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

    – Japan recorded a trade deficit of 536.6 billion yen in September as imports grew faster than exports, preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance showed. Exports rose 16.7% from a year earlier to 10.9723 trillion yen. Imports climbed 18.9%

    Health

    – The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has passed 10,000 confirmed cases, government data showed on Tuesday. Health authorities are racing to slow the spread of the disease across several African countries. Nearly half of the

    Sports

    The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will open on Saturday, October 31, and run until November 13, marking the first Olympic sporting event ever held on African soil. The Games will bring together the world’s best young athletes, with 2,655

    Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Erling Haaland are among the 30 nominees for the 2026 Ballon d’Or. Organizers announced the men’s shortlist on September 8 before the awards ceremony in London on October 26. Ousmane Dembélé, Rodri and

    Lionel Messi has ended his international career with Argentina after 21 years at senior level. The 39-year-old leaves with national records for both appearances and goals. Messi played 207 matches for Argentina and scored 125 times. His international career included

    International motorsport governance and European state leadership converged at the Hungaroring circuit as Federation Internationale de l’Automobile President Mohammed Ben Sulayem held high-level meetings with regional government figures during the Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix. Official reports published by Emirates

    Spain reached the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win over Portugal on Monday, as Mikel Merino scored in the 91st minute at Dallas Stadium. The substitute took a pass from Ferran Torres and finished low past Diogo Costa.

    Norway reached the FIFA World Cup quarterfinals for the first time after beating Brazil 2-1 in the Round of 16 on Sunday. Erling Haaland scored twice late at New York New Jersey Stadium. Brazil, the five-time champion, exited before the

    England reached the FIFA World Cup 2026 round of 16 after captain Harry Kane scored twice late in a 2-1 win over Congo DR at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday. Congo DR led through Brian Cipenga’s seventh-minute goal and held that

    Mexico advanced to the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 on Tuesday. The co-host beat Ecuador 2-0 at Mexico City Stadium. Julián Quiñones scored in the 22nd minute. Raúl Jiménez added the second goal nine minutes later.