foreign

If you TikTok on any particular night and you can watch America arguing with itself. Most teenagers scroll through protest videos, culture-war debates, and endless outrage while rival nations quietly observe something far more consequential – the erosion of the attention of the American youth.

Think of two children, one spends an entire day watching protest clips and debating identity issues online. The other spends that same time learning robotics or coding. A decade later, only one of them is shaping the technologies that define the future. Multiply this very difference by millions and the picture becomes clear. This is how foreign countries can gain a subtle but powerful advantage by encouraging distraction.

While American youth is drawn into ideological skirmishes, China is building artificial intelligence laboratories, investing heavily in space technology, and cultivating discipline among its students. Russia, though economically weaker, still benefits by showcasing American confusion to its own citizens. By pointing to social division and cultural chaos, it strengthens the illusion that its own model offers stability. The battlefield today is not military; it is psychological.

The New Frontline of Power

I believe that the most contested territory of the 21^st century is not land or trade routes but attention. Data may have been the ‘New Oil’ but Attention and the ability to capture and control it is the ‘New Data’. If you control the minds, you control the country. Young Americans live in a constant world of images, arguments, and notifications that shape how they see their nation and their ideological beliefs. They are politically aware but emotionally exhausted.

Several Surveys by the Pew Research Centre show that nearly half of American teenagers believe social media has a mostly negative effect on their generation, and about 1 in 5 say it has harmed their mental health in one way or another. What began as a tool for connection, has become an arena for reactivity, chaos and following social media trends. News is consumed not to understand but to respond.

America’s openness which has been its defining strength, has become a point of vulnerability. During the 2016 election, Russian operatives deliberately amplified such issues online, pushing both liberal and conservative extremes to deepen mistrust and cause diversity. The aim was not persuasion but polarization. It was a targeted attack on the people of America.

TikTok on the other hand, which is China’s most successful global export is designed to capture attention through endless entertainment, while its domestic version, Douyin, restricts usage for minors and promotes educational and patriotic content. The Chinese youth are trained to create and compete, while American youth are taught, unconsciously, to scroll. Why is Douyin used in China and not TikTok? Why isn’t conventional social media banned in China? What does China know about these social debates that it wants to control the flow of media and western ideologies into their country? One should question what Is really happening

The Economics of Distraction

Attention is now a form of economic power. Nations that focus their youth on innovation and competence will dominate the coming century. Those that reward distraction will decline.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies reports that China graduates more than one million engineers each year, nearly four times the number produced in the United States. When a country’s young population spends more time debating cultural issues than mastering scientific ones, it weakens its long-term competitiveness.

Political consequences follow. Polarization has become both symptom and strategy. Congress spends increasing time performing ideological battles instead of solving practical problems. Rivals interpret this as evidence that democracy can be paralyzed by its own openness, and citizens begin to lose confidence in their institutions.

The Algorithmic Advantage

Algorithms have become invisible editors of public life. They decide what people see, what they feel, and eventually what they believe. A Wall Street Journal investigation found that TikTok’s recommendation system can guide users toward extreme or divisive content within minutes of signing up. Douyin, in contrast, enforces time limits for minors and promotes academic material.

The difference in design reveals a difference in philosophy. American platforms optimize for engagement. Chinese platforms optimize priamrily for control. Both shape human behaviour, but only one leaves its users fragmented and fatigued.

Every moment of outrage online generates data, engagement, and profit. The more polarized the conversation, the stronger the business model. That is the genius of this weapon, it destabilizes societies while appearing voluntary. It is a quiet killer of growth, it is the quiet killer of a bright future. Why? Because it changes the nature of the populus to focus on ideological differences, to argue and debate on that rather than focusing on innovation, growth and developing. The American Citizen has become vulnerable to these power plays.

The Psychological Toll

This constant exposure to ideological battles leaves deep psychological marks. A few studies link sustained online conflict to higher anxiety, moral fatigue, and declining trust in authority. People become more skeptical yet also more suggestible, believing less but reacting more quickly.

The youth, despite being more digitally focused, remain more adaptable in belief than older generations. The real danger here, is not what they believe but that they begin to doubt whether anyone can be trusted to tell the truth. When the trust has evaporated, societies become easier to manipulate and it gets much harder for the country to unite and focus on growth and development.

Building Cognitive Resilience

Safeguarding democracy today requires much more than merely armies and technology, rather it requires citizens who can think clearly in an environment designed to distract them. The solution lies in resilience, not censorship or media control. Lets discuss some points that can be adopted to fight this battle

Teach Media Literacy: Schools should help students understand how algorithms shape their perceptions and emotions. Research shows that even brief digital literacy training reduces belief in false information.

Make algorithms transparent: Tech platforms should disclose what content they prioritize and why. Independent audits can reveal manipulation before it spreads.

Rebuild Offline Living: Communities that meet face-to-face build empathy that online arguments cannot. Dialogue, Community building and local participation restore the sense of shared purpose that social media erodes.

Expose Interference very Quickly: Governments should publicly reveal foreign manipulation as soon as it is detected. Transparency disarms propaganda faster than denial.

The Human Cost and the National Risk

Beneath this jargon is a human story. It is the that teenager that watches TikTok before bed and wakes up anxious without knowing the reason for that very anxiety. It is the citizen who cannot trust any sources of news. It is the slow disintegration of focus and faith in the conventional media and the American government.

Many foreign powers have learned that it is cheaper to just divide America than try to defeat it using any Economic or Military power because they sure are too strong on that front controlling the one of the most globally traded currency and one of the strongest Military powers in the world. Their weapon is distraction, which is engineered with precision and amplified through emotion.

The remedy is not to close society but to strengthen it. Attention in itself needs to be treated as a civic skill, something to be trained and protected. The ability to pause, reflect and filter out unimportant and hate-causing content is America’s last line of defence.

The next great contest between open and closed societies will not be fought on a battlefield but in the minds of the populus deciding whether to react or to think. If America’s strength once came from its freedom to speak, its survival now depends on its willingness to listen and act be aware of what is really happening.

The Foreign Office issued an alert on Saturday

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a warning to anybody who is planning on taking luggage abroad with them. Tens of millions of overseas trips are made from the UK each year, and the FCDO regularly shares information aimed at keeping Brits safe while travelling.

In a new alert on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday the FCDO issued a warning regarding baggage. The post reads: “Criminal gangs are known to pressure people into carrying drugs.

“Always pack your own luggage and do not carry anything through customs for someone else.” Further information provided on an accompanying graphic warns: “There’s no such thing as a free holiday. You booked a jail sentence. Do not carry cannabis through customs for someone else.”

The warning comes after British nationals have been caught carrying cannabis out of Thailand. While low-strength cannabis is legal in the south-east Asian country, the FCDO warns, cannabis of any strength is illegal in the UK, and may be illegal in other countries you travel to.

