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The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay had a playful offer for her audience earlier on Friday: keep the applause coming and she might share the world’s most prestigious award with the US president Donald Trump.

The 85-year-old South African was attending an international law summit in Nuremberg. Amnesty International secretary-general Agnès Callamard recorded her reaction and posted it on X.

«I don’t know about this, so my question is, is this true? Your applause is very important to me. But, being a lawyer and a judge, I still want to verify this thing,» Pillay was heard saying.

Russian tech channel Rozetked has conducted an extensive battery test of Apple‘s latest smartphones, comparing seven iPhone models to determine how the new generation performs against its predecessors.

The experiment focused on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, including versions with physical SIM cards and eSIM-only configurations. The reviewers also examined whether Apple’s claims about improved battery life hold up under identical testing conditions.

All seven devices ran iOS 27.0.1 with their screens set to maximum brightness. Wi-Fi, automatic brightness adjustment and True Tone were disabled, while the phones continuously streamed TikTok videos...

Navanethem «Navi» Pillay, the South African former UN human rights chief whose legal career spanned apartheid and international genocide trials, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

Pillay, 85, served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Before that, she was a judge at the International Criminal Court and president of the UN tribunal established to prosecute those responsible for the Rwanda genocide, according to her UN biography.

One of her most consequential contributions came in 1998, when she was among the judges who convicted former Rwandan mayor Jean-Paul Akayesu. The landmark...

Max Verstappen enters the 2026 Singapore Grand Prix with renewed hopes of claiming his first victory at Marina Bay, thanks to Red Bull‘s turnaround that helped him secure his first win of the season in Malaysia.

The result followed months of improvements to Red Bull’s RB22, which struggled with balance and performance earlier in the season.

However, Verstappen remains cautious about his prospects in Singapore, a circuit where he has never won despite finishing second three times.

“We’re going to try, that’s for sure. It’s always complicated on...

Apple is scaling back plans to manufacture the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max after demand fell below expectations. It has asked suppliers to produce up to 20% fewer components for the two models.

According to Nikkei Asia, the company has taken a more cautious approach to shipments since early September. Several suppliers have received component orders for October that are 15% to 20% below initial expectations.

“In October alone, we are seeing orders from Apple reducing by 15% to 20% for both the premium models; we don’t know how things would...

Donald Trump wants it. Sudanese volunteers could win it. Even the partnership keeping the International Space Station in orbit is being tipped for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, whose winner will be announced on October 9. Kursiv Uzbekistan tells of (even the least obvious) contenders for the most prestigious international award this year. 

The names attracting attention range from presidents to people running communal kitchens in a war zone. Their cases raise a question at the heart of the award: should it recognise diplomatic breakthroughs, the protection of civilians or cooperation that survives when relations between governments break down?

The...

American YouTube creator MrBeast has arrived in Uzbekistan ahead of an exclusive fan event in Tashkent, marking his first visit to Central Asia.

Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, arrived at Tashkent International Airport on October 9, where he greeted people and posed for photographs. His production team had reached the Uzbek capital several days earlier and filmed at locations around the city.

The crew has also been spotted...

BTS leader RM has issued a direct appeal to fans gathered outside the band’s accommodation in Lima, warning that the constant noise is severely impacting the group’s ability to prepare for their upcoming concerts.

In a late-night social media post, the musician expressed frustration over crowds stationed outside their hotel. While acknowledging his excitement for the group’s debut visit to Peru, he noted the situation was causing significant distress for both members and touring staff. The persistent gathering has also generated noise issues and inconvenienced other hotel guests.

Gathering outside...

A police officer on Jeju Island faces dismissal after investigators discovered he fabricated records to prematurely close missing persons cases, a dereliction of duty that preceded the discovery of two dead victims.

The Jeju Seobu Police Station disciplinary committee voted to dismiss the officer, a man in his 30s surnamed Bu, marking the most severe penalty available within the South Korean police force. Authorities indicted him in September on charges of falsifying public electronic records, drafting false official documents and dereliction of duty.

The scandal emerged after the family of 37-year-old...

Version 7.1, A Rekviem for the Underworld, delivers some of the biggest revelations in Genshin Impact since the introduction of the Descenders, the Heavenly Principles and Khaenri’ah.

Here’s what happened in Acts III and IV, followed by the lore implications and theories gaining attention in the community:

The UK has sanctioned three companies in Kyrgyzstan, including a payment firm linked to the country’s Finance Ministry, over business transactions it said support or benefit the Russian government.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has updated the UK Sanctions List on 8 October, adding Bishkek-based Processing KG, TokenSpot and Tsunami Payments. The sanctions included imposing asset freezes and barring UK financial institutions from processing payments to, from or through them. Processing KG director Ulan Bukabaev was also sanctioned.

The official notice lists Kyrgyzstan’s Finance Ministry as Processing KG’s parent. Britain said it...

South Korea has become Ukraine’s first like-minded nation to recall its ambassador since 2022. A broader rupture could jeopardise the aid and reconstruction funding that Kyiv has been receiving from Seoul, and here is exactly how much. 

South Korean foreign minister Cho Hyun said Tuesday he had received a message from his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha that included an apology but that it fell short of Seoul’s expectations. Cho said the government intended to take “firm measures.”

“The government has decided to recall its ambassador to Ukraine to Seoul,” the foreign ministry said in a statement

Anne Carson, the Canadian poet, whose books combine ancient Greek myths with modern stories of love, grief and desire, has won the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Swedish Academy announced on Thursday.

The announcement in Stockholm on 8 October honoured Carson «for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.»

