20, Oct 2026
SPIRO launches its first 100 electric bikes in Ghana, marking a new milestone in its pan-African expansion
ACCRA, GHANA, 20 OCTOBER 2026 – Spiro, Africa’s largest electric mobility company, today officially launches its first 100 electric motorcycles in Ghana, marking a new milestone in its expansion across the continent. The launch introduces the Ekon 450 M1 V3 electric motorcycle to the Ghanaian market, alongside Spiro’s battery-swapping solution, designed to make electric mobility more affordable, accessible and practical for everyday riders.
Designed to meet the everyday mobility needs of African riders, the Ekon 450 M1 V3 offers an alternative to conventional petrol-powered motorcycles. Combined with Spiro’s battery-swapping technology, the motorcycle is designed to help riders reduce their daily operating costs, with Spiro riders saving up to USD 2 per day compared with conventional petrol-powered motorcycles. Rather than waiting for a motorcycle to recharge, riders can exchange a depleted battery for a charged one at a Spiro battery-swapping station in just two minutes, allowing them to get back on the road with minimal interruption. This integrated approach is particularly relevant for commercial riders, for whom fuel expenses and time on the road directly affect their daily earnings.
Kaushik Burman, CEO-Mobility of Spiro, said: “Ghana represents a major opportunity for electric mobility, with a rapidly growing two-wheeler market and increasing demand from commercial riders and delivery fleets. With the launch of the Ekon 450 M1 V3, we are bringing a solution that addresses two key barriers to adoption: operating costs and access to charging infrastructure. Our first 100 motorcycles mark the beginning of our ambition to make electric mobility accessible at scale across Ghana.”
The launch, held under the theme “The First 100: Powering a New Era of Mobility in Ghana”, features a symbolic key handover to the first ten riders, followed by a convoy of 100 Spiro electric motorcycles through Accra. The event concludes at Accra Mall, where visitors can discover the Ekon 450 M1 V3 through product demonstrations, test rides and live demonstrations of Spiro’s battery-swapping technology.
Mr Maxwell Dodd, Managing Director of Spiro Ghana, said: “Today, Ghana’s electric mobility journey shifts into gear. With our first 100 Ekon 450 M1 V3 motorcycles hitting the road, we are showing riders that cleaner, more affordable transport is no longer a vision for the future, but a reality they can experience today.”
Following the launch, Spiro will continue engaging with prospective customers through test rides and product demonstrations across Greater Accra, supporting the progressive adoption of electric motorcycles in the Ghanaian market.
Building on its recent USD 270 million equity funding round and additional USD 18 million in debt financing from the Africa Go Green Fund, Spiro is accelerating its expansion across the continent. With the ambition to establish a presence in 20 African markets, the company is preparing to enter new countries, including Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as it continues to scale its electric mobility ecosystem.
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- By Neel Achary
20, Oct 2026
LITILIT opens femtosecond laser factory in Vilnius with the world’s highest potential production capacity
Nikolajus Gavrilinas, CEO and co-founder of LITILIT at the factory opening event in Vilnius. (Source: LITILIT)
LITILIT’s new factory covers 4,000 sq m and will produce around 3000 lasers a year at full capacity. The €6 million project includes a modern CNC metal machining shop, robotized femtosecond laser assembly and testing shops, and an ISO 5 cleanroom of about 2,500 sq m, one of the largest in the Baltics.
Vilnius, October 20. On Friday, October 16, femtosecond laser manufacturer LITILIT opened a new laser factory in Vilnius that, according to the company, has the world’s highest potential femtosecond laser capacity. LITILIT plans to scale capacity gradually, targeting 1 000 femtosecond lasers a year in the first year after launch and reaching 3 000 at full capacity. The majority of the factory’s lasers will be exported to Europe, North America and Asia.
Nikolajus Gavrilinas, co-founder and CEO of LITILIT, says that the new factory marks an important milestone both for the company, which has been developing its laser technology since 2014, and for the whole laser industry.
“The growing use of femtosecond lasers in semiconductor manufacturing, data center equipment, electronics, medicine and other fields is driving demand across Europe, North America and Asia. Our factory comes at exactly the right time and will serve businesses on all three continents. The Vilnius plant is only the first stop; later, we plan to replicate this model in other countries together with our international partners,” says Gavrilinas.
