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Iran has announced it will boycott next week’s draw for the 2026 World Cup in Washington DC after the United States issued only a limited number of visas to its delegation.

Iranian Football Federation spokesman Amir Mehdi Alavi said the team would not attend the 5 December ceremony, calling the US decision «unsportsmanlike». While visas were granted to four delegation members, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei, federation president Mehdi Taj was not approved.

The US maintains strict visa rules for Iranian nationals due to long-standing political and security concerns.

Alavi said FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the organisation’s...

Britain has failed to secure entry to the EU’s €150bn (£130bn) Security Action for Europe (Safe) defence programme after talks collapsed over cost.

The EU demanded up to €6.5bn (£5.7bn) for UK participation, while London offered a maximum of €300mln (£262mln). The scheme, a key part of Sir Keir Starmer’s post-Brexit «reset», would have allowed British defence firms to bid for preferential contracts.

«Negotiations were carried out in good faith, but we will only sign agreements that provide value for money,» said Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK’s minister for EU relations.

As a result, British companies...

As of November 1, 2025, Uzbekistan’s international reserves have reached nearly $60 bn, with over 80% comprised of gold. The Central Bank has started to diversify its assets, having invested approximately $1 bn in U.S. Treasury bills. These figures were shared by Abror Mirzo Olimov, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank, during the international roundtable titled “The Role of a Floating Exchange Rate in an Inflation-Targeting Regime”, which took place in Tashkent on November 27, 2025.

The purpose of reserves and basic management guidelines

At the beginning of his speech, Abror Mirzo Olimov addressed the...

Sir Salman Rushdie has said he believes Britain is going through a period of decline, not only in economic terms but also in how the country perceives itself. Speaking on LBC’s Tonight with Andrew Marr, he argued that the United Kingdom is shrinking in confidence and struggling to adjust to its post-imperial role. He added that some reassessment after the end of Empire was necessary, yet the growing level of prejudice today is what he finds most troubling.

Asked if casual racism has resurfaced in 2025, Sir Salman said he felt it had to some degree. He recalled facing...

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a law banning the sale of e-cigarettes and related liquids in Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Justice press centre reports.

Those involved in large-scale production, export or import of e-cigarettes prohibited in the country will face fines or imprisonment. Penalties can reach 500 basic calculation units, equivalent to 206 mln soums ($17,307), with jail terms of up to five years. Offenders may also be sentenced to corrective work for up to three years. Repeat violations carry the same punishments.

Individuals who voluntarily report themselves, admit guilt and hand over prohibited products will not face any...

Uzbekistan will introduce open banking under a presidential decision aimed at advancing the country’s fintech sector. The system is scheduled to go live at the start of September next year.

According to the document, open banking will allow secure data exchange between banks, payment firms and other fintech players. The reforms also include a special regime for using tokens as a means of payment from next year. In addition, pilot projects will test payment solutions built on distributed ledger technology, which stores and synchronises information across many computers.

A regulatory sandbox is planned, with its timeframe to be set...

Candace Owens sparked shock online by claiming on X that French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron paid to have her killed and that French Legion soldiers were involved in the death of Charlie Kirk. However, no evidence has emerged to support these allegations.

Right-wing commentator Nick Fuentes addressed Owens’ claims on his Rumble livestream. He said he did not believe the story because Owens provided no proof, adding that he would need even «one shred of evidence» to take it seriously. Fuentes emphasised that he does not want Owens harmed, but described her story as...

Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov has received the credentials of Somalia’s first ambassador to the country, Ali Mohamed. Saidov announced the news on his personal Telegram channel.

He noted that both countries expressed commitment to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation across a range of promising areas.

Somalia recognised Uzbekistan’s independence on 17 February 2004. Diplomatic relations between Mogadishu and Tashkent were formally established in early February this year, with a joint communiqué signed in New York.

