP pic.twitter.com/0SrFcIW4as

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 16, 2026

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed it assisted six people injured during the incursion in Abu Falah, including a Palestinian hit by shots from armed settlers.

The rescue of the reporters and farmers was possible thanks to the resistance of the village’s young people, who responded to the attacks with stones, according to accounts from the scene.

White House press secretary Katie Zacharia resigned Friday after just five days in the job, following President Donald Trump’s advice.

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Zacharia’s departure came barely a week after she was named to the post, succeeding Karoline Leavitt, and after a heavily questioned first press briefing before the media.

RELATED: Trump’s Attack on Mail-In Voting Seeks to Create an Advantage for Republicans

The crisis was directly linked to doubts about her legal training. After initially announcing her and publicly describing her as a lawyer, questions arose over the past week as to whether she had actually passed the bar exam to practice as such, despite being a graduate of Pepperdine University’s law school in California.

Definitive confirmation of the suspicions came last Thursday, when Zacharia admitted in an interview with Fox News that she had not passed the bar exam. The revelation intensified media criticism and opened an intense debate about vetting and background-check processes at the White House.

Facing the media siege, Trump chose to intervene publicly Friday morning. Leaving the White House, Trump told reporters that he had directly advised Zacharia to reconsider remaining in the job given the hostility of the environment.

President Trump is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.

It was an honor to work for him. pic.twitter.com/Tp4NizrhE2

— Katie Zacharia (@KatieZacharia) October 17, 2026

The U.S. president said there is no rush to immediately announce a replacement to fill the vacancy left by Zacharia at the press room podium.

An Argentinian family of four now needs 1,632,505 pesos ($1,057) to avoid being considered poor, according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (Indec).

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To avoid falling into indigence, the same family requires at least 738,690 pesos ($478), according to the total basic basket (CBT) and basic food basket (CBA) figures in Indec’s most recent report.

So far this year, the CBT grew 24.7% and the CBA 25.3%, both above accumulated inflation of 23.6% through September, when it rose to 1.9%, according to the report. Year-on-year, the CBA rose 38.7% and the CBT 40%, both above the 33.4% year-on-year inflation, the report said.

RELATED: Argentina Seeks International Tribunal Measures Against Malvinas Islands Oil Project

Julián Neufeld, an economist at the Fundación Libertad y Progreso cited by the newspaper Perfil, said the prices that weigh most heavily on lower-income households “have been rising above the general index, and that erodes purchasing power precisely in the most exposed segment.”

Neufeld explained that since wages adjust by the Consumer Price Index when collective labor agreements allow, and poverty levels are set by the baskets, a substantial inflation gap between the two strongly conditions poverty and indigence levels, he said.

According to the economist, in the first half of this year, with the inflationary shock concentrated in meat and fuels—goods with great weight in the baskets—these rose above the general level, pushing many families below the poverty line, he said.

🥬 Las verduras aumentaron 23,8% en septiembre en el Mercado Central y más que duplicaron su precio en un año

Un informe del Centro de Economía Política Argentina (CEPA) reveló una fuerte aceleración en los precios mayoristas de las hortalizas durante septiembre: la canasta… pic.twitter.com/iiDBCfzgh8

— Agencia El Vigía (@AgenciaElVigia) October 12, 2026

China is seeks to maintain dialogue with the European Union to bring “greater stability” to their economic and trade relations, Vice Premier He Lifeng said during a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic adviser in Beijing.

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He Lifeng conveyed the message to Emmanuel Bonne during a meeting held Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday. Both discussed bilateral cooperation and trade relations between Beijing and Brussels, Xinhua reported.

The official also highlighted the possibilities of expanding economic cooperation with France and expressed Beijing’s willingness to implement the consensus reached by the presidents of both countries.

RELATED: Trade escalation: Trump imposes 100% tariff on imports from China U.S.

Bonne, for his part, conveyed Paris’s readiness to continue promoting positive results in trade and investment consultations between China and the EU.

The French adviser had already defended last Friday, during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, that Europe does not want a trade war with China nor seeks economic decoupling, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

“Europe’s development needs China,” Bonne said at that meeting, according to the version released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

EU-CN trade needs real rebalancing. With Minister Wang Wentao we've reached a shared understanding to:⁰🔹halve HEV, PHEV exports⁰🔹improve access to China's market⁰🔹further ease rare earths export licensing.
A first step. I welcome the genuine engagement. We reconvene by Jan. pic.twitter.com/SiKiZYLC8N

— Maroš Šefčovič🇪🇺 (@MarosSefcovic) October 9, 2026

The contacts come after the agreement reached last week between Beijing and Brussels, which contemplates limiting Chinese exports of hybrid vehicles to the EU bloc, facilitating European access to rare earths and reducing tariffs on certain European products.

Katie Zacharia made her debut as White House press secretary on Tuesday, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August to allegedly spend more time with her family.

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In her first briefing, which lasted 14 minutes and took only three questions, Zacharia announced the dismissal of U.S. Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle, who has been embroiled in several scandals.

Zacharia, a lawyer and mother of four, was until her appointment a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social. She also briefly served as a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security during Kristi Noem’s tenure and has been a commentator on conservative outlets Fox News and Newsmax.

RELATED: ICE Used Palantir Tech to Track Protesters and Rights Observers

During the briefing, she appeared visibly nervous, repeatedly consulting her notes, in contrast to her predecessor. She also faced criticism for failing to clarify where she passed the bar exam to practice law.

New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia visibly nervous at her first briefing

Plenty of people online say it doesn't matter, since she looks great https://t.co/BRiPZrO3Iw pic.twitter.com/kmBAXfb0XM

— RT Intl (@RT_on_X) October 13, 2026

Her appointment coincides with a new escalation in Trump’s offensive against critical media. He tried to ban White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico, a measure temporarily halted in the courts. The Department of Justice is investigating ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC for possible antitrust violations for boycotting joint coverage of presidential events in solidarity with the banned outlets.

