News

Lionel Messi‘s father and longtime agent Jorge Messi has died aged 68 after a long illness, with tributes now coming from the football clubs and organisations that played a role in his son’s career.

Jorge died at a hospital in Rosario, Argentina, early Saturday, according to reports.

His health had attracted attention in recent months after reports raised questions about his condition. The Messi family later confirmed that Jorge was dealing with a “health-related situation” but chose not to disclose further information.

For decades, Jorge was one of the most important people behind Lionel’s career. He became his son’s...

More than 2,000 Cristiano Ronaldo fans gathered outside Madeira’s Sé Cathedral on Saturday expecting to see the football star marry Georgina Rodríguez, only to discover they had arrived for another couple’s wedding.

The crowd had formed amid widespread reports that Ronaldo and Rodríguez would marry in Funchal on August 8. Many spectators arrived wearing Ronaldo’s No. 7 shirt and waited outside the cathedral for a glimpse of the Portugal captain.

Instead, the couple arriving for the ceremony were Fabio Ramos and Fatima Nicole Cunha Teixeira.

Crowd surrounds bride after Rolls-Royce arrives

The wedding was a genuine local...

Redmi has placed demonstration units of its upcoming K100 Pro series in Chinese retail stores ahead of the smartphones’ official unveiling next week, giving customers an early look at the new flagship range.

The appearance of the devices was confirmed by Redmi product manager Hu Xinxin, while photographs from the shops have revealed a previously unseen light-blue finish. The retail displays also offer a closer look at the phones’ design before their formal launch.

The range is expected to include the Redmi K100 Pro Max as its top model. Xiaomi has already highlighted several of the series’ headline specifications...

Apple could increase prices across the iPhone 17 range worldwide as early as Aug. 10, according to Chinese leaker Fixed Focus Digital, potentially ending a period in which the company has largely avoided passing higher component costs on to its smartphones.

The claim comes just weeks before Apple is expected to unveil its next-generation iPhones. According to the report, the company could announce higher prices for the existing iPhone 17 family on Monday, although the leaker did not specify how much the devices could cost after the reported adjustment.

The report also claims Apple has temporarily halted between...

The National Agency for Prospective Projects has granted a crypto shop operating licence to NAQD-EX, bringing the total number of authorised retail digital asset brokers in Uzbekistan to 14.

The national regulatory body oversees four distinct categories of digital asset service providers: crypto exchanges, mining pools, crypto depositories and crypto shops. With this latest regulatory approval, the Central Asian nation now hosts 22 active platforms across three of those sectors. This figure includes two large-scale exchanges and six dedicated depositories. The agency maintains an entirely separate registry to track licensed mining operations.

Since issuing its first crypto shop authorisation...

A new deep-water renewable energy project came online Thursday as China activated its inaugural tension-leg floating wind farm.

Operated by the China National Offshore Oil Corp (CNOOC), the 16-megawatt Haiyou Anlan platform currently feeds clean electricity straight into the Lufeng oilfield grid. The installation holds the global record for the largest TLP wind site by capacity while sitting at a greater depth and distance from the coast than similar projects.

Located within the Pearl River Mouth Basin, the platform is anchored 85 miles offshore and 124 miles southeast of Shenzhen in Guangdong province. The waters at the site reach...

SpaceX is encountering severe difficulties in its attempt to retrieve the Starship S40 spacecraft from the Indian Ocean following the rocket’s unexpected survival during its 13th test flight.

The 52-metre vessel remained fully intact and afloat after splashdown, surprising engineers after its predecessor exploded upon hitting the water. Recovery teams are now attempting the unprecedented logistical challenge of towing the massive rocket thousands of kilometres back to port.

The company and CEO react

SpaceX shared updates of the salvage operation on the social media platform X, noting that crews are battling deteriorating weather, rough waters and mechanical hurdles.

Indian officials are planning a complex high-altitude recovery mission to retrieve the body of a mountaineer who has lain frozen near the summit of Mount Everest for 30 years, BBC reports.

Known globally as “Green Boots” due to his distinctive lime-coloured footwear, the climber died during a blizzard in 1996. The remains have served as a grim trail marker for ascending mountaineers at an altitude of 8,500 metres.

While the body was widely assumed to be Tsewang Paljor, recent analysis of radio logs and expedition gear has led authorities to identify the man as Dorje Morup. The 48-year-old lance...

