News

Women riding motorbikes through the streets of Tehran have become a striking new symbol of Iran’s slow but visible social transformation, challenging decades of conservative restrictions.

For Merat Behnam, 38, commuting to her café on a yellow scooter once seemed unthinkable. Riding without a motorcycle license, which Iranian law grants only to men, she expected harassment or arrest. Instead, she says, public reactions have largely been supportive.

«Gradually, the way people treated me encouraged me a lot,» she told the Associated Press.

Police still warn that women riding motorcycles is illegal, and hard-line...

A Turkish C-130 military cargo plane crashed in eastern Georgia near the Azerbaijani border, killing all 20 personnel on board, Turkey’s Defense Minister Yasar Guler confirmed on Wednesday.

The aircraft was en route from Ganja, Azerbaijan, to Turkey when it went down in Sighnaghi municipality on Tuesday. Officials said contact was lost shortly after the plane entered Georgian airspace and that no distress signal was issued.

The victims were returning from Azerbaijan’s Victory Day celebrations, marking its 2020 victory over Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said investigators have recovered the flight data recorder, and a 46-member...

Top diplomats from the G7 met in southern Ontario as tensions with Washington flared over tariffs, NATO spending, and uncertainty surrounding President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for Gaza and efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war.

Host Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign minister, said ties with the U.S. must «continue across a range of issues» as she welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and counterparts from Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan. Australia, Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, South Korea, South Africa and Ukraine were also invited.

Agenda items include shoring up a Gaza ceasefire, Ukraine support, maritime security, Haiti...

The Kremlin has confirmed that Britain’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell held contact with Russian Presidential Aide Yuri Ushakov, but said the talks failed to develop due to a lack of interest from the UK side in hearing Russia’s position on the war in Ukraine.

«There were indeed contacts. A dialogue took place, but it did not continue,» Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. «There was an acute desire of the interlocutor to talk about the position of the Europeans and a lack of any intention to listen to our position.»

The Financial Times...

Israel’s Knesset has advanced a bill that would make execution mandatory for those convicted of killing Israelis for political or nationalist motives, marking a major shift in the country’s approach to capital punishment.

The proposal, introduced by ultranationalist lawmaker Limor Son Har-Melech, passed its first reading 39–16. It defines eligible offences as murders committed «due to racism» and «with the aim of harming the State of Israel and the revival of the Jewish people,» and would allow military courts in the West Bank to impose death sentences by majority rather than unanimous verdict.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the...

Mercedes Formula One team boss Toto Wolff is reportedly in advanced discussions to sell a small portion of his 33% ownership in the team at a valuation of around $6 bn. Sources close to the matter say the potential deal would set a record for an F1 team’s value, surpassing the $4.7 bn price tag attached to a recent McLaren stake sale.

Despite the planned sale, Wolff is expected to continue in his dual role as CEO and team principal. The transaction involves a mid-single-digit percentage of the team through an investment in Wolff’s holding company. The identity of...

Apple has removed the gay social network Blued and dating app Finka from its China App Store after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, extending a fresh wave of online censorship.

«We follow the laws in the countries where we operate,»

Apple said, confirming the removals apply to the China storefront only. Both services, used by tens of millions, were launched in China (Blued in 2012; Finka is Beijing-based).

The move follows earlier actions in China, where Threads and WhatsApp were delisted in 2024 on national security grounds, Apple News remains...

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has threatened to confiscate more than 1,000 Lithuanian trucks stranded in Belarus following Lithuania’s recent border closures, said The Independent.

Vilnius shut two crossings with Belarus on 29 October, citing repeated airspace violations by weather balloons carrying smuggled cigarettes, which disrupted civilian flights. Lithuanian authorities say the incidents are part of broader hybrid operations by Belarus, a close ally of Russia, aimed at destabilising the region.

Lukashenko condemned the closures as a «mad scam» and a form of «hybrid war,» demanding the border be fully reopened to avoid the seizure of the vehicles. The escalation...

Filming has officially wrapped on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Three, marking the end of a four-month shoot that began in July. The film will conclude Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic saga.