Somalia’s population in 2025 is estimated at 19.2 mln, with a GDP per capita of $1,900. The country experienced a series of armed...

Uzbekistan will establish a Uzbek-French university by order of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. The university will operate under Uzbek law and follow the guidelines of the French Universities Consortium.

Initially, the institution will offer master’s programmes, before expanding to bachelor’s and doctoral courses. A special preparatory programme will be introduced for admissions, and students can study on either a grant or a contract basis.

Graduates will receive two diplomas: one from the new Uzbek-French university and a second from a French university within the consortium. The French degree will be officially recognised in Uzbekistan.

Kursiv also reports that the...

In 2024 the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) directed a record $2.26 bn to Central Asia, with $938 mln allocated to Uzbekistan. These figures were highlighted at the third EU-Central Asia Economic Forum in Tashkent, which gathered over 400 participants from 32 countries.

Trade between the European Union and Central Asian nations has quadrupled over seven years, reaching €54 bn. The EU has invested more than €100 bn in the region, remaining its largest investor. Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khodjaev emphasised that relations with the EU are steadily growing and moving towards deeper partnership.

The forum...

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that his administration would «permanently pause» migration from all so-called Third World countries, Reuters reports. He cited the attack near the White House that he said resulted from failures in immigration vetting under President Joe Biden.

Trump did not specify which countries he considered third-world or clarify what «permanently pause» entails. He said the policy would affect cases approved under Biden, adding that it would terminate what he described as millions of illegal admissions and remove anyone deemed not a net benefit to the United States. He also pledged to end...

Authorities have confirmed that firefighting operations at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong have ended after a massive blaze swept through several high-rise apartment blocks, BBC reports.

The death toll has risen to 94, with at least 76 people injured and nearly 300 still unaccounted for. Hundreds of residents have been evacuated to temporary shelters. Officials had earlier expected to conclude search and rescue operations on Friday morning, but it remains unclear whether this has been completed.

The fire has raised serious concerns about construction safety standards in the city. The affected buildings had been undergoing renovations, and...

Uzbekistan is participating in four initiatives under the Central Asia Water and Land Nexus (CAWLN) programme with a total value exceeding $18 mln. The initiatives are focused on water and land management.

A $5.84 mln project will modernise water management in the Amu Darya, Zarafshan and Pyandzh river basins. Another $5 mln is allocated to improving water distribution efficiency in the Syr Darya and Naryn basins.

A $5.6 mln project will target the restoration of degraded lands and promote agroecological practices. A regional initiative worth $2 mln will implement measures to combat desertification and enhance land monitoring.

The CAWLN programme...

Uzbekistan has introduced amendments to its Customs Code. Under the new rules, customs duties will be applied at the standard rates if the goods are produced in countries that enjoy most favoured nation status, regardless of their point of shipment.

Goods from other states or those with an unknown country of origin will face additional charges. If the goods come from a country without this preferential status or if the place of production cannot be confirmed, extra duties will be added to the existing ad valorem rate. These additional amounts are set at 5% for goods with a rate...

The hacking group known as Bloody Wolf has been tied to a cyber campaign that has targeted Kyrgyzstan since June 2025 and is now striking Uzbekistan. Group-IB researchers, working with the Kyrgyz Prosecutor General’s Office, said the attacks focus on finance, government and IT sectors.

The group impersonates Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Justice through official looking PDFs and spoofed domains that host malicious Java Archive files used to deploy the NetSupport remote access tool (RAT). Group-IB said this blend of social engineering and simple off-the-shelf tools helps the group stay effective while keeping a low profile.

Bloody Wolf has been...

Uzbekistan revised its gross domestic product after the National Statistics Committee broadened its data coverage. The updated figures show GDP for 2024 rising from $115 bn to $121.4 bn, helped by the inclusion of an extra $6.81 bn of added value.