It goes on to remind passengers that airports have “excellent technology and security for detecting illegal items” and explains that anyone caught carrying cannabis in other countries may be given a long prison sentence, and even the death penalty.

FCDO guidance continues: “Legal processes before court hearings can be long and expensive. It can take many months for a case to go to trial. In some countries, you can be arrested if you have traces of cannabis on your clothing, baggage or within you.

“Random blood and urine tests can be taken to see if it is within you. It is illegal to take cannabis out of Thailand without the appropriate export permissions issued by the authorities.

“Illegally carrying cannabis, particularly large quantities, can lead to heavy fines or imprisonment in Thailand.”

Hamas and allied Palestinian factions have reiterated that any decision on the future governance of Gaza is “an internal Palestinian matter” as the ceasefire in the territory takes effect.

In a joint statement on Friday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) joined Hamas in lauding the steadfastness of Palestinians, which they said foiled Israel’s plans for mass forced displacement in Gaza.

“We renew our rejection to any foreign guardianship, and we stress that the nature of the administration of the Gaza Strip and its institutions are an internal Palestinian matter to be determined by the national component of our people directly,” the statement said.

The groups added that they are working on an “urgent comprehensive national meeting” to discuss next steps after the ceasefire.

“This will unify the Palestinian position, formulate a comprehensive national strategy, and rebuild our national institutions on the foundations of partnership, credibility, and transparency,” they said.

It is not clear whether Fatah, the faction that dominates the Palestinian Authority, has agreed to be part of the meeting.

United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan includes the creation of a new international body, dubbed the “Board of Peace”, that would be tasked with overseeing an interim authority of technocrats to govern Gaza.

According to the scheme, Trump himself would chair the board, which would also include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The first stage of the ceasefire, to which both Hamas and Israel agreed, is linked to Trump’s plan, but it remains unclear how Gaza will be governed going forward.

Captive releases; aid trucks for Gaza

Al Jazeera obtained a copy of the stipulations of the agreement, which calls on Hamas to hand over the Israeli captives within 72 hours without any public celebrations or media ceremony.

The deal also would ensure that at least 600 aid trucks reach Gaza daily, as well as the rehabilitation of water stations and the establishment of camps to shelter people in the enclave.

Tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians began their journey to their homes in the north of the territory on Friday as the Israeli military started to withdraw from coastal areas.

The Palestinian Civil Defence said it retrieved 63 bodies from the streets of Gaza City after the truce came into effect on Friday. Thousands of Palestinians remain missing amid difficulty in pulling victims from under the rubble and reaching areas under Israeli military control.

Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud described near total destruction in Gaza City after weeks of intense Israeli bombardment.

“On the way to Gaza City, as we approached the main entrance on the coastal road, it was already unrecognisable by the vast destruction and devastation of many of the buildings,” Mahmoud said.

“During our displacement journey, when we left the city, we counted 15 buildings either partially standing or still fully intact, inhabited by some of the displaced families. On our way back, we did not see them.”

Later on Friday, the Gaza Government Media Office stressed the need for a comprehensive reconstruction plan for the territory.

The first phase of the agreement calls for the entry of equipment to remove the rubble – a first step towards reconstruction.

The deal also says that United Nations agencies and other aid groups would distribute the humanitarian assistance, effectively sidelining the controversial Israel and US-backed GHF.

Hundreds of Palestinians were killed over the past months as they tried to reach GHF sites deep inside Israeli lines of control. Rights groups have described the mechanism as a death trap.

But GHF announced on Friday that it will continue to operate despite the ceasefire.

“GHF’s team on the ground continues to provide humanitarian aid and food to all those who need it,” GHF executive director John Acree said in a statement.

“We will not rest so long as there are Gazans in need. It’s our mission, and it continues on.”

GHF whistleblowers have documented horrific abuses committed in and around the private foundation’s sites.

The new rules are coming in gradually

People planning a trip abroad have been warned about major changes coming to travel rules. The European Union is bringing in its Entry/Exit System (EES) as it begins to roll out. You may need to register some details when going on a short trip or holiday to any Schengen area countries, such as France, Italy and Spain.

The Government has published guidance about what this will mean for travellers. This has been shared on the travel advice pages for the 29 countries affected by the changes.

The guidance states: “From 12 October 2025, the European Union’s (EU) new Entry/Exit System (EES) will begin roll out. This means that when you travel into the Schengen area for short stays, you may need to register your biometric details, such as fingerprints and a photo.

READ MORE: 4 ‘incredible’ UK bars named among the best in the world

“You do not need to take any action before you arrive at the border, and there is no cost for EES registration.” When you go on a trip to a Schengen country, you may need to register your details at a special booth before moving on the immigration desk.

The advice states: “Follow directions from your travel operator or the staff at your port of entry. You may also need to provide either your fingerprint or photo when you leave the Schengen area.

“Children aged 11 or younger will not have their fingerprints scanned but may need their photo taken.” The process will take a few extra minutes for each passenger, so there may be a longer wait than usual to get through the border checks.

The scheme is being rolled out gradually, and the number of passengers being registered at each port of entry will vary. At some destinations, it may take up to six months to fully roll out.

The guidance states: “Until EES is fully rolled out your passport will continue to be stamped, even if you’ve already been registered for EES. Once EES is fully rolled out, it will replace the current system of manually stamping passports when visitors arrive in the Schengen area for short stays and you will input biometric details every time you enter or exit.”

If you are going to a Schengen area through the Port of Dover, by the Eurotunnel at Folkestone or via the Eurostar at St Pancras International and you are asked to register, the information will be taken at the border before you leave the UK.

Foreign Office has issued a ‘severe’ Spain alert

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a fresh warning to Brits planning to travel to Spain or those who are already there. The FCDO, which is responsible for providing updated travel information for over 200 countries worldwide, issued a new alert on Friday morning (October 10).

It warned of “severe” weather conditions in parts of Spain, said: “Severe weather warnings are in place today in Murcia and Valencia, including the province of Alicante. Disruptions to travel are likely. If you are in the affected areas, follow the advice of the local authorities and monitor local weather updates. If you are planning to travel, check for messaging from your travel provider or airline.”

This update comes ahead of significant changes to travel rules for Spain and other European destinations, set to come into effect on Sunday (October 12). The much-anticipated new Entry/Exit System (EES) will commence on October 12, requiring UK travellers to provide additional details.

The EES is an automated IT system that will register UK travellers, including short-stay visa holders and those exempt from visas, each time they cross an EU external border. This system will record the traveller’s name, type of travel document, biometric data (fingerprints and facial images), as well as the date and place of entry and exit, all while respecting fundamental rights and data protection.

Once the EES is launched, holidaymakers will need to create a digital record on their first visit to the Schengen area at the port or airport. This will involve submitting fingerprints and having a photo taken at dedicated booths.

