News

A violent fight in the cockpit appears to have forced an Israel-bound flydubai flight to divert to Saudi Arabia, with one passenger reporting a knife and blood on the plane. However, claims that one of the pilots deliberately attempted to crash the plane have yet to be verified.

Flight FZ1073 was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv when the pilots became involved in a physical altercation, an Israeli official told Reuters. AP separately cited a regional official briefed on the incident who said a fight had broken out in the cockpit, though its cause remained unclear.

Israel reportedly scrambled fighter jets on 30 September after a FlyDubai flight to Tel Aviv sent out a suspected hijack alert, according to Israeli media. The plane changed course towards Saudi Arabia, but no hijacking was confirmed.

According to Ynet, the FlyDubai flight FZ1073, bound for Tel Aviv, carried 174 passengers, including 27 children. An Israeli security official told the outlet that authorities had been unable to contact the pilot.

Israel Hayom reported that the aircraft transmitted emergency code 7700, followed by code 7500, before circling in Saudi airspace. The circumstances behind...

Actor Chad Lowe and producer Kim Painter are mourning the sudden loss of their 13-year-old daughter Fiona Hepler Lowe. The couple confirmed her passing in a public statement released on 29 September, expressing profound devastation over a tragedy that has shattered their closely knit household.

Fiona was the middle child of the couple, who married in Los Angeles in August 2010. Born in November 2012, she shared her life with her older sister Mabel, 17, and younger sister Nixie, 10. In their announcement, Lowe and Painter remembered the teenager as a smart, creative and loving girl...

Kazakhstan’s relationship with Russia is rooted in concerns that a diplomatic disagreement cannot easily undo: a vast shared border, a sizeable ethnic Russian community and cultural ties spanning back decades, president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said in Berlin. 

Tokayev travelled to Germany on Tuesday to meet with chancellor Friedrich Merz and business circles on Tuesday. The two leaders spoke to the media on the back of the meeting, with ARD reporter Demian von Osten asking Kazakhstan’s president for his take on working with Russia in the current circumstances. 

His argument connected foreign policy with stability at home. 

«As for Russia, we...

HoYoverse has announced an opera collaboration for Genshin Impact Version 7.1, casting Russian classical singer Daria Terekhova to provide vocal performances. The partnership forms the cornerstone of the developer’s “Snezhnaya Cultural Co-Creation Series”, an initiative designed to integrate diverse artistic mediums into the game.

Terekhova brings substantial pedigree to the project as the principal soprano of the Stanislavsky Theatre. Her real-world repertoire spans acclaimed performances in The Magic Flute, Così fan tutte and The Tale of Tsar Saltan.

In Genshin Impact, she lends her classical training to Vodyanitsa, a character styled as the...

Tashkent residents are bracing for the familiar autumn haze as air pollution levels surge across the capital. Official data from Uzhydromet recorded fine particulate matter PM10 at 110 micrograms per cubic metre on Wednesday morning.

This figure exceeds the maximum permissible concentration of 75 micrograms per cubic metre by a factor of 1.46, signalling the start of the city’s seasonal environmental challenges.

Independent monitoring from the IQAir platform corroborated the shifting conditions.

The live Air Quality Index reached 91, classifying the atmosphere as “moderate” for the general public.

IQAir’s sensors measured the...

Shakira’s concert in Bishkek is scheduled for October 18, and tickets will go on sale on October 1. Prices start at 12,000 Kyrgyz soms, but the cheapest seats offer limited views.

The performance at Bishkek Arena forms part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour. Kyrgyzstan’s presidential affairs department announced the date, describing it as her first concert in Central Asia, according to state news agency Kabar.

For fans planning a trip from Uzbekistan, the ticket-sale launch is at 08:00 Tashkent time — one hour behind Bishkek.

Time and venue

The...

CD Projekt Red has completely overhauled its defining role-playing game with The Witcher 3 Remastered.

The 45-gigabyte software update introduces extensive technical improvements, structural gameplay changes and new control schemes across all platforms. These extensive changes also incorporate previous expansions into the base game and prepare for the upcoming 2027 add-on “Ballads of the Past”.

