News

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) emit nearly five times more carbon dioxide in real-world driving than official tests show, according to the Guardian, citing a study by Transport & Environment (T&E).

The report draws on data from 800,000 vehicles across Europe between 2021 and 2023. It finds that PHEVs produce only 19% less CO2 than petrol or diesel cars, even though they have been widely promoted as a lower-emission alternative to regular vehicles. For example, under lab conditions, testers assumed the cars emitted 75% less.

Researchers identify the main reason for the difference is that drivers use electric mode...

Toyota model lineup expects an addition, according to Autocar. An affordable two-seat electric city car with a price tag below $10,000 is anticipated to be assembled in the U.K. The vehicle’s specifications will hardly match those of a regular car, so a driver’s license would not be required in many countries to drive one.

The exact date for the production launch has not yet been announced. Production is expected to take place at Toyota’s facility in Burnaston, the same plant where the Toyota Corolla model is manufactured. Under a U.K. government funding program, £15 million (approximately $20.1 million) is...

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed he authorized CIA covert operations in Venezuela, which is an unusual public disclosure, according to Euronews.

Speaking at the White House, Trump cited drug trafficking and criminal activity tied to Venezuela as reasons for the measure. «They have emptied their prisons into the United States,» he said, adding, «A lot of the Venezuelan drugs come in through the sea.»

Trump added his administration was «looking at land» for further regional action but did not clarify whether the CIA’s mandate included targeting President Nicolás Maduro.

His comments follow a New York Times report that...

A 1.1 billion tenge (about $2 million) securitized bond issue has been listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE). The transaction was arranged by Freedom Broker. It marks the first securitization on Kazakhstan’s organized market in seven years. The securities are available to retail investors.

How the deal was structured

Freedom Credit, a microfinance organization, acted as the originator — the initial owner of the assets being securitized. The company holds a consumer microloan portfolio; from this, high-quality assets worth approximately $3.4 million were selected.

As required by law, a special financial company, SFC FF-1, was established. Freedom...

Several of Kazakhstan’s largest banks have suspended mortgage lending after the central bank raised the base rate to 18%, except Freedom Bank and Otbasy Bank, which specializes in housing savings and offers mortgages at preferential rates.

Halyk Bank, Nurbank and ForteBank have temporarily suspended their mortgage programs.

Bank CenterCredit continues to offer home loans, including under state programs, noting that the base rate hike alone is not grounds for rejection. However, the bank emphasized that new regulations for calculating the average annualized mortgage rate have tightened debt-to-equity ratios, disqualifying some borrowers.

The Guardian published a ranking of the world’s most talented young footballers. The outlet selected the 60 most promising players born in 2008. Dastan Satpayev, forward for Almaty’s Kairat and the Kazakhstan national team, is placed right in the middle of the ranking — 30th.

The Guardian called Satpayev «the brightest star at Kairat, the Kazakh team who qualified for the league stage of this season’s Champions League.»

«Chelsea must be delighted they signed Satpayev in January for €4m, because his value is expected to rise significantly. He combines speed and sound technical skills...

LVMH posted a 1% increase in third-quarter sales, buoyed by stronger spending in China and other Asian markets, excluding Japan. The world’s largest luxury group reported «noticeable» improvement in Asia, revealing positive overall results for the first time in 2025, according to Reuters.

Quarterly revenue rose to $21.17 billion, beating expectations for flat growth. Even the fashion and leather goods division, which includes Louis Vuitton and Dior, reported a 2% drop from last year, a much better result than the 9% in the previous quarter.

LVMH CFO Cecile Cabanis acknowledged ongoing challenges such as currency fluctuations and...

American reality TV star and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian is once again turning heads with her brand Skims, unveiling what may be the most talked-about collection in the company’s history.

The brand announced the release of a new lingerie line, the Faux Hair Panty — a thong designed to mimic the appearance of natural body hair. Marketed as «The Ultimate Bush,» the line includes 12 shades, ranging from clay-blonde straight to cocoa-black curly.