There’s no need for travellers to provide any information before jetting off to a Schengen area country. However, if they’re flying to a country within the Schengen area, they should brace themselves for longer queues upon arrival.

Programme, which started after Korean War as a way of removing mixed-race children from society, violated human rights.

South Korea’s president has apologised for a notorious foreign adoption scheme set up after the 1950-53 Korean War that caused “anxiety, pain, and confusion” to more than 14,000 children sent abroad.

President Lee Jae-myung said in a Facebook post on Thursday that he was offering “heartfelt apology and words of comfort” to South Koreans adopted abroad and their adoptive and birth families, seven months after a Truth and Reconciliation Commission said the programme violated the human rights of adoptees.

The commission, which investigated complaints from 367 adoptees in Europe, the United States and Australia, held the government accountable for facilitating adoptions through fraudulent practices, including falsifying records to portray children as abandoned orphans and switching identities.

Lee said he felt “heavy-hearted” when he thought about the “anxiety, pain and confusion” that South Korean adoptees would have suffered when they were sent abroad as children, and asked officials to formulate systems to safeguard the human rights of adoptees and support their efforts to find their birth parents.

Mass international adoptions began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children born to local mothers and American GI fathers from a society that emphasised ethnic homogeneity, with more than 140,000 children sent overseas between 1955 and 1999.

Foreign adoptions have continued in more recent times, with more than 100 children on average, often babies born to unmarried women who face ostracism in a conservative society, still being sent abroad for adoption each year in the 2020s.

After years of delay, South Korea in July ratified The Hague Adoption Convention, an international treaty meant to safeguard international adoptions. The treaty took effect in South Korea on Wednesday.

Former president Kim Dae-jung apologised during a meeting with overseas adoptees in 1998, saying: “From the bottom of my heart, I am truly sorry. I deeply feel that we have committed a grave wrong against you.”

But he stopped short of acknowledging the state’s responsibility for the decades of malpractice.

SEOUL, Sept. 30 (UPI) — Lenders Shinhan Bank and NH Nonghyup Bank have introduced new credit loan products for foreign employees in South Korea.

Shinhan Bank said Tuesday that the firm is offering loans of up to $14,200 with repayment terms ranging from six months to three years. It is available to holders of such visas as F2, F5, E7, and E9.

Eligible applicants need to have at least six months remaining on their stay and have received salaries through Shinhan Bank for the past three straight months. Applications can be made at the bank’s branches or via its mobile app.

To improve accessibility, the bank noted that some of its branches near industrial parks that employ large numbers of foreign workers have remained open on Sundays since July.

“We have come up with a credit loan product to make it easier for non-Korean customers to access financial services,” Shinhan Bank said in a statement. “We will continue to expand tailored services for international clients.”

NH Nonghyup Bank rolled out a similar loan program Tuesday. The credit limit is $21,300, with repayment terms ranging from six months to six years, and most other conditions mirror those of Shinhan Bank.

While domestic lenders have traditionally focused on Korean customers, they are increasingly expanding services for foreign residents as their numbers grow.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the foreign population here jumped around 35% over the past three years, from 1.96 million in 2021 to 2.65 million in 2024. The figure is expected to approach 3 million this year.

The Financial Supervisory Service also reported that the number of foreign borrowers at the country’s four major banks — KB Kookmin, Shinhan, Hana and Woori — surged 60% from late 2022 to early 2025.

The US president pledged a 100 percent tariff for films made outside the country.

United States President Donald Trump has said he wants to levy a 100 percent import tax on movies made outside the country, saying the movie business “has been stolen” from Hollywood and the US.

Posting on his Truth Social platform on Monday, the US president said the tariff was intended to “solve this long time, never ending problem.”

“Our movie making business has been stolen from the United States of America, by other Countries, just like stealing ‘candy from a baby,’” he wrote.

“California, with its weak and incompetent Governor, has been particularly hard hit!”, he added, in reference to California governor Gavin Newsom, who is a common foil of Trump’s.

It was unclear how these tariffs would operate, since movies and TV shows can be transmitted digitally without going through ports.

Nor was it clear what this would mean for US films that depend on foreign locations as part of the story, such as the James Bond franchise.

Analysts note that many films are international co-productions. They are also not goods that are imported in a conventional way, meaning the government would have to determine how to value them and when they even qualify as imports.

Trump made a similar threat in May, directing the Department of Commerce to immediately begin imposing a 100 percent tariff on films “produced in Foreign Lands”.

At the time, he complained the US film industry was “DYING a very fast death” due to other countries luring filmmakers and studios away with generous incentives, describing it as a national security threat.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Reuters news agency on how the tariffs would be implemented.

“There is too much uncertainty, and this latest move raises more questions than answers,” said PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore.

“For now, as things stand, costs are likely to increase, and this will inevitably be passed on to consumers,” he said.

The president on Monday, on his same social media platform, also promised “substantial” tariffs on any country that makes its furniture outside the US.

He said he was doing so to make the state of North Carolina “GREAT again”, saying it had “completely lost its furniture business to China, and other Countries”.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi holds talks with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, in Beijing.

China and North Korea have pledged to work together to counter “hegemonism” and “unilateralism” in international affairs, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said, in a veiled reference to the countries’ confrontations with the United States.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, in Beijing on Sunday, weeks after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un travelled to China to join an event marking the anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II.

“China is willing to strengthen coordination and collaboration with North Korea on international and regional affairs, oppose all forms of hegemonism, and protect their shared interests and international fairness and justice,” Wang told Choe, according to a readout by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Choe, in turn, told Wang that North Korea viewed China’s concept of a “community with a shared future for mankind”, and its Global Governance Initiative, as important contributions to the “promotion of a multipolar world”, according to the ministry.

“North Korea strongly supports these initiatives and is willing to work closely with China in multilateral collaboration to jointly resist unilateralism and power politics and promote the establishment of a more equitable and just world order,” Choe said, according to the readout.

“North Korea also wishes the Chinese people greater achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of China through unity and struggle.”

Choe cited Kim as saying that the “bonds of friendship” between Pyongyang and Beijing “cannot be altered,” and that their relations should be developed “in line with the demands of the times”, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said.

Beijing is embroiled in a fierce rivalry with Washington, which spans sectors ranging from trade to artificial intelligence.

Pyongyang has been at odds with Washington for decades over its illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Wang and Choe’s talks came after Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korea’s Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared together earlier this month at a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Many observers saw this gathering as a challenge to US dominance in international affairs.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto has told the United Nations General Assembly that the United States has an “illegal and completely immoral military threat hanging over our heads”, as reports emerge that the US is planning to escalate attacks on the South American country.

Pinto told the gathering of UN member states on Friday in New York that his country was grateful for the support of governments and people “that are speaking out against this attempt to bring war to the Caribbean and South America”.

