News

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.

Kazakhstan is introducing a temporary permitting procedure for the import of slot machines, a measure aimed at combating illegal and problem gambling, the government’s press office reported.

Under the new rules, only organizations holding a state gambling license will be allowed to import slot machines.

Last summer, Kazakhstan tightened gambling regulations, banning gambling for government employees, military personnel and debtors. The country also prohibited outdoor advertising for bookmakers and the installation of lottery terminals in residential buildings, schools and hospitals.

Kursiv.media’s previous reporting highlighted that the number of legal casinos in Kazakhstan has fallen

On Oct. 9, the Algeria national football team defeated Somalia 3-0 as visitors, with goals from Mohamed Amoura (7’) and Riyad Mahrez (19’), securing its spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup and marking the fifth successful qualification for the team.

More African national teams are on their way to the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The first to qualify were Morocco and Tunisia. On Oct. 8, Egypt secured its place after a 3-0 win over Djibouti, in a similar fashion to Algeria — against a group outsider.

The brace for Algeria was scored by Mohamed Amoura, forward for German...

With the Nobel Peace Prize announcement nearing, Norwegian officials are preparing for potential diplomatic tensions if Donald Trump is not chosen, according to The Guardian.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it made its decision earlier this week, before the recent Gaza ceasefire linked to Trump’s plan. Experts told Norwegian media that Trump is unlikely to win the award because the decision was made before the award was announced.

Norwegian politicians are cautious about Trump’s possible reaction if he is not chosen. Kirsti Bergstø, who leads the Socialist Left Party, said Oslo should be prepared for any result. She explained...

Kazakhstan’s stock market capitalization reached 39.6 trillion tenge (about $72 billion) as of Sept. 1, 2025. The figure grew 5.1% in August and 20.4% year to date.

Shares of companies listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) index — Kaspi.kz (+6.6%), Kazatomprom (+8.7%) and ForteBank (+15.5%) — were the main contributors to this growth, according to the Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market.

In August, the KASE index rose 9% to 6,993 points and has gained 25.4% since the start of the year. However, equity trading volume fell 12.2% to nearly...

Kazakhstani e-scooter sharing company JET plans to launch a self-driving taxi service in 2027, JET Group founder Meirambek Abelkassov told Kursiv Cars.

Other companies have tried to launch taxi services in Kazakhstan but were unsuccessful, whereas JET claims it has found a formula capable of changing the market rules.

«JET is not developing just another ride-hailing app, but an end-to-end transport SuperApp, where taxi services are part of a larger ecosystem,» Abelkassov said.

According to him, the new platform will be more than merely a ride-hailing service, but a unified system for convenient travel...

Eurosport journalist Guillaume Di Grazia has died at age 52 following an accident during a bullfighting event in southern France, RMC Sport reported.

Di Grazia was seriously injured during an abrivado, a traditional event in the Gard department in which bulls are driven through the streets under the supervision of mounted riders. While he avoided the bulls, he was unexpectedly struck by a horse, according to local reports.

He was taken to a nearby hospital with severe injuries and died two days later.

Di Grazia had celebrated his 52nd birthday on Oct. 4. He joined Eurosport in...

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed the reason behind his icy swim in Lake Kolsai, located in southeastern Kazakhstan, during his journey around the country’s landmarks.

The businessman posted a video in his Stories on his Russian-language Telegram channel, where he is seen walking into the water to remove a piece of garbage.

«Spotted and removed an iron rod from the bottom of a mountain lake in Kazakhstan,» the caption read.

Interestingly, a similar video appeared on the internet earlier, and it is likely AI-generated. Probably, Durov decided to joke with Kazakhstanis who had been...

China has imposed new restrictions on exports of rare earth elements. These materials are key to advanced technologies. The move expands China’s control over a supply chain vital to global manufacturing, as the country produces about 61% of the world’s rare earth supply and handles over 90% of the industry’s processing, according to the BBC.

China’s Commerce Ministry announced new rules requiring foreign companies to obtain government approval for exporting products with rare earths. Companies must also disclose the intended use of these materials. Beijing stated the measures are meant to protect national security. Chinese companies now...