Take-Two Interactive recorded $1.39bn in net bookings during its first fiscal quarter as initial presales for “Grand Theft Auto 6” (GTA 6) exceeded company expectations.

Despite the high sales figures between April 1 and June 30, the video game publisher saw its quarterly losses widen to $34.1mn compared with an $11.9mn loss during the same period last year. Revenue for the quarter reached $1.53bn, beating Wall Street forecasts.

Company CEO Strauss Zelnick noted that “GTA 6” experienced an exceptional start to preorders during the five days they were available before the quarter closed. While he declined to share...

Typhoon Dolphin lashed Japan’s southern Okinawa prefecture on Saturday, injuring five people and severing power to 14,000 buildings before setting a destructive course for eastern China.

The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the storm was positioned approximately 160 kilometres (99 miles) northwest of Kume Island early Saturday, tracking northwest at 15 kph (9 mph). The intense system generated maximum sustained winds of 162 kph (89.5 mph) with violent gusts reaching up to 216 kph.

In Okinawa, five elderly individuals sustained non-life-threatening injuries, including three who fell in the extreme winds. Major domestic carriers ANA and Japan Airlines cancelled...

A man is spending his weekend living inside a furnished billboard 30 feet above the Sunset Strip to promote Netflix’s new sci-fi thriller “The Last House.”

The performance, which began Thursday and runs through Sunday, forms part of an unusual marketing campaign for the film, which premiered on Netflix on Friday. Positioned above Sunset Boulevard near Selma Avenue, the elevated enclosure has been designed as a fully furnished living room, complete with a lounge chair, table, reading materials, house plants and curtained windows.

The stunt mirrors the film’s central premise, in which a family of four suddenly finds itself...

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and US President Donald Trump discussed strengthening bilateral strategic partnerships during a telephone call on Friday.

Opening the conversation, Mirziyoyev congratulated Trump on the 250th anniversary of US independence. Trump subsequently highlighted the unprecedented level of US-Uzbek relations and the close dialogue established between the two administrations.

The heads of state reviewed the implementation of previous high-level agreements and praised the intense dynamics of bilateral exchanges. Both nations are currently executing a three-year economic cooperation programme. Economic ties have expanded following the inaugural meeting of the US-Uzbek Business and Investment Council and increased engagement between...

Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez could finally be set to marry this weekend after months of speculation, although neither has confirmed the ceremony or announced any official wedding plans.

Multiple Portuguese and international media outlets report that the couple are expected to exchange vows on Saturday, 8 August, in Madeira, Ronaldo’s birthplace. While the reports broadly agree on the date and location, the couple have remained silent, meaning every detail surrounding the event remains unconfirmed.

According to the reports, the ceremony is expected to begin at 3 p.m. local time at Funchal Cathedral (Sé Cathedral) in the Madeiran...

Scientists have used artificial intelligence to create blueprints for 16 viruses that do not occur in nature but are capable of killing hazardous E. coli bacteria. The breakthrough could lead to new treatments for antibiotic-resistant illnesses, but it also raises new biosecurity concerns, researchers say.

The viruses, called bacteriophages, were designed from scratch by AI, not replicated from nature.

The work by a Stanford research team, published in Science, used an AI model called Evo 2, which was trained to interpret genetic code much as large language models learn human language. 

Instead of predicting words, Evo...

The eight-member K-pop group released the album on Friday, August 7, at 1 p.m. Korea Standard Time through major music platforms. The project contains eight tracks, including the title song “This & That”, the previously released “RUN IT” and a festival version of the title track featuring Tele.

The release follows a series of teasers built around a recurring silver truck, which appeared in the album’s trailers, tracklist video and promotional images. The concept places the members in settings including a cafe, cinema, aeroplane and hotel, creating a connected visual world for the comeback.

The group’s internal production unit...

Kazakhstan has struck a deal with Dutch coach John van ’t Schip to lead the national football team. The former Ajax manager takes charge as the country looks to build a more competitive side on the international stage.

The Kazakhstan Football Federation (KFF) said on Friday it had reached an agreement with Dutch coach John van ’t Schip to become the new head coach of the men’s national football team. The KFF executive committee is yet to clear it «in the coming days.» 

