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Meta Platforms has appointed former Trump adviser Dina Powell McCormick as president and vice chair, as the company ramps up investment in artificial intelligence and seeks closer ties with the Trump administration.

The appointment was announced in Meta’s official newsletter, with chief executive Mark Zuckerberg citing Powell McCormick’s experience in global finance and government as key to guiding the company through its next phase of growth. President Donald Trump welcomed the move, praising Powell McCormick in a social media post.

The leadership change comes as Meta accelerates spending on AI infrastructure, including a $27 bn data centre project...

A Russian-flagged oil tanker seized by U.S. and UK forces in the North Atlantic has arrived in British waters under escort.

The tanker, Marinera, was escorted by a U.S. Coast Guard vessel and UK tugboats into the Moray Firth in northern Scotland, where it has now dropped anchor. The ship is not currently visible on marine tracking systems after its transponder was reportedly switched off.

The vessel was boarded on January 7 in waters between Iceland and Scotland after being tracked by U.S. forces for more than two weeks. U.S. European Command said the tanker was linked to Venezuelan oil...

UNICEF said on Tuesday that more than 100 children have died in Gaza since the early October ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.

«Over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the October ceasefire,» UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told reporters via video link from Gaza.

«While the bombings and shootings have eased during the ceasefire, they have not stopped, and survival remains precarious.»

Elder noted that nearly all of the 60 boys and 40 girls were killed in military actions, including air strikes, drone attacks, tank fire, gunfire, and quadcopters, while...

As of January 1, 2026, Uzbekistan had 474,900 registered businesses, according to the State Statistics Committee.

Trade remains the dominant sector, hosting 153,200 companies or 32.3% of all businesses. Small businesses account for 85% of organisations, totalling 403,800. Tashkent leads in concentration with 108,700 companies, followed by Tashkent Region (46,500), Samarkand (41,200) and Fergana (38,200).

Limited liability companies (LLCs) remain the most popular legal form, with 170,400 commercial structures operating under this model.

The number of companies with foreign capital rose 22% over the year to 18,100. China leads with 5,000 enterprises, followed by Russia (3,200) and Turkey...

Uzbekneftegaz was tasked with raising daily gas production from 66 mln to 70 mln cubic metres and ensuring annual output of at least 25.4 bn cubic metres this year. The instructions were issued during a meeting chaired by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev on the company’s plans and priorities.

The president said expanding gas reserves would require intensified geological exploration, the creation of new investment blocks and faster work on fields already transferred to investors.

Naphtha processing was discussed separately. Mirziyoyev noted that existing facilities are operating at only 70% capacity and that products are being exported at prices about...

Yoweri Museveni, who seized power in Uganda in 1986 promising to end leaders’ grip on office, is seeking a seventh presidential term at the age of 81 after nearly four decades in charge.

The former rebel leader initially won praise for restoring stability, tackling the AIDS epidemic and defeating the Lord’s Resistance Army. But critics say his rule has been marked by entrenched corruption and increasingly authoritarian tactics. Professor Kristof Titeca of the University of Antwerp said corruption has been central to Museveni’s governance from the start.

Museveni denies tolerating graft, saying officials found guilty have been prosecuted. He...

The Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR) reports that Uzbekistan’s banking sector net profit surged 57.1% year-on-year to 13.5 trln soums ($1.1bn) in the fourth quarter of 2025.

​The study covered 35 commercial banks, split into 20 large and 15 small institutions. According to the CERR, total banking sector assets amounted to 892.9 trln soums ($74.2 bn) during the reporting period. Liabilities stood at 759.8 trln soums ($63.1 bn).

Key performance indicators showed positive momentum. Lending activity increased by 13% and deposits grew by 31%. The share of non-performing loans decreased from 4.3% a year earlier to 3.5%, indicating...

A new natural gas flow has been recorded at the Shagirlik-quyi Yura No. 2 exploratory well in the Muynak field on the Ustyurt Plateau, Uzbek news agency UzA reports.