The minister claimed US threats towards his country were aimed at allowing “external powers to rob Venezuela’s immeasurable oil and gas wealth”.

He also accused Washington of using “vulgar and perverse lies” to “justify an atrocious, extravagant and immoral multibillion-dollar military threat”.

Earlier on Friday, US broadcaster NBC News reported that US military officials are drawing up plans to “target drug traffickers inside Venezuela” with air attacks, citing two unnamed US officials.

US President Donald Trump said last week that US forces had carried out a third strike targeting a vessel he said was “trafficking illicit narcotics”. At least 17 people have been killed in the three attacks.

Experts have cast doubt on the legality of US attacks on foreign boats in international waters, while data from both the UN and the US itself suggest that Venezuela is not a major source of cocaine coming into the US, as Trump has claimed.

In an address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump said of drug smugglers: ” To every terrorist thug smuggling poisonous drugs into the United States of America, please be warned that we will blow you out of existence.”

By contrast, Colombian President Gustavo Petro used his UNGA address to call for a “criminal process” to be opened against Trump over the attacks on vessels in the Caribbean, which had killed Venezuelans who had not been convicted of any crime.

The US has so far deployed eight warships to international waters off Venezuela’s coast, backed by F-35 fighter jets sent to Puerto Rico, in what it calls an anti-drug operation.

Washington has also refused an appeal for dialogue from Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro, whom the Trump administration has accused of drug trafficking – a claim Maduro has strenuously denied.

Maduro and his late predecessor, Hugo Chavez, had once been regular presences at the annual UNGA meetings taking place in New York, but Maduro did not come this year, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing him as a fugitive from justice over a US indictment on drug-trafficking allegations.

Back home in Venezuela, Maduro has called for military drills to begin on Saturday, to test “the people’s readiness for natural catastrophes or any armed conflict” amid US “threats”.

‘Our fishermen are peaceful’

Venezuelan fishers who spoke to the AFP news agency said that the US strikes on Venezuelan boats have made them fearful to venture too far from shore.

“It’s very upsetting because our country is peaceful, our fishermen are peaceful,” Joan Diaz, 46, told AFP in the northern town of Caraballeda.

“Fishermen go out to work, and they [the US] have taken these measures to come to our … workplace to intimidate us, to attack us,” he said.

Diaz said most fishers stay relatively close to shore, but that “to fish for tuna, you have to go very far, and that’s where they [the US forces] are.”

Luis Garcia, a 51-year-old who leads a grouping of some 4,000 fishermen and women in the La Guaira region, described the US actions as “a real threat”.

“We have nine-, 10-, 12-metre fishing boats against vessels that have missiles. Imagine the madness. The madness, my God!” he exclaimed.

“We keep contact with everyone … especially those who are going a little further,” he said.

“We report to the authorities where we are going, where we are, and how long our fishing operations will last, and we also report to our fishermen’s councils,” Garcia said.

But, Garcia added, they would not be intimidated.

“We say to him: ‘Mr Donald Trump, we, the fishermen of Venezuela … will continue to carry out our fishing activities. We will continue to go out to the Caribbean Sea that belongs to us.’”

However, you may not qualify if your passport was issued before a certain date

The Foreign Office has urged travellers to act quickly, explaining how certain people may be able to travel abroad without a valid UK passport. You may find yourself in this position if you’ve lost your passport or cannot use it for another reason.

The Foreign Office states that people heading abroad can get an emergency travel document which lets you travel under “urgent” circumstances. This special document is only valid for one single or return journey and you can travel through a maximum of 5 countries.

You can apply for an emergency travel document if all the following apply:

• you’re a British national
• you’re outside the UK
• you need to travel within 6 weeks
• your UK passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy
• you cannot renew or replace your UK passport from abroad before you travel
• you have had a valid UK passport that was issued on or after January 1, 2006

If you haven’t had a UK passport that was issued on or after January 1 2006, it adds that you’ll usually need to apply for a UK passport instead of an emergency travel document. While you may be able to get an emergency travel document, exceptional circumstances include if:

• your child was born unexpectedly
• you need urgent medical treatment that you cannot access without travel to another country
• you wish to attend the funeral of a close relative

Foreign Office guidance warns: “If you have not had a UK passport that was issued on or after 1 January 2006, you cannot get emergency travel documents for activities such as holidays, weddings, family events and job interviews.

“You’ll have to explain and provide evidence to show why your journey is urgent and essential. Applications are assessed on a case by case basis.”

How to apply for an emergency UK passport

Before you apply, you should check if an emergency travel document will be accepted in the countries you plan to leave, enter and travel through. This includes whether or not you need a visa.

You can only apply online if you have had a passport that was issued on or after January 1, 2006. The application costs £125 and you cannot get a refund so make sure you are applying for the correct document and you meet the requirements.

To apply for your emergency travel document online, you will need these four items:

• a valid digital passport photo that meets the guidelines and has not been used in a previous passport
• a contact telephone number
• an email address
• a debit or credit card for the fee

If you’re in a position where you’ve lost your wallet, it adds that “a relative or friend can pay for you if you’re not able to make a payment using the online service.”

How long will it take me to get my emergency passport?

Your emergency travel document will usually be ready to collect 2 working days after you apply. However it may take up to several weeks if:

• your original British passport has expired
• you’re applying for a child under 16
• you’ve not yet paid the £125 fee
• you need to provide more documents or information
• you need to attend an online or in-person appointment

Your old passport is typically cancelled automatically once you’ve paid for your emergency travel document. You’ll be informed if it won’t be cancelled, for example, if it’s currently with an embassy or if you’ve already submitted an application for a new passport.

You’ll get an email update about your application and if the application is approved, you’ll be told how and when to collect your emergency travel document as well as whether you need to do anything else, like attend an appointment at your nearest British embassy, high commission or consulate.

Hurricane Gabrielle could even have knock-on effects on the weather in the UK with reports of heavy rainfall on its way

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued an urgent travel update for anyone planning to visit a popular Portuguese hotspot or its surrounding regions. It comes amid a warning published today (September 25) with the government department alerting travellers to an approaching storm that’s expected to hit very soon.

Its update forms part of the Foreign Office’s Portugal travel advice which also includes Madeira, Porto Santo and the Azores. In its latest advisory, it noted that a tropical storm warning has been issued specifically for the Azores, where adverse weather conditions are anticipated to develop rapidly – and where around four million tourists visit a year, with Brits the top nation for visitors.

The travel experts highlighted that Hurricane Gabrielle is forecast to reach the Azores during the afternoon of September 25, urging travellers in the region to stay informed and take precautions if needed. Because of the expected weather conditions, there could “be disruption to services due to hurricane force winds and possible coastal flooding.” People are being urged to take care and read up on the latest advice over the next few days.

