Qatar, France call for opening of Hormuz and Gaza ceasefire implementation after the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, met French President Emmanuel Macron in Doha (LINK) — 21 October 2026

Pope Leo needs no further lung cancer treatment, Vatican says (LINK) — 21 October 2026

Many terrorists wanted in India including those involved in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks have been living in Pakistan for decades: India Corrects UN Rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights Ben Saul (LINK) — 21 October 2026

— Ben Saul, the special rapporteur, in his July report had said one of the most wanted terrorists, Dawood Ibrahim, is based in India. "Let me correct it for the record," Raghoo Puri, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of India to the UN, said. "This individual fled India much before the 2003 listing, and it was during this period from an outsider country that he was listed for being associated with al-Qaeda and with Osama Bin Laden," Puri said in a clear reference to Pakistan, a failed nation that uses cross border terrorism and civilian killings as a State policy. "To date, he remains a wanted criminal in my country, and as per the UN's listing entry, resides in the same country where Osama Bin Laden was found and neutralised," Puri said, pointing at Pakistan's garrison city Abbottabad where Osama bin Laden was found living.

UNEP sees higher global warming, even in best-case scenario (ground news LINK) — 21 October 2026

New initiative by UNIDIR on Thursday will aim to tackle the military uses of AI (ground news LINK) — 20 October 2026

Trump administration says it has revoked over 300,000 visas: State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the Trump administration "has revoked ?more visas at a faster pace than any administration in history" (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Biodiversity COP17 Handbook urges governments to include women's environmental knowledge in biodiversity decision-making (LINK) — 20 October 2026

— Water Journalists Africa: "Women are often the first to notice environmental changes such as shrinking forests, drying rivers and declining fish stocks, yet their observations are frequently overlooked in official policies."

Elon Musk's $2-trillion SpaceX faces nationalization calls after Zelenskyy claims Starlink blocked Ukraine's defences (LINK limited) — 20 October 2026

OpenAI says its agents turned off own safeguards during two internal coding tasks (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Alberta rejects separation referendum: What's next for Canadian province? (LINK) — 20 October 2026

Biodiversity COP 17: Countries are falling behind on 22 of 23 conservation targets (LINK) — 19 October 2026

— Among the problems highlighted by scientists are pesticide use, unsustainable fishing and subsidies for activities that harm nature. Ecosystem degradation threatens food production, water security and economic stability worldwide.