Construction of the factory began this June. Located in Sirin Park Gariūnai, a modern logistics park developed by SIRIN Development on Plungės Street in Vilnius, the factory covers over 4,000 sq m and houses a CNC metal machining shop, robotized assembly and testing shops, and an ISO 5 cleanroom of about 2,500 sq m, one of the largest in the Baltics. The total value of the project is €6 million.
Gavrilinas notes that femtosecond laser production remains limited worldwide because the technology evolved from scientific systems and is notoriously difficult to produce at scale. Last year, global femtosecond laser production capacity was an estimated 9,600 units, according to Reports and Markets.
LITILIT can scale laser production quickly because of its patented architecture based on modular design, reduced component complexity, and a high level of automation. At full capacity, the factory will employ about 150 people, several times fewer than conventional production would require. Besides scalability, the architecture also gives LITILIT’s lasers a performance edge. According to Gavrilinas, they reach around 20% electrical-to-optical efficiency and are up to half the size of the industry average, which makes them easier to integrate into production lines.
The company developed its technology based on two international patents, one of which was made in collaboration with the Center for Physical Sciences and Technology (FTMC) in Lithuania.
Ramūnas Skaudžius, director at FTMC, says the factory is a reminder that the value of scientific research is measured not only by publications or patents. It also confirms that in Lithuania it is possible to complete the entire journey from a scientific idea to a product serving global markets.
“The laser technology developed and patented at FTMC has now become the foundation of advanced industrial manufacturing. Yet the technology itself is not the most important part of the story. What matters most is that knowledge created in Lithuania has been transformed into a business capable of competing on the international stage. This is a long and demanding journey that requires not only scientific excellence, but also entrepreneurial courage, investors’ confidence, and perseverance,” Skaudžius says.
Femtosecond lasers use extremely short pulses that process materials with only minimal heat damage to surrounding structures. This quality, known as cold ablation, makes them indispensable in applications ranging from eye surgery and vascular stents to manufacturing computer chips and display screens.
20, Oct 2026
Foster Youth Story of Homelessness at Heart of No Address Streaming Free on Angel All November
The award-winning film follows Lauren, a foster youth cast out at 18 who becomes homeless, revealing the challenges young people can face when transitioning out of foster care.
(Sacramento, CA) — October 20th 2026 — Robert Craig Films’ award-winning movie No Address will stream free on Angel throughout November in recognition of National Homelessness Awareness Month. The nationwide campaign invites the foster care community to watch and share the film and help raise awareness about the circumstances that can lead people into homelessness.
Nearly 1 in 7 young people leaving foster care face homelessness within their first year on their own. That reality is reflected in No Address through Lauren, portrayed by Isabella Ferreira, a young woman in the foster care system who is forced to leave her foster home at age 18. With nowhere to go and no family safety net, Lauren becomes homeless and joins a group of people struggling to survive on the streets.
Through Lauren’s journey, No Address shines a light on the connection between foster care and homelessness and what can happen when a young person enters adulthood without a stable home or support system.
Directed by Hollywood veteran Julia Verdin, the film stars William Baldwin, Ashanti, Xander Berkeley, Lucas Jade Zumann, Isabella Ferreira, Beverly D’Angelo and Ty Pennington.
“Lauren’s story was incredibly important for us to tell because young people leaving foster care can suddenly find themselves trying to navigate adulthood without the support system so many of us take for granted,” said producer Robert Craig. “We hope foster families, foster care organizations, advocates and communities will watch No Address and use Lauren’s story to start conversations about how we can better support these young people.”
In an unusual departure from traditional Hollywood storytelling, No Address does not simply end when the story ends. Before the end credits roll, members of the cast break the fourth wall and speak directly to viewers, delivering a powerful one-minute call-to-action encouraging audiences to help people experiencing homelessness and connect with local organizations to find ways to get involved. This retains one of the central elements of the original release.