The development team implemented significant graphics processing upgrades tailored to the latest hardware capabilities. PC players gain access to path tracing and ray-traced hairworks, supported by the newest generation of upscaling technologies, including Nvidia DLSS 4.5, AMD...

Aston Martin Aramco has confirmed its driver pairing for the 2027 Formula 1 season, renewing the contracts of both two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Canadian driver Lance Stroll.

The announcement ends widespread paddock speculation regarding the future of Alonso. The 45-year-old Spaniard had been weighing a potential retirement following a challenging start to the 2026 campaign.

Aston Martin struggled initially with reliability issues and severe vibrations from its new Honda power unit in the Adrian Newey-designed chassis. However, recent performance upgrades, including a B-spec car introduced in Hungary and an engine...

The Kremlin reportedly conducted a not-for-publication poll to gauge public opinion about the prospect of cancelling or greenlighting Kanye West‘s show in Russia. According to RBC, the majority of respondents were unconcerned about whether it happened. 

The Russian presidential administration commissioned the survey in response to the show’s public controversy. According to unnamed sources quoted by the business daily, the majority of respondents did not care at all about whether the American rapper performs in Russia or not. 

Supporters and opponents were evenly divided among those with a preference. Some respondents favoured the performance, while others...

The next chapter of a legendary ninja franchise will debut at New York Comic Con this autumn. An all-new “Naruto” anime project is scheduled for a world premiere announcement during a dedicated stage event on October 10.

The panel, officially titled “NARUTO: What’s Next?”, promises a simultaneous global livestream on YouTube to ensure international fans can tune in. Organisers have strategically timed the highly anticipated presentation to coincide with the titular character’s birthday.

Studio Pierrot executive producer Yoshihiko Tominaga will lead the panel. He will be joined by Japanese voice cast veterans Junko Takeuchi and Noriaki Sugiyama, who have portrayed...

Children too frightened to speak out must not be left unprotected, an Uzbek lawmaker warned as parliament heard that over four hundred rape cases involving under-14s were opened in four years. 

Warning: This article contains information some readers may find disturbing.

MP Gulrukh Agzamova, who chairs the democratic institutions and civil society committee, presented the figures during a parliamentary debate earlier on Tuesday. The disturbing statistics included criminal cases opened, rather than convictions or individual victims.

The number of such cases rose from 85 in 2022 to 108 in...

An Uzbek man went on trial in South Korea accused of sending about $920 to Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad (KTJ). A Seoul court is due to deliver its ruling later in October, The Korea Herald reported.

The man in question was indicted in June while in custody on charges including a violation of South Korea’s Counter-Terrorism Act.

He is accused of transferring 1.25 million won into accounts designated by a member of Khatiba al-Tawhid wal-Jihad between January 2024 and January 2025. The allegations are that the contact approached him on Telegram, introduced himself as...

Christian Horner has made one of his clearest statements yet about a possible return to Formula One, naming Ferrari as the rare team that could persuade him to take another senior role without an ownership stake.

The former Red Bull team principal told The Times that Ferrari was Formula One’s biggest brand and described the prospect of working for the Italian team as «the dream.» His comments have landed at an awkward moment for current Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur, whose future has become the subject of renewed speculation after another difficult stretch of the 2026 season.

Tech YouTubers are divided on the ultimate camera flagship smartphone of late 2026, as video reviews of the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Honor Magic 9 Pro Max highlight different approaches to mobile videography.

Recent analyses from content creators Kingmi Mobile and Theprtech reveal that choosing between the two devices depends heavily on whether a user prioritises professional cinematic control or seamless ecosystem reliability.

Cinematic ambitions versus Apple reliability

In a detailed camera comparison, Kingmi Mobile noted that the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max excels in delivering a professional aesthetic. The...

Football’s expanding calendar is generating more revenue, but Deloitte warns that the strategy may reduce the game’s appeal. Bigger tournaments increase club revenue while raising concerns about how much players and supporters can bear.

The consultancy’s Annual Review of Football Finance 2026, examining the 2024/25 season, identifies expanded UEFA and FIFA competitions as important drivers of European football’s growth. Their larger prize funds helped support otherwise plateauing broadcasting income.

