Business

    – Kenya is banking on new coffee varieties to boost production, improve yields and help farmers cope with climate change as it targets annual output of 150,000 metric tonnes. Henry Kinyua, chairperson of the Coffee Board of Kenya, said researchers

    – 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

    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

    Technology

    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

    – Scientists from Russia and China have developed an ultrasonic welding technology that doubles the strength of metal joints, TV BRICS reported. The report cited South Ural State University, known as SUSU, whose researchers carried out the work with Chinese

    – Samsung Electronics has unveiled its next-generation memory and storage strategy for artificial intelligence infrastructure at the 2026 OCP Global Summit. The company presented the plans at the event in San Jose, California, which runs from October 12 to 15.

    – Meta has introduced Muse Wonder and Muse Wonder Full, its most capable artificial intelligence models to date. The company designed the new systems for coding, long-running AI agents and complex personal or professional tasks. Meta said the models can

    – The European Commission has proposed a new EU Critical Communication System to connect first responders across European borders. The plan would link national networks used by police, firefighters, emergency medical services and civil protection teams. It covers all EU

    – Artificial intelligence is moving deeper into traditional Chinese medicine education, research and clinical support across China. Beijing University of Chinese Medicine has developed a specialized large model built around extensive TCM knowledge and learning materials. The Xinhuo TCM system

    Apple has added a foldable model to the iPhone lineup with the debut of the iPhone Duo. The company introduced the device on Sept. 9, ahead of preorders opening Oct. 16. U.S. pricing begins at $1,999, while the starting price