Noting that “hurricanes can change course and intensity”, it stated that the situation is being closely monitored by the US National Hurricane Center. It further advised people follow the guidance of their local authorities, adding: “If you are due to travel, check for updates from your travel provider.”

The US National Hurricane Center website warned travellers that currently, “a hurricane warning is in effect for all of the islands of the Azores, and hurricane conditions are likely tonight into Friday. Significant hurricane-force wind gusts are likely across portions of the Azores even after the center passes.”

The warning continues: “A dangerous storm surge is expected to produce significant coastal flooding in areas of onshore winds in the Azores. The surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.”

As well as this, “heavy rainfall from Gabrielle could produce flash flooding across the terrain of the central Azores tonight through Friday morning. Swells generated by Gabrielle will continue to affect Bermuda during the next couple of days, and the east coast of the United States from North Carolina northward and Atlantic Canada for the next day or so.”

Guidance from the experts concluded: “These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.”

What to do if you are affected by flooding or a storm

Flooding may result from heavy rainfall, tropical cyclones, or tsunamis. These events can cause extensive damage, including loss of life and major disruption to transport networks. During a flood, there is a significant risk of drowning and after, the likelihood of contracting water-borne diseases such as malaria or typhoid fever increases.

People can find out more about flooding from TravelHealthPro (from the UK’s National Travel Health Network and Centre), the World Health Organisation and the Met Office. In addition to flooding, tropical cyclones cause “considerable loss of life” every year. They can also cause “immense damage to property, and damage transport, electricity and communication infrastructure.”

Tropical cyclones gain energy from the heat released when moist air rises into the atmosphere. Hurricane season takes place during the months when sea surface temperatures in a given region are at their peak.

Highest risk:

• June to November in the Northern Hemisphere Tropics (Caribbean, Atlantic, Southeast Asia, Pacific, Far East)
• November to April in the Southern Hemisphere Tropics (for example, East Africa coast)

Tropical cyclones can cause:

• high winds: buildings can be damaged or destroyed; trees, power and telephone lines fall; flying debris becomes dangerous
• storm surge: a hurricane can cause a temporary rise in sea level of several metres which can flood coastal areas and damage buildings on the shoreline
• very heavy rainfall: this can cause localised or widespread flooding and mudslides

You can find the latest Portugal travel advice here. Please keep an eye on the Foreign Office before and during your holiday.

Officials said people heading to the popular holiday destination could face delays

UK travellers have been issued a warning by the Foreign Office over potential strike action. Updated on September 19 2025, the travel experts note that people may face delays, and it’s best to be prepared.

On the GOV.UK website, under their latest Portugal travel advice, it warns: “Strike action that causes travel disruption, including at airports, can take place.

“Strikes can be announced at short notice. For updates on any disruption that may affect your travel plans, check the local news and follow the advice of your travel provider or tour operator.“

Strikes were planned for this month, however according to Euronews, this is no longer happening. It explains that “workers called off the strike, stating that the imposed conditions make it impossible to exercise their right to strike.”

It was set to take place across 76 days, ending on January 2 of next year. Local news outlet, publico, revealed that “in a statement, SIMA informs that it has canceled the notice because it understands that the conditions for workers to be able to exercise their right to strike with dignity are not met, following the decision of the Arbitration Court that “resulted in a real attack on the right to strike of Portuguese workers in general and of that company in particular”.

Despite this cancellation, it is still crucial that you keep an eye on the Foreign Office website in case there are more strikes planned, especially last-minute.

As well as theses disruptions, it warns people that there’s an increased risk of wildfires. This season usually begins in April and ends around October when the weather is hot and dry.

Wildfires can start anywhere in Portugal and as we have seen, they can be “highly dangerous and unpredictable.” Because of this, the Foreign Office have said that if this occurs, it’s likely that the Portuguese authorities will evacuate areas and close roads for safety reasons.

If you find yourself abroad when this happens, you should:

It concludes by warning: “Starting a fire, even if it is by accident, is illegal and you could get a fine or a prison sentence. For information about active wildfires and forecasts, visit the Portuguese Met Office website for information on Portugal and Madeira.”

Platform to allow people to securely pass on information anywhere in the world, or offer their own services to MI6.

The United Kingdom’s spy agency is set to launch a web portal on the dark web to recruit informants and receive secret information from agents in Russia and worldwide, Britain’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has said.

The Secret Intelligence Service, known as MI6, will officially announce the launch of the secure messaging platform called “Silent Courier” on Friday.

It is aimed at harnessing the anonymity of the dark web – the murky, hidden part of the internet often used by criminal actors – and allowing anyone, anywhere in the world, to securely contact the UK spy agency.

Users of the portal can securely pass on details about illicit activities anywhere in the world, or offer their own services, according to a Foreign Office statement.

Outgoing MI6 chief Sir Richard Moore – who is due to hand over to Blaise Metreweli later this month – will officially launch the web portal in Istanbul on Friday.

“Today we’re asking those with sensitive information on global instability, international terrorism or hostile state intelligence activity to contact MI6 securely online,” Moore is set to say when he formally announces the plans.

“Our virtual door is open to you,” he will add.

Instructions on how to use the portal will be publicly available on MI6’s verified YouTube channel.

Users have been encouraged to access it through VPNs and devices not linked to themselves.

MI6 was established in 1909 but was not officially acknowledged by the UK government until the 1990s.

The spy agency operates from the iconic SIS Building on the banks of the River Thames in London and only its head – known as “C” – is a publicly named member of the service.

In advance of the portal’s launch, new Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said that “national security is the first duty of any government and the bedrock of the prime minister’s Plan for Change” – referring to a national revitalisation plan outlined by the premier and Labour Party leader Keir Starmer in December.

“As the world changes, and the threats we’re facing multiply, we must ensure the UK is always one step ahead of our adversaries,” Cooper said.

“Now we’re bolstering their efforts with cutting-edge tech so MI6 can recruit new spies for the UK – in Russia and around the world,” she added.

The US’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) took a similar approach in 2023, when it published videos on social media attempting to recruit potential Russian spies.

‘Mass surveillance’ tech has enabled world’s most restrictive state to exert ‘control in all parts of life’, UN Human Rights Office says.

North Korea has further tightened its grip on its population over the past decade, executing people for activities like sharing foreign TV dramas, according to a major United Nations report.

The UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that tech-enabled state repression under the Kim dynasty, which has governed with absolute power for seven decades, had grown over a decade of “suffering, repression, and increased fear”.

“No other population is under such restrictions in today’s world,” concluded the agency’s report, which is based on interviews with more than 300 witnesses and victims who had fled the country and reported the further erosion of freedoms.

“To block the people’s eyes and ears, they strengthened the crackdowns. It was a form of control aimed at eliminating even the smallest signs of dissatisfaction or complaint,” recounted one escapee, cited in the report.

