Gaza’s Health Ministry reported Friday that hunger and malnutrition have killed 466 people since 2024, as famine grips the enclave and pushes more than 1.4 million residents toward a critical food crisis.

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The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza confirmed Friday that malnutrition and hunger rates have reached catastrophic levels across the territory.

The toll stands at 466 starvation deaths since 2024, a figure the ministry released on World Food Day, observed October 16.

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The health authority issued a grim report exposing the consequences of the prolonged Israeli siege. Official projections show that more than 1.4 million people, equivalent to 67% of the population, will face a critical or worse food crisis by the end of 2026. Famine was formally declared in Gaza governorate in August 2025.

“Malnutrition and famine rates in the Gaza Strip have reached catastrophic levels, seriously affecting children, the elderly and other vulnerable groups,” the Ministry said in its statement.

Statement by the Gaza Ministry of Health on World Food Day:

▪️ "Malnutrition and starvation rates in the Gaza Strip have reached catastrophic levels, ravaging children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups."

▪️ "A total of 466 deaths due to malnutrition and starvation have…

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 16, 2026

Children carry a heavy share of the toll. Since 2024, 157 children have died from malnutrition, roughly one third of all starvation deaths. Between 2024 and August 2026, health workers documented 158,001 cases of acute malnutrition in children under five, including 28,716 severe cases that directly threaten life.

The mortality rate among children under five more than doubled, climbing from 13.6 to 33.4 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2022 and 2025. Stunting now affects 12.2% of the child population. Officials estimate that another 74,200 children will require specialized treatment through 2027.

Maternal health has deteriorated sharply as well. Anemia prevalence rose to 61% in 2026, compared with 41% before the conflict. Nearly 4,000 miscarriages were recorded in the first half of the year, more than triple the previous six months. One in every three pregnancies is now classified as high risk.

🇵🇸 466 Palestinians, including 157 children, have died from malnutrition and starvation in Gaza since 2024, Health Ministry says

⚠️ More than 1.4 million people are expected to face crisis-level food insecurity or worse through the end of 2026

📌 Authorities accuse Israel of… pic.twitter.com/xGVDRsQcWy

— Anadolu English (@anadoluagency) October 16, 2026

Elderly Hardest Hit

Elderly adults account for the largest share of deaths linked to food shortages. The Gazan Ministry registered 189 fatalities among the elderly, or 40.5% of the national total.

The vulnerability among seniors is stark: 11% go entire days without eating anything at all, meanwhile 48% deliberately reduce their own portions to feed their families. 68% of them have interrupted or cut back on medication doses because of widespread shortages.

Three years of war have collapsed the food system. The Ministry’s warning lands as winter approaches and as aid deliveries remain insufficient to meet the scale of need across the territory.

The figures mark the deepest point yet in a hunger emergency that has built steadily since the conflict began. A formal famine declaration, once a rare event, now defines daily reality for hundreds of thousands of people trapped in the enclave.

The projected rise in food insecurity through late 2026, combined with 74,200 children awaiting specialized care, points to a crisis that will persist even if aid access improves.

Facing this emergency, the Health Ministry recalled that the right to food is fundamental. It urged the United Nations and the international community to establish urgent mechanisms that guarantee the safe, sustainable and unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, therapeutic supplements and medicines into the enclave.

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Katie Zacharia stepped down from her role as White House press secretary this Friday, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested she resign following criticism she faced during her first week on the job, an official confirmed to EFE.

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She is in the process of leaving the position of press secretary, the source stated, without specifying whether she resigned or was dismissed. Her departure comes just five days after she assumed the role on Monday, October 12, replacing Karoline Leavitt, who left the position in August to focus on her family.

The president indicated that he would leave that decision up to her and noted that he would speak with the press secretary. The White House did not officially announce the departure, although government sources confirmed it to outlets such as CNN and Fox News.

Zacharia’s first appearance before the press, on Tuesday, October 13, lasted barely 14 minutes. During the press briefing, she read much of her statement and answered only three questions—all of which came from conservative media outlets.

New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia opened her first briefing by praising President Donald Trump and his midterm campaign. Zacharia, 41, is a conservative commentator who previously worked as a senior communications adviser for Trump Media & Technology Group, the… pic.twitter.com/BK2X1XSwII

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 13, 2026

The official also struggled to answer certain questions, including one regarding the sharing of intelligence with Ukraine. Her performance drew criticism and led to increased scrutiny of her professional background.

