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The Taliban have dismissed concerns voiced by Russia over security threats allegedly originating from Afghan territory, insisting that no country has faced danger from Afghanistan in recent years.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said it was unclear on what basis Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made the remarks, stressing that the Taliban exercise full control over the country.

«In the past four or five years that the Islamic Emirate has governed Afghanistan, no threat has been directed at any country from Afghan soil,» Mujahid said.

Lavrov stated on Monday that security challenges linked...

Pakistan will confer the Nishan-e-Pakistan, its highest civilian honour, on the presidents of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan during their official visits, underscoring Islamabad’s deepening ties with Central Asia.

President Asif Ali Zardari will formally present the awards at separate investiture ceremonies at Aiwan-e-Sadr. The decoration is traditionally bestowed on visiting heads of state in recognition of exceptional services to Pakistan and as a symbol of strong bilateral relations.

On Tuesday, President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at Nur Khan Airbase, marking his first state visit to Pakistan from February 3–4. Tokayev arrived with a high-level...

Vietnam and the European Union have agreed to upgrade their relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, marking a major diplomatic step as both sides navigate global trade and security uncertainty.

The announcement was made during a visit to Hanoi by Antonio Costa, who was welcomed by Vietnamese President Luong Cuong. Cuong described the move as a «historic milestone» reflecting the depth of cooperation between Vietnam and Europe.

Costa said the partnership underlined the EU’s commitment to Southeast Asia and Vietnam’s growing international role, adding that «reliable and predictable partners» are increasingly vital as the rules-based global order comes...

A fashion designer to Hollywood stars has been robbed of an ultra-rare £2 mln Richard Mille watch in London’s exclusive Mayfair district, police said.

Romania-born designer Catalin Botezatu, 59, was attacked in Berkeley Square at around 11.50pm on Thursday, January 29. The incident adds to growing concerns over organised gangs targeting luxury watch owners in the area.

The stolen timepiece is believed to be part of the highly coveted Sapphire Series by Richard Mille, with models carved from solid sapphire crystal and considered among the rarest watches in the world.

Police have charged Younes Djoudim, 33, of Slough...

Gold and silver prices surged on Tuesday as investors returned to precious metals following their steepest two-day slump in decades, putting bullion on track for its biggest daily gain since November 2008.

Spot gold jumped 5.3% to $4,913.59 an ounce by midday trading, rebounding from Monday’s low of $4,403.24. U.S. gold futures rose 6.1% to $4,936.20. Silver climbed 9% to $86.60 an ounce after suffering a record 27% one-day drop last Friday.

Analysts said the rebound followed heavy selling triggered by Donald Trump’s move to nominate Kevin Warsh as the next Federal Reserve chair.

An uncontrollable Chinese rocket caused alarm across Europe on Friday after trajectory predictions suggested a small chance it could strike parts of the UK, prompting Britain to prepare its emergency alert systems.

The rocket, Zhuque-3, ultimately crashed harmlessly into the South Pacific Ocean at 12:39pm GMT on January 30, around 1,200 miles southeast of New Zealand. A UK Government spokesman said it was «extremely unlikely» any debris would reach Britain, but mobile networks were nonetheless placed on standby as a precaution.

Concerns grew as the rocket rapidly lost altitude and prepared to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, with early...

France has fallen below the European Union average in per-capita wealth for the third consecutive year, raising fresh concerns about the country’s economic trajectory. According to data from Eurostat, France’s per-capita wealth now stands below the EU benchmark of 100, trailing Germany (111) and slipping behind the UK (99–98).

Economist and former senior civil servant Nicolas Baverez warned that France is caught in an «infernal spiral,» describing it as the «Argentina of Europe» in a commentary for Le Figaro. He cautioned that prolonged fiscal imbalance and weak growth could lead to long-term impoverishment.

The warning comes as President...

Samarkand will host the 59th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) from May 3 to 6. Themed «Crossroads of Progress: Advancing a Connected Future for the Region,» the forum will bring together leaders to discuss development priorities across Asia and the Pacific.

Delegates will review ADB initiatives to strengthen sustainable capital markets in the region. The forum will also include a seminar on critical materials and a session on May 3 highlighting the Asia-Pacific Digital Highway project, which aims to connect 1.5 bn people through secure and environmentally friendly digital corridors.

