News

Pierre Gasly’s penalties for speeding in the pit lane during the Monaco Grand Prix have been reinstated following a hearing before the FIA International Court of Appeal.

The FIA announced the decision on Thursday after the court heard the case in Paris on August 25. The ruling restores the sanctions imposed on the Alpine driver during the race.

Gasly received two five-second time penalties for different speeding offences in the pit lane, resulting in a total 10-second penalty. The FIA’s updated classification lists the French driver seventh, with the revised penalties included in the official results.

The case...

Uzbekistan accounted for 76% of the 58 venture deals tracked across the CIS, excluding Russia, in the first half of 2026, according to fresh research by DSIGHT consultancy. All three M&A and exit events in the report’s regional sample occurred in Kazakhstan, illustrating how far Tashkent’s startup market still is from a full investment cycle.

The key takeaway for international investors in the Venture Eurasia H1 2026 report is the contrast between investors finding an escape route in Kazakhstan, the only market in the sample to do so during the period, while Uzbekistan has created the region’s most active...

Former NewJeans member Danielle has taken her first public step towards an independent future by launching a personal YouTube channel while facing an ongoing legal dispute with her former agency ADOR.

The Australian-born K-pop singer uploaded her first video, titled Detour, to the channel Dazzibelle on Thursday. The video shows Danielle speaking to viewers beside a lake in Australia, where she has been spending time with her family.

«I’ve really, really missed my home,» she said. «The nature, the ocean and of course my family.»

Danielle said returning home had given her an...

Google has released the Stephen Curry Special Edition of its Pixel Watch 5, bringing a bespoke aesthetic and tailored accessories to the company’s wearable lineup.

Initially held back while other variants rolled out following the product’s debut, the athlete-branded model is now on sale for $579.99.

The special variant carries a $50 markup over the standard 45mm LTE configuration, which retails at $529.99. Rather than introducing distinct internal hardware, the price difference covers a unique design package curated alongside the four-time NBA champion.

The device features a 45mm Satin Pyrite case paired with an exclusive Google Performance Loop band...

Foreign visitors booking through local operators will receive medical or accident cover, although the measure does not introduce a new insurance check at the border. 

The Kyrgyz government decree from 28 August requires the measure to enter into force ten days after its official publication. It applies to tour operators rather than to travellers directly. Kyrgyzstan’s Tourism Law already states that tourism businesses must arrange medical or accident insurance through licensed national insurers. 

The novelty is not a new visa or border-entry condition, and the government has not...

Magnus Carlsen and Uzbekistan’s world championship challenger Javokhir Sindarov are scheduled to lock horns at least twice during the fourth season of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League in Bengaluru.

Modelled directly on cricket’s Indian Premier League, the franchise competition brings together elite grandmasters in an innovative team format that is designed to modernise professional chess.

The tournament runs from September 5 to 13 in India’s technology capital, concluding just two days before the massive 400-team Chess Olympiad opens in Samarkand. Carlsen returns to the league to lead the defending champions Alpine APL Pipers on the top icon...

Executives warned that Europe’s biggest carmaker could slip into losses without an immediate change of course, and Volkswagen approved its toughest rescue plan in its 89-year history, according to Bild newspaper.

«Today we decide the survival of the Volkswagen Group,» said an internal memo seen by the media outlet. The language is extraordinary for a company that employs around 663,000 people worldwide, including 284,000 in Germany, and remains the historic backbone of the country’s car industry.

Bild reported that about 95% of the management proposal survived negotiations. Volkswagen’s supervisory board later...

Following the commercial success of Apple‘s MacBook Neo released in March, industry reports point towards a second-generation model slated for 2027. The upcoming MacBook Neo 2 aims to address the hardware limitations of its predecessor while retaining an affordable price point.

The upcoming machine will transition from the current A18 Pro silicon to an A19 Pro processor. Industry analysts indicate Apple plans to use a binned variant featuring a five-core GPU equipped with dedicated neural accelerators rather than the six-core configuration found in flagship mobile devices.

This processing jump delivers single-core and multi-core CPU gains of...

