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Iran has informed the United Nations Security Council and the International Maritime Organization that «non-hostile vessels» may transit the Strait of Hormuz, provided they coordinate with Iranian authorities, according to a diplomatic note seen by Reuters.

The communication, sent by Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday and circulated among IMO member states on Tuesday, comes as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran has severely disrupted shipments through the key waterway, which handles around one fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

Conditions for passage

The note states that vessels not involved in or supporting actions against Iran, and...

Uzbekistan has launched construction of a nuclear power plant in the Farish district of Jizzakh region, with initial concrete works now underway, according to Uzatom.

On March 24, Uzatom and Russia’s Rosatom approved a cooperation roadmap and signed an agreement linked to the project to build an integrated nuclear facility. The plan covers construction, workforce training and the development of infrastructure, including a future town for nuclear specialists.

Uzatom director Azim Akhmedkhadzhaev said the project marked a decisive step in implementing the country’s nuclear energy programme.

«We have taken a crucial step in delivering a...

The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway is expected to be launched by 2030, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has said.

Speaking during Nowruz celebrations in the Naryn region, Japarov said the project would transform Kyrgyzstan from what he described as a «dead-end» country into a key transit hub linking Europe and China.

According to the president, the new railway will strengthen transit connections, enhance the region’s international role and significantly expand logistics capacity across Kyrgyzstan, particularly in Naryn.

He said shorter delivery times would create broader opportunities for accessing new markets and improving trade routes across the region.

Construction of the railway began...

Organisers of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games have revealed the event’s official visual identity, a floral-inspired design system reflecting the city’s landscape, neighbourhoods and cultural character.

The branding will feature across venues, fan zones, signage, digital platforms and broadcasts throughout the Games, according to LA28 organisers.

“Superbloom” Concept

At the heart of the identity is the «Superbloom», a nod to the bursts of wildflowers that appear across Southern California after rainfall. Officials described the design as energetic and welcoming, aimed at setting the tone for the Games.

The visual system includes 13 stylised blooms representing different...

The global luxury goods market is officially transitioning from a period of rapid acceleration into a state of measured normalization.

According to Kearney’s 2026 Global Luxury Industry Outlook, the industry is projected to see a modest 2% to 4% growth this year, stabilizing at approximately $530 bn. Rather than relying on scale and speed, 2026 will require brands to actively earn their relevance through creative clarity and consumer engagement.

The shifting geographic landscape

While the traditional “big three” heavyweights — the United States, Europe, and China — continue to provide crucial scale and anchor global demand, they are...

The construction of two large and two small nuclear power units in Uzbekistan will serve as a «global showcase», Rosatom chief Alexey Likhachev said in an interview with RT.

He said the project would combine large-scale and small modular reactors at a single site, describing it as a development of global significance that could attract interest from other countries in similar power plant models.

Likhachev added that the small-capacity plant, with an output of about 50 to 55 MW, represents the world’s first export contract of its kind.

In spring 2024, Rosatom and Uzbekistan’s Uzatom agency signed an...

Celine Dion is preparing for a major concert comeback in France, after her stage return at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony performing Edith Piaf’s «Hymne A L’Amour», Variety reports.

The announcement, first reported by French-Canadian newspaper La Presse, was hinted at with posters of Dion’s hit songs, including «Pour que tu m’aimes encore» and «Power of Love,» appearing across Paris.

Dion is set to perform a series of shows at the Paris La Defense Arena starting this autumn. The 40,000-seat venue, recently acquired by Live Nation, has previously hosted artists such as Taylor Swift, the Rolling Stones and...

Iran fired several waves of missiles at Israel, the Israeli military said, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to delay plans to bomb Iran’s power grid after what he described as productive talks with Tehran.

Air raid sirens sounded across parts of Israel, including Tel Aviv, as missile interceptions caused explosions. Debris from one interception damaged homes in northern Israel, but no fatalities were reported.

Trump said on Truth Social that the United States and Iran had held «very good and productive» discussions aimed at a «complete and total resolution of hostilities in the Middle East,» prompting a five-day postponement...

A Colombian Air Force transport plane crashed shortly after takeoff in the south of the country, killing at least 66 people and injuring dozens, officials confirmed.

The aircraft, a U.S.-made Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules carrying 114 army personnel and 11 crew members, went down near Puerto Leguizamo in Putumayo province, close to the border with Peru.

Rescue efforts underway

Emergency workers were seen combing through wreckage for survivors while locals helped transport injured soldiers to hospitals using motorbikes. Images from the site showed smoke rising and military trucks heading to the area.

Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said...

A new study by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) calls for a major pivot in India’s subsidy regime, recommending a move away from universal benefits toward tightly targeted, Aadhaar-linked transfers.

The report, titled “A Study of Subsidies and Transfers in India”, was released in March 2026 to assist the Sixteenth Finance Commission in evaluating public expenditure quality by the central government and 21 major states.

The upward trajectory of state spending

While central government subsidies peaked during the pandemic at 2.7% of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022/23 before declining to 1.7% by 2024/25, state-level spending has followed...

Leonid Radvinsky, the owner of OnlyFans, has died at the age of 43 following a prolonged illness.

Radvinsky, who was born in Ukraine and raised in Chicago, acquired the platform in 2018 from its British founders. He «passed away peacefully after a long battle with cancer», the company said, requesting privacy for his family.

Founded in 2016, OnlyFans allows creators to share content with subscribers in exchange for fees or tips. While the platform hosts a variety of material, it is widely associated with adult content and reshaped the online pornography industry by enabling direct interaction between creators and...

