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China is preparing to introduce a new law that would require the use of Mandarin Chinese as the primary language in education and public life, a move critics say could restrict linguistic rights for ethnic minorities.

The proposed Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, expected to be discussed during the annual meeting of China’s parliament, aims to strengthen national unity and standardise language use across the country.

Under the draft legislation, Mandarin would become the main language for core subjects in schools and universities, while minority languages would still be allowed as secondary subjects. The policy could...

Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of Uzbekistan, held a phone call on Wednesday with Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, to discuss regional security and the safety of Uzbek citizens in the Gulf state.

During the conversation, Mirziyoyev expressed Uzbekistan’s solidarity with Qatar and support for efforts aimed at maintaining the country’s security and stability. He also condemned recent actions by Iran, stating that such attacks violate principles of good neighbourliness, international law and the United Nations Charter.

The Uzbek president also thanked the Qatari leadership for its attention to Uzbek citizens living in Qatar and for...

A diplomatic dispute has emerged between the United States and Spain after Madrid denied claims from the White House that it had agreed to support U.S. military operations related to the conflict with Iran.

Jose Manuel Albares, Spain’s foreign minister, rejected the assertion that Spain had changed its stance on the use of Spanish bases by American forces. Speaking to radio station Cadena Ser, Albares said the government’s position «has not changed one iota.»

The denial came shortly after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested that Spain had agreed to cooperate with U.S. military planning.

Tensions between...

The Bank of England could raise interest rates later this year if energy prices remain elevated following the conflict involving Iran, economists have warned.

Analysts say disruption to oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz and wider instability in the Middle East could increase inflation and force policymakers to reconsider plans to lower borrowing costs.

Oil prices have already reacted to the tensions. Brent crude rose to around $81 per barrel, roughly 10% higher than last week, while UK natural gas prices briefly more than doubled before easing.

Research from the National Institute of Economic and...

Marjorie Taylor Greene has sharply criticised Donald Trump after the United States joined Israel in military strikes against Iran, marking a growing rift between the Republican figures.

Speaking on The Megyn Kelly Show, Greene condemned the decision and accused Trump of abandoning his earlier promises to avoid foreign conflicts.

«This is not what we voted for. It’s absolutely America last,» she said during the interview.

Trump recently suggested the conflict could last four to five weeks or longer, raising concerns among some of his supporters about the possibility of deeper U.S. involvement.

Apple has introduced a new low-cost laptop, the MacBook Neo, priced at $599 — or $499 for students, marking one of the company’s most affordable MacBook releases in decades.

The device is designed to compete directly with Chromebooks and lower-end Windows laptops, offering a full macOS experience at a significantly lower price than the current entry-level MacBook Air, which starts at $1,099.

The MacBook Neo is powered by the A18 Pro chip, the same processor used in the iPhone 16 Pro, rather than Apple’s typical M-series chips. According to the company, the laptop delivers up to 16 hours...

A film set in the universe of the hit HBO series Game of Thrones is officially in development, with Warner Bros. planning a major big-screen prequel based on George R. R. Martin’s fantasy world.

Screenwriter Beau Willimon, known for his work on House of Cards and Andor, has been hired to write the script. According to reports, the project will focus on King Aegon Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros, which united six of the seven kingdoms around 300 years before the events of the original series.

The planned movie is expected to be a large-scale cinematic production, described by...

Harry Maguire, defender for Manchester United and the England national football team, has been given a 15-month suspended prison sentence by a Greek court over a 2020 incident on the island of Mykonos.

The case stems from an altercation outside a nightclub in August 2020, after which Maguire was arrested by Greek police. Prosecutors accused the 32-year-old footballer of assault, resisting arrest and attempting to bribe police officers.

In the initial trial held in 2020, Maguire was found guilty of repeated bodily harm, attempted bribery and violence against public employees. He was handed a 21-month and 10-day suspended...

Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York may be absent from several upcoming royal events as the British monarchy continues to manage the fallout from the association between their father, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to reports.

