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Senior officials from across Central Asia gathered in Samarkand for a high-level ministerial meeting focused on strengthening regional cooperation for snow leopard conservation and climate-resilient mountain landscapes, ahead of the 20th Conference of the Parties to CITES (CoP20).

Hosted by Uzbekistan’s National Committee on Ecology and Climate Change with support from UNDP, the meeting brought together representatives from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as international partners. The discussions underscored the region’s growing leadership in biodiversity protection, sustainable wildlife management and climate-resilient development.

Aziz Abdukhakimov, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan on Environmental Issues, highlighted the urgency...

UFC welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry’s biggest career victory was quickly overshadowed by a tense backstage confrontation with middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev on Saturday night in Qatar.

Garry, 28, had just earned a unanimous-decision win over former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad when he encountered Chimaev behind the scenes. Footage circulating online shows Garry congratulating Chimaev on helping corner Arman Tsarukyan in his successful return bout.

The exchange turned sour when Chimaev suddenly shoved Garry and shouted, «I’m gonna f*** you up,» prompting security to intervene.

Garry appeared taken aback...

The aviation sector has become a key part of Uzbekistan’s economy, contributing $795.5 mln, or about 0.9% of the nation’s GDP, according to a new analysis by Oxford Economics and reports from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The report details that the sector is responsible for supporting 128,300 jobs across the country. These employment figures encompass not only those working directly for airlines and airports but also jobs generated through the wider supply chain and employee spending.

The aviation sector itself directly employs 12,400 people, including those working for airlines, airports, on-site businesses, air navigation services, and aerospace manufacturers...

Skye Gyngell, the Australian chef who became a leading figure in the UK culinary scene, has died aged 62. Her family described her as a “culinary visionary who influenced generations of chefs and growers globally to think about food and its connection to the land”.

Gyngell rose to prominence after transforming Petersham Nurseries cafe in south-west London and earning a Michelin star. She later led Spring at Somerset House and Marle and Hearth at Heckfield Place in Hampshire.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver paid tribute, thanking her for inspiring young cooks, while Nigella Lawson wrote on Instagram that her death was...

S&P Global Ratings has upgraded Uzbekistan’s long-term sovereign credit rating from “BB-” to “BB” with a stable outlook, pointing to stronger economic reforms, steady growth and much higher foreign currency reserves.

The upgrade covers both foreign and local currency debt. Short-term ratings stay at ‘B’ and the transfer and convertibility assessment has been raised to ‘BB+’.

S&P says Uzbekistan’s economic policy has improved since 2017, when the country began liberalising its exchange rate and opening markets. The government has been cutting energy subsidies by raising electricity and gas tariffs towards cost-recovery levels and is moving, though slowly, to privatise...

Bollywood icon Dharmendra has died in Mumbai at the age of 89. Prime Minister Narendra Modi led tributes, saying his death marks the end of an era in Indian cinema, BBC reports.

Known for his warmth and modesty, Dharmendra earned huge devotion from fans and became a household name through more than 300 films. His role as Veeru in the 1975 classic Sholay made him a legend and remains one of the most celebrated performances in Hindi cinema.

Born Dharam Singh Deol in Punjab in 1935, he won a national talent contest that brought him to Bombay and launched...

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created under former US President Donald Trump to reduce the size of the federal government, has been disbanded with eight months remaining on its mandate. Critics say the initiative, launched with fanfare, produced few measurable savings, Reuters reports.

Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters that DOGE no longer exists as a centralised entity, marking the first public confirmation of its closure. The OPM has since absorbed many of DOGE’s functions.

Original Mission and Public Profile

Established in January, DOGE initially sought to rapidly shrink federal agencies, cut budgets and...

Shinhan Bank announced on Monday that it has added Uzbek and Nepali to its foreign-language consulting services, responding to the rising number of migrant workers from the two countries, Korea Herald reports.

With the new languages, the bank now provides consultations in 12 languages, including English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Mongolian, Thai, Russian, Cambodian, Filipino, Indonesian, Uzbek and Nepali, giving it the most extensive foreign-language support in South Korea’s domestic banking sector.

