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A court in New Delhi granted conditional bail to Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijit Dipke, who was detained ahead of a protest march at Connaught Place. The party takes part in actions against voter roll purges and demands the resignation of the Chief Election Commissioner.
Donald Trump signed an executive order suspending sweeping sanctions against Russian energy revenues (Lindsey Graham Act). Volodymyr Zelensky called this a 'reward' for Putin and suggested the 'diesel deal' is just the first step toward further concessions. The decision coincided with one of Russia's largest strikes on Ukraine's energy system.
A new study in Nature Communications found that the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica could contribute up to 30 mm to global sea level rise by 2100 — twice the previous estimate of 15 mm. The cause is 'tidal pumping': warm water penetrates beneath the ice. There is about a 60% probability that by 2100 the glacier will detach from the restraining Mugins Ridge, possibly as early as the late 2030s.
UNOPS head Jorge Moreira da Silva urged the international community to help Nepal recover from the August floods that killed more than 1,400 people. He stressed that a country with minimal CO2 emissions should not bear the burden alone.
According to The Telegraph, in February, during exercises over the North Sea, Royal Air Force aircraft twice, several days apart, encountered unidentified objects, believed to be drones, at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet. Investigations are ongoing, and the hostility of the objects has not been established.
According to the UN, at least 77 civilians were killed in September in a series of attacks attributed to ADF militants in the Mambasa territory in Ituri province in eastern DR Congo. The militants also abducted people and set houses on fire. This week, 10 more deaths were reported in an attack on mines.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking at the OIC session in Baghdad, said Tehran is ready for dialogue with the US, but only if there are guarantees against repeated military attacks. He referred to a seven-day proposal conveyed through Qatar and to the 'Islamabad Understanding' of June 17, brokered by Pakistan, whose implementation has stalled.
Head of Saudi ACWA Power Muhammad Abunayyan spoke about the outcomes of the Investors Council in Tashkent: the company signed a $1.5 billion contract for a 1 GW round-the-clock generation project and agreed on direct investments of up to $3.5 billion in 2027. In November, a visit by a delegation of more than 50 Saudi companies is expected.
24-year-old Briton Sonay Kartal defeated Jelena Ostapenko 7-6 (11/9), 7-6 (7-5) and became the lowest-ranked finalist in the history of WTA 1000 tournaments. She is returning after a six-month break due to a stress fracture of the spine.
Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) NHS Trust has increased the number of staff dismissed for unlawfully accessing medical records of the victims of the 13 June 2023 Nottingham attacks from 11 to 15. Fifteen final and two first written warnings have also been issued. Investigations are ongoing, including access to the files of surviving victims. The public inquiry's findings will be published by May 2027.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi declared the country's readiness to defend Saudi Arabia if it requests assistance, emphasizing that this concerns defense only. On Sunday, October 18, 2026, Egypt's parliament will hold an emergency plenary session to consider the relevant authorization. The statement came amid intensified Houthi attacks from Yemen on Saudi facilities.
At the annual IMF and World Bank meetings in Bangkok, economists and policymakers discussed AI's role in global growth. According to the IMF, AI investment cushioned the shock from rising energy prices caused by the war in the Middle East, but a slowdown in investment could reduce global GDP by 0.4% by 2028.
The trade union confederation CGTP and housing movements organized demonstrations in Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra on October 17, 2026, demanding higher wages, pensions and affordable housing. The actions followed the dispersal of a tent camp in Porto on Thursday; the Socialist leader demanded clarification over the police actions. At the same time, protests in France escalated into clashes with police.
Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Astana on October 17 — the first visit of a Cambodian prime minister to Kazakhstan. The sides discussed bilateral cooperation, adopted a joint statement, and exchanged six documents on digital government, trade, culture, tourism, and sister-city ties between Astana and Phnom Penh.
Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (world No. 26) defeated tournament top seed Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinal of the Shanghai Masters and advanced to the final, where he will play either Daniil Medvedev or Rafael Jodar.
Lord Ricketts told the BBC that the UK should spend more on defence and infrastructure resilience as Russia's hybrid attacks become 'more reckless'. His remarks came after the MI5 chief's speech about a fourfold rise in state threats over a decade.
Over the past 10 years, Uzbekistan's trade turnover with Central Asian countries grew from $2.5 billion to almost $8.5 billion, while the region's mutual trade turnover reached almost $11 billion. Economist Javlon Vahobov believes that the Fergana Valley, with a population of about 18 million, is not only a consumer market but also a base for industrial cooperation: Andijan — machine building, Namangan — light industry, Fergana — chemistry, Tajikistan's Sughd Region — metallurgy.
The building of the State Museum of Literature named after Alisher Navoi in Tashkent has been transferred free of charge to the Uzbek State Youth Theatre under operational management by a Cabinet of Ministers resolution dated 29 September 2026. Construction of a new building for the museum is planned in Yangi Tashkent, but it is not yet ready. Museum staff are concerned about the fate of manuscripts, wall artworks and research activities; part of the collections has already been transferred to the Center of Islamic Civilization, and the rest is planned to be relocated.
