News

Fans of Genshin Impact can now pre-order a light-up Mondstadt Statue of the Seven from the IGN Europe Store for €29.99. The officially licensed collectible will ship in October, putting one of Teyvat’s most recognisable landmarks on your desk, not a waypoint.

It is approximately 20 centimetres tall and features LED lighting powered by USB-C or three AAA batteries. Its design resembles the Mondstadt version of the Statue of the Seven, with gold-coloured accents and a lit centre.

The price is the most interesting detail for fans who are already spending on figures and HoYoverse merch...

The cemeteries include Muslim, Korean and Russian Christian burial sites. All seven are to be moved from the construction zone of a new international airport in Tashkent. The ruling exposes a rare and sensitive consequence of Uzbekistan’s multibillion-dollar aviation project.

Please note that this article contains disturbing information.

Tashkent regional governor Zoyir Mirzayev approved the relocation on 15 September, according to the original decree reviewed by Kursiv Uzbekistan. The burial grounds lie in the adjacent neighbourhoods where the new airport will occupy roughly 1,300 hectares of...

Imagine arriving in Uzbekistan with no banking app, no credit card and little hope of finding an ATM. In 1995, getting hold of Uzbek soums could be a travel experience in itself — and here’s how. 

Footage recently shared on YouTube captures one foreign visitor, Ian, trying to do exactly that. His supposedly safe solution was the traveller’s cheque — a prepaid piece of paper that was designed to be less risky than wandering around with a wallet full of dollars.

There was only one snag. Someone had to cash it in Uzbekistan.

In the video, Ian first has to...

Even though the zombie hit has been out in theatres for over ten years, Brad Pitt is making a triumphant return to the franchise with World War Z 2. Hollywood has failed miserably at reviving the franchise, but Paramount has enlisted the help of Edward Berger, director of Conclave, to make a sequel.

Pitt is expected to return to star and produce through Plan B Entertainment, while the screenplay is being written by Dennis Kelly, who has formerly worked on Matilda the Musical. Plot details and a release date remain unknown.

World War Z 2 has spent years as one...

US diesel prices have reached record nominal levels as farmers enter the busiest part of the harvest. But the problem is not just expensive crude. America is running low on comfortable diesel stocks, while worldwide refinery outages send more US fuel overseas.

Earlier this week, average diesel reached about $6.29 a gallon, roughly 68% above a year earlier, Reuters reported. Farmers are among the first to feel the impact because tractors, combines, irrigation equipment, and trucks moving crops to market all rely heavily on diesel.

American refineries actually produced an average 5.1 mln barrels of distillate...

Kanye West’s St Petersburg dates have disappeared from his official tour page as promoter Say Agency and Gazprom Arena remain at odds over the shows.

Russian promoter Say Agency insists that does not amount to a cancellation, with director Anna Subcheva describing the removal as a response to the «chaos» surrounding the concerts and saying the dates would return once the dispute was resolved.

«Today, [Kanye’s] management removed the St Petersburg show dates to keep away from our chaos and domestic wars that are happening in Russia. The artist is also facing criticism from all...

The popular Turkish series Uzak Şehir is back for its third season, with new episodes airing every Monday on Türkiye’s Kanal D. Episode 65 is next, as Cihan and Alya’s conflict shifts back from Budapest to Mardin.

The Turkish drama returned on 14 September with episode 64, three months after its second-season finale. Kanal D has not announced a final episode count for season three, so viewers should expect the established weekly release pattern rather than a fixed streaming-style season drop.

Here is a brief summary of where to watch, who is returning, and what has changed.

The Uzbek government plans to sell its 99.7% stake in UzAuto Motors, the local manufacturer of Chevrolet cars that dominate the country’s roads. The deal would put one of Central Asia’s biggest auto businesses in front of private investors.

The State Assets Management Agency said it would announce tenders for UzAuto Motors and UzAuto Motors Powertrain, which makes engines, soon. The state owns 99.7% of the main company, and 100% of Powertrain and international consultancy Alvarez & Marsal have been brought in to prepare the assets for sale.

