– African countries are feeling the economic fallout of the US-Israel war on Iran, with rising fuel and fertiliser prices threatening food security, trade officials have warned. Ministers from the region and a senior UN trade official raised the concerns
– India and Poland agreed to double their bilateral trade by 2030 after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in New Delhi. The target was one of four announcements in a list of outcomes
– 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%
– South Korea’s exports more than doubled from a year earlier in the first 20 days of October, reaching $61.6 billion on record semiconductor shipments. The Korea Customs Service released the data on Wednesday. Average daily exports, measured by working
– Brent crude touched $110 a barrel on Friday for the first time since May as escalating Middle East tensions raised fears of tighter supplies. Brent futures for December delivery settled $3.94, or 3.7%, higher at $109.86, the highest close
Technology
– 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