Sources cited by royal commentators say that King Charles III has become increasingly cautious about the public role of the sisters, despite previously considering them blameless in the controversy surrounding their father. Royal aides are said to have quietly withdrawn support for their participation in some high-profile engagements.

Attention is now turning to...

Season 4 of «Bridgerton» returned to the top spot on Netflix’s Top 10 after the release of its final four episodes, reaching 28 mln hours viewed.

Netflix combines views of all episodes in a season for batched releases, so the total specifically for Part 2 is not available. The 28 mln-hour figure covers all Season 4 episodes watched between February 23 and March 1. Compared with other batched releases such as «Stranger Things,» the new episodes performed strongly. Season 4 of «Bridgerton» debuted with 39.7 mln hours watched and saw only a 29% drop with Part 2, compared with...

The FIA World Endurance Championship has postponed the 1812km race in Lusail, Qatar, originally scheduled for 26-28 March, due to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The 2026 season will now begin at Imola on 17-19 April.

Bombardments affecting Iran, Qatar, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi recently forced Pirelli to cancel F1 tests at Sakhir, prompting other series, including WEC, to reconsider their schedules. Some teams had already sent equipment to Doha, but continued regional instability led organisers to delay the first round of the championship.

The Lusail race will be rescheduled for the second half of 2026, likely...

VEON Ltd. announced that its Uzbek subsidiary Beeline Uzbekistan and Rakuten Symphony have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore cooperation on network technologies and digital platforms.

The agreement was signed during the Mobile World Congress 2026 in Barcelona and outlines potential collaboration in areas such as Open RAN architecture, AI-powered network operations and next-generation digital services.

Under the framework, the companies will assess opportunities for joint work on network deployment and optimization, cloud solutions, global IoT connectivity and mobile workforce services. The partners also plan to explore cooperation in eSIM technologies and international roaming using Rakuten’s cloud-native platform.

Beeline...

Iranian sources told Reuters that Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has survived the recent U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran.

Mojtaba Khamenei is regarded within Iran’s clerical establishment as one of the most influential figures and is widely viewed as a potential successor to his father as leader of the Islamic Republic.

A mid-ranking cleric educated in the conservative seminaries of Qom, he is considered a hardliner with close links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Meanwhile Iran appears close to selecting a new Supreme Leader. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a member of the...

More than 500 Uzbek citizens are currently staying in hotels in Doha due to the ongoing unstable situation in the Middle East, according to Dunyo.

Embassy staff have been visiting the citizens regularly and providing practical assistance. On March 3 diplomats visited the La Villa and OYYO Hotel in Doha and compiled a list of Uzbek nationals temporarily staying there based on their personal details.

Representatives of the embassy and the Vatandosh Public Foundation also delivered iftar meals to some citizens in need who are living in the hotels. Those requiring medical care were transported to Hamad Hospital for...

Uzbekistan has proposed tougher punishments for pedophiles, including life imprisonment, officials reported to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on protecting the rights of women and children.

Other initiatives include preventing child sex offenders from being transferred to lower-security colonies and moving investigations of certain sexual crimes from police departments to the prosecutor’s office. Only specially trained lawyers, investigators and judges would handle cases of violence against women and children.

The proposals also call for stricter penalties for sexual harassment.

To protect women who have obtained restraining orders, authorities suggest installing an «SOS» application on their phones for emergency...

Xiaomi has revealed the full-scale concept of its Vision Gran Turismo electric hypercar at MWC 2026, following its global launch.

The project marks the first time a technology company has joined the elite Vision Gran Turismo initiative, creating a historic milestone in automotive and virtual design.

The car balances extreme aerodynamics and downforce with a «Sculpted by the Wind» philosophy. Every surface, from teardrop-shaped cockpit to airducts and Active Wake Control at the rear, is designed to optimise airflow while keeping the design clean.

Innovative Accretion Rims reduce drag and cool brakes while appearing stationary in motion. Simulations give...