Skims described the collection as the boldest lingerie ever. Kardashian promoted the launch by declaring that the era of smooth, hairless skin is over.

The unveiling sparked...

On Oct. 15, South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan held talks in Seoul with a Kazakhstani delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, Yonhap reported.

The two sides discussed prospects for strengthening bilateral economic cooperation across various sectors amid growing uncertainties in global trade. According to the ministry, Kim proposed expanding cooperation in the manufacturing sector and addressing obstacles faced by Korean firms operating in Kazakhstan, such as insufficient logistics infrastructure for Kia. He also suggested creating more opportunities for Korean companies to participate in Kazakhstan’s plant construction projects and expanding collaboration in...

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has revealed that the U.S. will deliver new «firepower» to Ukraine via European allies willing to pay for it. The statement was made shortly before NATO defense ministers gathered in Brussels. It is still unclear what kind of «firepower» U.S. officials were talking about, as reported by CNN.

According to Hegseth, «commitments» made by European nations to purchase American weapons would soon translate into real «capabilities» for Ukraine. The initiative is part of the new Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which has already attracted $2 billion in pledges for military hardware — with...

Sanae Takaichi’s victory in the Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership contest — and her expected appointment as Japan’s first female prime minister — has drawn worldwide attention. Her ascent, widely hailed as a breakthrough in Japan’s male-dominated political culture, also underscores the paradoxes in the country’s pursuit of gender equality, said Peter Chai, a Ph.D. researcher at Waseda University, in a piece for Nikkei Asia.

Takaichi’s political views and leadership style unmistakably mirror those of her mentor, the late former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Like Abe, she claims to empower women in the workforce yet refuses to confront the...

While many Western countries respond to migration with restrictions and reduced aid, Spain’s approach to African migration stands out for pursuing a strategy of partnership and shared opportunity, according to the BBC.

By hosting events such as AfroMadrid2025, a conference supported by the African Union focused on restorative justice and development, Spain’s government aims to build stronger connections based on both moral responsibility and practical interests.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez argues that migration must be seen not only through the lens of control but also through that of rational economics. Spain funds training programs in countries like...

Cristiano Ronaldo, the forward for the Portugal national football team, set a new record for the number of goals scored in World Cup qualifying matches. On Oct. 14, he scored a brace in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Hungary.

2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Group F, Oct. 14, 2025

Portugal vs. Hungary: 2-2

Goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (22’, 45+3’); Attila Szalai (8’), Dominik Szoboszlai (90+1’)

These goals became Ronaldo’s 40th and 41st in World Cup qualification, making him the sole leader in this category. He surpassed retired Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz, who had scored...

«The Shadow’s Edge,» the latest action thriller by martial arts legend Jackie Chan, is performing well at the box office, earning positive audience feedback and strong ticket sales, according to MovieWeb.

Directed by Larry Yang and inspired by the 2007 Hong Kong film “Eye in the Sky,” the movie centers on a retired investigator drawn into the high-stakes pursuit of a criminal mastermind behind a sophisticated heist.

Early audience reaction has been strong, as indicated by a 97% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 100 verified ratings, according to the article. Commercially, the movie’s success...

China is shifting toward a more assertive strategy with the U.S., blending offense and defense, according to Gu Qingyang, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Although both Beijing and Washington had shown signs of easing tensions in recent months, that optimism faded quickly after China’s Golden Week holiday. In the immediate aftermath, Beijing shifted its posture and rolled out a wave of countermeasures aimed squarely at the U.S.

The Ministry of Commerce placed several foreign companies tied to arms sales to Taiwan on its «unreliable entities list.» New export controls on...

OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT may undergo significant changes in operational policy this December, including loosening censorship rules for adult users, according to an announcement by the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, on X on Oct. 14, CNBC reported.

«In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults,» the post on X read.

Altman also noted in the same post that current versions of the chatbot were intentionally restrictive to address issues...