Foster care organizations, foster families, child welfare professionals, advocates, nonprofits, churches and community groups nationwide are invited to share the free November viewing with their audiences and use the film to encourage conversations about foster youth, housing stability and homelessness.
Angel is supporting the initiative by allowing the film to be watched free without having to be an Angel Guild Member. “The film is touching many lives. It’s resonating and doing well,” said Ben Anderson, Director of Streaming.
Social media creator and philanthropist Jimmy Darts will also help bring the campaign to a wider audience, encouraging his community to watch the film, share the free link and help grow awareness around homelessness.
To watch No Address free in November on the Angel streaming platform, visit www.NoAddress.com for the link or Stream directly on Angel Studios.
20, Oct 2026
Better U and Evernow Partner to Transform Women’s Hormonal and Mental Health Care Through Menopause
New telehealth partnership pairs menopause specialists with integrative psychiatry to treat perimenopause and menopause symptoms, mind and body together
Holistic mental wellness provider Better U and menopause care company Evernow, available to women in all 50 states, have announced a strategic partnership to bring hormonal health and mental health care together for women across the United States.
The partnership combines Evernow’s specialized expertise in menopause and hormone therapy with Better U’sb integrative psychiatry, therapy and whole-body wellness services. Together, the two companies aim to close one of the biggest gaps in women’s healthcare by treating the physical and emotional sides of perimenopause and menopause as one connected experience.
The collaboration brings together Dr. Ellamarie Russo-DeMara, DO, MSCP, Medical Director at Evernow, and Dr. Janette Leal, MD, Executive Physician and Medical Director at Better U Clinical. Dr. Russo-DeMara is a board-certified OB/GYN with more than 30 years of clinical experience and has been a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner since 2009. Dr. Leal is a board-certified psychiatrist trained in internal medicine and psychiatry, with a geriatric psychiatry fellowship at Mayo Clinic.
Since its inception, Better U has focused on redefining mental healthcare across the United States through integrative and preventative telehealth care models. Both companies recognize that millions of women experience menopause symptoms for years with limited guidance, support, or access to specialized care, and share a goal of bringing modern, accessible women’s healthcare to a generation who’ve historically been overlooked.
Dr. Russo-DeMara’s approach centers on comprehensive, patient-focused treatment that combines evidence-based medicine with education, empathy, and holistic support. Her commitment is also deeply personal, having experienced early menopause following chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer.
Dr. Russo-DeMara, Medical Director at Evernow, said: “Going through menopause after chemotherapy showed me how disorienting these changes can be, even for someone who treats them for a living. I kept thinking about the women who don’t have that knowledge and are trying to make sense of it alone. That thought has shaped my work ever since.
“We’ve always believed menopause care should reach beyond hormones. Women in perimenopause and menopause are one of the most underserved populations in medicine, and too many are dismissed, misdiagnosed, or sent home with a prescription and no one ever looking at their hormones. Partnering with Better U lets us care for the whole woman, her hormones, her mood, her sleep and her sense of self, with a team that works together.”
Hormonal health is increasingly recognized as a major yet often overlooked factor in women’s mental health, contributing to perimenopause and menopause symptoms such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, irritability, and brain fog.
Dr. Leal, Executive Physician and Medical Director at Better U Clinical, added: “As a psychiatrist, I see this every week. A woman in her forties comes in with new anxiety, broken sleep and brain fog, convinced she’s losing herself. Very often the biology tells a different story. Estrogen helps regulate serotonin and dopamine, and a progesterone byproduct called allopregnanolone acts on the same calming GABA receptors that help us sleep. When those hormones start to swing in perimenopause, the brain feels it.
“Too many of these women were told it was stress or just getting older. Giving them the real explanation changes everything. Once a woman understands what’s happening in her body, the shame lifts and she can start working with her body instead of against it.
“This partnership pairs psychiatry with deep menopause expertise, so we can finally treat mind and body as the connected system they’ve always been.”
Founder of Better U, Derek Du Chesne, said: “Every woman deserves to be heard the first time she asks for help. I’m deeply grateful to partner with Evernow, Dr. Leal and Dr. Russo-DeMara to raise the standard of care by supporting mental and physical health together, and to bring that care to women wherever they live.”
