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Special services of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Russia, in a joint operation, curbed the activities of an international group smuggling drugs from Afghanistan via the 'Northern Route'. Two participants were detained in Tyumen, and 30 kg of Afghan hashish worth about 300 thousand dollars was seized.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with the chairman of the board of directors of Oman's Voltamp Energy, Sayyid Ayman al-Busaidi, at the first meeting of the Investors' Council in the fuel and energy sector. The parties agreed to implement the company's current and new projects based on a 'roadmap'; key topics are the construction of solar photovoltaic power plants and the production of high-voltage transformers.
Islom Madaminov, who previously worked as an adviser on trade and economic affairs at the Uzbekistan embassy in Saudi Arabia, has been appointed deputy governor of Fergana region — head of the regional investment, industry and trade department.
Heavy rains caused flooding in Istanbul; four people died. On Wednesday, 261 mm of precipitation was recorded — a record in the city's modern history. Rescuers evacuated 3,057 people, and classes were suspended in several provinces.
Residents of the Fijian village of Naidiri have been restoring fish stocks since 2009: they created a protected zone on the Coral Coast, and since 2011 young people have been planting corals and mangroves — in 2023 alone, 18,000 corals and 10,000 mangroves. After a heat wave with water temperatures up to 39°C, about 20% of the corals survived — 'super-corals' resistant to warming, which are now being transplanted into deeper waters near Suva. Sharks have returned to the reef.
According to Der Spiegel, citing intelligence services, two Turks detained on October 12 in Nürtingen, Germany, may have been members of the group involved in the arson of a Starlink station near Warsaw on September 23. The possible link to Russia is connected to Beratcan Gökdemi̇r, detained in Russia in 2024 and not extradited to Turkey.
US CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper said Iran, except for humanitarian aid, is deprived of maritime imports and exports. According to him, the US prevented the export of $25 billion worth of Iranian oil, froze crypto assets worth about $350 million, and the Strait of Hormuz remains open to shipping.
Researchers in Hong Kong are creating 3D-printed building blocks from materials that could be sourced on Mars. The mixture of sand, gelatin and genetically modified yeast that secretes adhesive proteins is inspired by freeze-dried fruit. The blocks are being tested under simulated Martian conditions, but equipment delivery and power supply remain obstacles.
The Forestry Agency reported that in the autumn season of 2026, 140 million seedlings are planned to be planted in Uzbekistan. The campaign will proceed in stages by region starting November 1. Also, 257 'green gardens' and parks will be created, about 4,200 'forest mentors' have been assigned to mahallas, and from 2027 the 'Mahalla Greening' package and the 'Yashil Lot' system will be introduced.
On October 12, 2026, a 16-year-old girl died at her home in the Almazar district of Tashkent; the investigation confirmed suicide. The body was discovered by her younger brother born in 2013. The Inson Center organized assistance for the family, the brother is receiving psychological support, and law enforcement agencies are conducting investigative actions.
Game 4 of the MLB playoff series between the Cleveland Guardians and Tampa Bay Rays was postponed to Saturday after heavy rains flooded Progressive Field. The Guardians lead the series 2-1, and four games in four days are now possible.
During the annual IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok, hundreds of protesters, including farmers and human rights organizations, demanded a revision of the funds' policies. Oxfam and activists called spending-cut demands misguided amid inflation, while the IMF insists on rebuilding fiscal buffers, and experts speak of 'two bad options' for developing countries.
Chancellor John Healey, speaking at IMF meetings in Bangkok, said airport expansion, including Heathrow's third runway,
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned at a rally in Edmonton that forces outside the country are seeking to divide Canada ahead of the Alberta referendum scheduled for Monday. The vote will determine whether a second, binding referendum on the province's separation should be held. Carney also emphasized Alberta's role in Canada's energy independence and the Pacific Link pipeline project.
The British maritime agency UKMTO reported that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains roughly 70% below pre-war levels amid ongoing attacks on commercial vessels. Over the week, 125 outbound and 129 inbound transits were recorded, along with 12 attacks, including the sinking of a container ship after it was struck by a projectile on October 13.
Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said that the American steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs could be forced to sell its Canadian assets if it cuts up to 500 employees at Stelco. Ottawa cites job-preservation commitments made when Stelco was purchased in 2024 under the Investment Canada Act. Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lorenzo Goncalves called the government's actions 'bullying' and attributed the layoffs to Trump administration tariffs.
During exercises of the Norwegian Home Guard near Oslo Airport, soldiers discovered that rented Chinese Deepal (Changan) cars recorded video from cameras: who got into the vehicles, routes driven, and access codes to military facilities. It is unknown whether the recordings were transmitted to third parties. The army continued using the cars until the end of the exercises and preferred local restrictions to an outright ban.
The IRGC Navy stated that a supertanker carrying more than 2 million barrels of oil struck a sea mine in the Strait of Hormuz, causing an explosion and fire. Iran called the vessel 'illegal' and accused it of disabling navigation systems. US Central Command (CENTCOM) maintains that the strait is controlled by the US and remains open.
