The decorated actor could become the first person from South Korea to be nominated for best actress — fitting, given her remarkable run onscreen: “I almost find myself wondering why it has taken the rest of the world so long to notice her,” says Lee Byung-hun.
Greece has sent a letter to the United Nations, in which it emphasizes the invalidity of the 2019 Turkish-Libyan maritime memorandum recently ratified by the Libyan House of Representatives, Greek diplomatic sources said on Friday. Greece’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Aglaia Balta, sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, acting […]
A photograph provided by North Korean state media showing the leader, Kim Jong-un, and his daughter, Kim Ju-ae, overseeing the firing of an intermediate-range missile from the country’s east coast during a drill in October.
International diplomats maintain that the GSF mission objectives will continue in Haiti even though international forces confront mounting casualties and kidnappings.
On October 18, 2026, an explosive ambush in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, targeted an armored vehicle with four Salvadoran Air Force aviation technicians attached to the UN-backed Gang Suppression Force.
Forced to evacuate after their vehicle caught fire, the four support personnel were kidnapped by Haitian armed groups operating near the capital.
In response, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced a military rescue operation led by Task Force Libertad II, threatening an expanded offensive against Haitian gangs if the hostages are not safely returned.
In addition, the government of Haiti stated that it will work in conjunction with the United Nations Gang Suppression Force (GSF) mission to rescue the kidnapped Salvadorans.
While the Haitian government and international bodies coordinate security protocols, Bukele’s unilateral escalation in a foreign country projects his signature “iron-fist” stance against gangs onto the international stage, all with the backing of the United States.
The UN Security Council established the “Gang Suppression Force” that operates in Haiti. Created in October 2023 as the Multinational Security Support Mission following the Haitian government, the international force was reorganized in October 2025 into the Gang Suppression Force.
As of October 2026, the authorized strength of the Gang Suppression Force stands at 5,550 personnel, though deployed uniformed troops numbered 1,563 as of mid-October.
The Gang Suppression Force mandate focuses on assisting the Haitian National Police, protecting critical infrastructure, and restoring order across urban centers controlled by armed coalitions.
The region where the October 18 ambush took place, Croix-des-Bouquets, is controlled by several prominent armed groups. Security evaluations list the Chèn Méchan, Kraze Barye, and 400 Mawozo groups among the primary organizations holding territorial control over the corridor connecting Port-au-Prince to the Dominican border.
Key leaders of these groups, including Vitelhomme Innocent of Kraze Barye and Lanmo Sanjou of 400 Mawozo, are subject to active sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and the U.S. government.
Data released by the UN indicates that between January and mid-September 2026, Haitian gang-related violence resulted in more than 5,700 deaths and injuries, alongside more than 230 reported kidnappings. Over 1.5 million residents remain internally displaced due to gang territorial expansion.
Foreign workers, international humanitarian staff, and local civilians have consistently been targeted for kidnapping as Haitian criminal groups use hostages for financial leverage or political concessions.
President Bukele addressed the Haitian gang leaders directly, publishing a message written in Haitian Creole on October 21, 2026. Bukele stated that the four technicians were non-combatant technical personnel and warned that current operations were minor compared to potential future actions.
Addressing the gang leadership, Bukele wrote: “We have already finished with the gangs in El Salvador, and we can finish with you too. Return our four compatriots alive and unharmed, and everything will return to how it was before the kidnapping. The decision is in your hands”.
Reactions from official international bodies followed the announcement of the rescue campaign. At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Mike Waltz, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, condemned the ambush and affirmed that international search efforts would continue.
Waltz stated that attacks on international contingents would not compel the Gang Suppression Force to withdraw from its mandate. Simultaneously, Salvadoran Ambassador to the UN Egriselda López formally requested international coordination to secure the location and release of the four kidnapped personnel.
The Haitian government also issued an official response regarding the crisis. In an executive statement, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé announced that securing the release of the four Salvadoran technicians was an absolute priority for the national administration.
Haiti: According to a statement issued on October 18 by El Salvador’s Armed Forces (@FUERZARMADASV), four Salvadoran aviation technicians from Task Force Libertad II were ambushed by armed gangs while returning to their camp in an armored vehicle. The vehicle was set on fire, but… pic.twitter.com/2R2TCCpkJP
The diplomatic and institutional responses to the kidnapping of the four Salvadoran technicians highlight the complex interactions between national military initiatives and international peacekeeping frameworks.
