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Outgoing White House press secretary Katie Zacharia thanked Donald Trump, calling working for him an honor. Earlier, Trump told reporters he had advised her to 'reconsider' and said the media had treated her 'badly.' Zacharia was appointed to the post at the beginning of the month after the departure of Karoline Leavitt.
According to the BBC, in 2026 the top Halloween costumes include the heroine of the horror film Obsession, Claudia Winkleman from 'The Traitors', characters from 'Wuthering Heights', 'The Odyssey' and 'Scream 7', as well as Dolly Parton, Trump and Putin. Stylists note a pull toward escapism and gothic aesthetics, while young people increasingly make DIY costumes instead of buying them.
According to ONS data, over 1.1 million UK residents who have never smoked use vapes, and their number is growing. The BBC story's subjects describe psychological dependence and habit, experts point to marketing and risks, while support for quitting vaping remains limited.
The British press on 17 October 2026 discusses RAF fighter jets' encounters with unidentified drones over the North Sea, exercises in Poland rehearsing a deployment scenario for Ukraine, Devon and Cornwall Police's apology to women, as well as EU plans to employ young Britons and Apple's conflict with the regulator.
The Saudi-led military coalition said it destroyed Houthi ballistic missile launch pads in the northwest of Yemen's Saada province. Details of the operation were not disclosed.
In the sixth episode of The Celebrity Traitors, the trio of Traitors received the task to “kill with boredom”: they had to yawn in a common room to infect one of the Faithful with a yawn. Joe Lycett was banished at the round table with 11 of 14 votes and turned out to be a Faithful. Miranda Hart was moved to tears by his departure and spoke about an illness she had endured, while Leigh-Anne Pinnock taught her a Little Mix move.
China's Foreign Ministry responded to a Bloomberg report that the EU is preparing new trade powers to reduce the trade deficit with China. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called on Brussels to uphold free trade principles and WTO rules, noting that dialogue at the second meeting of the consultation mechanism showed that differences can be resolved.
Following the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that occurred on October 9, Panama has recorded 746 aftershocks. Scientists are investigating reports of changes along the Pacific coast: exposed rocks, the sea receding, changes in water color, and the splitting of Isla Cañas.
In EuroLeague Round 6, Turkish clubs claimed victories: Beşiktaş beat Bayern 95:87, having let slip but held on to a 28-point lead, while Anadolu Efes won away against Žalgiris 85:70. The game of the day — Barcelona lost to Olympiacos 100:105.
Israeli human rights groups, former prime ministers and a UN commission link the rise in settler attacks on Palestinians to the Netanyahu government's policies: expanded weapons licensing, the abolition of administrative detention for Jewish settlers, and annexation plans. Yesh Din documented 377 incidents over two weeks, and the Palestinian commission recorded 5,561 attacks since the beginning of 2026.
According to Yemen's information minister, two Houthi rockets fell about 500 meters from a passenger plane on flight 612 preparing to depart Aden for Cairo. There were no casualties. The strikes hit the Badr camp and the coalition headquarters in al-Burayqa and followed an attack on the Maasheeq palace in which five people were killed.
Riyadh welcomed the presidential statement of the UN Security Council condemning Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and calling for cooperation to deprive the group of access to weapons. The statement emphasizes the need to implement resolution 2216 (2015). According to the coalition, 19 people were killed and 364 injured as a result of attacks on airports.
Türkiye's Trade Minister Ömer Bolat said at Innovation Week in Istanbul that the average export value per kilogram rose to $1.73, and to $2.11 excluding low-tech goods. In the defense industry the figure reached $61.5 per kilogram. The share of high-tech exports grew from 30.4% in 2002 to 43.7% by the end of 2025.
FIFA has ordered the Spanish federation to partially close the stadium at its next friendly match and fined it $20,000 for discriminatory chants directed at Muslims during the friendly against Egypt on March 31 at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking at the Türkiye Innovation Week 2026 event in Istanbul, said that in 2025 the country exported defense and aerospace products worth more than $10 billion to 180 countries and regions. He also announced a goal of creating 100,000 tech startups by 2030 and commented on the investment fund investigations.
Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Beirut, where he discussed joint energy projects and the situation in southern Lebanon with President Joseph Aoun. At the same time, Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji declared commitment to maintaining an international presence in the south of the country after UNIFIL's mandate ends at the end of the year.
Envoy of the Russian president Kirill Dmitriev said the US Treasury approached RDIF for assistance in implementing the diesel agreement between Moscow and Washington, in particular regarding payments. The deal was announced by Donald Trump after a call with Vladimir Putin. Volodymyr Zelensky criticized the arrangement.
AFP sums up the week ahead of the November 3 midterm elections: Democrat James Talarico debunked rumors of hospitalization in a psychiatric clinic, a Republican committee aired an ad in the wrong Portland, the Trump administration is sending payments to voters, and several states are investigating letters with suspicious substances.
