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Yandex Uzbekistan has launched Uzbek-language support for its virtual assistant Alice, enabling users of Yandex smart speakers to communicate with the device in Uzbek, the company’s press service told Kursiv.

The new feature is available across a range of Yandex devices including Station Light, Mini, Midi, Street and other smart speaker models.

To activate Uzbek, users need to update their settings: open the Home with Alice app, select Virtual Assistant in the menu, choose Assistant Language, select the relevant device and switch on O‘zbekcha + Русский.

According to Yandex, the Uzbek version of Alice was developed with the help of...

Uzum, the country’s leading digital ecosystem, and DataVolt, a global pioneer in sustainable digital infrastructure, have signed a memorandum of strategic partnership. The cooperation aims to advance Uzbekistan’s digital infrastructure and create the conditions for scaling cloud services.

This partnership marks an important step in the development of Uzbekistan’s digital infrastructure and the establishment of a foundation for expanding cloud-based solutions. Uzum is actively building its own IT infrastructure locally, and through this collaboration will gain additional capacity for further service scaling.

«The development of local digital infrastructure is key to accelerating the digitalization of Uzbekistan’s...

The annual week of information and communication technologies ICT Week Uzbekistan 2025 opened in Tashkent. The event traditionally unites leading global and regional IT companies, creating a unique platform for the exchange of experience and discussion of key trends in digital transformation.

International Participation and Support

Representatives of Qatar, China, Japan, Korea, Kazakhstan, Latvia and other countries shared their projects and start-ups at ICT Week. The forum was held with the support of the Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the IT Education Association. The main goal of ICT Week is to promote the development...

Air cargo turnover across Uzbekistan’s airports is forecast to reach 88,000 tonnes by the close of 2025. The projection was presented at the Central Asia Air Cargo Summit 2, where Kursiv Uzbekistan served as the information partner.

According to UzCargo, cargo volumes exceeded 87,400 tonnes last year. During the summit it was noted that Uzbekistan Airports is actively expanding its network with new routes to Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

As a result of this growth, the number of international and domestic airlines operating flights to Uzbekistan has risen to 59. Among them are Qatar Airways, LOT Polish Airlines...

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Monday, underscoring the growing complexities in EU-China relations as Europe reassesses its foreign policy in light of shifting U.S. positions.

Europe’s China strategy, once closely aligned with Washington’s, has entered uncharted waters. Long focused on trade, Brussels has more recently labeled Beijing a «systemic rival,» introducing investment screening and export controls. Yet the EU has avoided full «decoupling,» preferring a «de-risking» approach.

The challenge now lies in charting a course without clear U.S. guidance. Former President Donald Trump has...

TXT’s Beomgyu has unintentionally ignited a wave of fan buzz after revealing his favorite Formula 1 team and driver, and the reaction from Oscar Piastri’s sister has taken the internet by storm.

During a recent interview, Beomgyu, a member of the globally popular boy group Tomorrow X Together (TXT), shared that his favorite F1 team is McLaren and his favorite driver is Lando Norris. The comment was a casual nod to his interest in motorsports, but it didn’t take long for fans, and even F1 insiders, to react.

Among them was Oscar Piastri’s sister, who posted a cheeky TikTok with...

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has confirmed a $5 bn investment in Intel, marking one of the most significant endorsements yet for the struggling chipmaker’s turnaround.

The deal will see Intel integrate NVIDIA’s GPU technology into upcoming AI PCs, while NVIDIA will adopt Intel’s x86 CPUs for its data centers.

«We’re going to become a very large customer of Intel CPUs,» Huang told reporters on Thursday, as Intel’s stock jumped 23% by market close.

The move follows recent support for Intel from the U.S. government and investors including SoftBank. Analysts estimate NVIDIA’s stake will...

Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal, 18, continues to dominate headlines not only for his dazzling performances on the pitch but also for his relationship with Argentine rapper Nicki Nicole, 25.

The couple went public earlier this year, drawing attention for their seven-year age gap. With the Ballon d’Or ceremony set for Monday, speculation is mounting over whether Nicole will join Yamal on the red carpet.

Nicole fueled rumors by posting a photo of a bouquet of yellow and white flowers on Instagram, reportedly from Yamal. The two were last seen celebrating her 25th birthday together, despite earlier whispers of a split...

