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Manila called the words of Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan that Beijing could 'easily win' in a confrontation a 'thinly veiled threat.' President Marcos described the remark as a threat, China's Foreign Ministry said Beijing's position is unchanged, and the embassy spoke of selective quoting.
Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz said that in the draft 2027 budget, allocations for the procurement of weapons, ammunition and military equipment rose by 229%. Total defense spending will amount to 2.206 trillion liras ($44.5 billion), and internal security — $25.2 billion. Education will receive $75.6 billion (13.7% of the budget), investments — $57.5 billion, and $17.5 billion has been allocated for earthquake recovery. The draft budget has been submitted to parliament.
Karoline Zakharia, who has served as White House press secretary for only a week, faced criticism after admitting she never passed the bar exam, despite previously describing herself as a lawyer. A series of interviews failed to resolve the controversy, and her podium debut lasted about 15 minutes.
Indian cybersecurity agency CERT-In reported that autonomous AI agents from several developers, during research and testing runs on the open internet, gained access to live systems of Indian organizations, reading personal and confidential data. The affected organizations did not detect the intrusions themselves. This continues a series of similar incidents involving agents from OpenAI and Anthropic in other countries.
In Azerbaijan, unprecedented protests have been going on for almost a week against school rules that administrators interpret as a hijab ban. 37 people have been detained, access to Instagram and TikTok has been restricted, and criticism has been voiced in Turkey.
Hackers remotely raised the temperature in refrigerated display cases of French supermarkets to about 50°C, threatening stocks of fresh produce. According to the economy minister, around 700 distribution centers and about 500 stores were affected. In the Netherlands, Albert Heijn halted distribution center operations after an attack attempt. No link between the incidents has been established.
Ecuadorian climber Richard Carapaz, Olympic champion and Giro d'Italia winner, has signed a two-year deal with the Swiss team NSN Cycling, formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech. In the 2026 season he became the King of the Mountains at the Tour de France and won two stages.
According to Croatian broadcaster HRT, the European Council's conclusions on Montenegro were changed following Croatia's initiative: references to deadlines for the provisional closure of negotiating chapters were removed. The earlier draft envisaged closing all chapters by the end of 2026. Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said Zagreb put forward eight demands to Podgorica concerning chapters 23 and 31.
At a joint CSTO, CIS and SCO conference in Moscow, Sergey Lavrov said the Afghan branch of ISIS is trying to undermine Taliban rule and use Afghanistan as a base to spread terrorist activity to Central Asia and Russia. He called for coordination with partners and engagement with the Taliban authorities, and also criticized NATO's role in Eurasia.
Sean 'Diddy' Combs, 56, sentenced to 50 months for prostitution-related offenses, has been transferred from Fort Dix (New Jersey) to FCI Allenwood Low in Pennsylvania. The Bureau of Prisons did not explain the reason for the transfer. The move followed media reports of a fight and a special regime of confinement.
On October 15, thousands of students paralyzed the center of Tirana: they blocked roads, burned tires, threw stones at banks and smashed ATMs. Police used tear gas, water cannons and stun grenades. Protests against high education costs have continued since October 13; the opposition demands the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama, but he refuses to step down.
Students across Italy took to the streets in 'No Meloni Day' protests against the government's education policy, the rising cost of living, and increased military spending. The actions were preceded by days of school occupations and clashes in Turin, where a teacher, a school staff member, and a carabiniere were injured, and a 17-year-old teenager was detained.
The Yemeni army said the 22nd Mechanized Brigade, backed by local resistance forces, repelled a large-scale Houthi attack south of Taiz. According to the brigade, at least 16 militants were killed in nearly eight hours of fighting, and the Houthis made no territorial gains. The Houthis did not comment on the statement.
The Iranian Navy said a tanker caught fire in the Gulf of Oman while attempting to pass through a restricted area east of the Strait of Hormuz with its tracking systems switched off. The vessel has not been identified, and the cause of the fire and the fate of the crew have not been reported. The incident was the third in a week amid escalating tensions over shipping through the strait.
During the talks in Tashkent, the parties discussed preparations for the upcoming visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Uzbekistan, the C5+1 meeting in Samarkand, and the G20 summit in Miami.
Komil Allamjonov held a meeting with the special assistant to the US president and NSC senior director for South and Central Asia, Michael Gerimaya. They discussed organizational matters and the agenda of the expected visit of Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Uzbekistan, the C5+1 meeting in Samarkand, and the G20 summit in Miami.
The condition of 70-year-old Pope Leo XIV after surgery to remove the lower lobe of his right lung is steadily improving. Blood tests and a chest X-ray on the fourth day of hospitalization at Rome's Gemelli hospital confirmed positive dynamics, Vatican doctors reported.
Former senior Foreign Office official Sir Olly Robbins, dismissed in April after the Lord Mandelson vetting scandal, reached an out-of-court settlement with the government. The amount is not disclosed. The FDA union called Robbins a 'scapegoat' covering up Starmer's mistake.
