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Marking his 27th year, Changbin has directed a major financial gift towards youth healthcare. The Stray Kids rapper provided 100 mln won (roughly $73,500) to the Samsung Medical Centre on Tuesday.

Hospital officials plan to divide the cash equally. 50mn won is earmarked directly for paediatric medical bills, helping to alleviate the heavy economic burden on households dealing with severe illnesses. The remaining 50mn won is dedicated to psychological assistance initiatives for the relatives of those undergoing treatment, ensuring holistic care for the entire family unit during incredibly difficult periods.

“Thanks to the tremendous love...

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” swung into Central Asian cinemas on August 6, instantly shattering regional opening day records. The superhero blockbuster grossed over $1mn across five nations, driven by unprecedented ticket demand.

According to preliminary data from Ascar Cinema, the film earned $90,202 in Uzbekistan alone. The massive turnout translated to 15,838 admissions within 24 hours of its release. The nation secured the second-highest earnings among the Commonwealth of Independent States for the film’s debut. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan led the regional market by generating an impressive $789,370, dwarfing earlier projections.

Localised content has proven to be a significant draw for...

At least 132 people have been killed and 570 injured after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia. Rescue teams are searching damaged buildings as authorities assess the scale of destruction across several cities.

The earthquake struck on Monday with its epicentre near San Josе del Palmar in western Colombia, about 240 km from the capital city of Bogota. The US Geological Survey measured it at a magnitude of 7.4 and placed the epicentre about 5 km from the town.

Emergency crews have been digging through rubble in areas hit by building collapses, including Cali. CNN...

Almost 30 years after Tupac Shakur was fatally shot in Las Vegas, the long-running investigation has reached a courtroom, with the only person charged in the case now facing a jury.

Duane «Keffe D» Davis, a former South Side Compton Crips leader, appeared in Clark County District Court on Monday as prosecutors accused him of helping arrange the attack that killed Shakur in September 1996.

Davis, 63, has pleaded not guilty to murder with a deadly weapon, intending to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. A conviction could result in life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

The...

Seven Uzbek citizens have been killed in a drone strike on the Russian city of Nizhnekamsk in Tatarstan, Uzbekistan’s Consulate General has confirmed. At least 13 people died and 75 were injured in the attack earlier on Monday, according to local authorities. 

«The Consulate General expresses its deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the deceased citizens,» reads the Consulate’s statement released on Monday. It confirmed the death of seven Uzbek nationals, identifying them only by their initials. The diplomats worked with Russian authorities to arrange for the repatriation of the victims’ bodies. 

Earlier on Monday, media...

Uzbekistan’s soum-denominated sovereign bonds will officially enter the J.P. Morgan Government Bond Index-Emerging Markets at the end of September, the Ministry of Economy and Finance announced.

The upcoming inclusion positions Uzbekistan as the exclusive Commonwealth of Independent States member to have its local currency debt represented on the benchmark. The GBI-EM serves as a critical guidepost for international investors who manage emerging market assets exceeding $300bn. The index currently tracks government bonds from 20 developing nations worldwide.

The addition follows a major financial operation earlier this year when the government issued three-year bonds totalling 12.2trln soums with a...

Almaty is preparing for a major influx of fans ahead of YE’s (Kanye West’s) much-awaited 2026 show at Central Stadium scheduled for this Friday. The city has committed extra buses, extended metro hours and announced road closures planned around the venue, all of which may seem tricky to an international visitor. Here are a few tips that would help you prepare for the big night. 

What to know about the venue and where is it in Almaty?

The concert venue, the Almaty Central Stadium, is in the city centre, just south of Abay Avenue. Public transport serves the area...

The 38th International Olympiad in Informatics commenced on Monday at the CAEx Exhibition Center, marking a historic first for Uzbekistan.

Recognised as the premier coding competition for secondary school students, the event has drawn a record-breaking 386 contestants from 97 countries. Accompanied by team leaders, coaches and global technology representatives, total attendance is expected to exceed 900 people.