James Heenan, head of the UN Human Rights Office for North Korea, told a Geneva briefing that the number of executions for both normal and political crimes had increased since COVID-era restrictions.

An unspecified number of people had already been executed under new laws imposing the death penalty for distributing foreign TV series, including the popular K-Dramas from South Korea, he added.

The clampdown has been aided by the expansion of “mass surveillance” systems through technological advances, which have subjected citizens to “control in all parts of life” over the past 10 years, the report said.

Heenan also reported that children were being made to work in forced labour, including so-called “shock brigades” for tough sectors such as coal mining and construction.

“They’re often children from the lower level of society, because they’re the ones who can’t bribe their way out of it, and these shock brigades are engaged in often very hazardous and dangerous work,” he said.

Last year, the UN indicated that the forced labour could, in some cases, amount to slavery, making it a crime against humanity.

The sweeping review comes more than a decade after a landmark UN report documented executions, rapes, torture, deliberate starvation, and the detention of between 80,000 and 120,000 people in prison camps.

The new report covered developments since 2014, noting the government’s adoption of new laws, policies and procedures providing a legal framework for repression.

UN rights chief Volker Turk said in a statement: “If the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] continues on its current trajectory, the population will be subjected to more suffering, brutal repression and fear.”

North Korea’s Geneva diplomatic mission and its London embassy have not yet commented on the report.

Sacramento, California – On a sunny August morning, 60-year-old Gurtej Singh Cheema performed his morning prayers at his home in Sacramento. Then, the retired clinical professor of internal medicine made his way downtown to join more than 150 other Sikh Americans at California’s State Capitol.

He was there to speak in support of a state bill that, to many Sikhs, represents a matter of safety for the community.

California is home to an estimated 250,000 Sikhs, according to the community advocacy group, Sikh Coalition. They represent 40 percent of the nation’s Sikhs – who first made California their home more than a century ago.

But a spate of attacks and threats against community activists in North America over the past two years, which United States and Canadian officials have accused India of orchestrating, have left many Sikhs on edge, fearing for their safety and questioning whether law enforcement can protect them.

That’s what a new anti-intimidation bill seeks to address, according to its authors and advocates: If passed, it would require California to train officers in recognising and responding to what is known as “transnational repression” – attempts by foreign governments to target diaspora communities, in practice. The training would be developed by the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

“California can’t protect our most vulnerable communities if our officers don’t even recognize the threat,” Anna Caballero, a Democratic state senator and author of the bill, said in the statement shared with Al Jazeera. “The bill closes a critical gap in our public safety system and gives law enforcement the training they need to identify foreign interference when it happens in our neighborhoods.”

But the draft legislation, co-authored by California’s first Sikh Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains, and Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, has also opened up deep divisions within an Indian American community already polarised along political lines.

Several influential American Sikh advocacy groups – the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Sikh Coalition and Jakara Movement among them – have backed the bill. Groups representing Indians of other major faiths, such as Hindus for Human Rights and the Indian American Muslim Council, have also supported the draft legislation, as has the California Police Chiefs Association.

But in the opposite corner stand Hindu-American groups like the Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus of North America, as well as a Jewish group, Bay Area Jewish Coalition and even a Sikh group, The Khalsa Today. The Santa Clara Attorney’s office and Riverside County Sheriff’s Office have also opposed the bill.

Critics of the bill argue that it risks targeting sections of the diaspora – such as Hindu Americans opposed to the Khalistan movement, a campaign for the creation of a separate Sikh nation carved out of India – and could end up deepening biases against India and Hindu Americans.

The Riverside County Sheriff’s Office said that it had “concerns regarding the bill’s potential implications, particularly its impact on law enforcement practices and the inadvertent targeting of diaspora communities in Riverside County”.

But as Cheema stood with other Sikh Americans gathered at the state legislature on August 20 to testify before the Assembly Appropriations Committee, the urgency felt by many in the room was clear: Some had driven all night from Los Angeles, 620km (385 miles) away from Sacramento. Others took time off from work to be there.

“Any efforts that help a community feel safe, and you are a part of that community – naturally, you would support it,” Cheema, who also represented the Capital Sikh Center in Sacramento at the hearing, told Al Jazeera.

‘Harassment by foreign actors’

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) defines transnational repression as the acts of foreign governments when they reach beyond their borders to intimidate, silence, coerce, harass or harm members of their diaspora and exile communities in the United States.

The bill marks the second major legislation in recent years that has split South Asian diaspora groups in California. A 2023 bill that specified caste as a protected category under California’s anti-discrimination laws was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom after several Hindu-American groups lobbied against it. They argued that the state’s existing anti-discrimination laws already protected people from caste-based bias, and that specifying the new category was an indirect attack on Hinduism.

The California Assembly has now passed the new anti-intimidation bill. It will now return to the California Senate – which had passed an earlier version of the legislation – for another vote, expected this week. If it passes in the upper house of the California legislature, the bill will head to Newsom’s desk for his signature.

Thomas Blom Hansen, professor of anthropology at Stanford University, said the bill addresses concerns around online trolling, surveillance and harassment of individuals based on their political beliefs or affiliations – often influenced by foreign governments or political movements.

“The bill doesn’t name any specific country – it’s a general framework to provide additional protection to immigrants and diaspora communities from harassment by foreign actors,” Hansen told Al Jazeera.

But the backdrop of the bill does suggest that concerns over India and its alleged targeting of Sikh dissidents have been a major driver. Hansen noted that Senator Caballero comes from the 14th State Senate district, which has a significant Sikh population.

In 2023, Canada officially accused India of masterminding the assassination in June that year of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. India has rejected the accusation, but relations between the two nations plummeted as a result – and remain tense, as Canada continues to pursue the allegations against individuals it arrested and that it says worked for New Delhi.

In November that year, US prosecutors also accused Indian intelligence agencies of plotting the assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based Sikh activist. That plot was exposed after an alleged Indian agent accidentally ended up hiring an FBI informant for the hit job. Pannun leads Sikhs of Justice, a Sikh separatist advocacy group that India declared unlawful in 2019.

Several other Sikh activists in Canada and the US have received warnings from law enforcement agencies that they could be targeted.

Even Bains, the co-author of the new bill, has faced intimidation. In August 2023, after California recognised the 1984 massacre of thousands of Sikhs in India – following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards – as a genocide, four men, apparently of Indian origin, visited her office. They allegedly threatened her, saying they would “do whatever it takes to go after you”.

Harman Singh, executive director of the Sikh Coalition, said the bill was timely.

“If a gurdwara committee leader calls the police to report a man who claims to be from the government of India coming to the gurdwara asking about other committee members’ immigration status, the trained officers will react to that very differently than those who aren’t,” Singh told Al Jazeera.