Her appointment came as a surprise in Washington, following weeks of speculation about who would succeed Leavitt. According to an official cited by CNN, the White House faced challenges in recruiting higher-profile figures, as several potential candidates had previously been critical of Trump.

Presidential aides repeatedly narrowed down the list of candidates, ruling some out after discovering past unfavorable comments they had made about the president—which automatically disqualified them.

Zacharia’s departure marks one of the shortest tenures in the White House press office in recent memory, leaving the position of presidential press secretary vacant once again.

#UnitedStates | Trump is reviving unsubstantiated election fraud claims ahead of the November 3 midterms, targeting mail-in voting while encouraging supporters to vote early.
Polls suggest the cost of living remains voters' top concern.#Midterms2026 #teleSUREnglish pic.twitter.com/wHdgdHaT1J

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 9, 2026

Nepal’s government reported that the August 26 flood destroyed 10 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, with damages and losses exceeding $2.7 billion, as Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle sought international funding to rebuild.

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Nepal’s government said that the August 26 flood, dubbed the “Himalayan tsunami,” caused physical damage worth $1.8 billion and additional economic losses of more than $900 million, equivalent to about 10% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as it seeks international financing for reconstruction.

Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle presented the estimates on Thursday at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Bangkok, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

RELATED: Nepal River Surge Destroys 40 Homes, Leaves Five Missing

Wagle is seeking international funding for rebuilding and for measures to “avoid or mitigate the impact of future disasters.”

Nearly seven weeks passed between the disaster and Thursday’s accounting. The flood struck on August 26, and the assessment Wagle presented in Bangkok represents the government’s formal reckoning of the economic damage it must now confront.The floods left more than 1,500 people dead and 6,000 missing, causing severe destruction of essential infrastructure, hydropower projects, farmland, fish ponds, food stocks and agricultural infrastructure across the country.

Flash floods along Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River swept away homes and bridges, forcing residents to flee to higher ground.

Five people are missing, and six have been rescued, authorities said. pic.twitter.com/wv7zilln7C

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 12, 2026

Rebuilding at Higher Cost

Wagle said Nepal does not intend merely to “replace what was destroyed, but to build better,” with more resilient infrastructure. He said that approach will raise the cost of reconstruction to $5 billion.

The Minister also said Nepal, which he described as “the poorest country in Asia after Afghanistan,” has contributed very little to global warming because of its limited industrialization and low emissions, but “is bearing the worst consequences of climate change.”

Wagle appealed to the “ethical and moral responsibility of countries with greater resources” to support the most vulnerable and called for a model of “global solidarity and cooperation.” “It is not about blaming rich countries, but about making a joint call to action,” he said.

Gorkha, #Nepal
Damaged houses lie partially submerged in sludge along the banks of the Budhi Gandaki River after a flash #flood caused by a #landslide. Four bridges and dozens of houses were swept away, as well as a construction camp for a hydropower project pic.twitter.com/vui6RyJocr

— Hans Solo (@thandojo) October 15, 2026

Glacier Collapse and Risk

The disaster originated high in the Himalayas. A glacial and rocky mass covering two square kilometers broke away from Langtang Lirung mountain at an altitude of 5,200 meters. The ensuing flood also swept into the Chinese region of Tibet.

The scale of the threat extends beyond a single event. A recent study in Scientific Reports warns that roughly 300,000 people in Nepal live in river channels susceptible to flooding. Construction in those vulnerable zones grew by almost 50 percent between 2016 and 2023, a pattern that multiplies the risk to communities as extreme weather becomes more frequent.

Nepal’s appeal arrives as climate-linked disasters mount across South Asia, a region where economies least responsible for global emissions face some of the steepest recovery costs. For a country that contributes a negligible share of greenhouse gases, the $5 billion reconstruction bill amounts to a burden imposed largely by forces beyond its control.

EU leaders reaffirmed support for Ukraine at the Brussels summit. But souring relations with the US over Russia and Starlink and a big hole in the budget will make for a difficult winter for Ukraine.

The proposed change would make possession of any amount of fentanyl a felony

© AFP via Getty Images

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia was "let go" from the role, a White House official said on Friday, after President Donald Trump said he had told her to reconsider the job following public scrutiny.

"I told her: 'I think you're better off being happy, and I'm not sure you can ever be happy in this stuff.' There's nothing easy about this stuff," Trump told reporters while departing the White House.

He added: "I said to her honestly, 'If I were you, I'd reconsider... think about it. But I would reconsider.'"

