Otabek Yusupov — tafs uz coverage of world. News, key facts and context in English, Uzbek and Russian.
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Singapore announced it has sent 'preventive notices' to seven Indonesian companies whose lands, according to an investigation, were the source of fires causing haze across Southeast Asia. In Indonesia, four people died while fighting fires on Java. Air quality in Singapore reached 'very unhealthy' levels, while in Palangka Raya it was hazardous.
Otabek YusupovResidents of the Gaza Strip are preparing for the fourth winter since the start of the war in damaged homes and worn-out tents. According to the UN, more than 4,000 damaged buildings are slated for demolition, including over 2,300 where nearly 44,000 people live. Tent prices have risen, UN shelter cluster funding covers only 26% of needs, and supplies of materials are being blocked.
Otabek YusupovThe youth movement 'Suvarka of the People's Party' (CJP) is holding actions in New Delhi against the election commission, from whose rolls more than 130 million voters have been removed since last year. Authorities have mobilized 35,000 police officers. The opposition claims the purge of the rolls disproportionately affects minorities; the ruling party and the commission reject the accusations, speaking of a 'foreign hand'.
Otabek YusupovA magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred off the Pacific coast of Kamchatka, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The hypocenter was located at a depth of 143.2 km northeast of Ozernovsky. No casualties or damage were reported, and there was no tsunami threat.
Otabek YusupovAccording to Syrian state media, about 10 Israeli military vehicles advanced toward the Abdin dam in Daraa province on Thursday, accompanied by aircraft flights. Israeli forces reportedly opened fire on farmland and searched homes. The day before, a column of five vehicles had already entered the same area through the Tel Abu Ghaitar checkpoint.
Otabek YusupovAccording to CBS News, the suspended US Army chief of staff General Randy George warned in late December of critically low stocks of THAAD and Patriot interceptors, whose replenishment could take until 2030. The Pentagon denies ammunition shortages.
Otabek YusupovThousands of students, faculty and union activists gathered outside Congress in Buenos Aires demanding that Javier Milei's government comply with the university funding law. The rally was mostly peaceful, but clashes with police broke out: water cannons and tear gas were used, with injuries and detentions reported. The government refuses to release funds despite Congress overriding the veto and court rulings.
Otabek YusupovOn October 16, 2026, Berlin's Blücherplatz square in the Kreuzberg district was officially renamed Eva-Mamlok-Platz. Eva Mamlok (1918–1944) was a young Jewish anti-fascist from Berlin who took part in underground resistance from her teenage years, was arrested in 1934, and died in the Stutthof concentration camp in December 1944.
Otabek YusupovOn October 16, Russian strikes triggered large fires at industrial facilities in Ukraine's Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions. Firefighters battled a blaze at a household goods factory in Odesa and a 500-square-meter fire at a private enterprise in Zaporizhzhia. The attacks came as Zelensky held talks with European leaders.
Otabek YusupovAccording to Anadolu, eight people were injured, including an American journalist, as a result of Israeli settler attacks in the West Bank. Settlers attacked Palestinian farmers, olive pickers and emergency responders, and also set fire to three civilian vehicles and a Civil Defense vehicle.
Otabek YusupovThe San Marino-flagged tanker Wine Trader issued a distress call off the coast of Romania on October 15 after a drone attack: five of the 12 crew members were rescued, seven remain missing. That same night, a fire also broke out aboard the Comoros-flagged tanker Yara J, with no casualties reported. According to Reuters, at least five vessels have been attacked off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria over the past ten days, killing 23 sailors.
Otabek YusupovOn the night of October 16, 2026, all four major Moscow airports — Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Zhukovsky and Sheremetyevo — suspended operations for up to seven hours due to a Ukrainian drone attack. St. Petersburg's Pulkovo was closed twice. According to media reports, the campaign to block Russian airports, dubbed 'Operation M&Ms', may only be beginning.
Otabek YusupovUN Secretary-General António Guterres on 16 October in Yerevan urged governments to completely abandon fossil fuel subsidies and redirect funds to protecting nature. According to the UN, the world is falling behind the goals of the 'Paris Agreement for Nature': only 27% of land and 12% of oceans will be under protection. A Global Witness report shows that COP31 hosts Turkey and Australia are expanding fossil fuel extraction.
Otabek YusupovTime Out has published its annual ranking of 41 underrated cities and regions. First place went to Romanian Bukovina — the 'gateway' to the 1,400-kilometre Via Transilvanica trail. The list also features Spain's Asturian cities (3rd), Portugal's Zambujeira do Mar (6th), France's Carry-le-Rouet (9th) and the Azores (12th).
Otabek YusupovBelgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels that the country will deliver ten F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine this year. The delays were linked to F-35 deliveries, which have now begun to arrive. The leaders also discussed possible ammunition supplies and financing for Ukraine.
Otabek YusupovSince late September, hundreds of thousands of French schoolchildren have been protesting over learning conditions: teacher shortages, overcrowded classes, dilapidated buildings and food problems. AFP describes the situation in schools in the Paris suburbs and Marseille against record figures: average class size has reached 30.2 pupils, and 15.4 million hours of lessons have been lost over the year. The Ministry of Education promised 3,000 substitute teachers for the 114 hardest-hit schools.
Otabek YusupovStudents are blockading hundreds of high schools across France, protesting against unfilled teacher vacancies, dilapidated buildings and inequality in education. AFP has compiled key data: record class sizes, 15.4 million lost teaching hours, low teacher salaries and hundreds injured in clashes with police.
Otabek YusupovHungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held their first bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels. Both sides declared their intention to normalize relations after years of tension under Viktor Orban. After Ukraine adopted a minorities law, Hungary withdrew its objections, and the EU opened two new accession negotiation clusters for Kyiv — four of six in total. Further meetings are planned, including a possible visit by Zelensky to Budapest on the 23rd.
Otabek Yusupov