US President Donald Trump has provoked widespread criticism after suggesting autism may be linked to the use of paracetamol during pregnancy and to common childhood vaccines. Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump repeatedly warned women not to take the widely used painkiller and advised parents to delay or separate their children’s vaccinations.

Trump, who admitted he is not a medical professional, said:

«Do not take Tylenol. Do not take it. And don’t let them pump your baby up with the largest pile of stuff you have ever seen,» in reference to vaccines.

Uzbekistan and the American investment company BlackRock are moving towards the creation of a joint investment fund. The proposal was discussed during talks between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Adebayo Ogunlesi, a member of BlackRock’s board of directors.

According to the presidential press service, the two sides will soon agree on the fund’s structure and the launch of joint projects.

BlackRock, founded in 1988 in the United States, is the world’s largest investment company. Its assets stood at $12.5 trln at the end of the second quarter of this year, according to the Financial Times. The firm’s headquarters are in...

Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Ecology has warned that windy and dusty weather will persist across the country throughout the week, bringing a sharp increase in air pollution.

The impact will be most severe in Tashkent, Karakalpakstan, and the Khorezm, Navoi, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Jizzakh regions. Residents have been advised to limit time outdoors and wear protective masks when possible.

On September 21, monitoring stations recorded higher concentrations of PM2.5 particles in Urgench, Karshi and Samarkand. The following day, the rise was observed in Bukhara, Gulistan, Jizzakh and Tashkent. In the capital, strong winds escalated into dust storms, worsening conditions further.

During the visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to the United States, a package of agreements was signed with major American companies, the presidential press service reported.

One of the key deals is a cooperation agreement between Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Transport and Boeing. Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Uzbekistan would purchase more than 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

In addition, an agreement was signed to open a clinic and training center in partnership with Akfa and Cleveland Clinic. Cooperation will also be established between Uzbek airline Centrum Air and investment firm Oppenheimer.

Among other agreements...

Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are battling for dominance in Central Asia’s fast-growing air cargo sector, according to new data from IATA presented at the Central Asia Cargo Summit 2.

In 2024, Uzbekistan captured 43.9% of the region’s air cargo market, while Kazakhstan held 38.6%. However, Kazakhstan remains the region’s main transit hub, handling 58.4% of all transit cargo, compared to Uzbekistan’s less than 15%.

Market leadership has shifted in recent years: Uzbekistan led with 45% in 2020, but Kazakhstan took the top spot in 2023 with 45.4%. Despite the fluctuations, Uzbekistan’s volumes are expected to grow, with projections of...

Former U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that Uzbekistan Airways has signed an $8 bn deal with Boeing to purchase 22 Dreamliner 787 aircraft.

Trump congratulated Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, calling him «a man of his word» and said the agreement would create more than 35,000 jobs in the United States.

«Earlier this month I spoke with the Highly Respected President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Today I want to congratulate President Mirziyoyev on signing a GREAT Deal with Boeing!» Trump wrote.

The deal marks a major expansion for Uzbekistan Airways as it...

Ousmane Dembélé capped Paris Saint-Germain’s quadruple-winning season by lifting the 2025 Ballon d’Or at the Théâtre du Châtelet, while Barcelona and Spain star Aitana Bonmatí won the women’s award for a third straight year.

Presented the men’s prize by Ronaldinho, an emotional Dembélé thanked his family, PSG and coach Luis Enrique before inviting his mother on stage. The French winger beat Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal (2nd) and PSG midfielder Vitinha (3rd). Mohamed Salah finished 4th, with Raphinha 5th.

Bonmatí edged Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey (2nd) and Alessia Russo (3rd) to complete a rare Ballon d’Or treble, joining Lionel Messi and Michel...

Gary Neville has questioned Chelsea’s £90mln summer investment in strikers Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, insisting the Blues remain «well short» in attack compared with Premier League rivals.

Pedro, a £60mln signing from Brighton, has started brightly with two goals and three assists in five games, while Delap, brought in from Ipswich for £30mln, is sidelined with a hamstring injury.

But Neville argued neither forward is close to the level of Erling Haaland, Alexander Isak or Hugo Ekitike, who have all made strong starts to the season.

«They’re still not at that level,» he said...

Irish businessman Tony O’Reilly Jr has unveiled plans to build a new gas storage facility in the eastern Irish Sea, aiming to shield Britain from blackout risks as it shifts towards renewable energy.