Fox News, citing a White House official, later reported that Zacharia was "transitioning" out of the role of press secretary.

Zacharia started the job on Monday and held her debut White House briefing on Tuesday.

She had said she received a call about the role of press secretary last Wednesday and got offered the job to succeed Karoline Leavitt last Friday.

Trump later announced her appointment. In his announcement, he described her an attorney.

Zacharia got off to a rocky start with her first press room briefing Tuesday.

It lasted less than 15 minutes, starting with a remarkably slow reading out of what she said were Trump's many accomplishments -- then taking just three questions from journalists.

Over the last week, the issue of whether Zacharia, a graduate of California's Pepperdine University law school, had actually passed the bar - making her an attorney - came under fire.

On Friday, during a Fox News interview on Thursday, Zacharia said she did not pass the bar. Anthony Scaramucci served director of communications for 10 days during Trump's first administration.

Zacharia further stirred controversy on Thursday when she disparaged China, whose leader Xi Jinping was recently Trump's guest in a pomp-filled Washington visit.

The press secretary recalled the perception in 2016 was that China would soon overtake the United States.

"I remember this very distinctly, having just come from China, thinking, 'How is China the next country on the horizon? They don't even have proper toilets,'" she told right-wing influencer Jack Posobiec in an interview.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning responded Friday that Zacharia should "visit China more often."

The kerfuffle is a distraction for 80-year-old Trump as he flies around the country trying to boost Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 congressional midterm elections, with polls predicting a drubbing.

On Friday, Egyptian Foreign Ministry summoned Colombia’s chargé d’affaires in Cairo to express its objection to the opening of the Colombian embassy in Jerusalem, a ministerial source told the official news agency MENA. Egypt described the relocation of the diplomatic mission from Tel Aviv as a unilateral and unacceptable move.

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During the meeting, Cairo conveyed a strong protest and categorical rejection of the relocation of the Colombian diplomatic mission to Jerusalem. According to the source, Egypt stated that the decision contradicts the established legal and historical status of the city.

The Egyptian Ministry warned that such irresponsible actions would have negative repercussions for international efforts to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that they would only serve to fuel tensions in the region.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to respect the legal and historical status of occupied Jerusalem and urged that all parties refrain from unilateral measures that could undermine the prospects for peace based on a two-state solution.

A Palestinian source indicated to EFE that the summons was in response to a resolution adopted last week by the Arab League Council. The resolution urged member states of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to summon the Colombian ambassadors accredited to their respective governments.

“Colombia está con nosotros”. Las palabras de nuestro primer ministro @netanyahu en la recepción organizada por el @IsraelMFA por la inauguración de la Embajada de Colombia en Jerusalén 🇮🇱🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/9znJgegzu5

— Israel en Colombia (@IsraelinCol) October 14, 2026

The text reads, ““Colombia is with us.” The words of our prime minister @netanyahu at the reception organized by @IsraelMFA for the inauguration of the Embassy of Colombia in Jerusalem”

The objective is to lodge a formal protest against what Arab nations describe as an illegal decision by Colombia, as well as to assess the impact of this move on bilateral relations with Bogotá.

On Friday, the foreign ministers of 19 Arab and Islamic nations—including Egypt—issued a joint statement strongly condemning the opening of the Colombian diplomatic mission in Jerusalem. The opening of the embassy followed the rise to power of Colombian President Abelardo De la Espriella, who announced in July that the diplomatic mission would be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move is part of the restoration of diplomatic relations with Israel, which had been severed by the previous president, Gustavo Petro.

According to the UN and the majority of the international community, East Jerusalem is Palestinian territory that has been occupied by Israel since 1967. Israel annexed it in 1980 through a law declaring it its “eternal and indivisible” capital—a decision that the UN Security Council deemed a violation of international law.

The controversy centers on the impact of this diplomatic relocation on the status of Jerusalem, the rights of the Palestinian people, and the prospects for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara warned that the new regulation will take effect before demonstrations… pic.twitter.com/YYfouyRGyt

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 14, 2026

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Minutes before making it official, Trump said he told Zacharia to 'reconsider' her role after disastrous first week, adding: 'Maybe it's not for her'

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Demonstrations over school funding and discrimination coincide with protests by truckers, farmers and climate activists.

On Friday, thousands of students and teachers took to the streets in several Italian cities to protest the policies of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

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The protests followed several days marked by a wave of school occupations in Milan, Naples, Turin, Genoa, Bologna and Rome.

