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Canadian publisher drops writer Thelyson Orelien over AI use in novel | Technology News | Al Jazeera

Publisher Boreal says investigations confirmed the Haitian-Canadian Thelyson Orelien used AI in his breakthrough novel.
The publisher of best-selling Haitian-Canadian writer Thelyson Orelien says it has severed its professional relationship with the author after confirming he used artificial intelligence to help write his novel, “It Was…
Boreal said on Wednesday that it conducted a further investigation after allegations surfaced in September to determine whether AI was used to write the novel.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

Rubio's India Trip Focuses on Business

Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes a three-day trip to India that skips New Delhi; the full text of the Mecca pact between Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia is revealed; and an investigation sounds the alarm on Bangl…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio takes a three-day trip to India that skips New Delhi; the full text of the Mecca pact between Pakistan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia is revealed; and an investigation sounds the alarm on Bangl…
Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday for a three-day trip to India with an unusual itinerary , visiting Mumbai and Jamnagar but not New Delhi.

foreignpolicy.com24d ago

World

Afghanistan’s Wakhan Transit Road Is a Long Shot to Connect with China – The Diplomat

The road has been officially inaugurated, but China and the Taliban have very different views of its function.
The mountainous terrain of the Wakhan Corridor, the thin strip of Afghanistan that shares a border with China.
On October 4, Taliban officials inaugurated the 121-kilometer-long Wakhan Transit Road connecting Afghanistan to China via the Wakhan Corridor after approximately three years of construction work.

thediplomat.com24d ago

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The US Army Looks to the Pacific – and Space – for Future Relevance – The Diplomat

Army leadership has focused on developing tools to contribute to a potential fight against China, a fight in which space assets will be critical.
Soldiers assigned to the 7th Infantry Division (Multi-Domain Command – Pacific) conduct unmanned aerial systems tests during exercise Bayonet Quest 2026 in Alpena, Michigan, Oct.
Army sees its future as preparing for a fight in the Pacific, and it’s taking lessons from both the current fight in the Middle East and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine.

thediplomat.com24d ago

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Mexico charges prosecutor with treason over US involvement in drug raid | Government News | Al Jazeera

The participation of US agents in an April drug operation has raised questions about whether Mexico’s laws were upheld.
Mexico has taken the rare step of charging a former state prosecutor with treason, alleging that he allowed United States agents to take part in a drug raid on the country’s territory.
The case underscores sensitivities about US involvement in Mexico and concerns about the Latin American country’s sovereignty.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

China Sees Exports Growth Amid AI Boom and Easing U.S. Trade Tensions

The highlights this week: Chinese exports make their biggest monthly jump in 16 years, the Chinese Communist Party prepares for an important political meeting , and the former White House press secretary’s law career in…
The highlights this week: Chinese exports make their biggest monthly jump in 16 years, the Chinese Communist Party prepares for an important political meeting , and the former White House press secretary’s law career in…
China’s exports grew by an astonishing 36.3 percent year-over-year in September, their biggest monthly jump since July 2010 , thanks to the artificial intelligence industry and the easing of trade tensions with the Unit…

foreignpolicy.com24d ago

World

Trump heads to South Carolina to boost Senator Darline Graham in race | US Midterm Elections 2026 News | Al Jazeera

The race between the sister of late Senator Lindsey Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews has tightened in deep-red state.
United States President Donald Trump is set to travel to South Carolina to boost the campaign of Darline Graham , the sister of his close ally, the late Senator Lindsey Graham.
The visit on Wednesday, which will include a rally alongside Graham, comes as the Senate race in deep-red South Carolina has grown uncomfortably close for Republicans.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

Judge orders Meta to pay $25bn in fines for Facebook privacy violations | Courts News | Al Jazeera

A jury found Meta guilty of lying to Facebook users in ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠New Mexico about access to their data.
A United States judge has ordered Meta to pay $25bn after a jury found the company misled Facebook users about privacy violations, marking the biggest fine ever against the tech giant.
New Mexico state District Judge Francis Mathew issued the ruling on Wednesday.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

