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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...

The Kremlin-linked Matryoshka disinformation network has reportedly launched a new smear campaign targeting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the lead-up to Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2026, according to The Insider, citing the Bot Blocker Project.

The campaign uses coordinated bot activity on platforms such as X and BlueSky. On these platforms, videos circulate posing as Western media content. These videos accuse Pashinyan of eroding Armenia’s cultural identity and promoting foreign liberal values.

They also allege that his government is advancing a reckless initiative to establish a so-called «Fourth Republic.» This political proposal includes drafting...

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a health advisory after finding three contaminated cough syrups made in India: Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma, according to Reuters.

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization reported the syrups were linked to the deaths of several children under five in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh. Tests found toxic levels of diethylene glycol, nearly 500 times the safe limit.

Officials said there is no evidence the syrups were exported, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed none reached the U.S. market. The WHO...

On Oct. 13 at 6:23 p.m. Central Time, SpaceX’s 11th Starship successfully launched from Starbase, Texas, marking the final flight before the beginning of the test phase for the company’s next generation of rockets, Reuters reported.

The Super Heavy booster — the first stage of SpaceX’s Starship launch system — executed a controlled descent after separating from the upper stage and achieved a soft water landing in the Gulf of Mexico approximately seven minutes post-liftoff, as part of testing a refined landing-engine configuration before its planned self-termination.

According to SpaceX, Starship reached its planned velocity and trajectory, released...

Most people know that sugary drinks can pack on the pounds — not just around the waist, but in the liver too. But switching to diet sodas might not be the solution either. A new study suggests that both sugary and artificially sweetened drinks could raise the risk of fatty liver disease. The simplest and healthiest choice, researchers say, is still plain water, according to United Press International.

Researchers from Soochow University in China analyzed data from almost 124,000 people and found that those who drank at least one sugary or diet soda a day were more likely...

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday awarded the 2025 Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to American-Israeli economic historian Joel Mokyr and economists Philippe Aghion of France and Peter Howitt of Canada. The three were honored for advancing the understanding of how innovation and the spread of knowledge drive sustained economic growth.

This year’s laureates’ work redefined long-term economic growth by showing that technological progress and creativity drive prosperity. Aghion and Howitt used Schumpeter’s idea of «creative destruction» to demonstrate that economic growth stems...

A boy from Uzbekistan who didn’t manage to attend the Kairat vs. Real Madrid match received a ball signed by Real Madrid and Chelsea legend Claude Makélélé, delivered by Uzbek businessmen.

The story of a boy and his father who arrived in Almaty for the legendary match tugged at the hearts of many. They had bought tickets on Viagogo.com for $1,175, but they turned out to be fake — something they discovered only on-site. The dream of a boy named Armin was crushed, and the tears of the young fan, shown in a video, went viral.

On Monday, Israel’s military announced that all 20 remaining hostages held by Hamas have been released. Their release occurred at the start of the first phase of a cease-fire agreement, marking a new stage in efforts to end the two-year war in Gaza, according to United Press International.

The hostages were released in two groups on Monday. Both groups were first handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, then transferred to Israeli forces for medical checks. Many reunited with their families at hospitals on the same day.

Israeli authorities stated that, as part of the agreement...

The club football calendar continues to pause for national team matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Pafos, the upcoming opponent of Kairat on matchday three of the UEFA Champions League, has sent seven players to their national teams.

Cyprus vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Oct. 9, 2-2) and San Marino (Oct. 12, 4-0)

Sweden vs. Switzerland (Oct. 10, 0-2) and Kosovo (Oct. 13)

Romania vs. Moldova (Oct. 9, 2-1) and Austria (Oct. 12, 1-0)

Serbia vs. Albania (Oct. 11, 0-1) and...

Kazakh boxer Angelina Lukas appeared on the YouTube show TalkLike, where she spoke candidly about what she described as a fight against a transgender opponent and shared her views on LGBT representation in sports.

According to Lukas, she competed in a 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament in Jordan, where she faced an opponent from Thailand who she believed was transgender.

«In 2020, after I won the Zharylgapov tournament, I went to a qualifying tournament in Jordan. In my first fight, I faced an opponent from Thailand. Based on physical characteristics and appearance, I believed...

Ticket sales for matchday three of the UEFA Champions League between Kazakhstan’s Kairat and Cypriot Pafos started on Oct. 13 at 12:30 p.m. on Freedom Ticketon, as reported by the ticket sales platform’s press service.

The seller also noted that it was actively combating scalpers and enhancing its technical capabilities.

«Based on the experience of organizing large-scale events, the company has enhanced its technical capabilities, improved UX scenarios in the app, and introduced additional tools to monitor traffic and security,» the press service said in a statement.

Last week, Pafos launched official two-day charter...

China has accused the U.S. of «double standards» after President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said such actions could prompt «countermeasures,» adding that China «is not afraid» of a potential trade conflict, according to the BBC.

