News

Uzbekistan’s Navoi Mining and Metallurgical Company (NMMC) reported a significant increase in first-half profit as higher gold prices outweighed lower production. However, its reported costs increased faster than those of Newmont, Barrick, and Agnico Eagle, demonstrating how rising expenses are absorbing some of the windfall.

NMMC’s net profit reached $2.38 billion in January–June 2026, while revenue increased almost 50% to $7.07 billion, according to a company press release seen by Kursiv Uzbekistan. Gold production fell 1.8% to 1.51 million ounces, according to its financial results.

The company’s all-in sustaining cost — a measure that covers production...

Seoul is demanding an apology after Kyiv publicly disclosed that it handled two North Korean prisoners of war who fought alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. What is behind the diplomatic rift?

The dispute erupted after president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the handover while speaking at the UN General Assembly last week.

«Recently, we sent two North Korean prisoners of war to the Republic of Korea,» he told the audience.

On 27 September, the South Korean presidential office demanded an explanation and apology, accusing Ukraine...

American rapper Kanye West, also known as YE, could perform in Moscow in the summer of 2027, according to Turkish promoters.

ILS Vision, the company that previously organised the artist’s performance in Istanbul, posted information about a possible July 10 concert on its website. The company’s schedule also includes potential performances in Rio de Janeiro in February and Munich in July.

All listed events currently remain in development. Finalising the cities and dates depends on reaching definitive agreements with the rapper, securing available venues and obtaining necessary government permits.

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Indian female kurash wrestler Pincky Balhara became the first Indian to win two Asian Games medals in kurash after winning bronze in Japan on Monday. The 27-year-old returned to the podium in a different weight category eight years after winning a silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta – here is her story.

Balhara lost 5–0 to South Korea’s Mo Sumin in the women’s under-78 kg semi-final in Aichi-Nagoya. She had already secured a medal by beating another South Korean, Lim Garam, 3–0 in the quarter-finals, with both losing semi-finalists awarded bronze.

The...

Following a triumphant premiere at the Venice Film Festival, the Gaza war documentary “NAZA” will arrive in US cinemas on September 30 as part of an expansive global distribution strategy.

Directed by Israeli Oscar-winning filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, the Guardian-produced feature secured the Special Jury Prize in Venice earlier this month, where it received a reported 25-minute standing ovation. The stripped-back documentary draws on testimonies from 24 Israeli intelligence officers and soldiers who describe how security forces selected targets.

The US theatrical rollout begins with an exclusive launch at New...

The Chinese government has signalled it may permit domestic technology giants to purchase a newly released Nvidia workstation chip, potentially easing a hardware bottleneck for local artificial intelligence development.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology asked foreign companies, including ByteDance and Alibaba Group, to outline their desired order volumes and intended applications for Nvidia’s RTX Pro 5500 graphics card. According to a Sunday report by The Information, officials informed select firms that the government intends to approve these acquisitions.

The regulatory shift marks a change in strategy from Beijing, which has...

Uzbekistan’s social protection agency is pushing for life imprisonment for child sexual abuse. Its proposals also seek legal support for victims at every stage, from investigation to trial.

Shakhnoza Mirziyoyeva, first deputy director of the National Agency for Social Protection, said the agency and other government bodies had spent several months drafting the legal changes.

«Life imprisonment [applies] for sexual violence against children,» she said in a statement, adding that the proposals had already been submitted for consideration. Her announcement did not specify an adoption timetable or the precise offences that would...

South Korean artists gathered multiple awards across major general categories at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards at the Peacock Theatre.

BTS secured three trophies during Sunday’s broadcast, winning Song of the Year, Best K-Pop and Best Group. Their chart-topping track “Swim” defeated prominent Western releases, including Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Bring Your Love” as well as Ella Langley‘s “Choosin’ Texas”. The seven-member boy band accepted the awards off-screen.

In the dedicated Best K-Pop category, BTS edged out industry peers. The contested nominee list included Blackpink for their...