Better U aims to redefine preventative women’s healthcare through innovations including advanced hormone monitoring, helping shift care from reactive treatment to proactive monitoring and prevention.
Through the partnership, women in perimenopause and menopause who are living with depression or anxiety that hasn’t improved with other treatments can also be evaluated for Better U’sat-home ketamine therapy. Each patient is screened by a licensed psychiatric clinician, and when clinically appropriate, ketamine is prescribed off-label and paired with integration coaching and ongoing support. Ketamine therapy does not treat menopause itself and is not right for everyone.
19, Oct 2026
Quantinuum Breaks Error-Correction World Record by 10x, Validating Its Leading Path to Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing by 2029
BROOMFIELD, Colo.—October 19, 2026—Quantinuum (NASDAQ: QNT), a leading full-stack quantum computing company, today announced a world-record quantum error-correction result, achieving a logical fidelity of 99.9995% on its Helios commercial computer using the company’s error-correction architecture. This marks Quantinuum’s second breakthrough in two months, demonstrating how its highly accurate trapped-ion hardware and flexible architecture work together to deliver rapid improvements in accuracy.
The achievement reinforces Quantinuum’s error-correction leadership and validates that its accuracy performance is now within the target range for Apollo, the company’s planned universal fault-tolerant quantum computer expected to be available by 2029.
Quantinuum’s architecture is an end-to-end framework programmable through the company’s developer platform. It integrates tailored AI decoders, all-to-all qubit connectivity, high-fidelity physical operations, and hardware-level error correction. This architecture also allows the company to test, refine, and combine different error-correction codes and optimize between accuracy and efficiency.
In the latest study, Quantinuum used a well-known “color code” within this architecture to achieve the world-record logical fidelity result, which is equivalent to just five errors per million operations. The error rate is 10 times lower than Quantinuum’s own world record achieved last month and 100 times lower than the best published result across all other hardware modalities, which was reported by Google Quantum AI on a superconducting system.
“With this result, we’ve proven that we have the error-correction architecture and trapped-ion technology required to achieve universal fault-tolerance,” said Dr. Rajeeb Hazra, CEO of Quantinuum. “We have reduced error rates tenfold in rapid succession using a different code on the same commercial hardware, demonstrating the flexibility of our error-correction architecture. We’ve crossed the threshold necessary for exponential improvements in accuracy, reinforcing our path to Apollo and how we can help users unlock commercial value from quantum at scale.”
The study also showed that logical errors fell exponentially as Quantinuum increased the “code distance,” a technique used to understand how many physical qubits are needed to protect quantum information as the error correction scales. Each tested increase reduced the remaining logical errors by a record factor of 12, demonstrating increasingly effective error suppression as the code grows—a critical capability for scaling fault-tolerant quantum computing. Quantinuum believes this result suggests it can deliver fault-tolerance with significantly fewer qubits than are required for other modalities.
“This is a significant milestone that quantum computing researchers have been working toward for many years,” said Robin Blume-Kohout, co-director of Sandia National Laboratories’ Quantum Performance Lab, who was not involved in the study. “The paper demonstrates real, serious performance gains from quantum error correction—a logical qubit nearly 100x better than its component physical qubits. A scaled-up version of this system could reach the reliability required for useful fault-tolerant computation at a feasible size—less than a million physical qubits—which improves the outlook for practical quantum computing. These findings go a long way to retire one of the field’s central technical risks.”
In September 2026, Quantinuum used the same error-correction architecture with its Helix code to demonstrate record-setting logical memory and computation. Both studies ran on the same Helios hardware.
The two demonstrations illustrate how Quantinuum can rapidly prototype different error-correction codes within the same architecture to optimize for relative strengths in accuracy, efficiency, and speed. On Helios, Helix used 10 physical qubits per logical qubit, compared with up to 37 for the color code, while the color code delivered lower logical error rates. This provides insight into which applications pair best with each code as systems advance toward fault-tolerance.
Quantinuum’s error-correction architecture is flexible, allowing for adaptive syndrome extraction, which adjusts error-checking measurements during computation, and chain-mapping, which connects codes suited to different computational tasks. Together with efficient code structures and real-time decoding, these techniques provide multiple ways to reduce errors and resource requirements.
