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Renowned Turkish film star Hande Ercel brought an unexpected accessory to a Valentino fashion show: books by Nobel prize-winning author Orhan Pamuk. The actress was photographed holding Pamuk’s works, giving literature a place alongside her designer look.

Pictures credited to Ercel’s Instagram account show her carrying several Pamuk books during the appearance, Türkiye Today reported. She kept them in hand for a series of photographs around the event.

Erсel, known internationally for playing Eda Yıldız in Love Is in the Air, has become a familiar face at fashion events as well as...

Thousands of women are sharing personal experiences of sexual harassment, coercion and assault under the hashtag #IAmJaneDoe, turning an online campaign to protect the identity of the accuser in the Cornell 7 case into a movement that is reminiscent of #MeToo.

The campaign has spread across Instagram, TikTok and X, with participants declaring themselves Jane Doe, the pseudonym used by a former Cornell University student who has accused seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity of sexual assault.

Unlike #MeToo, which encouraged survivors to publicly share their experiences, #IAmJaneDoe initially had a more immediate purpose: flooding social media with...

Afghan teachers describe hitting students with sticks and plastic cables, while colleagues allegedly kick and punch children. That’s according to a harrowing report describing classroom violence, overcrowding, staff shortages, and financial hardship.

One female teacher described colleagues boasting about assaults in staff gatherings: «Today I had a free fight with a student.»

Her testimony appears in Schooling Under the Taliban Era, a September 2026 report by Maryam Safi, a research fellow with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law.

The study draws on 65 interviews conducted between May and November 2025 with teachers, parents, experts...

Rhenus, a German logistics company, plans to build a network of 14 goods terminals that will connect Uzbekistan and its neighbours to Europe via a route that avoids Russia. The investment aims to make the Middle Corridor a more reliable option for businesses transporting goods across Eurasia.

Chief executive Tobias Bartz told Euronews that the terminals in question would extend from Uzbekistan through Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to Türkiye before connecting with the company’s European network.

Rhenus already has 23 container terminals and around 70 port facilities across Europe. The company has...

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has on 6 October awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics to Francis Halzen for his pioneering work with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison professor earned the award for discovering high-energy astrophysical neutrinos. Halzen will receive a prize amount of 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million).

Born in 1944 in Tienen, Belgium, Halzen earned his doctorate from KU Leuven before embarking on a career that would ultimately transform astronomy.

BREAKING NEWS The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award...

Google‘s new Googlebook laptops have officially gone on sale, with five models from Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo starting at $899 in the United States. The devices run Google’s new Android-based operating system, combining Gemini AI features with premium hardware and closer integration with Android smartphones.

Google opened pre-orders on September 21, with sales beginning on October 4 in the US and October 5 in Canada, the UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Australia.

Unlike Chromebooks, which primarily target budget-conscious consumers and educational institutions, Googlebooks compete directly with Apple’s MacBooks and premium Windows laptops. All five models come with...

A survey conducted by the Uzbek Central Bank found that, despite widespread optimism about future income growth, nearly half of the respondents had no savings at all. The results reveal a telling gap between respondents’ current finances and their financial expectations.

The bank’s Q2 consumer sentiment review, based on around 4,100 responses collected in July, found that 46.4% had no savings, virtually unchanged from the previous quarter.

According to the Central Bank, they were unable to adapt to changes in income or cover unexpected expenses because of the results. The duration of respondents’ savings remained...

YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, known universally as MrBeast, will visit Tashkent for his inaugural tour of Central Asia. The American entertainer commands a digital footprint of 520 million subscribers across his YouTube channels, making him the most followed individual creator on the platform.

The Art and Culture Development Foundation of Uzbekistan will host the creator for an interactive public event that will welcome randomly selected supporters.

The gathering will centre on interactive challenges and an obscure-fact trivia contest, with prizes awarded to the top contestants. Organisers have not yet released the event date...

Fernando Alonso is set to return to the Dakar Rally in 2027 behind the wheel of an Aston Martin, according to Soymotor. The Spanish driver will compete in the premier T1+ category using a former Dacia prototype managed by Prodrive, which is being visually transformed to represent the British manufacturer.

The move establishes a direct link between Alonso’s current Formula 1 commitments and his off-road ambitions. It also revives a long-standing motorsport synergy between Aston Martin and Prodrive founder David Richards. Alonso hinted at the project ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix, stating he wanted to...

Tech enthusiasts have received an early glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra colour palette months before the flagship smartphone officially debuts. According to reputable industry leaker Ice Universe, the tech manufacturer plans to release the premium device in five primary finishes: black, blue, light pink, white and violet.

These core options will reportedly form the base retail lineup available through third-party vendors and mobile network operators worldwide. By establishing light pink as a standard option rather than a restricted variant, Samsung appears to be shifting its usual distribution strategy for bolder shades.

The five main...

US President Donald Trump has authorised the execution of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan by firing squad. The decision paves the way for the first US military execution in more than six decades.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell confirmed the directive on Monday. He stated that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth recommended death by firing squad, and Trump granted the required approval.

Hasan orchestrated one of the deadliest attacks on a US military installation in modern history. The former military psychiatrist killed 13 people, wounded 32 others and traumatised the broader military community during a November...

The World Health Organization (WHO) told Kursiv Uzbekistan that the public health risk appears low following a laboratory worker’s death in Russia’s Irkutsk region. It is seeking answers from Russian authorities, with the cause of death still unconfirmed.

The worker reportedly died of severe pneumonia on 2 October. In its statement, WHO said laboratory testing was underway and all identified contacts were being monitored, with none reportedly showing symptoms.

«Based on unofficial information available, the public health risk to the general population appears to be low,» WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier told Kursiv Uzbekistan. The official added that it would update...