Demand for native-language financial assistance has grown recently as more workers from Uzbekistan and Nepal arrive in the country. Shinhan’s Foreign Language Consultation Center, a dedicated phone service...

Uzbekistan’s gas production continues to decline, reaching 35.5 bn cubic metres in the first ten months of 2025, according to data from the State Statistics Committee. This represents a 5.3% fall compared with the same period last year.

Oil output also fell from 602K tonnes to 547.3K tonnes over the year, while gas condensate production dropped from 1 mln tonnes to 930.9K tonnes.

Amid the drop in gas production, Kazakhstan has offered to increase the transit of Russian gas to Uzbekistan. The Kazakh authorities are also seeking closer cooperation with Tashkent in the oil sector and nuclear energy.

Three suicide bombers attacked the headquarters of a Pakistani paramilitary force on Monday, killing three personnel and injuring at least five, authorities said.

Police reported that the assailants fired on security staff as they forced their way into the frontier constabulary complex in Peshawar before detonating explosives inside.

A senior official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, said the first bomber struck the main entrance while the others entered the compound. He added that army and police units had sealed off the area and were handling the situation carefully, fearing some attackers might still be inside.

The paramilitary headquarters is...

In Samarkand, the High-Level Dialogue of the 20th CITES Conference saw the signing of the Samarkand Declaration and a regional cooperation plan extending to 2032, the Committee for Ecology reports.

The agreements were signed by Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The declaration, prepared in partnership with Traffic International, underlines the countries’ commitment to strengthen joint measures against escalating threats to biodiversity including habitat loss, climate change and poaching.

The plan focuses on enhancing coordination between environmental, customs, law enforcement and judicial agencies.

It highlights the creation of national task forces to combat wildlife crime, the use of advanced monitoring technologies...

Streams of molten lava spilled from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano from Saturday night into Sunday as scientists warned that another eruption was likely to form in the coming days, the US Geological Survey said.

Kilauea sits within Volcanoes National Park on Hawaii’s Big Island and is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet. It has erupted on and off for nearly a year with the next episode expected to be its thirty seventh since last December.

These bursts are typically marked by jets of lava shooting from the ground and rising high into the air. Visitors are still...

Gunmen launched an attack on a paramilitary force headquarters in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Monday, police said. The compound, which houses the frontier constabulary, was also struck by two suicide bombers according to Reuters sources who reported that three people had died.

A senior official speaking to the agency on condition of anonymity said the first bomber detonated at the main entrance while the second made it inside the grounds. He added that army units and police had sealed off the area and were proceeding with caution as they believed some attackers might still be inside...

Uzbek grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov has secured a place in the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament after winning World Cup semi-final tie-break against Nodirbek Yakubboyev. Chessdom reported the result following two classical draws that pushed the match into rapid play.

Sindarov created sustained pressure with the black pieces in the decisive game which forced Yakubboyev into severe time trouble. He then steered a demanding rook endgame to victory to claim his spot in the elite event.

The 2026 Candidates will be held in Cyprus at the Cap St Georges Hotel & Resort from March 25 to May 1 and will decide...

Turkey has removed the term Central Asia from its school curriculum, replacing it with Turkestan as part of a broader effort to reinforce Ankara’s vision of the Turkic world. The change has been gradually introduced over the past year, Minister of Education Yusuf Tekin said, according to Turkish Minute.

Officials argue that the new terminology supports a more unified historical narrative centred on Turkic identity. The concept aligns with Ankara’s long-standing cultural and geopolitical framing of the region as part of a shared Turkic heritage.

However, Tekin did not explain how this approach applies to Persian-speaking Tajikistan — a country that is geographically in...

Iran, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Türkiye have signed an agreement in Istanbul to boost freight traffic along the southern route of the Eurasian transit corridor, according to Mehr News Agency.

Under the deal, the six countries will introduce unified tariffs for container trains, shorten transit times and reduce customs-related costs.

The agreement also calls for major infrastructure upgrades aimed at increasing the corridor’s capacity and strengthening the role of the southern route in trade between China and Europe.

Mehr reports that Iran is emerging as a central transit hub, with the main segment of the revamped route running...