Quantinuum is combining its hardware, error-correction architecture, and full-stack software platform into an integrated system for fault-tolerant quantum computing. As customers prepare for this next era of computing, Quantinuum is providing the tools needed to develop and scale quantum applications capable of addressing challenges across materials science, chemistry, finance, logistics, and other critical sectors.
Read the full research here: www.quantinuum.com/fault-
19, Oct 2026
AD Ports Group Reports Progress in Reducing the Emissions Intensity of Operations in 2025
Abu Dhabi, UAE – 19 October 2026: AD Ports Group, a leading global enabler of integrated trade, industry and logistics solutions, (ADX: ADPORTS), announced the release of its 2025 Sustainability Report, in which it highlights significant progress in its decarbonisation plans, including a 6% reduction in emissions intensity per unit of revenue.
The report reflects AD Ports Group’s gains in mitigating the environmental impact of its integrated global trade, transport, logistics, and economic development activities, through measures such as increased operating efficiencies and the use of solar electricity, lower-impact maritime fuels, and electric-powered vessels.
The Group’s total emissions intensity, which calculates tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) per AED 1 million in revenue across emissions Scopes 1, 2 and 3, fell by 6% to 190.68 tCO₂e in 2025 from 203.06 tCO₂e in 2024. The reduction demonstrates the Group’s progress in decoupling emissions from its business operations, strengthening energy productivity whilst advancing its decarbonisation objectives.
The Group achieved this reduction in emissions intensity during a year in which revenue rose 20%, to AED 20.77 billion, amidst its ongoing global expansion. It also purchased 47,960 megawatt-hours (MWh) of renewable energy certificates (RECs), which lowered the emissions intensity of energy the company used for electricity, heating, and cooling.
In 2025, the Group adopted a decarbonisation pathway covering its operations and value chain, with 139 initiatives planned between 2025 and 2050. The pathway is aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 2°C and supports the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategic initiative. The initiatives are backed by a projected investment of USD 636 million over 25 years and target a cumulative reduction of 2.9 million tCO2e.
Captain Saif Al Mheiri, Abu Dhabi Maritime CEO and Group Chief Sustainability & Risk Officer of AD Ports Group, said: ” Defining a pathway to net zero across a global business of AD Ports Group’s scale is a significant achievement and reflects our commitment to sustainable growth and value creation. The Group continued to advance its decarbonisation journey as the business grew robustly in 2025, reducing the total emissions intensity of our business per AED 1 million of revenue by 6% from 2024 levels through greater efficiencies and the use of solar and alternative energy. This shows the substantial progress we are making in decoupling emissions from business expansion. By embedding decarbonisation into our business strategy, we are positioning the Group for lasting emissions reductions while strengthening operational resilience and competitiveness, and the progress achieved to date reinforces our conviction that sustainable growth is achievable at scale.”
The Group is committed to successively leveraging solar energy, low-emissions fuels, CO2 credits, and the large-scale electrification of its ports, logistics, and maritime and shipping businesses through 2050 to grow sustainably.
The Group’s decarbonisation strategy is integrated into its corporate decision-making matrix to drive emissions reduction. Decarbonisation targets focus on accelerating adoption of renewable energy, advancing fleet decarbonisation and fuel transition, and investing in low-carbon infrastructure to support a multi-fuel future. Executive compensation of the Group’s senior management is linked in part to achievement of sustainability targets.
In 2025, the Group introduced several initiatives that supported the reduction of emissions intensity, including the use of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)-powered Pure Car and Truck Carrier (PCTC) vessels in its United Global Ro-Ro venture, ship-to-ship LNG bunkering (fuelling), and the launch of plans with Nimex Terminals to develop LNG and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) terminal hubs at Khalifa Port.
The Group’s Maritime & Shipping Cluster, which generated 51% of Group revenue during the year, generated 50% of the Group’s emissions in 2025, followed by Ports, 24%, Logistics, 21%, and Economic Cities & Free Zones, 5%.