The changes were presented on November 27 during a meeting where President Shavkat Mirziyoyev reviewed the committee’s latest report. Officials also noted a continued reduction in the shadow economy, which has dropped from 50% in 2017 to 35% this year. Plans are in place to bring a further $6.64 bn of activity into the formal sector, which would...

The party of imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday demanded immediate access to him, saying he has been held in isolation for more than three weeks without contact with family or lawyers.

Khan, jailed since August 2023 and serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges he claims are politically motivated, has not been seen by anyone outside prison staff since Nov. 4, according to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari.

«We are worried about his illegal isolation,» Bukhari told Reuters, calling on authorities to allow his family to visit and to...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has instructed employees to integrate AI into all possible tasks, calling the technology essential to the company’s future rather than a threat to jobs.

In an internal meeting, Huang criticised managers reportedly discouraging AI use, saying, «Are you insane?» He urged engineers to rely on tools like Cursor and improve them when needed, insisting automation will boost productivity, not replace workers.

The directive comes as major tech firms push staff to adopt AI in daily workflows, even as fears of job losses rise following industry-wide restructuring. Huang, however, reiterated that roles will evolve, not disappear:

France is preparing to revive national military service on a voluntary basis, nearly 30 years after abolishing conscription, as concerns grow over Russia’s aggression and the risk of a wider conflict in Europe.

President Emmanuel Macron is expected to unveil the plan today during a visit to an infantry brigade in the Alps. The announcement comes more than three and a half years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a war French officials warn could spill beyond Ukraine’s borders.

According to a presidential official, the revamped scheme will initially train 2,000–3,000 volunteers in its...

A woman in her 20s has died and a man of a similar age remains in critical condition after a shark attack at Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park, around 300 km north of Sydney, New South Wales.

Police and paramedics were called to the beach early on Thursday morning. A bystander applied a makeshift tourniquet to the man’s leg before emergency services arrived, an action officials said may have been life-saving.

The Department of Primary Industries stated the shark involved was likely a large bull shark, a species known to be potentially dangerous to humans.

Authorities have...

A train hit a group of railway workers at Luoyang Town station in Kunming, southwestern China, on Thursday, killing 11 and injuring two, officials said. The train was testing earthquake detection equipment when it struck workers on a curved section of track.

Normal services at the Yunnan province station have resumed, and authorities are investigating the cause of the collision.

On the same day, two maintenance workers were killed by a train in Deyang, Sichuan province, according to local media.

China operates the world’s largest rail network, covering more than 160,000 km and carrying billions of passengers each year...

Aziz Gafurov, Head of the Secretariat of the Foreign Investors Council under the President of Uzbekistan spoke to Kursiv Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the 3rd EU–Central Asia Economic Forum.

«Almost every major international organisation and development institution now chooses Uzbekistan as the venue for its regional events. This is a clear signal that interest is rising sharply, especially in the priority areas highlighted today: critical raw materials, green energy, and digitalisation,» Gafurov said.

He stressed that the real value of EU–Central Asia cooperation lies in unification of efforts across the region.

A fire at the Wang Fuk Court public housing estate in Hong Kong has killed at least 55 people and left more than 270 unaccounted for. Thousands of residents have been relocated to temporary shelters.

The blaze began on Wednesday at 14:51 local time at the 31-storey estate in Tai Po district. Seven of the eight towers were affected. The estate, built in 1983, was undergoing renovation. About 40% of residents are aged 65 or older.

Police say mesh netting, plastic sheets and styrofoam were found on the buildings and may have contributed to the rapid spread of...

World chess champion Javokhir Sindarov will receive a three-room flat as a presidential gift, following his recent World Cup triumph and his wider contribution to the growth of chess in Uzbekistan.

Alongside the flat, his coaching team will receive cash awards in recognition of their role in his success. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has also signed a decree granting Sindarov the honorary title of Honoured Athlete of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

According to the presidential press service, the award reflects his exceptional skill, determination and commitment, as well as his role in strengthening the reputation of New Uzbekistan on...