Cadillac Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas has decided to swap his racing car for a bicycle, setting off on a journey of roughly 350 kilometres from Malaysia to Singapore ahead of the next Grand Prix. The unusual travel plans follow a disappointing weekend at Sepang, where the Finn crashed out of the race after just seven laps.

While most drivers and team personnel are heading to Singapore by plane, the 37-year-old has chosen to cycle south from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. According to his activity on Strava, Bottas covered 56.6 kilometres on...

Russia hosts talks on Afghanistan this Monday, 5 October, on the heels of renewed Pakistani airstrikes that killed numerous Afghan civilians.

The eighth Moscow Format meeting involved senior officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is leading Kabul’s delegation and will hold separate talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Pakistan sends its Afghanistan envoy, Mohammad Sadiq, and its ambassador to Kabul.

Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said the participants would discuss the confrontation alongside...

Veteran Turkish actor Göksel Arsoy, one of the best-known leading men of the Yeşilçam era, died at the age of 90.

Arsoy, widely known in Türkiye by the nickname «Altın Çocuk» — the Golden Boy — died on October 5, his family said. His son, Aşkım Arsoy, said the actor had become weaker recently but had not suffered from a serious illness and died peacefully, according to Haberler.

His funeral is expected to take place on Wednesday, 7 October, Türkiye Gazetesi reported.

Samsung has broadened the global rollout of its One UI 9, delivering enhanced artificial intelligence tools, improved privacy controls and interface upgrades to a wider range of Galaxy smartphones.

The update initially debuted on the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Z Fold8 and Z Flip8. It began reaching the Galaxy S26 series on September 16 and is now available for users across multiple regions including South Korea, the United States, Europe, India and Canada.

Samsung is deploying the software in stages based on country, mobile operator and specific device model. The company has also initiated the stable...

Russians have sharply increased searches for information about plague after hospitals in the Irkutsk region imposed quarantine measures following the death of a young laboratory worker.

Google Trends data, checked by Kursiv Uzbekistan on Monday afternoon, showed that the Russian-language search term «чума» — plague in English — spiked to about 2,800% higher interest between September 29 and October 5, and about 5,000% higher than a year ago.

The spike came after reports that a hospital in the town of Shelekhov, in the Irkutsk region, had been placed under quarantine over a suspected «particularly dangerous infection.»

Yandex Wordstat, the Russian...

US President Donald Trump intends to visit Uzbekistan, although no date has been set, his special envoy for global partnerships, Paolo Zampolli, said in an interview with Uzbekistan 24’s Tahlilnoma programme.

According to Zampolli, Trump personally expressed his intention to travel to the Central Asian country, where Washington has been expanding diplomatic and economic ties.

“The president’s schedule is extremely busy, but he personally told me about his plan to visit your country,” Zampolli said. “One day, this visit will definitely take place. We hope it happens as soon as possible.”

Realme P4s Lite, a new budget smartphone that prioritises battery longevity and display performance was presented on Monday. The device officially goes on sale on October 8 in Nebula Black and Moonlight Silver, with prices starting at approximately $170.

The smartphone features a 6.75-inch LCD panel with an HD+ resolution of 1570 by 720 pixels. The screen supports a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz maximum touch sampling rate. It delivers up to 900 nits of brightness and is protected by Panda MN228 glass.

A Unisoc T7250 processor powers the device, paired with up to 4GB...

A plague researcher’s death in Russia’s Siberian city of Irkutsk, attributed to the plague, has revived fears about one of history’s most feared infections and made headlines around the world. Is the post-Covid world on the brink of yet another pandemic?  

Darya Shipilova, a 28-year-old employee of the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute, has died in hospital in the nearby town of Shelekhov on 2 October, according to independent media outlet Lyudi Baikala. The publication reported an unconfirmed account that she had broken a test tube containing plague bacteria before falling ill. 

Regional authorities placed hundreds of...

Online users are bullying Asian men who go by the same name as a Korean suspect involved in the Cornell University sexual assault case, according to The Korea Herald.

This misguided backlash originated from a civil complaint submitted on 14 September by a former student. The woman claims she suffered a drug-facilitated sexual assault at a campus fraternity in October 2024. A Korean man named Winston Lee is part of the “Cornell 7,” a collective of past and present attendees accused of involvement.

With no official word about...

Uzbek banks could face weaker earnings and pressure on capital as tougher provisioning rules expose credit risks, Fitch and S&P executives told Kursiv Uzbekistan.

The warning contrasts with strong headline results. Banks earned 10.99 trillion soums in the first half of 2026, an increase of nearly 69% year on year. Yet the Central Bank’s figures show that non-performing loans stood at 22.94 trillion soums on 1 July, equivalent to 3.6% of total lending.

Fitch’s Pavel Kaptel said the planned transition to IFRS 9 in regulatory reporting could force some lenders, particularly state-owned banks, to increase provisions.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro secured a surprise victory over Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the first round of the country’s presidential election, setting the stage for a tense runoff on October 25.

Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, captured 47.03% of valid votes in Sunday’s contest, outpacing the left-wing incumbent’s 45.16%, according to the Superior Electoral Court. With 99.99% of ballots counted early Monday, Bolsonaro amassed 56.1 mn votes, approximately 2.2 mn more than Lula.

Because neither candidate achieved the outright majority required to win in the first round, the top...

Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, head of the Russian Imperial House and great-niece of the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II, visited the former palace of Grand Duke Nikolai Konstantinovich in Tashkent on October 3 to inspect ongoing restoration work.

Maria Vladimirovna is a claimant to the headship of the Imperial House of Russia, a position she has held since her father’s death in 1992. Born in 1953 in Madrid, she is the great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Alexander II.

Her claim to be the rightful head of the Romanov family stems from her father, Grand Duke Vladimir Kirillovich, who...