Zacharia takes office amid the campaign for the November 3 legislative elections, where Trump has held nearly daily rallies to prevent the Republican Party from losing its congressional majority amid low popularity of his administration.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in a phone call on Tuesday to protect El Salvador’s critical infrastructure from what the State Department framed as malign foreign influences, which, EFE points out, potentially reference China (though the statement did not explicitly mention Beijing), and to vote against the Cuban government at the United Nations.

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The Department of Sate also urged El Salvador to join the United States and like-minded partners to promote shared priorities at the UN.

RELATED: El Salvador Sets Feb. 28, 2027 Date For General Elections

On October 28, the UN General Assembly is scheduled to vote on the resolution Cuba presents each year calling for an end to the U.S. blockade. In 2025, the measure passed with 165 votes in favor, 7 against and 12 abstentions. El Salvador was absent from that vote.

Bukele has been one of the main Latin American allies of the Donald Trump administration since the start of Trump’s second term. Both governments even reached an agreement to deport migrants from the United States to El Salvador’s mega-prison, the Center for Terrorism Confinement (Cecot).

El Secretario de Estado, @SecRubio, y el presidente salvadoreño, @nayibbukele, sostuvieron hoy una importante llamada telefónica para reafirmar la sólida alianza entre Estados Unidos y El Salvador. Lea el resumen de la llamada aquí: https://t.co/YRikGkKL6r

— Embajada EEUU en ES (@USEmbassySV) October 13, 2026

Rubio also maintains an intense strategy to reduce China’s influence in Latin America, a region where Beijing has made large infrastructure investments. His first trip as secretary of state, in 2025, took him to Panama, where he pressured the government to separate the canal from Chinese companies.

Africa has reiterated its demand for two permanent seats with full rights, including veto power, and five non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council, according to the “Tripoli Document 2026” adopted by the African Union’s Committee of Ten (C-10) at its 14th ministerial meeting in Libya.

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The document reaffirms the principles of the Ezulwini Consensus and the Sirte Declaration, adopted in 2005 and considered the basis of the African position. The African Union also claims the right to select African candidates for those seats, seeking to ensure that the continent’s representation responds to its own criteria and priorities.

RELATED: 40.9 Million People are Suffering from Hunger in East Africa: OCHA

The C-10 is made up of Libya, Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. Sierra Leone has coordinated its work since the committee’s creation in 2005.

UN Secretary-General Guterres:

When the UN was founded, most of Africa was still under colonial rule. Today, Africa still has no permanent representation on the Council.

A 21st-century Security Council without permanent African seats is unjust and indefensible.

This must… pic.twitter.com/VZdYHCCD0n

— Clash Report (@clashreport) September 22, 2026

At a joint press conference, the official in charge of managing Libya’s Foreign Ministry affairs, Taher Al-Baour, and Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister and C-10 coordinator, Timothy Musa Kabba, defended continued diplomatic efforts to increase Africa’s presence in international institutions. Both said the reform must correct imbalances in geographic representation and give the continent greater weight in decisions on international security and stability.

The Security Council has 15 members: five permanent with veto power and 10 non-permanent. Africa has no permanent representation and occupies three rotating seats in 2026 through Somalia, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For African countries, this structure does not reflect the world’s political and demographic transformations or the continent’s participation in the Council’s work.

The meeting concluded on Sunday with the ratification of the African common position, according to Libya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministers and representatives of the 10 committee countries attended, along with the co-chairs of the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council reform.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Tuesday at the Planalto Palace a package of economic measures under the “Prospera MEI” program aimed at rescuing the country’s individual microentrepreneurs.

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The package seeks to provide financial breathing room to the sector through mass debt relief, access to new credit and expanded annual income limits, and comes 12 days before the runoff election in which Lula will face far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.

The centerpiece is a supplementary bill providing for total amnesty and exoneration of 12.6 billion reais in tax debts owed by 3.6 million microentrepreneurs on the Union’s active debtor list. Formal implementation is planned for 2027, pending approval by Congress.

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Complementing the tax relief, the federal government will include bank debts linked to the entrepreneurs’ CNPJ, estimated at about 6 billion reais, in the Desenrola 3.0 program, guaranteeing minimum discounts of 90% in auctions for the State’s acquisition of these obligations.

📢 O governo Lula anunciou o Prospera MEI!

💰 R$ 12,6 bilhões em dívidas públicas com previsão de perdão
💸 Pix de até R$ 5 mil para investimentos
📈 Teto do MEI pode chegar a R$ 140 mil em 2028
🏦 Negociação de dívidas bancárias com descontos de pelo menos 90%

Fandoms,… pic.twitter.com/EXi0M2OoR1

— Fandoms Com Lula ⭐️ (@fandomscomlula) October 13, 2026

The program also includes the Pix/MEI project, which will allocate up to 5 billion reais between 2027 and 2030 for financial support of up to 5,000 reais (about 1,000 dollars) for equipment purchases and productive investments, directly prioritizing low-income women. These funds will function as a direct subsidy and will not require repayment.

Another measure presented to the Chamber of Deputies through Complementary Bill 186/2026 would substantially raise the annual revenue cap for MEIs, progressively increasing from the current 81,000 reais to 110,000 reais in 2027 and 140,000 reais in 2028 (approximately 28,000 dollars), allowing more entrepreneurs to grow without losing access to the simplified tax regime and social security.

To boost commercial activity, the package prioritizes small taxpayers in direct public contracts of up to 25,000 reais through the Contrata+Brasil platform and raises the exclusive bidding limit for micro and small businesses from 80,000 to 100,000 reais.