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Thailand has stepped up health surveillance at major airports after India confirmed two cases of the deadly Nipah virus in the eastern state of West Bengal, amid heightened regional concern over possible cross-border spread.

India’s Ministry of Health said on Tuesday that only two confirmed cases have been recorded since December, both involving healthcare workers, and no additional infections have been detected. A total of 196 identified contacts were traced, monitored and tested, all of whom were asymptomatic and negative for the virus, the ministry said.

Despite initial reports suggesting more cases, Indian authorities said enhanced...

Cha Eun Woo, one of South Korea’s most prominent entertainers, broke his silence on January 26 regarding allegations that he owes more than 20 bn won ($14 mln) in additional income taxes. The 28-year-old actor and singer, currently serving mandatory military service, posted a formal apology on social media.

“I will humbly accept the final judgment made by the relevant authorities and take full responsibility in accordance with the outcome,” Cha wrote. He added he was “deeply sorry” and pledged to “comply faithfully with all tax-related procedures going forward.”

“I sincerely bow my head...

A regional court in Hamburg on January 23 ruled in favour of Alisher Usmanov in a lawsuit against the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Kursiv Uzbekistan was told by the Russian businessman’s press office.

The FAZ article, titled On the Kremlin’s Instructions, allegedly claimed that Usmanov informally represented Russian authorities in Uzbekistan and interfered in the editorial policy of the Kommersant newspaper after acquiring it in 2006. The publication also asserted that the businessman used his wealth in the interests of or on instructions from Moscow.

The Hamburg court ruled that the claims violated Usmanov’s personal rights and banned their...

An international tourist train, Jibek Joly, will for the first time connect Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan from March 20 to March 25, 2026, Kazakhstan Railways said.

The cultural and educational journey will follow key cities of the ancient Silk Road, travelling along the route Almaty, Turkestan, Samarkand, Dushanbe, Tashkent and back to Almaty, the company said in a statement.

The tour package includes rail travel, a guided excursion programme with professional guides, entrance tickets and all transfers. Organisers noted that the project carries special significance as it will take place during the Navruz holidays and shortly after the end...

Uzbekistan Airways recorded net profit of 1.3 trln soums ($107.2 mln), in 2025, the airline’s press service told Kursiv Uzbekistan.

Over the year, the Uzbekistan Airways group operated 49,300 flights, up 8.7% from 2024. Passenger traffic rose 6.5% to 6.6 mln people, while cargo volumes reached 52,000 tonnes.

The airline plans to expand its route network in 2026 by launching five new destinations and leasing four aircraft. It will also acquire 22 Boeing 787-9 planes using credit financing. In addition, a delivery schedule for 14 Airbus aircraft has been approved for 2028 to 2030 under a 4-6-4 scheme.

This year...

Spain will pay €20 mln ($24 mln) in compensation to victims of last week’s high-speed train crash in Adamuz, Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced. The disaster, which killed 45 people and injured more than 150, occurred near the southern city of Cordoba on January 18 and represents one of the deadliest train accidents in recent European history, and the worst in Spain since 2013.

Families of those killed will receive €216,000 each within three months. This includes €72,000 in tax-free government aid, a €72,000 advance from insurance, and €72,000 from mandatory travel insurance.

Puente...

Uzbekistan’s permanent population reached 38.23 mln as of January 1, 2026, the national statistics agency reports.

Of the total, 19.25 mln were men (50.4%) and 18.97 mln were women (49.6%). Urban areas were home to 19.47 mln people, while more than 18.76 mln lived in rural regions.

In 2025, the country registered 267,100 marriages and 46,900 divorces.

Net migration remained negative, with 1,100 people moving to Uzbekistan while 10,100 left the country.

Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan’s average monthly salary reached 6.38 mln soums ($527) in 2025.

From economics and politics to business, technology and culture, Kursiv Uzbekistan

Rosatom proposed establishing a nuclear cluster in Uzbekistan at the site of the planned Jizzakh nuclear power plant, CEO Alexey Likhachev said during a visit to Tashkent.

The initiative will cover not only nuclear energy but also medical applications and radiation technologies for agriculture. The Kurchatov Institute will participate in the project. Likhachev noted that work on the nuclear power plant is progressing rapidly, with construction expected to begin this spring.