Ravshan Amirov, from Samarkand, has completed a gruelling solo bicycle expedition from Uzbekistan to China and is now returning home. The 39-year-old journalist started his journey from the historic Registan Square on 1 August and took 23 days to cross some of Central Asia’s toughest terrain to reach Kashgar.

Amirov has already covered approximately 3,000 kilometres during his unsupported expedition. The route took him across the formidable Pamir Mountains before he eventually crossed the border between Tajikistan and China.

To manage the remote and desolate stretches of his journey, the cyclist travelled independently with a tent and a...

A 26-year-old Singaporean athlete faces potential prison time following accusations of shoplifting from a major sports retailer, CNA reports. Despite having no known prior criminal record, Keane Ko Wen Qiang is currently navigating judicial proceedings regarding property crimes.

Authorities assert the national distance runner misappropriated KD900X footwear priced at $110 in July 2025. He allegedly returned to the same Kallang commercial outlet in September to take $25 worth of practice markers. Following an initial docket appearance on July 1, the defendant must attend a subsequent hearing scheduled for October 2.

Under domestic statutes governing theft within a dwelling, penalties...

Mexican voice actor and dubbing director Francisco Reséndez, best known as the Latin American Spanish voice of Scooby-Doo, has died at the age of 85.

Reséndez, widely known as Don Paco, died on 2 September, although news of his death was confirmed publicly a day later. The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Reséndez provided the Latin American Spanish voice for the famous Great Dane in several productions, including The Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo Show. He also appeared in animated films such as Scooby-Doo and the Boo Brothers, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School and Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf.

The cost of an upgrade comes back into focus at Apple’s annual presentation on 9 September. Ahead of the event, Kursiv Uzbekistan looked at how the current iPhone 17 Pro’s price compares with average net salaries across Central Asia, only to find that the numbers really do tell a story. 

That’s the difference between about two and a half monthly salaries in Kazakhstan and nearly ten in Turkmenistan — before spending a dime on food, housing or other essentials.

Kazakhstan offers the shortest route to an iPhone

Kursiv used the listed local price of an...

OpenAI President and cofounder Greg Brockman believes the world may have entered the era of artificial general intelligence, following the release of the company’s new GPT-6 Astra model.

Speaking to reporters after OpenAI unveiled Astra, Brockman said he personally viewed the model as a potential turning point in the development of AI systems capable of matching or surpassing human performance across a broad range of tasks.

«It’s not unreasonable to feel that we are now in the AGI era,» Brockman said.

He added that, looking back in several years, people may identify the...

Uzbek citizens will have to obtain a visa before travelling to Thailand from 15 September, losing both the 60-day exemption and the option of receiving a visa on arrival.

The current 60-day visa-free regime will remain available through 14 September, the Uzbek Consulate General in Bangkok confirmed. From the following day, Uzbek citizens travelling for tourism will need to obtain a visa before departure.

Uzbekistan is now seeking to make the procedure less burdensome. «We are negotiating with the Thai side about changing this procedure,» Foreign Ministry spokesperson Omonulla Fayziev told Kursiv Uzbekistan.

Applications must be submitted through Thailand’s...

Gloria Steinem, the American writer, lecturer, activist and organiser who fought for gender equality and women’s civil rights for more than five decades, has died. She was 92.

Her foundation announced the death on Thursday via an Instagram post, confirming that she died on Wednesday.

Recognised for her signature centre-parted hair and aviator glasses, Steinem became a glamorous symbol of the second-wave feminist movement. She considered herself an entrepreneur of social change, famously stating that she learned feminism primarily from Black women and women of colour.

In 2013, then-President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the...

Russian blogger Ksenia Ermokhina is attempting to contact Miley Cyrus‘ team after the singer’s rebrand drew attention to an old X account using the handle @miley.

The Novorossiysk native Ermokhina claimed that the English-speaking users started pressuring her to give up her username to Cyrus after she hadn’t used the account for seven years. The conflict started when the singer started introducing herself online as Miley rather than by her surname.