On May 5, representatives from civil society...

French police specialising in cyber-crime, with support from Europol, have searched the offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X as part of an ongoing investigation.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said the inquiry initially focused on how X’s recommendation algorithms operate and has since been expanded to include the platform’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.

Prosecutors added that Musk and former X chief executive Linda Yaccarino have been summoned to appear at hearings scheduled for April. X has previously characterised the investigation as an attack on free speech.

Expanded Probe and Potential Charges

The probe began in January...

Gold prices surged more than 5% on February 3, putting the metal on course for its biggest single-day gain since November 2008, while silver also posted sharp gains as precious metals rebounded from their steepest two-day decline in decades.

Analysts said the broader uptrend remains intact and expect gold and silver to reach new record highs later this year. Spot gold rose 5.8% to $4,935.56 an ounce by 08:18 GMT. The metal had fallen to $4,403.24 on February 2, two sessions after hitting a peak of $5,594.82. U.S. gold futures for April delivery climbed 6.6% to $4,958.50 per ounce.

Iraq is planning to streamline visa procedures for citizens of Uzbekistan, the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce and Industry reports. The matter was discussed during a business dialogue held in Baghdad.

Iraqi authorities are also considering the introduction of direct flights to Uzbekistan. The move is expected to make business travel easier and strengthen economic and trade relations between the two nations.

In early January, Davron Vakhabov, head of the Uzbek Chamber of Commerce, noted that Uzbekistan has the potential to increase exports to Iraq to $500 mln in 2026. He added that Iraq imports around $93 bn worth of...

Uzbekistan will acquire a fleet of Embraer C-390 Millennium transport aircraft, the Brazilian manufacturer announced, though the exact number of jets has not been disclosed. The move will make Uzbekistan the first country in Central Asia to operate this type of aircraft.

Officials said the C-390 Millennium will be used for transport and humanitarian missions. Bosco da Costa Junior, CEO of Embraer Defense & Security, described the decision as a «great honour» and pledged close collaboration with Uzbekistan to ensure the aircraft operates flawlessly. He also confirmed that the first batch is expected to be delivered within the...

China has become the first country to ban hidden door handles on electric vehicles, a design popularised by Elon Musk’s Tesla. The move comes amid growing scrutiny of EV safety worldwide, following several fatal incidents in China, including crashes involving Xiaomi EVs where power failures reportedly prevented occupants from opening the doors.

The new regulations, effective January 1, 2027, require all passenger doors, except the boot, to feature a mechanical release accessible both inside and outside the vehicle. Each exterior handle must be set within a recessed space at least 6cm by 2cm by 2.5cm, while interior instructions must...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX has taken over his artificial intelligence start-up xAI, the company behind the Grok chatbot, further consolidating the billionaire’s business holdings. SpaceX confirmed the acquisition by posting a memo from Musk on its website, describing the merger as an «innovation engine» uniting AI, rockets, space-based internet and media.

Financial terms were not officially disclosed, but a source familiar with the deal said xAI is valued at $125 bn and SpaceX at $1 trln, making SpaceX the most valuable private company ever. Last month, Tesla also invested $2 bn into xAI.

AI and Robotics at the Core

Uzbekistan-born Russian businessman Iskandar Makhmudov has placed 405th on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, with his net worth estimated at $9.04 bn.

Makhmudov is the founder of Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company, one of Russia’s largest producers of copper and coal. The company reported revenue of $3.2 bn in 2023. The businessman also holds stakes in Transmashholding, a major manufacturer of railway equipment, and Transoil, a logistics firm serving the oil sector.

Since the start of the year, Makhmudov’s wealth has increased by $1.17 bn, despite a decline of $292 mln during the most recent trading day.

From economics and...

One of the most iconic cars in Formula One history, the Lotus 98T driven by Ayrton Senna during the 1986 season, is set to be sold at auction. RM Sotheby’s has confirmed that Chassis 98T-3, the car Senna used to claim a dramatic victory at the Spanish Grand Prix, will be offered through its sealed-bid platform in March.

The car carries a pre-sale estimate of between $9.5 mln and $12 mln, a figure that could set a new auction record for a Lotus Formula One machine.