Uzbekistan has won Chess Olympiad gold in Samarkand, with Javokhir Sindarov and his teammates securing the title in front of a home crowd. The hosts finished with 20 match points, claiming their second open-team crown after their breakthrough victory in 2022.

The title was confirmed after Uzbekistan’s top men’s team claimed a decisive 3:1 victory over Ukraine on 27 September.

Uzbekistan has mathematically secured the Olympiad gold before their final match against Ukraine had even finished. India’s 2–2 draw with Hungary left Uzbekistan beyond reach after they entered the final round one point ahead.

Newly...

Saida Mirziyoyeva, the Uzbek president’s chief of staff, has called for the death penalty to be considered for paedophilia after learning about the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old girl at a kindergarten in Uzbekistan’s eastern Namangan region.

Mirziyoyeva said on Sunday that a briefing on the case had left her «truly furious.” In an emotive social media post, she promised the harshest possible punishment for the alleged perpetrator and bystanders.

“I was briefed on the tragedy that occurred in Namangan. When I learned about it, I felt real anger,» Mirziyoyeva said in a statement.

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has dismissed defence minister Lt General Dauren Kosanov, three days after 14 servicemen, most of them conscripts, drowned during naval exercises in the Caspian Sea.

President Tokayev approved the dismissal earlier on Sunday, his administration confirmed.

Kosanov’s departure follows one of the deadliest accidents involving Kazakhstan’s armed forces recently and comes as investigators examine decisions made by senior officers before and during the exercise.

The servicemen died during the Khazar Korgany-2026 naval exercises in Kazakhstan’s Mangystau region on 24 September. Seventeen troops were swept into the Caspian Sea after weather...

A mystery British ticket holder has claimed a whopping £111 million win on EuroMillions and made headlines across Europe. A Russian pensioner who celebrated a much smaller windfall this weekend has offered a more aromatic explanation for her good fortune: a lucky bay leaf in her wallet.

Identified by state news agency RIA Novosti as Tatyana O. from St Petersburg, she had been playing the lottery for about three years when she added something new to her routine: carrying a bay leaf in her wallet, following a superstition that it attracts money.

She went to the...

Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts later on Saturday, 26 September, with championship leader Kimi Antonelli facing a recovery race from the 16th. His Mercedes teammate George Russell starts on pole, setting up two very different battles at opposite ends of the grid.

The 51-lap race features a long straight that encourages overtaking and tight old-town corners with little margin for error. Teams must balance straight-line speed and cornering grip.

Organisers moved the weekend forward to avoid overlapping with Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day on 27 September.

When Azerbaijan Grand Prix starts and where to watch

The...

Kazakh entrepreneur Timur Turlov was elected president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) on Saturday, 26 September, winning the leadership vote held during the federation’s General Assembly in Samarkand. Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand was elected deputy president on the same ticket.

Turlov and his running mate, Anand, received 110 votes in the second decisive ballot, ahead of their near-peer contenders, Wadim Rosenstein and Gordon Tang who garnered 85 votes. 196 delegations have cast their ballot, with one abstention.

“I think it’s a wonderful moment of unity… I’ll do everything I can to bring the...

Bangkok has declared all 50 districts disaster zones after persistent heavy rains flooded roads and disrupted travel throughout the Thai capital. Some residents were forced to evacuate as water accumulated in the city’s canals.

The citywide designation expands on an earlier declaration that included Nong Chok, Suan Luang, and Khan Na Yao. The order, published by the local outlet The Nation, allows government agencies and local authorities to mobilise assistance in affected areas.

Governor Chadchart Sittipunt directed district offices to set up temporary shelters, coordinate transportation and distribute sandbags.

JUST IN...

Timur Turlov, who competes for the FIDE presidency, has tipped grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov to become world chess champion, calling Uzbekistan «the strongest team in the world right now» as the hosts chase the Chess Olympiad gold in Samarkand.

Speaking to reporters in Samarkand, Turlov answered questions about the Uzbek grandmaster and delivered an emphatic endorsement.

