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Iran's parliament on Sunday, October 18, approved Mehrdad Ahlaki Ketabchi as the new defense minister: 237 votes in favor, 15 against, out of 277 votes cast. He replaces Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed on February 28 during the US and Israeli attack. Ahlaki warned of an 'unexpected and large-scale' response in the event of a new attack.
A year after the theft of eight crown jewels, the Louvre is closing gaps in its security system, yet the museum's reputation has suffered, and the decay of its infrastructure is causing growing concern. New director Christophe Leribault promises change, but funding for a large-scale modernization remains in question.
The Rome Court of Appeal is due in October 2026 to decide the fate of the 'Giudizio Universale' case — Italy's first climate lawsuit against the state, filed in 2021 by the group A Sud together with more than 200 organizations and citizens. In 2024, the court of first instance refused to hear the case on its merits, holding that civil courts have no authority to assess the government's climate policy. The plaintiffs appealed, citing precedents and new scientific data.
NATO fighters escorted an unidentified object, believed to be a drone, in Lithuania's Biržai district near the Latvian border on Sunday morning. According to the Latvian army, the object was likely not shot down and may have exploded on its own. The day before, Romania reported downing two Geran-family drones over the Black Sea.
In general education schools of Uzbekistan, autumn holidays will run from November 4 to November 9, 2026 — six calendar days. The last school day of the first quarter is November 3, and classes of the second quarter will begin on November 10. The dates were confirmed by the press service of the Ministry of Preschool and School Education and comply with the regulation “On General Secondary Education”.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Song Sook stated that Seoul will seek to resume dialogue with Pyongyang and peaceful coexistence of the two Korean states.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Saturday that US military aid to Israel 'should be conditional,' calling this position an increasingly consensus one for the Democratic Party. He cited settler violence in the West Bank and Netanyahu's policies, calling the war in Gaza a 'moral catastrophe,' but did not specify which types of aid should be restricted.
A police officer was shot in the foot early on Sunday in Nottingham city centre after approaching two suspicious individuals on Angel Row. Four suspects were detained on Sunday evening and into Monday night. The officer is in a stable condition and the cordon has been lifted.
On the night of October 18, Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Region came under a massive drone attack. Governor Alexander Beglov reported fires at civilian infrastructure facilities and an oil terminal, restrictions on Pulkovo airport operations, and no casualties. Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko stated that 126 drones were shot down. VK confirmed an attack on its data center but assured that its services are operating normally, although monitoring services recorded an increase in complaints about VKontakte.
Masoud Pezeshkian, in an address to parliament, said that defense minister nominee Mehrdad Ahlaki, who is under US sanctions, is allegedly included in an American 'kill list,' and wished him to 'survive.' Ahlaki has been nominated to replace Aziz Nasirzadeh, who was killed during the American-Israeli attacks on Iran.
Vietnam and four European countries — Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, members of EFTA — signed a free trade agreement in Hanoi. The deal eliminates or reduces tariffs on industrial, fishery and agricultural goods. Negotiations began in 2012 and resumed last year after a pause since 2018. Experts link the agreement to the desire to diversify trade amid US tariffs.
UK Health Secretary Yvette Cooper ordered the NHS to urgently develop plans to end 'corridor care' for children, announced £140m for urgent care and new standards with age-based statistics. The trigger was the case of two-year-old Finley Roberts, who died in a hospital corridor in 2024.
The ruling coalition of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis lost the Senate elections: opposition parties won 22 of the 27 seats contested in the 81-seat chamber. ANO remains with 14 senators. Babis called the result 'catastrophic' but pledged to continue the government's agenda, including the reform of public broadcaster funding.
Emmanuel Macron arrived in Kuwait on October 19, beginning a tour of four Gulf countries — followed by the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar. The visit is timed to the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations and will be the first visit by a French leader to Kuwait since Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009.
According to the WAFA agency and medical sources, the girl Misk Khazem al-Dalu died of her wounds after shelling of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in the Maghazi camp. Shelling in al-Mawasi and northeast of Khan Younis was also reported. The Gaza Health Ministry provides casualty figures since the ceasefire and for the entire period of the war.
Speaking on CBS News, JD Vance acknowledged he may skip the 2028 election despite being seen as Trump's likely successor. He also defended the administration's economic and foreign policy, promised lower gasoline prices after the conflict with Iran, and rejected corruption accusations against Trump.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan announced that on October 18–22 traffic will be periodically restricted in Samarkand on the city's entry roads and 16 central streets. The reason is the meeting of the foreign ministers of Central Asia and the United States in the C5+1 format (October 19–20) and the global summit on children's well-being (October 21–22), which are expected to be attended by guests from more than 100 countries. A number of exceptions and detour routes are in effect.
Rescuers evacuated dozens of critically endangered orangutans from forest fire zones in Kalimantan and Sumatra. Months of smog have worsened air quality in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and East Timor, affected around 2,400 flights and led to school closures. Malaysia proposed a regional cooperation mechanism within ASEAN.