The Group also diverted 10,303 tonnes of waste in 2025, up 24% from 8,341 tonnes in 2024, including 10,127 tonnes of non-hazardous waste, a 23% increase compared with 8,247 tonnes recycled in the previous year.
Amidst strong growth in Group revenue, total emissions, which includes Scope 1-3 emissions from the Group’s own activities and those of its entire value chain including suppliers and customers, rose 13% to 3,957,755 tCO2e in 2025 from 3,510,131 tCO2e in 2024, which was less than the 20% growth in Group revenue.
19, Oct 2026
Rescued Orangutan Returns Home to Indonesia After Being Found in an Indian Bathroom
Maharashtra, Oct 19: A three-year-old orangutan rescued from suspected wildlife traffickers in Maharashtra has returned to its native Indonesia after months of specialised care and rehabilitation.
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The young male orangutan was reportedly discovered inside a cramped cage in a residential bathroom in Palava City, Dombivli. Following the rescue, the animal was taken to a facility in Nagpur before being transferred to the Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, operated by Vantara, in March 2025.
On Monday, October 19, 2026, the orangutan was flown from Ahmedabad to Jakarta under the supervision of Indian wildlife authorities, Vantara personnel and representatives of the Indonesian government.
After arriving in Jakarta, the animal was scheduled to be placed in a designated quarantine facility before moving to a specialised rehabilitation centre for further care.
The repatriation marks a significant step in international cooperation against illegal wildlife trafficking. Orangutans are listed under Appendix I of CITES, which provides the highest level of protection against international commercial trade.
The case highlights the importance of rescuing trafficked wildlife and ensuring that animals receive appropriate care and, wherever possible, are returned to their country of origin.
19, Oct 2026
Boutique Hospitality Services Appoints Apat Salamone as Hospitality Partnership Manager
BANGKOK, THAILAND | Oct 19– Boutique Hospitality Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boutique Corporation Public Company Limited (BC), has appointed Apat Salamone as Hospitality Partnership Manager as BC accelerates growth across its hotel management, third-party operating and hospitality technology businesses. Apat brings 12 years of hospitality experience spanning hotel operations, B2B business development and sales.
In his new role, Apat will lead business development for BC’s Hotel Management Services (HMS), Third-Party Operator (TPO) and upcoming hospitality technology (SaaS) offering. He will build the commercial pipeline, oversee owner and client relationships for properties under BC’s hotel management agreements, including JonoX Karon Phuket, and steer key milestones towards the planned launch of BC’s SaaS product by the end of 2026.
The appointment comes as BC sharpens its focus on operations and technology. A certified Third-Party Operator for Accor and Marriott, BC manages internationally branded and independent hotels on behalf of owners, and is developing technology solutions to help them run more efficient, better-performing hotels.
BC’s growing portfolio combines its own brands, Journeyhub Hotels and Jono Hotels, with internationally branded hotels including Novotel and ibis Chiang Mai Nimman Journeyhub, Mercure Phuket Patong Journeyhub and greet Bangkok Sukhumvit 16 Jono. Mövenpick Resort Phuket Kamala Beach and JonoX Sukhumvit 5 – Handwritten Collection are set to join.
Hotel owners and investors exploring TPO, Hotel Management Agreement (HMA) or Asset Management (AM) opportunities are invited to contact Apat at Apat.S@boutiquecorporation.com.
19, Oct 2026
Iran Keeps Seven-Day Hormuz Reopening Proposal on the Table, Says Foreign Minister Araghchi
Tehran, Oct 19: Iran has kept its proposed seven-day plan to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz on the table, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said, adding that Tehran is reviewing Washington’s response to its conditions for ending hostilities and resuming negotiations.
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Araghchi made the remarks in an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA on the sidelines of the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Baghdad, Iraq.
According to a report by Xinhua News Agency, the Iranian foreign minister said Tehran had clearly communicated its conditions to the United States under the proposed plan. Washington has responded with its views, which Iran is currently examining.
Iran Sets Out Timeline for Reopening the Strait
Araghchi said the proposal remained available if the United States agreed to Iran’s stated conditions.
“If they (the United States) meet those conditions, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened on the sixth day, and negotiations will resume on the seventh,” he said, reiterating Tehran’s proposed timeline.