The comments followed Trump’s remarks on Friday, when he criticized China’s tightened export controls on rare earth materials, accusing Beijing of «hostile» behavior and suggesting he might cancel an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

However, Trump later sought to ease tensions, saying on social media that the...

American singer Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continue to fuel romance rumors after photos of the two embracing surfaced in media.

According to the Daily Mail, Perry was lounging on a yacht deck in a black swimsuit while Trudeau was shirtless and wearing jeans. The photos appear to show the pair hugging and kissing on the upper deck. The outlet reported that the images were taken off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

The pictures, reportedly captured by a tourist on a passing whale-watching boat, emerged in late September. One eyewitness told the publication that...

The Dutch government has made what it describes as a rare move to step in at Nexperia, a China-owned semiconductor manufacturer based in the Netherlands. Officials say they acted because of risks to national and European economic security, according to the BBC.

Following this decision, officials invoked the Goods Availability Act after observing «acute signals of serious governance shortcomings» with the company’s operations. The Act is a significant legal tool because it enables the government to intervene in extraordinary situations to protect the interests of national economic security.

The government aims to ensure that Nexperia’s chip supply remains...

The Nobel Institute has launched an internal investigation after a suspicious surge in bets on Venezuelan opposition politician María Corina Machado as the future Nobel Peace Prize laureate. This was confirmed by the institute’s head, Christian Berg Harpviken, in comments to Aftenposten.

Suspicious increase in bets

According to Deutsche Welle, bets on Machado on Polymarket, a blockchain-based prediction market, soared hours before the laureate was officially announced. Her odds of winning rose from 3.75% to 72.8% just two hours before the results were revealed.

One reported bet totaled $67,000. Until then, Machado was not among the...

BMW has strengthened its position in the global auto market, once again surpassing Mercedes-Benz in vehicle sales. The rivalry between the two German automakers has lasted for decades. By the end of the first three quarters of 2025, the gap between them reached more than 33%, according to Reuters.

BMW posts record results

In the third quarter of 2025, BMW sold 588,300 vehicles, an 8.8% year-on-year (YoY) increase. This growth followed robust demand in Europe (+9.3%) and the U.S. (+24.9%), extending BMW’s momentum.

Mercedes-Benz loses ground

In contrast, Mercedes-Benz faced a difficult third quarter, shipping 441,500 vehicles, a...

The Norwegian Nobel Committee named Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado a laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 10, Reuters reported. The committee acknowledged Machado’s dedication to advancing democratic rights and her fight to bring about a democratic transition in her country.

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Machado stood up for free and fair elections more than 20 years ago as a founder of Súmate, an organization devoted to democratic development. Notably, ahead of the 2024 election, Machado was the opposition’s presidential candidate, but her candidacy was blocked. So she backed another opposition representative...

A new attraction for thrill-seekers has opened in China’s Guizhou Province: a dizzying 625-meter bungee jump from the Huajiang Canyon Bridge, which soars above the canyon. Promoted as one of the world’s most extreme sites, it draws adventurers worldwide.

The price per jump is reportedly about $400. Organizers said that demand soared in the days after opening, with reservations vanishing weeks in advance as visitors rushed in to experience what they called “flying over the abyss.”

Residents of the city of Ridder in the East Kazakhstan region have reported increasingly frequent encounters with bears right in front of their homes. The wild animals are destroying fences, raiding apiaries and turning suburban areas into their habitats, making locals afraid to go outside in the evenings, 24.kz reported.

Residents say there have been noticeably more bears recently. According to the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, around 4,500 bears inhabit East Kazakhstan, nearly twice as many as five years ago.

One of the reasons cited for the bear migration is a lack of food in the mountains...

John Gurdon, the British biologist known as the «godfather of cloning,» has died at 92, according to United Press International, citing the Gurdon Institute.

«John was a visionary in the field of developmental biology whose pioneering work on nuclear transfer in frogs addressed one of the most fundamental questions in biology — whether genetic information is retained or lost during development — and paved the way for ground-breaking advances in biomedical research, from stem cell biology to mouse genetics and IVF,» the institute said in a statement.

Although Gurdon did not invent nuclear...

Japan Football Association (JFA) technical director Masanaga Kageyama has received a suspended prison sentence in France for possessing and viewing child sexual abuse material, L’Équipe reported.

Kageyama was detained at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris while traveling to Chile for the Under-20 World Cup. According to Le Parisien, flight attendants reported seeing him view the material on his laptop during the flight.

In court, the 58-year-old admitted guilt and expressed regret, claiming he was unaware that such content was illegal in France.

Sentence

Kageyama was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence and fined €5,000 for importing...

On Oct. 10, Kazakhstan’s National Bank raised its base rate by 1.5 percentage points (p.p.) to 18%, with a range of +/–1 p.p.

The previous level of 16.5% was set in March 2025 and maintained following the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee meetings in April, June, July and August.

The regulator said inflation growth has been recorded across all key indicators. Annual inflation accelerated to 12.9% in September 2025, exceeding the National Bank’s forecast.

However, the National Bank did not rule out further monetary tightening if the current base rate proves insufficient to stabilize inflation.