For participating clubs, more fixtures mean more tickets to sell, more hospitality packages, and more exposure for sponsors. Matchday revenue increased by 16% across Europe’s five largest...

Apple has launched Siri AI alongside the release of iOS 27, delivering an overhaul to its digital assistant. Check out our list to see if your device is compatible.

The system update introduces advanced on-device AI processing as a major highlight of the new operating system. The most powerful on-device models are heavily restricted to newer hardware, which means that older products lack the necessary architectural requirements to support the upgraded features.

Smartphone and tablet requirements

For mobile users, the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are the first models that support the new features. The standard

Anne Hathaway has dismissed concerns about her stamina during the final stretch of a marathon 2026 press tour. Speaking to Brut America, the actress addressed the physical toll of releasing five major films in a single calendar year.

When asked by the interviewer how she avoids exhaustion after such a demanding schedule, Hathaway remained overwhelmingly positive about her current state.

“I really, really feel okay,” Hathaway said. “Like, energy is holding. And I think also because I’m a week away from the finish line, so now I’m just like, kind of… I...

South Korean musician V has been appointed the new global brand ambassador for London-based tech company Nothing. The BTS member fronts the latest campaign for the brand, debuting the premium Headphone (1) Pro model.

The partnership arrives shortly after the artist, whose real name is Kim Tae-hyung, disclosed in an August livestream that he has been receiving treatment for partial hearing loss. V revealed his right ear had dropped to 30% capacity, a condition that progressively worsened during his compulsory 18-month military service. He is currently under the care of an audiologist...

K-pop soloist and Twice member Tzuyu will perform the official theme song for an ongoing collaboration between the Atlassian Williams F1 Team and the television anime series DAN DA DAN. The project will feature an entirely original track and an accompanying music video intended to merge the fast-paced world of motorsport with animation.

The nine-time Constructors’ Championship-winning Formula 1 team and the global anime franchise are promoting the crossover with the tagline “Speed Meets Supernatural”. To mark the announcement, Williams Racing released promotional images showing the singer dressed in full racing gear. The team...

Honor has unveiled its latest flagship smartphones, the Magic 9 and the premium Magic 9 Pro Max, at a launch event in China. Both devices feature substantial battery capacities, high-resolution telephoto cameras and an industry-first square front-facing sensor design.

The devices run on Android 17 with the company’s MagicOS 11 interface. Pricing for the standard Magic 9 starts at approximately $700 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage configuration, while the Magic 9 Pro Max starts at approximately $910 for the same memory tier. The company has also introduced optional clip-on zoom lenses with equivalent focal lengths of 200mm and...

The 81st UN General Assembly session, finished this Monday, has supplied plenty of moments that will outlive the speeches. From Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa scrolling Instagram reels to Recep Tayyip Erdogan reciting tear-wringing verses, here’s our tongue-in-cheek recap of this year’s most-watched global political event. 

Diplomacy demands a straight face. The internet has no such obligation. At the UN, every camera offers a chance to make history — or become the clip everyone sends their colleagues.

Ahmed Al-Sharaa’s Instagram break

It seemed like Turkish president Erdogan was speaking to the chamber as Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa browsed Instagram Reels in...

Uzbekistan will host the 16th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in 2031 after member states unanimously approved the bid at the current international gathering in the United Arab Emirates, Saida Mirziyoyeva confirmed on Monday.

The decision was stated in the declaration of the 15th Congress in Abu Dhabi, establishing a five-year roadmap for the Central Asian nation to prepare and stage the world’s largest gathering on criminal justice and penal reform.

Saida Mirziyoyeva, Head of the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, announced the endorsement following bilateral and multilateral meetings in the Emirati...

Indian international master Divya Deshmukh has won the Best Female Player trophy at the 2026 FIDE Excellence Awards, presented during the closing ceremony of the 46th Chess Olympiad in Samarkand, the International Chess Federation announced.

The 20-year-old secured the individual accolade following an exceptional campaign that cemented her reputation among the game’s brightest young talents. Deshmukh delivered a string of authoritative performances across the 11-round tournament, demonstrating sharp opening preparation and composed technical execution in complex endgames.

Her aggressive play on India’s top boards produced vital victories against several experienced grandmasters, yielding an individual performance rating...