At the institutional level, the United Nations operates under structured protocols regarding force security and hostage negotiation. Officials within the UN framework maintain that search and rescue operations must adhere to rules of engagement established for the Gang Suppression Force to prevent operational conflict among contributing member states.
The Haitian government under Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé has aligned its public stance with the international mission, declaring the recovery of the personnel a primary national objective.
However, the administrative capacity of the Haitian state remains restricted, as law enforcement agencies depend on foreign logistical, intelligence, and tactical support to operate within gang-controlled corridors like Croix-des-Bouquets.
Diplomatic representatives from key UN Security Council member states, including United States, have reinforced support for the mission while addressing the threats posed by armed groups. Statements issued during Security Council proceedings reaffirmed that attacks against international contingents will not alter the mandate or compel the withdrawal of the Gang Suppression Force.
To the gang bosses terrorizing Haiti, your days of operating with impunity are numbered. The Gang Suppression Force is coming for you. pic.twitter.com/lkkfJLmiO6
The armored vehicle transporting four aviation technicians from the Salvadoran Air Force was ambushed in Croix-des-Bouquets, a commune located near Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti. Following the explosion, the four Salvadoran technicians were forced to evacuate the vehicle and were subsequently kidnapped.
Initial search and rescue efforts of the four Salvadorans faced immediate armed resistance. On October 19, a search helicopter dispatched to locate the personnel was targeted by gunfire.
Subsequent joint counter-offensives conducted by the multinational security contingent and the Haitian National Police in the Plaine du Cul-de-Sac area resulted in severe clashes, leaving several gang members dead and four multinational security personnel injured.
El Salvador deployed the missing personnel to Haiti as part of its specialized military contingent, known as Task Force Libertad II. El Salvador’s initial military involvement in Haiti began after the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly passed a decree on October 30, 2024.
That measure authorized the deployment of Salvadoran Air Force personnel, including pilots, air mechanics, and medical evacuation units, to support international security operations.
In early 2025, eight aviation technicians arrived in Haiti, followed by an additional 70 military personnel. On September 29, 2026, the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly voted to extend the military deployment through October 2027 and expanded the mandate.
The updated legislative mandate lets Salvadoran troops engage beyond medical evacuations, allowing them to deploy personnel based on operational requirements dictated by security needs in the field.
Task Force Libertad II operates under these expanded terms, providing technical aviation logistics, air support maintenance, and operational security inside the country.
The four Salvadoran kidnapped were serving as non-combatant aviation support specialists within Task Force Libertad II. Following days of uncertainty regarding their status, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele made a public statement on October 21, 2026, confirming that the kidnapping was executed by armed gangs from Haiti.
El Salvador prez announces MILITARY OP to rescue hostages kidnapped by gangs in Haiti
Aviation technicians 'kidnapped in a cowardly manner' — Bukele
'Today's attack is NOTHING compared to what is coming if we do not get all 4 hostages back alive' pic.twitter.com/7WkyhLvuoQ
President Nayib Bukele’s public declaration led El Salvador to escalate its physical military presence in Haiti. On October 22, 2026, the Salvadoran government deployed 100 special forces soldiers to Port-au-Prince to assist in locating and securing the release of the four missing aviation technicians.
This deployment brought additional tactical ground units to support the existing aviation support unit attached to Task Force Libertad II.
Before October 2026, the Salvadoran contingent operated primarily as an air support unit focused on logistics, maintenance, and medical evacuations. The introduction of dedicated special operations personnel expands the operational parameters of the mission, introducing direct combat and search-and-recovery capabilities alongside the Gang Suppression Force and the Haitian National Police.
The deployment of specialized personnel aims to mitigate these conditions through targeted intelligence collection and rapid-response capabilities.
Structural Security Challenges
While the deployment of specialized tactical units and the escalated military posture by El Salvador aim to address the immediate security emergency, long-term stabilization in Haiti depends on addressing broader structural issues.
The proliferation of heavy weaponry, sustained by international trafficking routes, continues to provide armed groups with substantial tactical capacity within urban sectors.
Furthermore, long-standing economic instability, institutional fragmentation, and high rates of poverty create conditions that enable armed organizations to maintain territorial influence despite international security deployments.