Alfiya Nurgumarova, CEO of First Media Group, the organization behind recent J.Lo and Backstreet Boys concerts in Kazakhstan, took part in a local podcast on the IZI Talk YouTube channel. The producer behind large-scale concerts with international stars shared backstage stories about organizing such events in Kazakhstan.

She paid special attention to the high-profile Backstreet Boys concert in Almaty.

According to Nurgumarova, the group’s managers surprised her with their simplicity and openness. They turned out to be very cooperative and even selected their hotel themselves, although the higher-end Ritz-Carlton, Almaty was among the suggested options. In the end...

A wedding is one of life’s most significant milestones. Couples across the globe spend months or even years planning their big day. But how much does it actually cost to say «I do»? Prices vary dramatically.

In some countries, a wedding can cost nearly as much as an apartment. In others, it’s closer to the price of a used car. Kursiv.media looked into what weddings are expected to cost around the world in 2025.*

U.S. and Europe: Expensive and stylish

Weddings in the U.S. are among the most expensive in the world. The average cost of a...

Google plans to build a major artificial intelligence (AI) hub in southern India, marking its largest such project outside the U.S., CNBC reported.

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian announced that the company will invest $15 billion in the project over the next five years. The new data center will help Google meet the growing global demand for cloud and AI computing.

The negotiation process between Google and the authorities of Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state where the project is set to be implemented, took about a year. However, State Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh described it...

Salt has long held a special place in esoteric and spiritual traditions, valued for its power to purify, protect, and absorb negative energy.

This ancient practice is still visible in modern offices. Some people perform “cleansing” rituals for workplace or career benefits. A practitioner might sprinkle salt on a desk or in office corners, leaving it overnight to absorb stagnant or negative energy believed to affect professional growth.

‘Pollution’ for promotion

A recent case in Kazakhstan highlights how traditional rituals can intersect with modern legal and professional expectations.

A resident of Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region attempted an...

World-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen met with Kazakhstanis at the Kazakh Embassy in Mexico City.

Qudaibergen gave two concerts in the Mexican capital on Oct. 8 and 10, 2025. His performances drew 25,000 attendees and became a significant event for the singer’s fans in Latin America. During the tour, the singer, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador of Kazakhstan, actively promoted the country’s culture and history.

An important part of his visit was the promotion of Kazakh traditions and culture. For example, Qudaibergen and Almurat Turganbekov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Mexico, exchanged their opening moves in Togyzkumalak, a traditional...

Zaman Bank, Kazakhstan’s Islamic bank, rolled out its first retail product this year — unsecured Islamic consumer loans with a maximum loan amount of 3 million tenge (about $5,500) — while progress on Islamic mortgages remains to be seen, according to the bank’s CEO Gulfairuz Assayeva.

Notably, the bank made headlines in November 2024 when a test payment was successfully processed between Zaman Bank and Afghanistan’s Ghazanfar Bank, marking the first financial transaction since Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations in late 2023.

Islamic loans

Assayeva said that within two months, the bank...

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi answered questions from women journalists at a press conference at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday. This press event came just days after his first media event, held on Friday, which excluded women, according to CNN.

The second briefing on Sunday was organized after public criticism erupted over the barring of female reporters from Friday’s press conference, which drew condemnation from Indian media organizations and rights groups. The Press Club of India called the move “gender discrimination,” while the Editors Guild of India described it as “an affront to press freedom.”

The upcoming 2026 World Cup sees more first-time qualifiers: following Uzbekistan and Jordan, the national football team of Cape Verde has secured a spot in the tournament, becoming the 22nd team to qualify.

In the final match of the African qualification phase in Group D, Cape Verde swept the national team of Eswatini with a 3–0 scoreline. The goals were scored by Dailon Livramento (48’) from the Portuguese club Casa Pia A.C., Willy Semedo (54’) from Cypriot Omonia, and Stopira (90+1’) from Portuguese S.C.U. Torreense.

With this victory, the Cape Verdean team overtook Cameroon in the standings — a...