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Ember has released the third generation of its temperature-controlled mug, the Mug 3, featuring a button on the base, five presets from 125 to 145 °F, up to three hours of heat retention, and dishwasher compatibility. Prices are $129 for the 10-ounce and $149 for the 14-ounce versions. The $179 Tumbler 2 travel mug was also unveiled.
Artist Joe Namy presented the multichannel sound installation Cosmic Breath at the Musalla space of the Ibraaz project near Oxford Street — a collection of historical and contemporary recordings of the adhan from Mecca, Jerusalem, Singapore, Khartoum and other places. The work, first shown at the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah in 2023, sounds different in London, according to the author, against the backdrop of rising Islamophobia.
BfV chief Sinan Selen described Russia's actions against Germany as a long-term hybrid attack that will not end even with the war in Ukraine. Interior Minister Dobrindt speaks of political and social pressure, but a number of experts, including Carlo Masala and Carsten Breuer, believe Russia is preparing for a major war. According to military experts and the German Defense Ministry, by 2029 Russia will be able to wage a conventional war against NATO.
In the Oqoltin district of Syrdarya Region, a 22-year-old man, while intoxicated, offered a woman selling goods near the M-39 highway intimate relations for money. The woman turned to internal affairs bodies; officers drew up a protocol and sent the case to court. At the hearing, the man confirmed the victim's testimony and asked for leniency, citing his intoxication. The woman demanded strict measures. The court sentenced him to 5 days of administrative arrest.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it intercepted and destroyed four drones over Riyadh, the eastern and southern regions of the country within a few hours. No further details were disclosed. Fighting in Yemen has continued since 2014, and since July the escalation has spilled over into Saudi territory.
On Saturday, October 17, more than 600 actions against high prices and social inequality took place across France, joined by students, trade unions and the
Meta denies political bias in favor of candidate Flávio Bolsonaro after a ruling by Brazil's supreme electoral court ordering the company to treat him and incumbent President Lula equally ahead of the October 25 runoff. Lula's campaign claimed reach restrictions and said it was ready to file a complaint with the OAS.
On October 17, 2026, masked settlers attacked a delegation from France, Belgium, Poland and representatives of the Catholic Church in the village of Tayibe, who had arrived for the signing of a sister-city agreement. A French mayor was injured, and the window of a Belgian consular car was smashed. Belgium condemned the attack and called for EU sanctions; Israel launched an investigation, but Netanyahu's office cast doubt on the reports.
Nazi Aripdjanova, Communications Director at Coca-Cola in Uzbekistan, shared with Spot.uz six books that influenced her professional development: from Marquez and Orwell to the biography of Steve Jobs and a book by the founder of Starbucks.
Swiss President Guy Parmelin arrived in Hanoi on a two-day official visit. He was welcomed by Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Vu Dai Thang, and Vietnamese President To Lam held an official welcoming ceremony at the National Assembly building. The delegations held talks and exchanged cooperation documents, the details of which have not yet been disclosed.
From November 1, tariffs for heat and hot water in Uzbek cities may rise; in Tashkent a 30% increase has been proposed. Deputy Minister of Construction Ozoza Juraeva stated that apartment buildings connected to central heating cannot be disconnected from the network and switched to individual gas boilers. Unauthorized alteration of in-building pipes is prohibited by government resolution No. 194 of July 5, 2014. Also, since December 1, 2022, new apartment buildings are not connected to gas — only to electricity supply.
The President of Uzbekistan has adopted a resolution on establishing the Tashkent International Academy of Fashion — a state higher education institution within the system of the Agency for the Development of Light Industry, based on the joint program of the Tashkent Institute of Textile and Light Industry with the Paris International Academy of Fashion. The academic process will start in the 2026/2027 academic year.
The UK-based UKMTO reported that a small boat with seven people aboard approached a gas tanker 140 nautical miles southeast of Mukalla and fired two shots. The vessel's armed security team responded with two warning shots, after which the boat changed course. Details of the incident have not yet been disclosed; the investigation is ongoing.
At a meeting between Shavkat Mirziyoyev and fuel and energy sector investors, EDF Vice President Cedric Le Bouch announced that the 1,600 MW Syrdarya-2 combined-cycle power plant will come online this winter. Also, 75% of work at the Surkhandarya thermal power plant has been completed, a memorandum on a wind power plant in Bukhara region has been signed, and interest in modernizing power grids has been declared.
Starting November 1, 2026, schools in Uzbekistan will gradually implement the international “FAST — Superheroes” program, under which 1st–4th grade students will be taught, through games and video materials, to recognize stroke signs and call an ambulance. The first stage will cover 7 schools in Tashkent and 6 schools in Samarkand region. The program is being implemented as part of the national program to combat heart attack and stroke.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the Sanaa authorities, with its assistance, unilaterally released 159 people. The Houthis said the detainees had voluntarily surrendered without a fight during recent events and were released under an amnesty by Mahdi al-Mashat. The ICRC stressed that the release was not connected with the Stockholm Agreement.
Yaqub Rezazade, a member of Iran's parliamentary national security committee, said indirect contacts between Tehran and Washington are ongoing with mediation from Qatar and Oman under the supervision of the Supreme National Security Council. The sides have conveyed their conditions to each other through mediators and are awaiting a response. The MP deemed rumors of an imminent new conflict unfounded, but allowed for the resumption of hostilities.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, speaking at the congress of the youth organization of the CDU/CSU in Berlin, stated that Germany will not leave Ukraine alone in its war with Russia. He also criticized the AfD and the Left party for 'downplaying the situation' and referred to the warning by the head of the BND about the danger of being drawn into a conflict with Russia.