As she ushers in a new artistic era and promotes her upcoming album, Cyrus has lately gone by a single name across all of her social media platforms.

The Odyssey has emerged as the film to beat in The Hollywood Reporter’s first forecast for the 2027 Oscars, leading its Best Picture and Best Director rankings. But the more interesting calls range from John Malkovich in an offbeat CIA comedy to the directing duo behind Project Hail Mary.

The campaign calendar is set in stone. Best Picture and general entries will close on 12 November, nomination voting will take place between 11 and 15 January next year, and nominees will be announced on 21 January. 

The final voting occurs between 25 February and 4 March...

Madrid’s new Madring circuit is days away from hosting its first Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix, but its journey to the calendar has been far from straightforward.

The €83mn project has faced construction concerns, protests and legal challenges from residents, a chaotic Formula 3 test and, most recently, the theft of electrical cables from the circuit. Madrid and regional authorities have nevertheless insisted that the venue will be ready for the September 11-13 race weekend.

Questions over the construction timetable emerged months before the race. In May, work on the circuit was still underway, and the asphalt had not yet...

Tashkent is considering a new joint venture with leading foreign engineering companies to improve management and independent supervision of its $9.5bn nuclear power station currently under construction.

The proposal emerged during President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s review of construction progress at the plant in the Jizzakh region on 2 September.

«To improve project management, strengthen technical control and conduct an independent review of technological solutions, it was proposed to create a joint venture,» the presidential press service said. 

No details have been released about who owns the venture, what its responsibilities are...

Apple is preparing to implement its most drastic design overhaul in nearly a decade with the upcoming iPhone Ultra. Set for an official unveiling on 10 September, the company’s first foldable flagship will abandon the signature pill-shaped cutout and Face ID technology in favour of a single hole-punch display.

Recent leaked images of screen covers for the iPhone Ultra and the iPhone 18 Pro series reveal a dramatic shift in Apple’s design philosophy. Since the introduction of the iPhone X in 2017, the tech giant has relied on complex facial recognition modules that required prominent screen notches. However...

South Korean actor Lee Jong-suk has withdrawn from his planned starring role in the upcoming romance drama “Iseop’s Romance”. The actor’s agency, ACE Factory, announced the departure on September 3, citing unavoidable scheduling conflicts that arose after the project’s production timeline shifted.

According to the agency’s statement, Lee had been involved with the adaptation since its early planning and development stages. However, unexpected adjustments to the filming schedule made it impossible for him to participate while accommodating his other future commitments.

Following extensive discussions with the production team, both parties agreed he would step down from the male lead...

Uzbekistan has introduced conditional visa-free entry for Indian citizens holding qualifying multiple-entry business or tourist visas. Eligible travellers may stay for up to 30 days.

The measure took effect on 1 September under Presidential Decree PF-180, signed on 29 August, according to the Ministry of Justice’s press release. Travellers must also present a flight ticket to India or a third country.

The decree provides the details behind the 30-day visa-free regime announced following talks between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The leaders also said 14 flights a week were operating between the countries.

Despite returning to the superhero genre to massive acclaim three years ago, Andrew Garfield maintains that his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is over for now.

The actor has firmly stated he will not appear in the upcoming ensemble blockbuster “Avengers: Doomsday” and confessed he has yet to watch the newly released “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”.

During recent interviews, the Oscar-nominated star addressed ongoing speculation about his involvement in Marvel’s expanding multiverse. When asked about a potential cameo alongside Tobey Maguire in the next Avengers instalment, Garfield gave a blunt denial.

Andrew Garfield says...

The US Department of Defense has released comprehensive clinical guidelines enacting a mandatory testosterone screening programme for military personnel. Taking effect immediately, the policy targets active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and over.

Initiated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following his July directive, the mandate aims to identify hormone deficiencies and optimise combat readiness. The Pentagon’s health guidance describes testosterone levels as a critical biological marker directly impacting physical strength, bone density, aerobic fitness, depressive symptoms and cardiovascular health.

The High-T Department of War. pic.twitter.com/hlAUq3j2cD

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth...