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The French insurers' federation France Assureurs reported that summer forest fires led to about 22,500 insurance claims with total damage of up to 563 million euros. Nearly 100,000 hectares of forest burned — the maximum in 20 years of satellite observations. This significantly exceeds the figures of the 2022 fires.
Portuguese journalist and writer Joaquim Letria died on Friday at the age of 82. The newspaper Observador reported the news, citing a source close to the family. Letria was the founder of the weeklies O Jornal and Tal & Qual, worked for AP, DPA and the BBC, and also taught journalism for more than 20 years.
The BIST 100 index opened at 11,896.08 points, losing 1.44% (174.09 points) from the previous close. The day before, the index closed down 0.4% with a turnover of 92 billion liras. The lira rate, gold, and Brent oil — in an Anadolu review.
Ahead of the UEFA Conference League match between Hajduk and Ajax in Split, Torcida fans chanted pro-fascist and antisemitic slogans. Croatia's president and prime minister condemned the incident, the Israeli embassy expressed shock, police opened an investigation, and the club apologized.
The Bryson Fire, which broke out Thursday evening in Encinal Canyon near Malibu, has grown to approximately 200 acres (81 hectares). Evacuation warnings and orders have been issued toward Leo Carrillo State Park and Pepperdine University, and the Camp Kilpatrick juvenile facility has been evacuated. Due to Santa Ana winds, a Red Flag Warning is in effect, and utility companies have cut power to tens of thousands of residents. Separate fires have been reported in Azusa and at the Camp Pendleton base.
The Central Bank of Uzbekistan set the dollar rate for October 17 at 12,055.90 soums (+44.25), the euro at 13,572.53 soums (+109.87), and the ruble at 144.16 soums (+0.99). All three currencies became more expensive against the soum.
UN 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.
According to JoongAng Daily, Seoul is studying a plan to expand the operating zone of the Cheonghae unit to the Gulf of Oman and to deploy an additional maritime patrol aircraft, possibly a P-8A Poseidon. South Korea's Defense Ministry denies any connection to a US request to send troops, noting that no details have been approved.
Time 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).
Belgian 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.
At TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Replit CEO and co-founder Amjad Masad described the concept of a 'self-driving company': AI agents handle most of the routine work, while people focus on judgment, taste, and decision architecture. He gave an example of restructuring support at Replit itself and said many people around the world have not yet realized the coming changes.
Adventure360 experts analyzed 113 cities worldwide and compiled a ranking of the best destinations for Halloween 2026, which falls on a Saturday. Cities were assessed by the number of events from October 30 to November 1, the vibrancy of nightlife, late-night restaurants, safety, and the presence of a signature celebration. First place went to New York (91.1 points), second to Chicago (80.1), third to Edinburgh (79.2). The top 10 includes five European cities, including Dublin, Madrid, London, and Prague.
Since 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.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, at the EU summit, asked the European Commission to examine Spain's plan to legalize 600,000 irregular migrants, calling it contrary to the migration policy supported by most European countries. Pedro Sánchez had previously justified legalization with a model based on human rights and integration. The conflict between the two socialists has continued since the June summit.
According to the Turkish Statistical Institute, new home sales in Turkey in September rose 3.9% year-on-year to 51,519, while overall housing sales fell 9.3% to 142,390. Sales to foreigners increased 9.9% to 2,167, with Russian citizens leading.
Students 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.
Blind users of Meta AI glasses report that due to incidents of covert recording and harassment using the device, they are being called 'pervert glasses' and are afraid to wear them in public places. Some events, including ComicCon Scotland, have banned wearing such devices, depriving blind visitors of familiar assistance.
Hungarian 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.