Vivek Kembaiyan of Hindus for Human Rights echoed Singh. The majority of crime is investigated at the local level, he said, and local law enforcement needs training to investigate transnational crimes.

Could ‘institutionalise biases’

But not everyone agrees.

Some groups argue that the bill is primarily meant to target India and Indian Americans, and especially suppress opposition to the Khalistan movement.

Samir Kalra, the 46-year-old managing director at the Hindu American Foundation, has emerged as one of the bill’s most vocal opponents.

“I believe that they have not gone far enough in providing adequate guardrails and safeguards to ensure that law enforcement does not institutionalise biases against groups from specific countries of origin and or with certain viewpoints on geopolitical issues,” Kalra, a native of the Bay Area, told Al Jazeera.

Kalra pointed to the supporters of the bill.

“The vast majority of supporters of this bill who have shown up to multiple hearings are of Indian origin and have focused on India in their comments and press statements around this bill. India is listed as a top transnational repression government,” he said. “It’s very clear that the true target of this bill is India and Indian Americans.”

Many Hindu temples, he said, had been desecrated in recent months with pro-Khalistan slogans.

“How can the Hindu American community feel safe and secure reporting these incidents without fear of being accused of being a foreign agent or having law enforcement downplaying the vandalisms?” he asked.

But Harman Singh rejected the suggestion that the bill was dividing the Indian American community along religious lines. “The coalition of groups supporting includes both Sikh and Hindu organisations as well as Muslim, Kashmiri, Iranian, South Asian, immigrants’ rights, human rights, and law enforcement organisations,” Singh said.

Some critics have expressed fears that activists training officers in recognising transnational attacks could institutionalise biases against specific communities.

But the Sikh Coalition’s Singh said those worries were unfounded. The training, he said, “will be created by professionals within those organisations, rather than ‘a small group of activists,’ so this criticism is not based in reality.”

‘My voice is being heard’

Rohit Chopra, a professor of communication at Santa Clara University in California, said critics of other governments “are all too routinely harassed, threatened, or even assaulted by foreign governments or their proxies within the US”.

“Even if the bill has some deterrent effect, which I believe it will, it will be well worth it,” Chopra told Al Jazeera. He emphasised that the bill does not restrict its ambit to any one country or a particular group of nations.

To Stanford University’s Hansen, that in effect raises questions about why some groups are opposed to the bill.

“When an organisation comes out strongly against such a bill, it almost feels like a preemptive admission – as if they see themselves as being implicated by what the bill seeks to prevent,” Hansen said.

Back in Sacramento, Cheema remains hopeful that the bill will pass. For him, the bill represents something far more significant than policy – recognition and protection on US soil.

“I could be the next victim if the law enforcement in my community is not able to recognise foreign interference,” Cheema said. “It doesn’t matter who is indulging in it or which country, I would naturally like my police officers to be aware of the threats.”

“If any group feels threatened, then all sections of society should make efforts to protect their people. This reassures me that my voice is being heard”, Cheema said.

The UK Foreign Office has issued an update on advice for tourists travelling to Poland after multiple Russian drones were shot down over the country earlier this week

Russian drones entering Poland’s airspace were shot down this week, leading some people to fear that the war could spread to the West – and tourists wondering if it’s safe to travel to the country.

Millions of Brits travel to Poland every year often to check out the cultural cities of Kraków and Warsaw or visit the salt sculptures and chapels at the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

And it can also be a great place to have a cheap beach holiday according to some travellers, who have been raving about the largely unknown town of Gdańsk on the Baltic Coast of Northern Poland on TikTok.

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It can be much cheaper than travelling to more popular destinations like Spain and Portugal – flights from London, Leeds and Liverpool to Gdańsk cost just £23, £31 and £33 respectively in September. Meanwhile, Park Gródek is often referred to as the ‘Maldives of Poland’ thanks to its crystal clear waters and picturesque landscape.

In fact the country is a sought-after destination all year round – Gdańsk Christmas Market boasts the title of Best Christmas Market in Europe 2024. While other popular and highly-regarded choices include the visually stunning Wrocław Christmas Market, famous for its colourful wooden stalls and the historic Kraków Christmas Market.

However, as Poland borders both Ukraine and Russia some people may be wondering if it’s safe to go there on holiday.

And as the Polish Prime Minister confirmed Russian drones were shot down earlier this week for violating Poland’s air space, the UK Foreign Office changed its guidance for anyone travelling to the country.

If you’re thinking of travelling to Poland the good news is that it’s still considered safe to travel although the UK Foreign office warns there could be some ‘disruption’.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office issued an update on its travel guidance for Poland on Wednesday September 10.

It said: “Poland’s airports are open but there may be travel disruption. Follow official Polish government announcements and updates from airlines.”

The Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk confirmed that Polish forces shot down Russian drones, which were violating the country’s airspace, in Warsaw, Poland on September 10, 2025.

He said 19 Russian drones entered the country’s airspace on Tuesday night during strikes on western Ukraine and up to four were shot down by Polish and Nato aircraft, BBC News reports.

Tusk wrote on social media that Polish airspace was violated by multiple Russian drones, saying: “Those drones that posed a direct threat were shot down.”

The Polish armed forces said on Wednesday morning that a search for possible crash sites is ongoing and urged people not to approach, touch or move any objects they see, warning that they may pose a threat and could contain hazardous material.

The incident saw Chopin Airport in Warsaw suspend flights for several hours on Wednesday September due to military operations.

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WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday temporarily kept in place the Trump administration’s decision to freeze nearly $5 billion in foreign aid.

Roberts acted on the administration’s emergency appeal to the Supreme Court in a case involving billions of dollars in congressionally approved aid. President Trump said last month that he would not spend the money, invoking disputed authority that was last used by a president roughly 50 years ago.

The high court order is temporary, though it suggests the justices will reverse a lower court ruling that withholding the funding was probably illegal. U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ruled last week that Congress would have to approve the decision to withhold the funding.

Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a letter Aug. 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch.

He used what’s known as a pocket rescission. That’s when a president submits a request to Congress toward the end of a current budget year to not spend the approved money. The late notice means Congress cannot act on the request in the required 45-day window and the money goes unspent.

The Trump administration has made deep reductions to foreign aid one of its hallmark policies, despite the relatively meager savings relative to the deficit and the possible damage to America’s reputation abroad as foreign populations lose access to food supplies and development programs. The administration turned to the high court after a panel of federal appellate judges declined to block Ali’s ruling.

Justice Department lawyers told a federal judge last month that an additional $6.5 billion in aid that had been subject to the freeze would be spent before the end of the fiscal year Sept. 30.

The case has been winding its way through the courts for months, and Ali said he understood that his ruling would not be the last word on the matter.

“This case raises questions of immense legal and practical importance, including whether there is any avenue to test the executive branch’s decision not to spend congressionally appropriated funds,” he wrote.