Military rescue missions and tactical escalations provide targeted responses to specific security threats, such as the kidnapping of Task Force Libertad II personnel.
However, international observers and analysts emphasize that sustainable security across Port-au-Prince and surrounding communes requires comprehensive institutional reform, economic development, and consistent administrative governance alongside law enforcement actions.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has launched a military rescue operation in Haiti following the abduction of four Salvadoran soldiers by local armed groups. In a stern statement on Wednesday, Bukele demanded the immediate, safe release of the personnel and warned of a severe… pic.twitter.com/QIQS18JGso
Sources: TeleSUR – Al Jazeera – DW – BBC – CNN – La Prensa Gráfica – elsalvador.com – EFE – El Diario de Hoy – RSF – El Faro – presidencia.gov.sv – Asociación de Periodistas de El Salvador – Dialnet – Resumen Latinoamericano.
São Brás de Alportel recebe, no próximo dia 24 de outubro, a partir das 19h00, a “Glow Night Run São Brás de Alportel”, uma iniciativa organizada pela Free Challenge, com o apoio da Câmara Municipal de São Brás de Alportel, que promete uma noite de desporto, música e muita animação.
O evento convida participantes de todas as idades a correr ou caminhar num ambiente descontraído, com luzes, adereços fluorescentes e música, num conceito que combina atividade física e entretenimento. A animação contará com animação musical em movimento e, antes da partida, com um espetáculo da “Super Dog Show”, destinado a surpreender e divertir o público.
Mais do que uma corrida ou caminhada, a “Glow Night Run São Brás de Alportel” pretende promover hábitos de vida saudáveis, o convívio e a participação da comunidade, mostrando que o desporto também pode ser uma experiência divertida e inclusiva.
A Free Challenge destaca a importância do apoio da Câmara Municipal de São Brás de Alportel, bem como do contributo dos seus parceiros e patrocinadores oficiais e habituais, cujo envolvimento é fundamental para continuar a desenvolver iniciativas desportivas diferenciadoras.
Embora as inscrições já estejam encerradas, a organização disponibiliza mais 50 vagas no próprio dia, permitindo que novos participantes se juntem a esta noite especial, onde a luz, a música e o movimento prometem dar vida a São Brás de Alportel.
São Brás de Alportel recebe, no próximo dia 24 de outubro, a partir das 19h00, a “Glow Night Run São Brás de Alportel”, uma iniciativa organizada pela Free Challenge, com o apoio da Câmara Municipal de São Brás de Alportel, que promete uma noite de desporto, música e muita animação. O evento convida participantes de […]
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Humanity will exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 °C global warming threshold, but the temperature peak can still be contained between 1.7 and 1.8 °C by mid-century, UNEP warned in its most recent report.
To return to 1.5 °C by the end of the century, countries must cut global emissions by 18 percent by 2030, 45 percent by 2035 and 69 percent by 2040, according to the report.
Global warming will overshoot 1.5°C in the coming years.
There’s still a chance to bring temperatures back down, but the window is closing fast.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared that surpassing the limit did not mean giving up, referring to the need to maintain ambitious climate targets despite the overshoot.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen stressed that each additional fraction of a degree and each extra year of warming above 1.5 °C would worsen climate impacts and risks, including deadly floods, heat waves and wildfires that have swept numerous countries this year, and said all possible efforts were needed to limit the peak and return to 1.5 °C by the end of the century, which she said was possible.
The chance to keep global warming below 1.5°C with no overshoot is gone.
But urgent action can still limit the overshoot and bring warming back to 1.5°C by 2100.
Current policies, however, put the 🌎 on course for up to 2.8°C this century.
Continuing current policies will cause a catastrophic increase of 2.8 °C over this century, with a sustained rise in subsequent years, the document warns.
Ahead of the start of the second Global Stocktake at COP31 in Antalya, Türkiye, UNEP set concrete fossil fuel reduction targets relative to 2025 levels.
By 2035, the agency proposes reducing coal supply by 55 percent, oil by 15 percent and gas by 5 percent; by 2040, it proposes raising the cuts to 75 percent for coal, 30 percent for oil and 35 percent for gas.
The UN World Meteorological Organization warned Wednesday that the current El Niño episode could push Pacific sea surface temperatures to 3.8 degrees Celsius above the average between November 2026 and January 2027, levels its top official called unprecedented in four decades of monitoring.
The alert came during a joint press conference in which the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Secretary-General Celeste Saulo acknowledged that the phenomenon now sits “literally outside the scales of monitoring that we have used over the past four decades.”
Her assessment placed the coming months among the most severe climate events recorded since such tracking began.
Saulo and UN humanitarian coordinator Tom Fletcher issued an urgent call for the international community to prepare in advance for the consequences they expect.
Fletcher put the human cost in stark terms. The phenomenon “will shake Latin America, eastern and southern Africa, Asia and the Pacific with extreme heat, droughts and floods,” he warned, and could push food insecurity to affect as many as 50 million people worldwide.
The warning singled out regions already struggling with fragile agricultural systems and limited infrastructure, where a single failed harvest can tip entire communities into crisis.
El Niño is set to hit fragile communities hard.@UNOCHA and @WMO are sounding the alarm, appealing for immediate assistance to support communities already affected by what has been described as the strongest El Niño on record. https://t.co/LDrygGkPPwpic.twitter.com/H1XcVA3AR7
The temperature projection of 3.8 degrees above the long-term average would place this El Niño beyond the upper bands of the monitoring framework built over forty years. Saulo noted that extreme weather events are already being recorded and will tend to multiply as the phenomenon gains intensity. She stressed, however, that the crisis “does not have to inevitably trigger a humanitarian disaster,” a message both officials repeated throughout their appearance.
To front-load the response, Fletcher announced the allocation of 50 million dollars from the UN emergency fund. The money will assist 11 of the most vulnerable countries as a priority, including Chad, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan. The list reflects the broad geographic reach of the expected impacts, spanning the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and Central America.
Both representatives insisted that a window of opportunity remains open. Extreme conditions “do not have to translate into humanitarian emergencies or fatalities” if precautions are taken in time, they argued, framing preparedness as the difference between a difficult season and a catastrophic one.
A Narrow Action Window
Saulo and Fletcher directed their appeal beyond governments. WMO and the humanitarian office urged development banks and international financial institutions to release funds in a coordinated manner before the worst damage occurs. The underlying premise is simple, El Niño cannot be stopped, but its worst human impacts can be mitigated and prevented.
Latin America appears prominently in the forecast. Central America has already been placed on maximum alert over drought conditions linked to the so-called Super El Niño, and the new warning extends that concern across the region. Africa faces the mirror problem in several zones, with eastern and southern areas bracing for a combination of heat, drought and flood depending on local geography.
WMO’s warnings marks a departure from the cautious phrasing typical of international agencies. Describing the phenomenon as off the scale is not a rhetorical flourish but a technical judgment, one intended to shake loose the funding and coordination that slow-moving bureaucracies often withhold until emergencies are already visible. For Saulo and Fletcher, the next three months represent the period when that response must be assembled, not the period when it can still be debated.
In late September, China and Laos opened a Beijing-funded training and support center and an aviation academy at Ban Keun airport, about 50 kilometers north of Vientiane. China’s Ministry of National Defense says the facility will train Lao Air Force pilots and is “not directed against any third party.” Even so, much of the commentary […]
South Korea will withdraw more staff from its embassy in Kyiv, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on 20 October. Seoul says Kyiv broke an understanding to keep the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war confidential, which was meant to protect the soldiers and their families in the North. Seoul had conveyed its position through several channels but received no sufficient response from Kyiv, Park added.
The Korea Herald noted, the move comes amid a dispute with the host government itself. That matters beyond the two countries. Good ties with Kyiv serve South Korea’s interests, AP reported earlier this month, citing experts, because Ukraine could share intelligence on North Korea’s expanding cooperation with Russia and its battlefield experience.
Seoul shrinks its Kyiv mission
Officials put the planned withdrawal at about half the embassy’s staff. The Korea Herald added that the timing has yet to be set. A chargé d’affaires and all consular staff will stay in Kyiv to keep diplomatic contacts and protect South Korean citizens.
Zelenskyy told the UN General Assembly in September that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to South Korea. Ukrainian forces had captured both men in Russia’s Kursk Oblast in January 2025, where Pyongyang had sent troops to fight for Moscow.
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Nine-year-old Ukrainian Anastasiia Kovtun won a silver medal at the international Romanian Junior Open 2026 tournament, held on October 16–18 in Bucharest. For the young athlete, it was the first international tournament of her career. Overall, Ukrainian squash players demonstrated strong results, winning in five age categories.
The competition took place at the Infinity Sport Arena sports complex under the auspices of the European Squash Federation (ESF). Romanian Junior Open is part of the international ESF Junior Circuit series and has Bronze status.
One of the main stories of the Ukrainian team’s performance was the success of 9-year-old Anastasiia Kovtun in the youngest age category, Girls U11.
Despite the competition in Bucharest marking Nastia’s debut at international level, she confidently advanced through the group stage. The Ukrainian successively defeated Romania’s Anna Oltean 3:0 (11:4, 11:9, 11:9), as well as two Bulgarian athletes — Ema Taneva 3:0 (11:3, 11:5, 11:5) and Gabriela Zarova 3:0 (11:8, 11:2, 11:2).
In the decisive match for the gold medal, Anastasiia faced another Ukrainian, Oleksandra Sinielnikova, who has considerable experience competing in international and Polish junior tournaments. The final ended with Sinielnikova winning 3:0 (11:3, 11:5, 11:5).
Thus, Oleksandra Sinielnikova became the Romanian Junior Open 2026 champion among girls under 11, while Anastasiia Kovtun claimed a silver medal at her very first international tournament.
Five gold medals for Ukrainian athletes
Other Ukrainian participants also performed successfully. Among boys under 11, another all-Ukrainian final took place.
Artem Kostiukov and Mark Hrabovskyi competed for the championship title. Both athletes won their groups, each recording three victories.
In the group stage, Kostiukov defeated two representatives of Romania and an athlete from Israel, while Hrabovskyi beat two Romanian squash players and a representative of Bulgaria. In the final, Artem Kostiukov emerged victorious 3:1 (11:7, 11:6, 7:11, 11:8).
Artem Kostiukov, winner of Romanian Junior Open 2026
It is worth noting that Artem Kostiukov continues his family’s sporting traditions.
His mother is the well-known Ukrainian squash player Anastasiia Kostiukova, a Ukrainian champion and multiple winner of national competitions, including the 2023 Ukrainian Cup.
In 2022, she became the first Ukrainian woman to win a squash match at the World Games and also took silver at the international PSA Saarland Squash Open tournament.
In the Girls U13 category, Varvara Sinielnikova took first place, demonstrating confident play throughout the tournament.
Viktoriia Syvoplias brought Ukraine another gold medal in the Girls U19 category. In the final, she defeated Bulgaria’s Emma Peteva in a tense five-game contest — 3:2 (7:11, 11:9, 11:5, 8:11, 11:8).
Nestor Saplashenko secured another victory for Ukraine in the Boys U15 category. In the final, he defeated Greece’s Konstantinos Christos Papatheodorou 3:1 (11:8, 11:7, 7:11, 11:9).
Ukrainian Oleksandra Orlenko also competed in the Girls U19 category, finishing the tournament in seventh place.
Ukrainian juniors confirm their high level on the European stage
At Romanian Junior Open 2026, Ukrainian athletes won five gold medals in the Girls U11, Girls U13, Girls U19, Boys U11 and Boys U15 categories.
Anastasiia Kovtun, silver medalist at Romanian Junior Open 2026
Ukrainian juniors confirm their high level on the European stage
At Romanian Junior Open 2026, Ukrainian athletes won five gold medals in the Girls U11, Girls U13, Girls U19, Boys U11 and Boys U15 categories.
In addition, Ukrainians also claimed two silver medals thanks to the performances of Anastasiia Kovtun and Mark Hrabovskyi.
In addition, Ukrainians claimed two silver medals thanks to the performances of Anastasiia Kovtun and Mark Hrabovskyi.
For nine-year-old Anastasiia Kovtun, the silver medal in Bucharest marked an important first step in her international sporting career.
Already in her debut appearance, she managed to become one of the medalists at an official European tournament.
The second energy crisis in less than five years — both triggered by wars, first in Ukraine and then in the Middle East — is dismantling resistance to a shift away from fossil fuels. Month by month the debate over electrification gains momentum: powering economic sectors that still rely on coal, oil, and gas with electricity. If there were few arguments left —environmental, economic, and strategic autonomy — in favor of a rapid electrification, gasoline and diesel prices in Europe have delivered the final blow.
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