The value of Kazakhstan’s net international reserves reached $55.5 billion at the end of September 2025, according to data released by the National Bank. Soaring gold prices played a major role in the increase.

The reserves increased by $3.3 billion (6.3%) month-on-month. Since the start of the year, they have grown by nearly $12 billion, representing a 27.4% increase.

Kazakhstan’s international reserves comprise assets held in freely convertible currencies (FCC) and monetary gold. Assets in FCC fell 8.4% in September, or about $1.6 billion, to $18 billion, marking an 18.2% decline since January.

In contrast, the value of...

Realme has unveiled a new limited edition of the Realme 15 Pro 5G, inspired by “Game of Thrones.” This device is dedicated to House Targaryen from the franchise’s universe. Its design follows the “Fire & Blood” style, featuring the effect of fiery dragon breath.

The smartphone case combines black and gold and is decorated with the Targaryen sigil — a three-headed dragon. The main feature of the device is its heat-sensitive back: when the temperature exceeds 44°C, the cover changes color from black to red.

Specifications

The “Game of Thrones” theme extends to the smartphone’s UI, offering...

Utility workers in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, have begun spreading poison to kill rats near residential areas and public spaces, prompting concern about visible red granules in easily accessible locations.

Residents are concerned that stray animals, birds, and children could be exposed to the poison, which has also been found in parks that serve as habitats for Almaty’s symbolic squirrels.

The Almaty mayor’s office insists that the poison poses no risk to people or most animals, noting that it contains bitter-tasting bromadiolone to deter non-target species and requires multiple granules for effective poisoning.

City officials...

New York City has filed a lawsuit against major social media companies, including the parent firms of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube and Google. The city accuses these companies of contributing to a mental health crisis among young people, as reported by Euronews.

The 327-page complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court, claims the platforms intentionally designed addictive features such as endless content feeds and constant notifications, despite knowing their harmful effects on children and teenagers. The city alleges the companies prioritized profit over user well-being and ignored research linking excessive social media use to anxiety, depression and low self-esteem.

A woman in her 60s died after a medical emergency on Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday ride, according to the United Press International.

After the woman became unresponsive on the ride, Disneyland security started CPR and emergency crews transported her to a local hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Authorities stated that the ride had no operational issues and reopened shortly after the incident. The woman’s name and cause of death have not been made public.

The Haunted Mansion, in New Orleans Square, debuted in 1969. Its seasonal “Holiday” version, inspired by “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” is currently...

Japan’s university admissions process includes an element that often surprises outsiders — the practice of charging «multiple enrollment fees,» a recent report on Eastasiaforum.org highlighted. At many private institutions, students who receive an acceptance offer must pay a nonrefundable enrollment fee, typically ranging from $1,360 to $2,040. This payment is separate from tuition and serves as a deposit to hold a place in the incoming class.

Financial strain on families

Ryo Konishi, a research fellow at the Graduate School of Regional Innovation Studies at Mie University, notes that roughly 75% of Japan’s college students attend private universities...

Indian authorities arrested the owner of Chennai-based Sresan Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, whose cough syrup is linked to at least 17 child deaths in Madhya Pradesh, according to Reuters.

The children, all under the age of five, reportedly died after taking «Coldrif,» a cough syrup later confirmed by lab tests to contain toxic levels of diethylene glycol, nearly 500 times above the legal limit. Following the test results, authorities banned the product in several regions.

After earlier incidents in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon linked Indian syrups to child deaths, additional export testing requirements were introduced in 2023. Indian law already...

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced two preseason games between the Brooklyn Nets and the Phoenix Suns in Macau, marking the league debut in the world’s largest gaming hub and its return to China, Reuters reported.

The matches are scheduled for Oct. 10 and Oct. 12 at the Venetian Arena under a five-year contract with Sands China, the Macau subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands, following the NBA’s absence since 2019 due to controversy over the Hong Kong protests, when then-Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey supported pro-democracy demonstrations on social media.

The NBA also announced a five-day, free-to-enter...