During his visit, Likhachev met with President Shavkat Mirziyoyev to discuss the power plant project and the broader development of cooperation in nuclear energy.

SoftBank Group is in discussions to invest up to an additional $30 bn in OpenAI as the Japanese conglomerate steps up its wager on the company behind ChatGPT, Reuters reports.

The potential investment would be part of a funding round that could raise as much as $100 bn for OpenAI and value the firm at roughly $830 bn, the source said.

SoftBank founder and chief executive Masayoshi Son is seeking to strengthen the group’s position in the intensifying artificial intelligence race and has made what he has described as an «all-in» commitment to OpenAI. In December, SoftBank said it...

Mexico’s president has asked South Korea’s leader to consider adding more BTS concerts in her country after tickets for the K-pop group’s long-awaited comeback tour sold out within minutes.

«I wrote a letter to the president of Korea. I have not received a response yet, but we hope it will be positive,» President Claudia Sheinbaum said.

BTS is scheduled to perform three shows in Mexico City in May as part of a 79-date world tour, its first as a group in four years. Local media reported that tickets were snapped up in under...

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has moved the Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds to midnight. This is the closest point to catastrophe in its history, as worsening global tensions and failed leadership have sharply increased the risk of disaster.

«A year ago, we warned that the world was perilously close to global disaster,» the Science and Security Board said.

Instead of reversing course, it said, major powers including Russia China and the United States have become «increasingly aggressive adversarial and nationalistic,» eroding international cooperation needed to reduce existential risks.

Because of this breakdown in...

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced that Uzbekistan will set up a specialised cybercrime department within the Interior Ministry, operating directly under the minister’s supervision.

A separate cybercrime and digital law division will also be established under the Justice Ministry. The president stressed that law enforcement officers must be skilled in artificial intelligence technologies.

Officials noted at the meeting that cybercrime types in Uzbekistan have increased from 18 to 62. There has also been a rise in personal data theft, the use of AI to forge voices and faces, and the transfer of stolen funds abroad using cryptocurrency.

From economics...

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has dismissed senior officials after uncovering alleged corruption involving the sale of a state-owned land plot at far below its value.

The head of the State Assets Management Agency (UzSAMA), Akmalxon Ortikov, was dismissed on January 26. The move followed the discovery that agency officials placed a state-owned land plot, valued at 250 bn soums ($20.6 mln), in a closed auction but sold it for only 120 bn soums ($9.9 mln).

Authorities also found evidence of theft worth billions of soums at Uzbekneftegaz. Mirziyoyev ordered the State Security Service to investigate both the agency...

In January, Uzbekistan’s Anti-Corruption Agency found that 386 decisions issued by regional and district administrations had been unjustifiably classified.

During this month, local authorities marked about 1,900 documents as «secret» or «for official use only». The concealed decisions largely concerned public appointments, bonus payments and budget spending.

The highest number of violations was recorded in Fergana region with 67 cases, followed by Bukhara with 58 and Kashkadarya with 41.

The Anti-Corruption Agency has issued orders requiring the information to be made public and said legal measures will be taken against officials responsible for the breaches.

Kursiv also reports

U.S. memory chipmaker Micron Technology said on Tuesday it plans to invest $24 bn in a new semiconductor manufacturing facility in Singapore. The company moves to expand production amid a sharp global shortage of memory chips.

The project, first reported by Reuters, comes as the semiconductor industry races to build infrastructure for artificial intelligence, leaving manufacturers of consumer electronics and AI services competing for limited supplies of memory components.

Micron said the investment, spread over the next decade, will fund an advanced wafer fabrication plant aimed at meeting rising demand for NAND flash memory driven by AI and data-heavy...

An Airbus A320-233 operated by Titan Airways landed at Tashkent International Airport at 09:46 local time (GMT+5) on January 27, completing a charter flight from Almaty.

On board was the original FIFA World Cup trophy, made of pure gold and weighing more than 6kg, escorted by football legend Marco Materazzi and a security team.

The aircraft, painted in the special livery «The Original Trophy Is Here», is part of the official World Cup Trophy Tour 2026.

The tour began on January 3 in Saudi Arabia and will cover 75 locations. The aircraft has already visited dozens of cities across...