BREAKING NEWS The 2026 #NobelPrize in Literature is awarded to the Canadian author Anne Carson, «for her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for...

Abdukodir Khusanov leads the Premier League’s players from former Soviet republics by estimated market value, with Transfermarkt valuing him at €50 million in its October update.

The Man City centre-back’s valuation rose by €15 million from €35 million — an increase of almost 43%. The figure puts the 22-year-old €18 million ahead of his nearest challenger in the regional ranking. Transfermarkt’s profile dated the previous assessment to June 3, 2026.

Digital creators in Uzbekistan currently generate an estimated $15mn annually through Google‘s advertising network, yet virtually none of that income comes from their domestic audience due to the platform’s lack of local monetisation tools.

Speaking to Kursiv Uzbekistan, Igor Shevchenko, chief operating officer and head of YouTube relations at the international creator network Yoola, explained that this structural gap leaves views in Uzbekistan entirely unmonetised.

Because local traffic yields no advertising revenue, domestic video producers are forced to cultivate overseas audiences or depend heavily on direct brand integrations to sustain their channels.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s message to Lionel Messi after the Argentine ended his international career has triggered another round of debate between supporters of football’s two defining stars.

Ronaldo was among the biggest names to comment on Messi’s Instagram farewell post, writing in Spanish:

«Leo, so many years defending your country and a story that will be remembered forever. All my respect for what you have achieved with Argentina. A hug.»

The comment quickly became a discussion of its own, attracting millions of likes and thousands of replies. Many fans focused less...

Kanye West received about $20 million in advance payments for two St Petersburg concerts that will not take place as scheduled, according to business daily Kommersant. It emerged as ticket holders struggle to claim their refunds.

The $20-million payment was not entirely Kanye West’s fee: it also covered expenses such as staff costs, one industry source told the paper. Another said the contract probably allowed him to retain the money. Those contractual terms have not been independently verified.

Say Agency, a Moscow-based concert organiser, claimed it sold more than 100,000 tickets in two days, with prices ranging from...

Samsung’s One UI 9 update is giving Galaxy S26 owners a new set of AI features, customisation tools and productivity upgrades as the company expands its Android 17-based software.

Samsung began rolling out the stable version of One UI 9 to the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra on September 16. The software had previously debuted on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8 and Flip 8.

For S26 users, however, the update is less of a complete redesign than an expansion of features introduced with One UI 8.5. Some camera and interface tools were...

Nana Patekar, whose career stretched from fierce dramatic performances to the much-loved gangster Uday Shetty in Welcome, has died aged 75 in Goa. The actor won three National Film Awards and became one of the most recognisable faces of Hindi and Marathi cinema.

His son, Malhar, confirmed the death to The Indian Express. NDTV reported that Patekar suffered a cardiac arrest at his Goa residence and was declared dead early on Thursday, 8 October, after doctors attempted to revive him.

Born Vishwanath Patekar in the state of Maharashtra in 1951, he made his film debut in Gaman in...

Uzbekistan was the world’s third-largest reported central bank gold buyer from January to August 2026, adding nearly 50 tonnes. Gold now accounts for 90% of its international reserves.

The country’s Central Bank bought eight tonnes in August, taking its holdings to about 439 tonnes, according to the World Gold Council’s October 6 update.

Only Poland and China reported larger net purchases over the eight months, with 98 and 80 tonnes, respectively. Kazakhstan followed Uzbekistan with about 36 tonnes. The ranking considers reported purchases rather than the size of a country’s gold holdings.

Central banks were net...

The World Bank has lifted its forecast for Uzbekistan’s economic growth to 7.9% in 2026, up from 6.4%, due to stronger household demand, rising incomes and investment. The upgrade puts the country among the fastest-growing economies in the Bank’s Europe and Central Asia region, where growth is broadly weakening.

The new projection, published in its October economic update, is 1.5 percentage points above the previous forecast. It would also mark a modest acceleration from Uzbekistan’s 7.7% expansion in 2025.

The Bank attributes the improvement to wage growth outpacing inflation, employment gains, robust remittances and investment in...

Valtteri Bottas has arrived in Singapore after cycling more than 400 kilometres from Malaysia over four days, completing an unconventional journey between two Formula 1 race weekends.

The Cadillac driver crossed the Causeway from Johor into Singapore on Wednesday, October 7, after setting off from Sepang International Circuit on Sunday night. Malaysian cyclist Shaiful Nizam Yahya, known as Epul, accompanied him on the journey.

Early reports described the trip as a 350-kilometre ride, referring to the approximate distance between Sepang and Singapore. Bottas’ actual route was considerably longer.

His first Strava activity covered 56.6 kilometres...

Russia says no plague cases have been confirmed in the Irkutsk region, but the death of a laboratory worker and mounting reports of a second patient remain unexplained publicly. Here are the biggest unknowns that make it difficult to understand what really happened. 

Daria Shipilova, 28, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute and died in hospital in nearby Shelekhov on 2 October, according to local independent media outlet Lyudi Baikala. Around 200 contacts were placed under observation. Russia’s health watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, described her illness as pneumonia of...

Kazakhstan plans to raise the level of the North Aral Sea to 44 metres above the Baltic height-system reference point as part of a new phase of efforts to restore the shrinking lake.

The existing Kokaral Dam maintains the North Aral at roughly the 42-metre mark, with the new project effectively targeting an increase of about two metres.

The government said on October 7 that it had developed the next restoration phase with the World Bank. The project involves rebuilding the Kokaral Dam, which separates the North Aral Sea in Kazakhstan from the largely dried southern...