He argued that Iran’s conditions were neither extraordinary nor unusual, claiming they reflected commitments the United States had previously accepted in a peace memorandum of understanding and during other negotiations.
However, the report did not provide the full text of the seven-day proposal or detail all the conditions attached to it. It also did not indicate whether Washington had accepted any part of the plan.
Tehran Signals Readiness for Diplomacy but Rejects Pressure
Araghchi maintained that Iran would not give in to threats and was prepared to defend itself. At the same time, he said Tehran remained open to diplomatic efforts.
His remarks suggest that the proposed reopening of the Strait of Hormuz is linked to broader negotiations over the cessation of hostilities and the conditions for restarting talks between Iran and the United States.
The waterway is a critical route for global energy shipments, making any disruption or reopening arrangement a matter of international economic and security concern.
Trump Claims US Operations Have Crippled Iran’s Nuclear Capability
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has defended American military operations against Iran, claiming that the campaign destroyed the country’s nuclear weapons capability and that Washington would prevent Tehran from rebuilding it.
Speaking at a Republican election rally at Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University on Saturday, Trump described the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran as a key reason for US intervention.
“They cannot have a nuclear weapon. They can’t because they’ll use it,” Trump told supporters.
He also said the United States had struck Iranian nuclear infrastructure and was taking steps to ensure the programme could not be revived.
“We have to make sure it doesn’t come back,” he said, referring to instructions he had given senior administration officials during the operation.
Trump’s statements represent the US administration’s position on the outcome of the military campaign. The claims should be distinguished from independently verified assessments of the current status of Iran’s nuclear programme.
Diplomatic Path Remains Uncertain
Iran’s decision to keep the seven-day proposal available comes as Tehran reviews the US response and continues to maintain that an agreement must meet its conditions.
Whether the two sides can reach an understanding remains unclear. The available report does not establish that an agreement has been reached or that a confirmed timetable for reopening the Strait of Hormuz is in place.
For now, the proposed sequence—reopening the waterway on the sixth day and restarting negotiations on the seventh—remains conditional on Washington meeting Tehran’s demands.
19, Oct 2026
Odisha Cyclone Watch: Possible Bay of Bengal System Around October 22, Forecast Clarity Expected by October 26
Bhubaneswar, Oct 19: Odisha is monitoring the possibility of a developing weather system over the Bay of Bengal, with a cyclonic circulation potentially forming over the South Andaman Sea around October 22. However, the system’s likely intensity, direction and possible impact on the state remain uncertain.
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According to preliminary weather-model indications, the system could strengthen into a depression or a deeper weather disturbance, with the possibility of further intensification. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not officially confirmed cyclone formation.
A clearer picture of the system’s development and potential trajectory is expected around October 25 or 26, as meteorological agencies gather more data.
Odisha May Receive Little Rain Until October 25
Weather scientist Sarat Chandra Sahu said some coastal districts of Odisha had experienced light rainfall, but the likelihood of further rain remained low over the following days.
“Light rain has been reported in some coastal districts, but the possibility of further rainfall in Odisha remains low until around October 25,” Sahu said, according to the report.
He indicated that if rainfall did not occur in the immediate period, the chances of rain over the next few days could decline further.
Sahu also noted that certain meteorological conditions could support the intensification of a system over the Bay of Bengal. Its eventual strength, however, would depend on how the system develops.
Possible Weather System Over the Arabian Sea
Weather models are also indicating the possibility of another system developing over the Arabian Sea around the same period.
According to Sahu, this system may have a greater influence on India’s western coast, including parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra. Odisha’s weather, meanwhile, will largely depend on the formation, movement and intensity of the system over the Bay of Bengal.
The development and interaction of the two systems could influence their respective paths and intensity, although their eventual behaviour remains uncertain.
Official Updates Will Be Crucial
With several days remaining before the possible formation of the Bay of Bengal system, forecasts may change as new observations become available. The current indications should not be treated as confirmation that a cyclone will form or make landfall in Odisha.
Residents are advised to follow official IMD bulletins and local administration advisories for reliable updates on rainfall, wind conditions and any potential threat to coastal areas.