Uzbekistan will hold a fresh round of World Trade Organization accession talks with Chinese Taipei at the end of January, the president’s special representative Azizbek Urunov told Kursiv Uzbekistan.

Urunov said joining the WTO is primarily an economic process, where political recognition does not determine the outcome. The last meeting between the two sides took place on December 15. He added that talks with Chinese Taipei are progressing actively and that both sides expect to reach a concrete agreement soon.

«These political issues are not raised in the membership process. The main discussions focus on foreign...

Protests took place in Istanbul and Ankara after the brutal killing of Uzbek citizen Durdona Khokimova, according to Agos. The 36-year-old woman’s body was found on January 24 in a rubbish container in Istanbul’s Sisli district.

The demonstrations were organised by the «We Will Stop Femicide» platform. Marchers carried banners reading «Migrant women are not alone» and «We demand justice for Durdona.» Activists accused authorities of allowing a culture of impunity, which they say encourages violence against women.

During the protests, demonstrators called for Turkey to reinstate the Istanbul Convention on the protection of women and to strengthen...

The Beckham family made their first joint public appearance since Brooklyn Beckham’s Instagram post confirmed a rift with his parents.

Last week, Brooklyn said he did not want to reconcile with his family and accused his parents of attacking him and his wife in the press.

On January 26, Sir David and Lady Beckham were joined by three of their four children, Romeo, Cruz and Harper, at Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris.

The appearance coincided with Lady Beckham receiving a new honour, being named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters. In an Instagram post...

Uzbekistan’s average monthly salary continued to rise in 2025, with Tashkent maintaining its position as the country’s highest-paying region, according to the National Statistics Committee.

In the capital, the average monthly wage reached 10.75 mln soums ($889), an increase of 18.3% from a year earlier.

Nationwide, average monthly earnings climbed to 6.38 mln soums ($527), marking close to 19% annual growth.

Several regions recorded especially strong income gains. In Namangan, Syrdarya and Jizzakh regions, average wages ranged from 4.7 mln ($388) to 5.1 mln soums ($422), with growth exceeding 20%. The slowest increase was seen in Andijan region, where...

Uzbekistan’s Uzatom agency has rejected reports claiming that construction of the nuclear power plant in Jizzakh has been postponed from March to December 2026.

In a statement published on its Telegram channel, the agency said earlier references to a later date in the draft Uzbekistan 2030 development strategy reflected a conservative planning scenario rather than an actual delay.

Uzatom explained that the timeline cited in the strategy assumed completion of all mandatory preparatory stages, including licensing and regulatory approvals, by the end of 2026. It stressed that the project continues to follow Uzbekistan’s legislation and international nuclear safety...

Amazon’s high-profile documentary Melania, which reportedly cost $40 mln to produce and more than $35 mln to market, has opened to sluggish ticket sales in the UK, according to cinema operators.

Tim Richards, chief executive of Vue, one of Britain’s largest cinema chains, said interest in the film has been «soft» ahead of its UK release on Friday. Booking data showed minimal ticket sales at several London venues, while some cinemas reported no advance sales at all for opening-night screenings.

Despite the weak demand, the documentary is being shown nationwide after Amazon’s MGM Studios rolled out a major global marketing...

Uzbekistan marked International Clean Energy Day on Monday with a high-level roundtable in Tashkent focused on accelerating the country’s transition to renewable energy through market-based solutions and international best practices.

The event was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan and brought together government officials, international partners, development institutions and energy experts.

Discussions centred on financial risk mitigation mechanisms for renewable energy projects, with particular attention to Japan’s experience in shifting from Feed-in Tariff (FiT) schemes to Feed-in Premium (FiP) systems and competitive auctions. Participants examined...

The European Union is stepping up efforts to conclude major trade agreements as growing uncertainty in the global trading system, driven in part by U.S. tariff threats, reshapes international economic relations.

Brussels is seeking to position itself as a stable and reliable trading partner amid concerns over Washington’s increasingly unpredictable trade policy under President Donald Trump. EU officials say the bloc aims to deepen ties with key partners as traditional trade alliances come under strain.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen signed the long-negotiated EU–Mercosur trade agreement in Paraguay, a deal covering a market of...