Van ’t Schip takes over from the previous coaching staff, with former Kazakhstan internationals Nurbol Zhumaskaliyev

Japan’s major summer festivals are introducing additional safety measures as bear sightings increase across the Tohoku region, forcing organisers to account for wildlife risks during one of the country’s busiest festival periods.

The concern is stronger in Sendai, where the threeday Sendai Tanabata Festival is expected to attract more than 2mn visitors. The city recorded 216 bear sightings between April and July, about 40% more than during the same period last year. Bears have increasingly been spotted near populated areas across Tohoku, including Fukushima, Iwate and Aomori prefectures. Officials say the animals can use vegetation along rivers as cover before approaching urban areas.

Japan recorded a record number of bear-related incidents in fiscal 2025, with 238 attacks leaving 13 people dead. Environment Ministry figures also recorded...

Apple is reportedly working with its suppliers to secure additional DRAM supplies ahead of the expected launch of its next-generation iPhones, with less than six weeks remaining before the company is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro range and its first foldable iPhone.

The report, published by semiconductor analyst Tim Culpan of Culpium on August 5, said Apple and its manufacturing partners are trying to accelerate shipments of mobile DRAM as they prepare for the upcoming devices. Culpan cited sources familiar with the supply chain.

Apple relies primarily on Micron, SK hynix and Samsung for DRAM used across...

Comic Con Tashkent 2026 will bring several international names from video games, television and animation to Humo Arena on August 15-16, with the guest line-up led by actors associated with Grand Theft Auto V, Stranger Things and Game of Thrones.

The biggest draw is American actor Shawn Fonteno, who provided the voice and likeness for Franklin Clinton, one of the central characters in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto V. Fonteno’s appearance gives fans of the long-running video game franchise a chance to meet the performer behind one of its most recognisable characters.

Fonteno is not the only international...

The German flag carrier is considering deferring or rejecting its first Boeing 777X aircraft as certification delays continue to frustrate customers. Lufthansa would become the third major carrier to rethink early deliveries of Boeing’s long-delayed widebody.

The airline is reviewing its fleet plans because the aircraft is now expected to arrive years later than originally promised, Aviation Week reported. 

«We are in talks with Boeing [on] which airplanes we will not accept for commercial service and which aircraft can be modernised with a financial contribution of Boeing,» Lufthansa’s CEO Carsten Spohr was quoted by the...

Federal authorities in Washington are requiring additional categories of foreign visitors to unseal their digital profiles for security reviews.

An internal document obtained by news outlet The Daily Signal confirms that media professionals, USMCA business travellers from Canada and Mexico and their accompanying relatives must now grant inspectors full access to their accounts. Under the new directive, candidates seeking these entry permits are required to switch their social media settings to open or public prior to evaluation.

State Department officials reiterated that granting entry remains a discretionary privilege rather than an entitlement, adding that every visa determination functions as...

A teenage school student opened fire at a secondary school in Thailand’s Nonthaburi province on Friday, killing at least 7 people, including their own grandparents and teacher, and injuring 15, according to police and local media.

The incident occurred on Friday at Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Bang Kruai district, just north of the greater Bangkok area. Police said the suspected gunman was a student at the school, proclaiming him dead.

Nonthaburi Provincial Police Commander Lt Col. Dechrapee Kongdee said the incident wounded another teacher and three students.

The school has about 3,100 students and 147 teachers, based on...

London-based technology company Nothing plans to drastically expand its hardware portfolio, confirming it will double its smartphone lineup in 2027. The brand is also set to increase its physical retail footprint across India.

Since its inception, the company founded by Carl Pei has maintained a deliberately focused product range. By offering a limited number of devices like the flagship Nothing Phone series and the budget-focused CMF sub-brand, the firm built a loyal consumer base. However, the newly announced 2027 roadmap signals a shift towards mainstream volume and broader market penetration.

Doubling the current product lineup suggests Nothing will target multiple...

A court in New Mexico has mandated that Meta contribute an extra $567 million to a fund designed to address the negative effects of Facebook and Instagram on the mental health of youth. The decision also compels the business to implement extensive new child safety regulations.

Meta has been ordered by a New Mexico court to pay an additional $567 million to fund programmes addressing the impact of its social media platforms on children’s mental health, marking another major legal setback for the technology giant.

Judge Bryan Biedscheid ruled that the bulk of the fine, totalling $420 million, should be...