While early reports suggested the title would be Dune: Messiah, after Herbert’s 1969 novel, Warner Bros. has confirmed that the third instalment will instead follow a numbered title. This shift implies that Villeneuve could blend elements from both Messiah and its sequel Children of Dune.

Recent casting news supports that theory. Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke have joined the ensemble as Leto II and Ghanima, the children...

Uzbekistan has refocused its bank privatisation agenda around Uzbek Industrial and Construction Bank (SQB, BB/Stable), a more selective approach that could become a template for other state lenders but is unlikely to produce large-scale sales soon, Fitch Ratings said.

Fitch notes authorities are prioritising SQB’s pre-sale preparation under the Uzbekistan National Investment Fund (UzNIF), with a September presidential decree ordering the transfer of a 30% SQB stake from the Uzbekistan Fund for Reconstruction and Development to the Ministry of Economy and Finance and then to UzNIF. Amendments also remove the previous year-end 2025 deadline to sell control in SQB...

Newly elected New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has encouraged a young journalist to visit the Uzbek restaurant Tashkent in Brooklyn and try its signature manti dumplings. The interview was shared by the press service of Uzbekistan’s Foreign Ministry.

In the video, the boy asked Mamdani to name three dishes he believes everyone should try.

«Have you been to Hyderabadi Zaiqa? It’s on 28th Street and Lex — very good food. I recommend the Halim. Very very good. Where else? I recently had some Manti at a place I think was called ‘Tashkent’ in southern Brooklyn...

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 mln loan, including $100 mln on concessional terms, to support the Uzbek government’s efforts to improve access to finance for underserved micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), with a particular focus on women-led businesses, and to strengthen the country’s microfinance sector. The policy-based loan aims to foster inclusive economic growth and entrepreneurship.

Expanding Inclusive Finance

The second phase of the programme will build on reforms initiated under Subprogramme 1 of the Inclusive Financial Sector Development Programme. Planned measures include raising the maximum microloan size, refining microfinance regulations, joining the...

Uzbekistan plans to open new consulates in the United States, according to a presidential decree by Shavkat Mirziyoyev establishing the American-Uzbek Business Council. The consulates will include specialists focusing on key US sectors and take into account the size of the Uzbek diaspora in each region.

The planned locations include Chicago, Orlando, and Seattle. A major goal of these consulates will be to foster effective engagement with Uzbek communities across all US states.

Preliminary data indicates that around 75,000 Uzbeks were living in the United States in 2023.

According to the State Committee on Statistics, more...

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan has signed a decree establishing the US-Uzbek Business and Investment Council, according to an official statement on the president’s website. The council’s members will be approved, and its operational regulations overseen, by Saida Mirziyoyeva, head of the presidential administration.

The council will prioritise coordinating large-scale trade and investment projects and plans to create an investment fund to attract additional capital into Uzbekistan’s economy. Key investors may include the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) alongside global financial institutions. The organisation will also oversee strategic and infrastructure development projects.

In addition, the council will...

Uzbekistan Airways posted a net profit of 710.2 bn soums ($59.2 mln) in the first nine months of 2025, marking a 44% increase from the 494 bn soums ($41.2) earned during the same period last year. According to the airline’s quarterly report under national accounting standards, revenue grew by 6.6% from 12.9 trln ($1 bn) to 13.7 trln soums ($1.1 bn).

Financial performance

The cost of sales stood at 11.7 trln soums ($975.8 mln), resulting in a gross profit of 2.02 trln soums ($168.4 mln), similar to last year’s level. Period expenses nearly halved from 1.43 trln...

Between January and October 2025, Uzbekistan’s imports of agricultural products from Russia rose by 15%, reaching $938 mln, according to the Federal Centre for Export Development under Russia’s Ministry of Agriculture.

Sugar led the list of imported goods, with deliveries increasing by 37% to $188 mln. Imports of chocolate products also climbed by 10% to $82 mln, while demand for soybean meal and oilcake grew steadily. Imports of poultry meat nearly tripled, live animals rose twelvefold and purchases of instant coffee doubled.

The Russian Agriculture Ministry noted that Uzbek consumers appreciate the high quality and diverse range of Russian...