Geologists identified gas-bearing layers at a depth of 5,000 metres, and drilling operations were completed on January 10, 2026. The work is being carried out jointly by Uzbekgeofizika JSC and the State Institute of Geology and Exploration of Oil and Gas Fields.

Officials say the discovery could significantly boost the prospects for hydrocarbon development in the region. As part of the ongoing project, two additional exploratory wells — No...

Formula 1 teams are facing a race against time and physics as they prepare for the upcoming Barcelona testing. Reports suggest that some squads may miss the opening day while others struggle to meet the new weight targets.

The private shakedown session, scheduled for January 26-30 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, marks the first on-track opportunity for the radical 2026 regulations but it appears not every garage will be open for business when the pit lane light turns green.

​Strategic delays and tight schedules

Rumours circulating in the paddock indicate that at least two teams...

Alphabet briefly crossed a $4 trln market valuation on December 12, Reuters reports. Renewed confidence in the Google parent’s artificial intelligence strategy propelled the stock to record levels.

Shares in Alphabet rose as much as 1.7% to an all-time high before paring gains. The surge followed signs that the company’s AI efforts are gaining traction, including a multi-year agreement under which Apple’s next generation of AI models will be built on Google’s Gemini platform.

Alphabet has also benefited from wider adoption of Gemini across the tech industry. Samsung Electronics plans to expand the number of devices using Gemini-powered...

U.S. President Donald Trump said on January 12 that he had introduced a 25% tariff on goods from countries that maintain commercial links with Iran. This move is aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran as anti-government protests continue for a third week.

Posting on social media, Trump said the measure was effective immediately but did not clarify what activities would qualify as doing business with Iran. China is Iran’s largest trading partner, followed by Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and India.

The White House provided no further details on how the tariff would be enforced or which...

The United Nations has warned that child malnutrition in the Gaza Strip has reached critical levels, with nearly 95,000 cases recorded in 2025.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire, as harsh winter conditions threaten already fragile relief efforts. Speaking at a news conference, he cited data from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), noting that aid agencies continue to identify large numbers of children in urgent need of care.

According to the UN, humanitarian partners screened more than 76,000 children last month alone, identifying around...

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has said that a dispute between China and Japan is undesirable for regional peace, stressing that Seoul will not intervene in the ongoing tensions.

Speaking in an interview with Japanese broadcaster NHK aired on Monday, Lee said stability in Northeast Asia was a priority and signalled South Korea’s intention to maintain a neutral stance. His remarks came a day ahead of his scheduled summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, where regional security and diplomatic cooperation are expected to be discussed.

Kursiv Uzbekistan also reports that shares of high-liquidity companies...

Brooklyn Beckham has publicly defended his wife, Nicola Peltz Beckham, amid growing reports of a deepening rift within the Beckham family.

Sources close to the couple say Brooklyn has pushed back against claims that he is being «controlled» by Nicola, describing the narrative as sexist and deeply insulting. The response follows reports that Brooklyn has hired law firm Schillings to formally ask his parents, David and Victoria Beckham, to stop contacting him, signalling that the long-rumoured family tensions have escalated into a legal dispute.

The move has reportedly left David and Victoria distressed, particularly after Brooklyn missed several...

Former Georgian prime minister Irakli Garibashvili will serve a five-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges of large-scale money laundering, prosecutors said on Monday.

Garibashvili, who led the country from 2021 to 2024 and earlier from 2013 to 2015, was also fined 1 mln lari ($375,000). He was taken into custody following a court hearing in Tbilisi, according to his lawyer.

The case stems from raids carried out in October, when authorities said they seized $6.5 mln in cash from Garibashvili’s home. He has not publicly commented on the charges.

Garibashvili is a longtime ally of billionaire...

Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman has donated $10K to a GoFundMe campaign supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good during a Minneapolis operation last week. The top donor credit on the fundraiser lists «William Ackman», and Ackman confirmed the contribution in a social media post, saying he believes in the principle that individuals are innocent until proven guilty and intended to support both the agent’s and Good’s family’s campaigns, though the latter had already closed after raising over $1.5 mln.

Good, a 37-year-old mother of three, was shot and...

