Business
– Global registrations of battery-electric vehicles rose 12% in the first nine months of 2026 to a record 11 million, driven by strong growth in Europe, according to a study by consultancy PwC. Europe accounted for 2.5 million electric cars,
– Oil prices rose on Wednesday, with Brent crude futures climbing $1.48, or 1.3%, to $115.36 a barrel by 01:40 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures gained $1.22, or 1.22%, to $101.12 a barrel. The increase reversed part of
– Microsoft said on Monday it is offering voluntary buyouts to a wide range of employees as it balances a costly artificial intelligence infrastructure build-out with capital efficiency. The new voluntary exit offer covers certain workers in the United States,
– South Korea posted the second-largest current account surplus among major economies in the second quarter, exceeding the combined surpluses of Germany and Japan. The country’s surplus reached $116.63 billion in the April-June period, according to central bank data reported
– Trade between Russia and Oman grew 22-fold in the first seven months of 2026 to reach $1.5 billion, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu said. He gave the figures on Tuesday, October 20, during a meeting in Moscow with
Travel
Technology
– Apple has added Touch to the Mac for the first time with a redesigned MacBook Pro that also introduces a tandem OLED display called PROLED XDR. Available in 14-inch and 16-inch versions, the laptop runs on M5 Pro and
Comprehensive technical audits have confirmed that Dubai-headquartered enterprise digital publishing platform Integrated Identity has recorded validated 100/100 scores across both mobile and desktop environments on Google PageSpeed Insights. Backed by data from the HTTP Archive and the Chrome User Experience
– A new ultrasonic welding method developed by Russian and Chinese scientists doubles the strength of metal joints and extends component life, TV BRICS reported. The work was carried out by researchers at South Ural State University in cooperation with
– Samsung Electronics has presented new memory and storage technology strategies designed to improve the performance of artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company revealed the plans at the 2026 OCP Global Summit in San Jose, California, held from October 12 to
– Meta has launched Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, a new family of advanced artificial intelligence models. The company built the systems for software development, AI agents and complex everyday tasks. They can assist with areas such as leases,
– The European Commission has proposed a new communications network for emergency and security services across Europe. The EU Critical Communication System, known as EUCCS, would connect national networks used by police, firefighters and medical responders. Civil protection authorities would