Gayane Umerova, head of Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation and the National Commission for UNESCO Affairs, has been elected chair of the 25th session of the UNESCO General Assembly.

She was chosen by the member states of the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage during the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference held in Samarkand.

Umerova was recognised for her efforts in promoting cultural heritage and contemporary art, as well as for strengthening Uzbekistan’s international cultural presence. Her work in advancing cultural diplomacy and initiatives aimed at preserving and popularising Uzbekistan’s rich heritage...

Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) has signed an agreement with Uzbekistan’s state-owned JSC Uzenergosotish to develop the country’s largest standalone battery energy storage system (BESS), according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).

Agreement Overview

The Zarafshan BESS marks the first stage of Uzbekistan’s national battery storage initiative, which will later expand in a second phase. It follows Masdar’s December 2023 agreement with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Investments, Industry and Trade to install up to 575 megawatts (MW) or 1.15 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of battery storage capacity nationwide.

The first phase will have the capacity...

The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing outside a district court in Islamabad that killed at least 12 people and injured 27.

The group said judges, lawyers and officials who «issued decisions under un-Islamic laws» were the target. They also warned they would continue attacks until Islamic law is implemented in Pakistan.

Earlier on Tuesday, a suicide attacker tried to enter the courthouse but failed. He then detonated his explosives near a police vehicle, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said. The blast was strong enough to be heard miles away.

Pakistani authorities initially blamed the...

China’s extended Singles’ Day shopping festival is offering a muted read on consumer appetite as value-conscious shoppers trade down and focus on necessities despite deep discounts and an earlier start to promotions.

Retail data firm Syntun said combined gross merchandise value had topped 1 trillion yuan ($140bn) by Oct. 31, with final tallies due later this week. Last year’s sales were estimated up 26% to 1.44 trillion yuan, but economists say demand for big-ticket items remains weak amid job and income pressures.

Analysts cite «consumer fatigue» and skepticism over headline discounts, while government rebates for trading in appliances and...

The death toll from a capsised boat carrying Rohingya migrants from Myanmar climbed to 26 on Tuesday as more bodies were recovered in Malaysian and Thai waters, officials said.

Malaysia’s maritime agency reported 8 additional bodies and 1 new survivor found near Langkawi, bringing Malaysia’s total to 20 dead (7 men, 9 women, 4 children) and 14 survivors. Thailand’s Romsai Rescue Foundation said 6 bodies were recovered in Satun province waters.

Authorities estimate about 70 people were aboard the vessel, believed to be one of three smaller boats that split from a larger craft carrying roughly 300 passengers departing Buthidaung...

Uzbekistan’s Legislative Chamber approved an Islamic banking bill in its second and final readings, advancing a landmark framework to the Senate that would legalise Sharia-compliant finance and amend the Tax Code, Civil Code and eight other laws.

The draft law defines key terms (including «Islamic bank»), sets licensing requirements, and permits Islamic banks to engage in trade-based financing and take equity stakes—activities barred under current banking rules. It recognises products such as murabaha, mudaraba, musharaka, wakala and salam, and allows conventional banks to open «Islamic windows.»

Lawmakers also backed tax adjustments to prevent trade-structured Islamic transactions from being disadvantaged...

At the Salone d’Onore del Coni in Rome, where Italian sporting achievements are celebrated, Ferrari president John Elkann addressed the team’s struggles in Formula 1 while contrasting it with the marque’s success in endurance racing.

Elkann spoke frankly after witnessing the celebrations in Bahrain and the team’s disappointing double result in Brazil. His call for unity and focus — «Only when we all fight in the same direction can we win, as endurance racing has shown» — shifted into pointed criticism of drivers Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

«We need drivers who think more...

In Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, hundreds of hand-crafted poppies have been displayed outside a church to mark Armistice Day and the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

The installation features 1,752 poppies attached to 25 square metres of camouflage netting in Rectory Gardens. More than 110 balls of red wool were used, with each poppy knitted by hand as part of a project that began in July.

The display was organised by Cleeve by Goring Women’s Institute, the Goring Gap Local History Society, Goring and Streatley Arts, and Goring Parish Council. Parish councillor Barbara Newman said the idea...