In August, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out an earlier injunction Ali had issued to require that the money be spent. But the three-judge panel did not shut down the lawsuit.

After Trump issued his rescission notice, the plaintiffs returned to Ali’s court and the judge issued the order that’s now being challenged.

Sherman writes for the Associated Press.

QUITO, Ecuador — The United States is designating two Ecuadorean gangs as foreign terrorist organizations, marking the Trump administration’s latest step to target criminal cartels in Latin America.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the announcement Thursday while in Ecuador as part of a trip to Latin America overshadowed by an American military strike against a similarly designated gang, Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. That attack has raised concerns in the region about what may follow as President Trump’s government pledges to step up military activity to combat drug trafficking and illegal migration.

“This time, we’re not just going to hunt for drug dealers in the little fast boats and say, ‘Let’s try to arrest them,’” Rubio told reporters in Quito, Ecuador’s capital. “No, the president has said he wants to wage war on these groups because they’ve been waging war on us for 30 years and no one has responded.”

Two more gangs designed as terrorist groups

Los Lobos and Los Choneros are Ecuadorean gangs blamed for much of the violence that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The terrorist designation, Rubio said, brings “all sorts of options” for Washington to work in conjunction with the government of Ecuador to crack down on these groups.

That includes the ability to conduct targeted killings as well as take action against the properties and banking accounts in the U.S. of the group’s members and those with ties to the criminal organizations, Rubio said. He said the label also would help with intelligence sharing.

Los Choneros, Los Lobos and other similar groups are involved in contract killings, extortion operations and the movement and sale of drugs. Authorities have blamed them for the increased violence in the country as they fight over drug-trafficking routes to the Pacific and control of territory, including within prisons, where hundreds of inmates have been killed since 2021.

U.S. strike in the Caribbean takes center stage

The strike in the southern Caribbean has commanded attention on Rubio’s trip, which included a stop in Mexico on Wednesday.

U.S. officials say that the vessel’s cargo was intended for the U.S. and that the strike killed 11 people, but they have yet to explain how the military determined that those aboard were Tren de Aragua members.

Rubio said U.S. actions targeting cartels were being directed more toward Venezuela, and not Mexico.

“There’s no need to do that in many cases with friendly governments, because the friendly governments are going to help us,” Rubio told reporters. “They may do it themselves, and we’ll help them do it.”

A day earlier, Rubio justified the strike by saying that the boat posed an “immediate threat” to the U.S. and that Trump opted to “blow it up” rather than follow what had been standard procedure: to stop and board, arrest the crew and seize any contraband.

The strike drew a mixed reaction from leaders around Latin America, where the U.S. history of military intervention and gunboat diplomacy is still fresh. Many, such as officials in Mexico, were careful to not outright condemn the attack. They stressed the importance of protecting national sovereignty and warned that expanded U.S. military involvement might backfire.

Ecuador has struggled with drug trafficking

Ecuador has its own issues with narcotics trafficking.

President Daniel Noboa thanked Rubio for the U.S. efforts to “actually eliminate any terrorist threat.” Before their meeting, Rubio said on social media that the U.S. and Ecuador are “aligned as key partners on ending illegal immigration and combatting transnational crime and terrorism.”

The latest United Nations World Drug Report says various countries in South America, including Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, reported larger cocaine seizures in 2022 than in 2021. The report does not give Venezuela the outsize role that the White House has in recent months.

“I don’t care what the U.N. says. I don’t care,” Rubio said.

Violence has skyrocketed in Ecuador since the pandemic. Drug traffickers expanded operations and took advantage of the nation’s banana industry. Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of the fruit, and traffickers find shipping containers filled with it to be the perfect vehicle to smuggle their contraband.

Cartels from Mexico, Colombia and the Balkans have settled in Ecuador because it uses the U.S. dollar and has weak laws and institutions, along with a network of long-established gangs, including Los Choneros and Los Lobos, that are eager for work.

Ecuador gained prominence in the global cocaine trade after political changes in Colombia last decade. Coca bush fields in Colombia have been moving closer to Ecuador’s border due to the breakup of criminal groups after the 2016 demobilization of the rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Ecuador in July extradited to the U.S. the leader of Los Choneros, José Adolfo Macías Villamar. He escaped from an Ecuadorean prison last year and was recaptured in June, two months after being indicted in New York on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the U.S.

Lee, Cano and Martin write for the Associated Press. Lee and Cano reported from Mexico City. AP writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., contributed to this report.

The Trump administration must release billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress, including money that President Trump said last week he would not spend, a federal judge has ordered.

U.S. District Judge Amir Ali in Washington ruled Wednesday that the Republican administration’s decision to withhold the funding was likely illegal. He issued a preliminary injunction ordering the release of $11.5 billion that is set to expire at the end of the month.

“To be clear, no one disputes that Defendants have significant discretion in how to spend the funds at issue, and the Court is not directing Defendants to make payments to any particular recipients,” wrote Ali, who was nominated by Democratic President Biden. “But Defendants do not have any discretion as to whether to spend the funds.”

The administration filed a notice of appeal Thursday.

“President Trump has the executive authority to ensure that all foreign aid is accountable to taxpayers and aligns with the America First priorities people voted for,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement.

Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, president and chief executive of Global Health Council, one of the groups in the case, said in a statement the decision was a victory for “the rule of law” and reaffirmed that “only Congress controls the power of the purse.”

Trump told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a letter on Aug. 28 that he would not spend $4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch.

He used what’s known as a pocket rescission, in which a president submits a request to Congress toward the end of the budget year to not spend the approved money. The late notice means Congress cannot act on the request in the required 45-day window and the money goes unspent. It’s the first time in nearly 50 years that a president has used the tactic. The fiscal year draws to a close at the end of September.

Ali said Congress would have to approve the rescission proposal for the administration to withhold the money.

The law is “explicit that it is congressional action — not the President’s transmission of a special message — that triggers rescission of the earlier appropriations,” he wrote.

The money at issue includes nearly $4 billion for the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, to spend on global health programs and more than $6 billion for HIV and AIDS programs. Trump has portrayed the funding as wasteful spending that does not align with his foreign policy goals, and in January, he issued an executive order directing the State Department and USAID to freeze spending on foreign aid.

Nonprofit organizations that sued the government said the freeze shut down funding for urgent lifesaving programs abroad.

A divided panel of appeals court judges ruled last month that the administration could suspend the money. The judges later revised that opinion, reviving the lawsuit before Ali.

In his ruling, Ali said he understood that his decision would not be the last word in the case, adding that “definitive higher court guidance now will be instructive.”

“This case raises questions of immense legal and practical importance, including whether there is any avenue to test the executive branch’s decision not to spend congressionally appropriated funds,” he wrote.

Thanawala writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Thalia Beaty in New York contributed to this report.