The nationwide mobilization, dubbed “No Meloni Day,” combined demands over budget allocations with direct criticism of the Italian government’s environmental policies.

Student groups denounced the progressive deterioration of school infrastructure and called for the €13 billion allocated to military spending to be redirected toward education.

Representatives of the Alternative Student Opposition criticized the rising cost of living and announced a general strike scheduled for Oct. 30.

Un carro armato di cartone è stato dato alle fiamme durante il corteo degli studenti a Torino. Alcuni manifestanti hanno incendiato il modellino con fumogeni colorati, accompagnati dai cori "Brucia, brucia" e dallo slogan "Noi la guerra non la paghiamo", per protestare contro le… pic.twitter.com/RM7BH94cf9

— Sky tg24 (@SkyTG24) October 16, 2026

The text reads, “During a student protest in Turin, a cardboard tank was set on fire. Demonstrators ignited the model using colored smoke flares, chanting “Burn, Burn!” and the slogan “We will not pay for war,” as a form of protest against military spending.

The demonstration was part of the “No Meloni Day”—a day of student mobilization against the government’s educational policies, rising tuition costs, and increased military expenditure.

Similar protests took place across Italy, specifically in Rome, Milan, Florence, Genoa, Venice, Padua, Treviso, and Cagliari. In the capital, organizers estimated the turnout at 20,000 people, while in Turin, more than 2,500 students took to the streets.”

During marches in Rome, tensions escalated when some protesters threw firecrackers and trash containers outside the Education Ministry. Riot police and Carabinieri officers established security cordons and used tear gas to disperse the crowd on Via Marmorata.

“Thousands of students marched from the Colosseum to the Education Ministry. Tensions rose because of a group of masked protesters who threw bottles and improvised explosive devices at law enforcement officers, as well as discharged fire extinguishers,” RaiNews reported.

Similar clashes occurred in Turin and Bologna outside the prefecture and the central railway station, where police responded with water cannons. The violence led to confrontations involving blunt objects, the detention of a masked minor and severe disruptions to rail traffic in northern Italy.

"No Meloni Day"
Police charges against students
in Rome and Turin. pic.twitter.com/5IGt2pUQLU

— 𝕃𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕠 𝕃𝕦𝕝𝕫 (@altrella_l) October 16, 2026

Students Reject Discrimination and Racism

Thousands of people marched peacefully in Milan, holding signs and chanting slogans in support of social integration. Youth organizations strongly opposed Meloni’s “Valditara Decree,” which they described as discriminatory and racist.

In effect since June, the decree bans sex and relationship education at the preschool and elementary school levels and requires parental consent to address these topics at other educational levels. It also sets a maximum of 30% for foreign students in each classroom.

“Are these really the problems that need to be solved?” and “Racists out of our schools!” protesters shouted, according to RAI News.

“An entire generation has taken to the streets because it refuses to bow its head — to mind its own business — while others destroy our future,” said Alice, who linked the student movement’s demands to the genocide in Gaza.

“And it all starts right here, in our schools. The pro-Palestinian demonstrations made that clear: Some people have blood on their hands — the blood of genocides taking place around the world — and those same hands are cutting funding for our schools, our lives, and a dignified future in this city.”

“Outside the regional education authority’s headquarters, some participants threw eggs filled with red paint, declaring, ‘This is the blood of Gaza and Palestine,’” RaiNews reported.

No Meloni day here in Italy and antifascist students are facing-off with her cops right now in Bologna. Solidarity comrades.
No Fascism. No Genocide. No Meloni. pic.twitter.com/wQsgtjRRV2

— GhostofDurruti (@DurrutiRiot) November 14, 2025

Truckers, Farmers and Environmentalists Voice Discontent

On Friday, southern Italy faced a severe fuel shortage in the provinces of Calabria, Basilicata and Apulia because of protests by truckers and farmers. Steelworkers’ blockades at Eni’s Taranto refinery brought gas stations to a standstill, causing long lines and operational difficulties for public transportation.

The transport industry association Conftrasporto reported an increase of more than 50 euro cents per liter in diesel prices and demanded the immediate release of budget funds.

Facing the imminent risk of supply shortages, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport called an emergency meeting with industry representatives for Oct. 27.

The student mobilization also coincided with global protests organized by “Fridays for Future” in support of climate action and against fossil fuels.

Italian environmentalists marched to the Environment Ministry in Rome to demand reductions in polluting emissions and action to combat energy poverty across the country.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: RAI – EFE – teleSUR

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