Both McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have been disqualified from the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix after their cars failed post-race technical inspection, creating a dramatic shift in the Drivers’ Championship.

The Stewards found that the plank assembly on both cars was worn below the minimum 9mm thickness breaching Article 3.5.9 of the FIA Technical Regulations. Despite McLaren arguing mitigating circumstances such as accidental damage and porpoising the standard penalty of disqualification was applied.

The ruling has a significant impact on the title race. Norris is now confirmed on 340 points but the removal of...

Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have agreed on a new framework for collaboration in the water and energy sectors. The agreement was finalised on November 22 during a meeting in Almaty, chaired by Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy, Yerlan Akkenzhenov. Uzbekistan’s Minister of Energy, Jurabek Mirzamahmudov, signed on behalf of his country.

Amid challenges at the Toktogul Reservoir, the three countries decided to support one another during the winter months. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan confirmed they will supply electricity to Kyrgyzstan during the cold season. This will allow Kyrgyzstan to reduce water use for power generation and conserve resources in the Toktogul...

President Donald Trump has clarified that his administration’s 28-point peace proposal for Ukraine and Russia is «not my final offer.» Speaking to reporters, he stressed the urgency of ending the war, adding that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rejects the plan, «then he can continue to fight his little heart out.»

The proposal has sparked controversy. It suggests allowing Russia to keep more Ukrainian territory, limits the size of Ukraine’s military, and bars the country from joining NATO. Ukrainian lawmakers and some U.S. senators have criticized the plan, arguing it concedes too much to Russia and could leave Ukraine...

Tajik investors have opened 357 enterprises in Uzbekistan, according to data released by Tajikistan’s Statistics Agency.

Of these companies, 89 are joint ventures, while 268 are fully owned by investors from Tajikistan. The main sectors attracting Tajik capital include industry, energy, logistics and agriculture.

In return, more than 70 enterprises with Uzbek investment now operate in Tajikistan. These include yarn manufacturers, home appliance producers and other industrial facilities.

Economic cooperation between the two neighbouring countries has been expanding steadily in recent years, supported by improved political dialogue and cross-border investment initiatives.

Max Verstappen stormed to victory at the Las Vegas Grand Prix after seizing the lead at the very start and never letting it go, keeping his faint title hopes alive with two races remaining. The Dutchman launched past pole sitter Lando Norris when the McLaren man ran wide at Turn 1 and from there delivered a near faultless drive.

Behind him, Norris salvaged second despite late fuel concerns and tyre wear while George Russell nursed a steering issue to secure third.

It's a DRAMATIC first corner in Las Vegas ?

Here's how the race start unfolded...

The US Embassy in Uzbekistan announced that Sergio Gor, the US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and a native of Tashkent, will co-chair the new US–Uzbekistan Business and Investment Council. The US State Department shared the update earlier this week.

Gor will work alongside Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan.

According to the US side, the new council will give bilateral relations a more active, practical momentum. It aims to help companies find partners more quickly, boost mutual investment and open new high-tech avenues for cooperation.

This initiative follows the agreements reached during President...

Uzbekhydromet released a preliminary forecast for the upcoming winter in Uzbekistan. December is expected to be slightly warmer than average, with mean temperatures 1–1.5° above normal. Early in the month, nights will range from 0 to +5°, while daytime highs reach +10 to +15°.

In the second half of December, temperatures will become more variable. Night-time readings could range from +2…+7° down to 0…–5°, and daytime temperatures from +12…+17° to +2…+7°. Precipitation is expected to be near or slightly below average.

January is predicted to be close to long-term averages, though some regions may experience slightly colder conditions. During...

A court in Missouri has been left unsettled after a judge resigned following disciplinary action for wearing an Elvis Presley wig and at times playing the singer’s music during hearings.

Matthew EP Thornhill, the longest-serving circuit judge in St Charles County, openly described himself as an Elvis enthusiast. His fondness for the performer, however, led to a formal complaint as investigators said he often made «irrelevant» references to Elvis while on the bench.

In a letter to the Missouri Supreme Court dated November 12, Judge Thornhill said he had tried to «add levity at times when I thought it...