UzAuto Motors Powertrain adds another industrial asset to...

Alexander Ovechkin had made a cameo in the United Russia party’s newest campaign ad and didn’t say a word. His mere presence has been enough to reopen a much older debate about what happens when the world’s biggest sports stars throw their fame behind politicians.

The NHL’s all-time leading goalscorer and Washington Capitals forward appeared silently behind Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a campaign video released ahead of the 18–20 September State Duma election. 

Other figures flanking Lavrov in the footage include RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, actor Vladimir Mashkov and former Detroit Red Wings and NHL player Viacheslav Fetisov.

The iPhone 18 Pro Max promises longer battery life, but you’ll be carrying the trade-off all day: it weighs nearly a quarter of a kilogram without a case. 

Russia-based reviewer Rozetked reached a 42% charge in 15 minutes using Apple’s 67W adapter and a 100W cable. That fell short of Apple’s advertised «up to 50%», although one charger test cannot determine how quickly the phone can charge with other equipment. 

The 15-minute claim requires a 60W-capable adapter or higher with Adjustable Voltage Supply, not simply any charger with a large number on the box. The...

Felix, of South Korea’s K-pop band Stray Kids, beat out members of both BTS and NCT to be named the K-pop idol with the most “AI-like” appearance. This comes at a time when Stray Kids are demonstrating their worldwide reach with a record-breaking run in Latin America.

Felix received 117,421 votes in a poll asking fans which K-pop star had the most «AI-like visual», according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. Fandom voted for a face considered so striking or unusually polished that it almost looks AI-generated.

NCT’s Taeyong finished second with 102,278 votes, while BTS member...

The United Nations’ 2026 Global Risk Report surveyed 1,300 people working in government, business, academia, international organisations and civil society, who were asked to assess 28 threats facing the world.

An all-out war has made the biggest jump in the survey, climbing 16 places since 2024. “Large-scale war and geopolitical tensions are now among the top five global risks in six of the seven regions, compared with just one region each in 2024,” the report noted.

Weapons of mass destruction have also entered the top ten most important risks in...

The future King Charles has allegedly said Princess Diana would soon be forgotten, her brother Earl Spencer claimed in his new memoir. Buckingham Palace was quick to challenge his recollection of the days after her death.

Earl Spencer placed the potentially bombshell remark in an argument over whether William and Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin.

His testimony, reported ahead of the publication of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, has reopened a dispute over how the two boys were treated while Britain mourned the death of the ‘People’s Princess’ almost...

The US vice president, JD Vance, lashed out at Joe Biden’s border policy by quoting “a charming example” of an Uzbek man wanted on terrorism charges who was allowed to work as an American truck driver.

Speaking at a MAGA event in Olathe, Kansas, JD Vance singled out Akhror Bozorov, who was detained after entering the country in 2023, released and later given permission to work.

“In 2022, back home in his native Uzbekistan, Akhror gets charged with literally distributing jihadist propaganda and trying to recruit his fellow Uzbeks to engage in radical terrorism,” Vance recalled.

Passengers travelling with the Emirates-based low-cost carrier flydubai can now use Uzbekistan’s capital city of Tashkent as a connecting hub for onwards Uzbekistan Airways flights to Russia and Europe.

Flydubai confirmed that interline passengers can book connecting sectors on a single itinerary and have checked baggage transferred through to their final destination rather than collecting and rechecking it between airlines.

Uzbekistan Airways specifically named Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk in Siberia among the Russian cities available to flydubai passengers via Tashkent, alongside European destinations such as Frankfurt, London, Milan, Munich, Paris and Rome...

Uzbekistan has opened its home Chess Olympiad against Jamaica on Wednesday without Javokhir Sindarov. The 20-year-old is the best board of the host nation and the defending champion of the 2026 Candidates Tournament.

The Uzbek team’s first-round pairing was confirmed after the draw, with the hosts facing Jamaica at 15:00 Tashkent time. Sindarov is set to miss the opening match, according to Kursiv Uzbekistan.