The Peak of the Turbo Era

The Lotus 98T stands as one...

Uzbekistan plans to begin development of four uranium deposits in 2026, officials told President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during a meeting on industry development held on February 2.

Last year, the country produced about 7,000 tonnes of uranium, while identified reserves reached 139,000 tonnes. The meeting also addressed the state of Uzbekistan’s coal industry. By early February this year, coal output totalled 9 mln tonnes, up by 590,000 tonnes year on year. Production is expected to rise to 11 mln tonnes during the next autumn and winter season.

To achieve this target, authorities plan to accelerate the development of coal deposits...

Israel launched airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Monday, intensifying its campaign against Iran-backed proxy forces amid rising regional tensions and mounting international pressure on Tehran over human rights abuses.

The Israeli military said the strikes hit positions linked to Hezbollah near the coastal city of Tyre. Lebanese security sources reported at least one person killed and eight wounded. Israel has warned it is preparing for possible retaliation by Iran-aligned militias operating across the region.

The escalation comes as United Kingdom imposed sweeping new sanctions on Iranian officials accused of orchestrating violent crackdowns on mass protests...

Italy’s government is fast-tracking a new security decree after violent clashes in Turin left more than 100 security officers injured, including a policeman who was beaten with a hammer during a protest, an attack Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described as «attempted murder.»

The officer, 29-year-old Alessandro Calista of the Padua Mobile Police Unit, was surrounded by masked demonstrators and struck repeatedly before colleagues managed to pull him to safety using riot shields. He was treated at Turin’s Molinette hospital and later discharged with multiple contusions and a hammer-related injury.

Police arrested three men aged 22, 31 and...

The Queens’ Online Chess Festival will return in March 2026, marking its sixth edition as a global celebration of women’s and girls’ participation in chess.

Organised by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess under the Chess4All FIDE WOM Project, the festival will run from March 1 to March 29 and is dedicated to International Women’s Day. Participation is free and open to women and girls of all ages and skill levels worldwide, including unrated players.

The 2026 festival will feature two parallel competitions: the Queens’ Women’s Open Tournament, open to female players with a FIDE ID, and the...

Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan have reviewed the results of their bilateral cooperation in 2025 and outlined key priorities for strengthening relations in 2026, according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The discussions took place during a meeting between Bobur Usmanov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan, and Huseyn Guliyev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan.

Both sides stressed the importance of maintaining close coordination between their foreign ministries and agreed to develop new practical initiatives aimed at deepening the strategic partnership and allied relations between Tashkent and Baku.

Economic cooperation featured prominently in the talks. Bilateral trade...

Viral food reviewer and community advocate Keith Lee has been named Creator of the Year at the inaugural U.S. TikTok Awards, capping a meteoric rise that began with casual food reviews filmed from his daughter’s Paw Patrol chair.

The ceremony, hosted Thursday night at the Hollywood Palladium, celebrated a «New Era, New Icons» theme and featured fan-voted categories recognizing creators shaping digital culture. Lee, who has amassed more than 17 mln followers on TikTok, said he was overwhelmed by the honor, thanking supporters «from the bottom of my heart» and adding that he «never in a million years...

Norway’s royal family is facing renewed scrutiny after newly released «Epstein files» revealed extensive personal contact between Crown Princess Mette-Marit and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The disclosures show that Mette-Marit exchanged hundreds of emails with Epstein between 2011 and 2013, some marked by unusually close and informal language. The revelations surfaced days before her eldest son, Marius Borg Høiby, is due to stand trial in Oslo on 38 criminal charges, including rape and sexual assault.

Norwegian media, including NRK, reported that Mette-Marit had researched Epstein’s background as early as 2011 and acknowledged in emails that...

Gold and silver extended their steep sell-off on Monday, deepening losses triggered late last week after U.S. President Donald Trump named a new candidate to lead the Federal Reserve.

Both precious metals had been trading at record highs on Thursday before plunging after Trump announced on Friday that he wants Kevin Warsh to replace Jay Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve from May. Markets interpreted the nomination as reducing the risk of aggressive interest-rate cuts and political interference in monetary policy.

Gold and silver, traditionally seen as safe-haven assets, suffered their worst single-day falls since 1983 and...