The host committee began intensive preparations for the gathering months in advance. To accommodate the massive influx of international visitors, officials coordinated comprehensive logistical arrangements spanning secure transportation, full catering services and dedicated accommodation at the New Uzbekistan Hotel Village. Uzbekistan...

South Korean music agency PLEDIS Entertainment has announced the upcoming military enlistment schedules for five members of the boy band SEVENTEEN.

Following initial reports on August 10 that Seungkwan had been accepted into the military band, the agency released an official statement confirming his deployment alongside bandmate Dino. Both artists will formally enlist in the army band on October 26. Mingyu is scheduled to begin his mandatory alternative service earlier, on September 10.

hese upcoming departures follow a previous announcement made on July 27, which confirmed Vernon and DK will also begin their respective military duties in August...

Jeongyeon of the K-pop girl group TWICE has parted ways with JYP Entertainment, becoming the first member to leave the agency since their debut in 2015.

The 29-year-old singer announced her departure in a handwritten letter posted to Instagram on Monday, August 10, concluding an 11-year professional relationship with the company. In her message, she referred to JYP as her “second home” since her teenage years but stated she is preparing for a new chapter.

Following the announcement, Jeongyeon signed an exclusive contract with VARO Entertainment, a management agency that also represents her older sister, actress Gong Seung-yeon.

WhatsApp users in several countries are reporting problems sending photos, videos and other media, although text messages continue to work for many. The scale of the disruption remains unclear, and WhatsApp has yet to publicly explain the problem.

Reports began appearing early on Monday, with users saying photos and videos were taking unusually long to send or becoming stuck during upload. Stickers, GIFs and larger media files have also been affected.

Users in India, the UK, France, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Spain and Colombia have reported problems. Some users tried restarting their phones, changing between Wi-Fi and mobile data or reinstalling...

A Chinese magnetic levitation train model (maglev) achieved a significant technical breakthrough on a 1-kilometre high-speed test track at the Donghu Laboratory in Hubei.

The 1,110-kilogram test vehicle accelerated from a standstill to 800 km/h (approximately 500 mph) in just 5.3 seconds. This speed rivals the cruising velocity of some commercial airliners. The vehicle also demonstrated the ability to brake safely within a short distance.

According to a CCTV Finance report, this marks the third time in six months that the platform has broken the world record for maglev acceleration in its class.

The testing system simultaneously manages acceleration...

Etihad Airways has launched daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Tashkent, giving travellers in Uzbekistan direct access to the UAE carrier’s international hub.

The new service will operate on single-aisle Airbus A320 jets, with the first flight landing in Tashkent early Monday morning. The launch creates a new direct link between the capitals of the UAE and Uzbekistan.

Flights from Abu Dhabi leave at 9.10pm, arriving in Tashkent at 1.35am the following day. The return service departs Tashkent at 3.50am and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 6.35am.

Etihad’s arrival was an important addition to Uzbekistan’s international aviation market, and the...

A fire at a sofa manufacturing factory in Riyadh has killed 16 Bangladeshi migrant workers, according to officials in Bangladesh, in one of the latest deadly incidents involving the country’s large expatriate workforce in Saudi Arabia.

The blaze broke out Sunday in the Musa Sanaiya industrial area of the Saudi capital, Reuters reported, citing officials in Dhaka. The victims were all Bangladeshi nationals.

📌 16 Bangladeshis killed in Saudi sofa factory fire

Saudi Arabia remains largest destination for Bangladeshi migrant workers, with an estimated 3.5 million living and working in the Kingdom.#SaudiArabia #Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/TnsmB9CLps

...

Taiwan is using its largest annual military exercise to test how the island would respond to a potential Chinese attack, with this year’s drills extending beyond military preparations to include civilian communications.