NATO secretary general Mark Rutte has praised U.S. President Donald Trump for pushing allies to increase defence spending, while avoiding direct comment on Trump’s controversial remarks about Greenland.

Speaking during a visit to Croatia, where he met Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Rutte said Trump was «doing the right things for NATO» by encouraging European countries to spend more on defence. He credited Trump with helping secure agreement at last year’s Nato summit in The Hague to raise defence spending targets to 5% of GDP.

Asked about Trump’s comments suggesting the US could seek control of Greenland, Rutte declined...

Israel’s incoming ambassador to the UK, Tzachi Braverman, has been banned from leaving the country after being arrested as part of an investigation into the leak of classified military documents.

Braverman, who serves as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, is accused of attempting to obstruct an inquiry into the leak of secret papers from the prime minister’s office related to Israel’s war goals in Gaza. The documents were published by the German newspaper Bild in 2024 and were seen as supporting Netanyahu’s justification for continuing the conflict.

After a 13-hour interrogation by Israel’s major crime unit...

US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr accused Germany of prosecuting «a thousand physicians» for issuing vaccine and mask exemptions during the Covid-19 pandemic, claims the German government has dismissed as unfounded.

In a post on Saturday, Kennedy said he had written to German Health Minister Nina Warken calling for an end to what he described as «politically motivated prosecutions», accusing Germany of targeting doctors who «put their patients first». He did not provide evidence to support the allegations.

Warken rejected the claims as «completely unfounded» and said medical autonomy was constitutionally protected in Germany. She stressed that...

Toronto FC have made a £13.4 mln offer for Norwich City and USA forward Josh Sargent, who is keen to return to MLS to be closer to his family. The 25-year-old recently informed manager Philippe Clement that he was not available for Norwich’s FA Cup match against Walsall due to transfer concerns, though Clement has insisted the striker will not be sold this window. Talks are set to continue this week.

Elsewhere, Brentford have completed the £8 mln signing of 18-year-old forward Kaye Furo from Club Brugge. West Ham have stepped up their search for defensive reinforcements and...

J.K. Rowling has faced renewed online criticism after sharing a post in support of protesters in Iran, reigniting debate over selective activism by public figures.

The Harry Potter author posted an image linked to the «Women, Life, Freedom» movement on X on 11 January, criticising activists who, in her view, support human rights while remaining silent on Iran. The post quickly went viral as protests across the country intensified amid economic hardship and political repression.

While supporters praised Rowling for amplifying the voices of Iranian protesters, critics accused her of inconsistent advocacy, pointing to other global conflicts she...

Scuderia Ferrari is adopting an “aggressive” strategy for the 2026 Formula 1 season, pushing the assembly of its new car to the absolute limit. With the team facing a major technical revolution, Maranello is betting on maximizing development time, even if it means finishing the car just hours before its official presentation.

According to a report by Autoracer, the Italian team finds itself at a crossroads between aggressive innovation and potential delays as it tackles the new 2026 regulations. These rules introduce a simultaneous overhaul of both aerodynamics and power units, all while operating under a strict cost...

Shares of high-liquidity companies on the Tashkent Stock Exchange (UzSE) recorded mostly positive movement between December 30 and January 9, lifting the UCI fund index by 0.95%.

During this period, ordinary shares of O‘zsanoatqurilishbank posted the strongest growth, soaring 75.48%. Hamkorbank also saw gains, with preferred shares up 17.37% and ordinary shares rising 15.12%. On the other hand, Qashqadaryo Technological Transport shares fell 9.84%, marking the largest decline of the week. AMMC (-4.71%) and Kvarts (-4.04%) also posted losses, while shares of Aloqabank and Chilonzor Commodity Complex remained unchanged.

In terms of transactions, O‘zsanoatqurilishbank led with 1,968 deals, followed...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated that the European Union and India might sign a free trade agreement as early as the end of January, following his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

Merz said that the presidents of the European Commission and European Council would travel to India to formalise the agreement if it is finalised by then. During his first trip to India as chancellor, he added:

“In any case, they will take another major step forward to ensure that this free trade agreement comes into being.”

Negotiations had initially...