The Olympiad is a team event rather than an individual championship: four players compete in each match, while each squad can also use a reserve. A single star can decide a game...

Anthropic is hiring local staff in Singapore ahead of an October office opening, CNA reports. Its usage data rank the city-state second among 121 countries for Claude.ai activity relative to population.

CNA has checked Anthropic’s careers website, finding nine Singapore-based vacancies across applied AI, finance, marketing and brand, public benefit and sales. 

Dale Finlay will lead the regional business as general manager for ASEAN, based in Singapore, according to The Business Times. His previous experience includes nearly a decade at Google Cloud, where he worked with enterprise customers...

The iPhone Duo‘s pricing is now appearing in several countries across Asia, but buyers will have to wait longer than those ordering the iPhone 18 Pro family. The first wave of the foldable will be available for pre-orders from 16 October, while Pro and Pro Max orders are already open in the markets below (except Philippines).

Keep in mind: All prices in this guide are for 256GB, paid outright, without trade-in credits, instalment offers or card discounts. We recommend that you compare the same storage capacity. 

The figures are local Apple Store prices checked on...

Georgios Makropoulos, one of the most influential administrators in modern international chess, has died aged 72, FIDE confirmed earlier on 15 September. He died at a time when the world chess community is gathering in Samarkand for the 46th Chess Olympiad and the FIDE Congress.

FIDE has called Makropoulos «one of the most influential figures in international chess administration over the past four decades.» 

«Few people have been as closely involved in the development and governance of international chess across such a long and transformative period. Georgios Makropoulos devoted much of his...

A proposal to overhaul Uzbekistan’s pension system, put forward by the Finance Ministry, includes increasing the general retirement age by three years. The change would raise the threshold to 63 for men and 58 for women but is not yet final.

If approved, the proposal would represent a major shift from the position communicated by Uzbekistan’s Pension Fund last year, when officials stressed that no final decision had been made and that international recommendations were still being studied.

Under the proposal, Uzbekistan would start raising the retirement age from Jan...

Apple’s iOS 27, released for 33 compatible devices on 14 September, gives iPhone owners a clearer upgrade timetable, while Samsung’s One UI 9 offers more ways to organise apps and use a folding screen. 

Apple’s update arrived on 14 September on the back of the much-hyped device presentation last week. Samsung’s official One UI page describes a gradual expansion from its latest foldables to other Galaxy devices, directing owners to Samsung Members for release information.

For someone keeping an existing phone, that distinction can matter more than a new animation: an upgrade only becomes useful once...

Tickets for the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand are now available online, FIDE has confirmed. Prices start at UZS 50,000 for Uzbek residents, while eligible young citizens can attend free of charge.

The Olympiad will bring around 200 national teams to the Silk Road International Exhibition Centre. The opening ceremony is scheduled for 15 September, with 11 rounds played between 16 and 27 September.

Games begin at 15:00 local time. There will be no round on the rest day, 22 September.

How much do Chess Olympiad tickets cost?

Three ticket categories are available:

Uzbekistan and South Korea signed 13 cooperation documents during Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s talks with President Lee Jae Myung in Seoul. Yet the headline $12bn figure represents prospective projects, not confirmed Korean investment.

The package is broad, covering railways, critical minerals, defence, education, artificial intelligence and healthcare. So far, Yonhap’s report suggests that most of the documents are MoUs rather than contracts carrying firm budgets, delivery schedules or funding commitments.

The clearest outcomes are therefore institutional: a prisoner-transfer treaty, an amended grant-aid agreement, and several new frameworks that may eventually finance projects.

The distinction matters because the...

As Venice Film Festival rewarded NAZA for investigating the alleged machinery behind civilian deaths in Gaza, Netflix released a fifth season of Fauda built around Israel’s wounds from 7 October. 

NAZA, directed by Israeli Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, received the Special Jury Prize at the 83rd Venice Film Festival following a reported 25-minute standing ovation. The stripped-back documentary draws on testimony from 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers, who explain how the security forces selected targets for their hit list.

Fauda, meanwhile, returned to Netflix on 8 September with 11 new episodes of its fifth season...