The 10-day Han Kuang exercise began last week and includes scenarios designed around a possible attempt by China to seize control of Taiwan. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory, while Taiwan’s government rejects that claim and says its future can only be decided by its people.

One of the exercises took place on Monday in the Penghu Islands, a strategically important group in the Taiwan...

Jose Mourinho has revealed that he agreed to replace Sir Alex Ferguson as Manchester United manager in 2013 before changing his mind and returning to Chelsea.

The revelation appears in a new Netflix documentary about the Portuguese coach’s career, in which Mourinho recalls negotiations that could have taken him to Old Trafford immediately after Ferguson’s retirement.

“When I left Real Madrid, I signed to go to Manchester United after Sir Alex,” Mourinho said.

Ferguson, who retired after 26 years at United and 13 Premier League titles, confirmed that Mourinho had accepted the offer.

Oil prices edged higher on Monday as Iran said the Strait of Hormuz would not fully reopen until the US meets a series of demands, clouding hopes for a quick return to normal shipping through the key energy route. 

Brent crude was trading at about $84.24 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate was at about $78.70, OilPrice.com reported on Monday.

Iran said over the weekend that the passage through the strait would only reopen if Washington met six conditions, including the withdrawal of US forces from the region around Iran, a permanent end to the war...

Apple’s rumoured first foldable iPhone may arrive in silver and dark blue, according to new images shared by well-known Apple leaker Sonny Dickson.

Dickson posted photographs of camera-protection glass reportedly made for the upcoming device. The pieces appear to show two different finishes, with shades resembling silver and dark blue. The images could offer an early indication of Apple’s colour plans, although the company has not confirmed the phone or its specifications.

These iPhone Fold camera protectors give us a look at two of the colors planned for the device: silver and dark blue...

Helaena Targaryen‘s story has come to a tragic end in the season 3 finale of House of the Dragon, with Phia Saban‘s character dying after falling from a window at the Red Keep.

Her death follows a season in which Helaena’s prophetic abilities became increasingly important to the story. Unlike many of the Targaryens caught up in the civil war, she has largely avoided taking sides, instead retreating into her visions and trying to make sense of events she appears to know are coming.

The finale brings that arc to its conclusion while leaving behind one of the episode’s...

The rating agency Ahbor-Reyting has affirmed the insurance company Uzbekinvest with the highest national scale solvency rating of “uzA++” with a “Stable” outlook based on the results of its operations in 2025.

The “uzA++” rating is the highest assessment of financial stability on the national scale and indicates the company’s exceptionally high capacity to meet its obligations to policyholders in a timely and full manner.

According to the agency’s assessment, the maximum rating level is driven by Uzbekinvest’s leading position in the insurance market of Uzbekistan, the stable growth of its insurance business, a high level of capitalisation, a significant...

Due to Typhoon Dolphin’s heavy rains and powerful winds, which raised concerns about landslides and flooding, over a million people have been evacuated around eastern China.

On Monday morning, Wenzhou, a seaside city in Zhejiang province, has evacuated almost 900,000 people to more than 1,500 emergency shelters. Close to 99,000 people were moved out of high-risk areas in the neighbouring Fujian.

By Sunday night, 215,600 people had been evacuated from Shanghai following the city’s heaviest 24-hour downpour in over 150 years. At the two airports in the city, almost 1,300 flights were cancelled.

As it moved more inland, Dolphin deteriorated...

George Russell has announced his engagement to longtime partner Carmen Montero Mundt, revealing the news during Formula 1‘s summer break with photographs from a beachside proposal.

The 28-year-old Mercedes driver and Mundt shared the announcement in a joint Instagram post featuring images from the proposal and their engagement celebrations. The couple wore white in the photographs, while Mundt showed off an oval-cut yellow diamond ring.

The announcement came on August 9, with the couple keeping their caption brief: a ring emoji followed by a white heart. The proposal took place at a candlelit setting overlooking the beach.

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...