State Department: Nicaragua refused to grant agrément for Natasha Franceschi to serve as U.S. ambassador to Nicaragua. At the direction of Secretary of State Rubio, the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Managua has returned to Washington for consultations.

Hong Kong stocks closed mixed after intraday weakness. The Hang Seng Index rose 0.30% at the close while the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 0.79%. Port and shipping names led gains; COSCO Shipping Energy (01138.HK) jumped over 4%. Gold stocks recovered, with Zijin Gold International (02259.HK) up more than 2%. Education, oil, retail, home appliances and OLED stocks were active. Semiconductor losses narrowed in the afternoon; Lanqi Technology (06809.HK) and Hua Hong Hongli (01347.HK) each fell over 5%. PCB names extended declines: Dingtai High-Tech (01377.HK) and Kingboard Laminates (01888.HK) dropped over 4%. Other notable laggards included optical communications, battery, biotech, Chinese brokerages and AI-related stocks.

According to the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as of Oct. 11 farmers had harvested 122.239 million mu (≈8.15 mln ha), covering over 50% of the planned harvest area.