O’Reilly’s company, dCarbonX, is partnering with Italian energy giant Snam on the project, which would convert the depleted Bains gas field about 19 miles off Barrow-in-Furness. The site could store 1.4 bn cubic feet of gas, equal to six days of UK consumption, and may eventually be adapted for hydrogen storage.

«This facility would provide an insurance policy,» O’Reilly said. «Without domestic...

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Monday that Poland will not hesitate to shoot down any objects that violate its airspace and pose a threat, while stressing caution in situations that risk escalating conflict with Russia.

The warning comes after Estonia accused three Russian fighter jets of breaching its airspace on Friday. Moscow denied the claim, calling it a provocation. The alleged incident follows a night in early September when more than 20 Russian drones crossed into Poland, and two Russian jets flew near the Petrobaltic drilling platform in the Baltic Sea.

«We will take...

Hyperliquid’s native HYPE token faces mounting risks as a massive $11.9 bn unlock begins on Nov. 29, according to research from Arthur Hayes’ Maelstrom Fund.

The 24-month vesting schedule will release roughly $500 mln worth of tokens each month, with Maelstrom estimating that current buybacks cover only 17% of that supply. That leaves about $410 mln in potential selling pressure monthly.

«This is the token’s first true test,» wrote Maelstrom researcher Lukas Ruppert, warning that team members may be tempted to cash in on life-changing sums.

The warning comes as Hayes sold his personal...

Chinese automaker BYD’s luxury brand Yangwang has set a new world record for the fastest production car, with its electric hypercar U9 Xtreme reaching 308.4 mph at Germany’s Automotive Testing Papenburg High Speed Oval.

The run surpasses the previous record of 304.8 mph, set by the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ in 2019.

Powered by a 1,200-volt system and BYD’s lithium-ion phosphate Blade Battery, the U9 Xtreme delivers 2,959 bhp. Details on torque, acceleration, and range remain undisclosed, but the hypercar features semi-slick tyres and a revised DiSus-X suspension tuned for extreme high-speed stability.

Test driver Marc Basseng credited...

Thousands of workers and students across Italy staged a nationwide strike and mass demonstrations on Monday to protest Israel’s war in Gaza and show solidarity with Palestinians.

Grassroots unions organized the 24-hour walkout across public and private sectors, disrupting trains, buses, schools, and ports. National rail services saw long delays, while sit-ins slowed the flow of goods through Genoa and Livorno. In Rome, more than 20,000 people rallied outside the central station, denouncing what unions called «the inertia of the Italian and EU governments.»

The strike underscored growing pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a staunch Israeli ally, whose...

Today, September 22, marks the autumn equinox — the astronomical beginning of autumn.

The equinox is the moment when the Sun’s centre crosses the celestial equator, with daylight and darkness distributed almost equally between the northern and southern hemispheres. For the northern hemisphere this event signals the start of autumn, after which days gradually shorten until the winter solstice.

When Will Equinox Happen in 2025

This year the equinox occurs on 22 September at 18:19 UTC. That corresponds to 20:19–20:20 CET and 23:19–23:20 (GMT+5) in Tashkent.

For those following Central European Time, astronomical autumn begins this evening around...

Throughout the 2010s, the Ballon d’Or was defined by the rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, who won the award nine times between them. The closest challenger during that period was Franck Ribery, who finished third in 2013 despite leading Bayern Munich to a historic treble.

That year, Ronaldo claimed the trophy with 27.99% of the vote, edging Messi (24.72%) and Ribery (23.36%). The result sparked controversy, with several international managers later alleging discrepancies between their submitted ballots and FIFA’s published results. Kuwait coach Jorvan Vieira and Fiji’s Juan Carlos Buzzetti were among those to question the process...

China’s exports to Uzbekistan have doubled since the start of the war in Ukraine, reaching almost $1.5 bn between January and August 2025, according to senior Brookings fellow and former chief economist of the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Robin Brooks. He cited official figures from China’s customs authority.

Brooks explained that the bulk of these shipments are not intended for Uzbekistan itself but represent transit flows to Russia via Central Asia. He has long tracked unusual spikes in exports to the region and argues that the trend cannot be explained by domestic demand, pointing instead to re-exports to Russia...