Diplomats from Uzbekistan’s embassy in Qatar provided practical support to organise the funeral of a national who died in a road accident, according to Dunyo.

The 11-year-old, M.A., born in Tashkent, was killed after losing control of a vehicle while in Qatar, sustaining severe head injuries.

Upon receiving the information, the embassy, in coordination with Qatari authorities, took immediate steps to address all necessary legal and administrative matters. The family was given full practical assistance, and funeral arrangements were handled closely with them.

Given the regional situation and current transport and logistical restrictions, the family agreed that the boy...

Global oil and gas prices spiked on Tuesday after the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran disrupted Middle East energy exports. Tehran attacked ships and energy facilities, closing navigation in the Gulf and forcing production cuts from Qatar to Iraq.

Brent crude rose $3.66, or 4.7%, to $81.40 a barrel, its highest settlement since January 2025. European gas prices climbed up to 40%, while sugar, fertiliser and soy prices also increased. Analysts warn the conflict could drive inflation in Europe and Asia and pose political risks for U.S. President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections.

Trump said the U.S. Navy...

Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire at several locations along their lengthy border on Tuesday, as the United Nations mission in Afghanistan said at least 42 civilians have been killed during six days of escalating conflict.

Tensions surged after Pakistan launched air strikes last week on major Afghan cities, raising fears the fighting could develop into a prolonged conflict in a region already unsettled by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Tuesday that Pakistani forces had successfully struck Bagram air base north of Kabul, which served as a major U.S...

Fans from 135 countries have secured more than 750,000 tickets for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia during the presale period, organisers said, calling it a record-breaking start to ticket allocation.

The 2027 edition will be the first Rugby World Cup to feature 24 teams. A total of 2.5 mln tickets will be available for the tournament’s 52 matches, which begin on Oct. 1, 2027.

Tournament managing director Chris Stanley said the early demand highlights the global appeal of the competition.

«The strong demand in every host city and across the globe demonstrates the...

— Many investors describe 2026 as a year of permanent geopolitical volatility. Are we entering a structural «geopolitical recession» where instability becomes the baseline rather than the exception? If so, how should investors fundamentally rethink emerging market risk? Does diversification still work in a world where crises are synchronised?  

— The pendulum of globalisation and the rules-based order which dominated the global agenda in the last quarter of a century has swung towards the ever-increasing political and ideological fragmentation and economic nationalism. Some even describe it as the de-facto third world war with the general sense of lawlessness...

A luxury private jet owned by Cristiano Ronaldo departed Saudi Arabia overnight as tensions escalated in the region following drone strikes near the United States embassy in Riyadh.

The aircraft, valued at around £61 mln, left the country in the early hours while explosions were reported near the diplomatic compound. It remains unclear whether Ronaldo, who lives in the Saudi capital with his partner Georgina Rodriguez and his five children, was on board the flight.

According to Iranian state media, two drone attacks targeted the U.S. diplomatic headquarters in Riyadh during the night. Authorities have not yet provided full...

Global air passenger demand increased by 3.8% in January 2026 compared with the same month a year earlier, according to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

International travel drove the growth, rising 5.9% year on year, while domestic passenger traffic edged up by just 0.1%. Overall capacity expanded by 3.5%, pushing the global load factor to a January record of 82%.

«Air cargo markets started the year on a strong note, though regional performance remains uneven. In the coming months, market dynamics will largely depend on geopolitical developments and changes in trade policy,» said IATA Director General...

Nearly 800 people have been killed in Iran since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Saturday, according to the Iranian Red Crescent Society.

A separate estimate from the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA) reported 742 civilian deaths, including 176 children.

Fatemeh Mohammadbeigi, a member of Iran’s parliamentary health commission, said nine hospitals across the country had been struck, accusing both Israel and the U.S. of deliberately targeting medical facilities.

The Israeli military rejected claims that Gandhi Hospital in Tehran had been targeted, saying the strike in the area was not directed at the hospital...