Saudi Arabia Executes Two Bangladeshi Nationals – The Diplomat

Dhaka says it learned of their execution only after it happened. Its diplomacy is under scrutiny
On October 13, Saudi Arabia’s Supreme Court set aside the death sentence of Sri Lankan migrant worker Anojan Sivarasa.
Sivarasa had been sentenced to death over a Facebook post deemed insulting to Prophet Muhammad and blasphemous against Islam.

thediplomat.com24d ago

World

Cuba accuses US of threatening countries ahead of UN embargo vote | Conflict News | Al Jazeera

Havana says Washington is threatening countries with retaliation if they refuse to vote against condemning its embargo.
Cuba has accused the United States of threatening countries with tariffs, visa restrictions and other retaliatory measures in an effort to get them to change their votes on an upcoming United Nations resolution calling…
Every year, a majority in the UN General Assembly votes in favour of a nonbinding resolution seeking a stop to the US embargo, which began in the early 1960s.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

Li Qiang and Cai Qi Are Xi Jinping's Soldiers, Not Successors

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LOGIN As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prepares to convene the Fifth Plenum of its 20th Central Committee, rumors about personnel changes at the top are once again sweeping through overseas Chinese-language circles.

foreignpolicy.com24d ago

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Fate unknown of many returned to DPR Korea from China: UN independent experts | UN News

Three years on from the reported resumption of large-scale forcible returns of nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from China, serious concerns persist about their fate, according to a group of…
21 October 2026 Human Rights Three years on from the reported resumption of large-scale forcible returns of nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) from China, serious concerns persist about their…
There is no information on the whereabouts and treatment of those repatriated – or those who remain at risk of return – the experts said in a press release on Wednesday.

news.un.org24d ago

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Thousands march for school funding in Greece | Education News | Al Jazeera

Teachers joined nationwide student protests amid growing youth-led demonstrations in Europe.
Milan’s youth follow France in violent cost-of-living protests Thousands of students and teachers ‌have rallied across cities in Greece, demanding more funding for ⁠education, including better facilities and smaller ⁠cl…
The demonstrations echo a wave of youth-led protests across Europe this month, including in France and Albania, where anger over rising costs and alleged corruption has led to clashes with police and major property dama…

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

Actors, writers condemn UK anti-terror law targeting Sally Rooney | Censorship News | Al Jazeera

Dozens of leading figures term the UK law banning Palestine Action a ‘repressive absurdity’.
Dozens of leading writers, actors and activists have condemned the UK law used to proscribe Palestine Action as a “repressive absurdity” in an open letter backing Irish novelist Sally Rooney, whose books have been withd…
The letter comes after Rooney said her books had been pulled from sale in the UK due to her public support for Palestine Action, a group the British government designated as a “terrorist organisation”.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

‘Ominous start’ to West Bank olive harvest amid settler attacks | UN News

The use of live ammunition, arson and the destruction of centuries-old olive trees have marked the opening weeks of this year’s harvest in the occupied West Bank.
21 October 2026 Peace and Security The use of live ammunition, arson and the destruction of centuries-old olive trees have marked the opening weeks of this year’s harvest in the occupied West Bank.
At least 160 Israeli settler attacks linked to the olive harvest were recorded in the first two weeks of October, according to the UN aid coordination office ( OCHA ) – often under the protection of, or with the partici…

news.un.org24d ago

World

Heidi Levine recounts how Palestinian youths helped save her in settler attack | Israel | The Guardian

US photojournalist describes ‘protective shield’, vows to return to work in West Bank and criticises Netanyahu comments on incident
US photojournalist describes ‘protective shield’, vows to return to work in West Bank and criticises Netanyahu comments on incident The Washington Post photojournalist who was attacked and seriously injured by Israeli s…
Heidi Levine sustained four fractured vertebrae, two broken ribs and four puncture wounds when she was knocked to the ground and repeatedly beaten by a crowd of masked settlers while she and other journalists were cover…

theguardian.com24d ago

World

‘You are a humanitarian also, sir’: the US feeds Putin with lies as Ukraine’s children take cover and die | Ukraine | The Guardian

Steve Witkoff’s flattery of the Russian leader could be just the start of a mendacious stratagem from a US president who says Moscow ‘has been fine on Ukraine’
Steve Witkoff’s flattery of the Russian leader could be just the start of a mendacious stratagem from a US president who says Moscow ‘has been fine on Ukraine’ They say the first casualty of war is truth.
For the Trump administration , the road to peace with Russia now encompasses some extraordinary lies.

theguardian.com24d ago

World

World News in Brief: Aid for Ethiopia, Abyei drone strikes condemned, extreme heat and newborn health | UN News

The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up emergency health response operations across Afar, Amhara and Tigray in Ethiopia to address growing humanitarian and health needs resulting from ongoing hostilities.
21 October 2026 Peace and Security The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up emergency health response operations across Afar, Amhara and Tigray in Ethiopia to address growing humanitarian and health needs resul…
Tweet URL The UN health agency has strengthened its emergency coordination, deployed technical teams and expanded operational support to keep essential health services running in conflict-affected areas of the north.

news.un.org24d ago

World

Controversial US-backed vaccine trial in African newborns halted | Guinea-Bissau | The Guardian

Hepatitis B study in Guinea-Bissau that was to be funded by CDC and that drew global backlash ‘will not move forward’
Hepatitis B study in Guinea-Bissau that was to be funded by CDC and that drew global backlash ‘will not move forward’ The US-backed hepatitis B vaccine trial in African newborns that drew global backlash was halted, the…
It was “now clear” that the study “will not move forward in Guinea-Bissau”, Frederik Schaltz-Buchholzer, a Danish researcher, wrote on LinkedIn, adding, “we were not given the necessary governmental approval.” The minis…

theguardian.com24d ago

World

Migrants paid up to $500 million in smuggling fees on European sea routes | UN News

The price tag for smuggling on European sea routes reached up to half a billion dollars last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN migration office, IOM, reported on Wednesday.
21 October 2026 Migrants and Refugees The price tag for smuggling on European sea routes reached up to half a billion dollars last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN migration office, IOM, reporte…
Total fees paid to smugglers on sea routes to Europe reached between $388 and $509 million in 2025: UNODC estimates The busiest smuggling corridor was the Central Mediterranean route, where 84,000 to 100,400 people atte…

news.un.org24d ago

World

Macron makes surprise Saudi visit as France secures extra diesel supplies | Energy News | Al Jazeera

French president meets Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh to discuss energy, security, and infrastructure.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Riyadh on a surprise “solidarity” visit, making him the first Western leader to touch down in Saudi Arabia since the Houthis intensified their attacks this month.
The unannounced trip comes as Saudi Arabia agreed to supply extra diesel to France “for as many months as necessary”, the Elysee Palace told the AFP news agency on Wednesday.

aljazeera.com24d ago

World

Taiwan charges five men over plot to run over comedian for his Xi Jinping jokes | Taiwan | The Guardian

Person named ‘K’ from China paid five defendants to injure Huang Yi-hao, New Taipei prosecutors say
Person named ‘K’ from China paid five defendants to injure Huang Yi-hao, New Taipei prosecutors say Taiwanese prosecutors have charged five men over a plot to ram a car into a comedian who made fun of the Chinese Commun…
Taiwan has repeatedly accused China of transnational repression to silence critics on the self-governed island, which Beijing claims as its territory and has vowed to take by force if necessary.

theguardian.com24d ago

World

Elbridge Colby’s NATO Strategy Puts Europe’s Conventional and Nuclear Deterrence at Risk

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LOGIN Last week, NATO began its annual Steadfast Noon exercise to ensure the alliance’s nuclear readiness, even as the Trump administration pursues a policy that threatens to undermine it.

foreignpolicy.com24d ago

World

Elbridge Colby’s NATO Strategy Puts Europe’s Conventional and Nuclear Deterrence at Risk

Get audio access with any FP subscription.
Subscribe Now ALREADY AN FP SUBSCRIBER?
LOGIN Last week, NATO began its annual Steadfast Noon exercise to ensure the alliance’s nuclear readiness, even as the Trump administration pursues a policy that threatens to undermine it.

foreignpolicy.com24d ago

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