«Uzbekistan is undoubtedly the leader. You have a future world champion,» he said. «I think that will most likely be decided this year in Geneva. We’ll be cheering for him.»

Sindarov is due to challenge reigning champion Gukesh Dommaraju in...

Timur Turlov said he would personally guarantee a four-year chess development fund as he addressed the FIDE Congress in Samarkand on September 26. The presidential candidate urged delegates to judge success by support for ordinary players and national federations, rather than revenue or world titles alone.

«Chess is much, much bigger than just championships and tournaments,» Turlov said at the FIDE General Assembly session on 26 September, reported by Kursiv Uzbekistan. He pointed to children joining school chess clubs and smaller federations struggling to send teams to the Olympiad.

Turlov outlined a development fund of $28 million over four years...

Uzbekistan Air Force has taken delivery of its first Embraer C-390 Millennium, making it Central Asia’s first delivery of the military transport aircraft. The handover took place on September 25 in Brazil, marking a new phase in the country’s efforts to modernise its airlift fleet.

Embraer said Uzbekistan’s air force commander, Major General Akhmad Burkhonov, attended the ceremony at its Gavião Peixoto facility. The military cargo aircraft had been publicly unveiled in Uzbek colours earlier this month.

The backstory: Embraer unveils Uzbekistan’s first C-390 military cargo plane

The jet’s main purpose...

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum described Stray Kids as being «like BTS, but younger» as she announced their planned visit to the National Palace. The K-pop group is arriving in the country for two stadium shows on September 25 and 26.

The band was scheduled to meet Sheinbaum and South Korean president Lee Jae-myung during his official visit to Mexico, Billboard reported.

«The group coming is called Stray Kids,» the president said during her press conference on Thursday morning. «They’re kind of like BTS, but younger. I don’t know if they’re boys and...

New research suggests that eating with someone you are close to may dull the rise in blood sugar following a meal. Participants on the same carbohydrate meal had smaller glucose spikes and recovered faster when in company than when alone.

Published in Science Advances, the study looked at whether the presence of another person changes the way the body regulates itself. The paper’s indexed abstract said the glucose experiment had 108 participants.

Shir Atzil and Monia Masalha at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, alongside Shai Fuchs of Sheba Medical Centre, led the work. Their findings suggest...

Tesla’s electric Semi promises a different working life for truck drivers. A close-up inspection reveals some welcome changes — and questions a short demonstration ride cannot answer.

The company first unveiled its Semi in 2017 and began selling the trucks in small quantities to early adopters, including anchor client PepsiCo. in 2022. On Thursday, Tesla finally opened its first factory for high-volume production of the heavy-duty electric truck in Nevada.

Chief executive Elon Musk uploaded a video in which he described the Semi as a «breakthrough product for heavy shipping.»

«It’s almost like a sports car in truck form...

The Uzbek chess players stand to receive tens of thousands of US dollars each if they win gold at the FIDE Chess Olympiad in Samarkand. The increased state bonus puts a potential $1 million reward within reach of the country’s five-player open team.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved the higher payments on September 21, the justice ministry confirmed on social media. The decision sets rewards in US dollars, replacing amounts previously tied to Uzbekistan’s base calculation rate, a benchmark used for official payments.

How much would each medal pay?

The new schedule...

Apple continued its tradition of naming Mac software after California with the release of macOS 27 Golden Gate on 14 September. Included in its earlier releases are mountain lakes, desert landscapes, coastal towns, and enormous trees, providing a miniature geography lesson.

Here are the places and landscapes behind the ten versions that preceded the Golden Gate.

The US Embassy in India announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio will be leading a business delegation to Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in mid-October. Commercial ties will be the focal point of Washington’s diplomatic outreach to the country and the broader Central Asia during the visit.

The announcement first came from Sergio Gor, the US special envoy for South and Central Asia, who described the visit by the delegation as «historic.» 

Gor said that the delegation, led by Rubio, would include executives from more than 100 American companies. The visit to Samarkand, scheduled for mid-October, will revolve around the C...