$399 Roboducks take over social media: 20,000 orders in 24 hours and a 6-month backlog
The demonstration of the quirky Microduck robots on stage at GTC Berlin became the internet’s biggest sensation, turning a serious presentation by AI giants into a viral triumph. Hugging Face co-founder Thomas Wolf announced that the desktop robot ducks generated $1 million in sales in a single day, quickly soaring to $2.6 million, proving that behind this cute toy lies a cutting-edge tool for exploring embodied AI.
A South African writer has created more than 370 books using AI in 20 months
Coral Hart — a pseudonym she uses to protect her real name — told AFP in an interview she had received ’tens of thousands’ of hate messages and several death threats.
Belarus delivers 27,900 new apartments in January-September 2026
In January-September 2026, companies of all forms of ownership built 27,900 apartments. A total of 2.7 million square meters of the total area of housing were commissioned, BelTA learned from the National Statistical Committee.
Contemporary Istanbul art fair draws 38,500 visitors
Contemporary Istanbul, Türkiye’s international contemporary art fair, brought together 70 galleries from 16 countries, 736 artists and 1,372 artworks for its 21st edition.
New chief introduced to Belarus’ MART staff
Belarus’ First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov introduced the new head, Aleksandr Yakovchits, to the staff of the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) on 29 September, BelTA has learned.
Lukashenko sends birthday greetings to People’s Artist of RSFSR Alla Demidova
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has extended birthday greetings to People’s Artist of the RSFSR Alla Demidova, BelTA learned from the press service of the Belarusian leader.
Asim Khan wins Pakistan’s first-ever Asian Games MMA medal
Pakistan’s Asim Khan made history by winning a bronze medal in mixed martial arts (MMA) at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026, securing the country’s first-ever medal in the sport at the continental multi-sport event.
VIDEOBEL.BY: Two years on air. Bloggers, new formats, plans to reach out to foreign audience
The multimedia portal VIDEOBEL. BY has turned two years old. A celebratory event took place at the Naif Arts Museum in Minsk. Representatives of the Belarusian Information Ministry, heads of mass media outlets, journalists, and bloggers came to congratulate the web portal on its birthday, BelTA has learned.
ArtMasters Open International Competition announces winners in «Film» and «Music»
The results of the first ArtMasters Open international competition at the 2026 International Festival of Youth in Ekaterinburg have been announced. The winners in the «Film» and «Music» categories were selected by a jury following the pitching of creative projects by the finalist teams.
Roadmaps, new projects. Belarus, China stepping up cooperation in science, technology, industry
Belarus and China are strengthening their partnership. The matter was discussed during the Belarusian-Chinese forum Industry Unites Eurasia, which took place on the sidelines of the 5th exhibition of Chinese goods and services, BelTA has learned.