Two pilots were killed in a runway collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, an incident that forced its closure and intensified disruption across an already strained U.S. air travel system.

The crash between an Air Canada Express CRJ-900 and a firefighting vehicle injured dozens of passengers and led to hundreds of cancellations at the start of the working week. The aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, was carrying 72 passengers and four crew members. Nine people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A flight attendant was found alive and strapped into her seat, which was outside of the...

American Cooper Lutkenhaus made history on Sunday by becoming the youngest male athlete to win an individual title at the World Indoor Championships, taking gold in the 800 metres in Poland at age 17.

Lutkenhaus finished ahead of Belgium’s Eliott Crestan in 1:44.24, breaking the previous record set by Ethiopian Mohammed Aman, who was 18 years and 61 days old when he won the same event in 2012.

«I probably wasn’t the favourite, but any time I step into a final I have a chance to win,» Lutkenhaus said. «Maybe it came from confidence or...

Project Hail Mary, the sci-fi adventure starring Ryan Gosling as a teacher tasked with saving Earth, has launched to a $140.9 mln global debut. The total includes $80.5 mln from North America and $60.4 mln across 82 international markets.

The film marks the largest opening of 2026 so far, surpassing Scream 7 and setting a new record for Amazon MGM, topping 2023’s Creed III. Directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the $200 mln production follows a former molecular biologist on an interstellar mission to prevent global extinction. It is adapted from Andy Weir’s bestselling novel, whose earlier work The...

«Harry Potter» actor Paapa Essiedu has revealed he received race-based death threats after being cast as Professor Snape in the upcoming HBO Max adaptation.

«I’ve been told, ‘Quit or I’ll murder you,’» Essiedu told The Sunday Times, adding the messages affect him emotionally but also motivate him. «The abuse fuels me and makes me more passionate about making this character my own,» he said.

Essiedu, known for Black Mirror and I May Destroy You, never saw the original films but loved the books as a child. The series, set for 2027, will feature a...

LaGuardia Airport in New York remains closed after an Air Canada plane collided with a Port Authority firefighting vehicle responding to another incident.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop late Sunday and warned it may be extended. The aircraft, a CRJ 900 carrying 76 people, had arrived from Montreal and slowed to around 24mph before hitting the vehicle.

Local media say several passengers were injured. Video footage showed the plane, operated by Jazz Aviation, coming to a stop with its nose upturned. LaGuardia confirmed the aircraft struck the rescue vehicle and that emergency protocols were immediately activated...

The Earth’s climate is more unstable than at any point in observed history, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reports. Rising greenhouse gas concentrations continue to warm the atmosphere and oceans while accelerating ice melt, with impacts that could last for centuries or even millennia.

Hottest Decade On Record

The WMO’s State of the Global Climate 2025 confirms that 2015–2025 were the warmest 11 years ever recorded. The year 2025 ranked as the second or third hottest year, approximately 1.43 °C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900 average). Extreme weather events, including heatwaves, tropical cyclones and heavy rainfall, caused widespread disruption, highlighting...

Uzbekistan international Abdukodir Khusanov has secured his first trophy with Manchester City after the club defeated Arsenal 2-0 in the English League Cup final.

Abdukodir Khusanov started the match and played the full 90 minutes, helping his side keep a clean sheet. The defender was also shown a yellow card in the 32nd minute.

The 20-year-old joined Manchester City in 2025 from French side Lens in a deal worth €40 mln. Since then, he has made 39 appearances across all competitions, scoring one goal.

His performance in the final underlined his growing importance to the team, with the defender...

Iran has warned it will target energy and water infrastructure across the Gulf if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to strike its electricity network, heightening fears of widespread disruption in a region heavily reliant on desalination.

Trump set a deadline late on Saturday, giving Tehran 48 hours to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face U.S. strikes on its power plants. The ultimatum, due to expire Monday evening U.S. time, has unsettled global markets, with oil prices fluctuating in early Asian trading.

Escalation Raises Risks For Critical Infrastructure

Iranian military spokesman Ebrahim...

Carrie Anne Fleming, a Canadian actress recognised for her work in horror series including Supernatural and iZombie, has died at the age of 51.

Her Supernatural co-star Jim Beaver confirmed to Variety that she died on February 26 in Sidney, British Columbia, due to complications related to breast cancer.

Career Spanning Film, Television And Stage

Fleming was born on August 16, 1974, in Digby, Nova Scotia. She later moved to Victoria, British Columbia, where she attended Mount Douglas Senior Secondary and trained in drama at the Kaleidoscope Theatre and the Kidco Theatre Dance Company.

She began her screen...

Chappell Roan has issued a response after Brazilian footballer Jorginho Frello accused a member of her security team of behaving «extremely aggressively» towards his 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in Sao Paulo.

Footballer Describes «Very Sad Situation»

Frello shared a statement on Instagram on Saturday describing what he called a «very sad situation» involving his wife and daughter, who were staying at the same hotel as the singer, who performed at Lollapalooza Brazil over the weekend.

According to Frello, his daughter spotted Roan during breakfast but did not approach her.

«She just passed...

Eldor Shomurodov and Abdukodir Khusanov have been included in Uzbekistan’s national team squad for the upcoming FIFA Series tournament, the Uzbekistan Football Association has announced.

Head coach Fabio Cannavaro has also called up Utkir Yusupov, Abduvokhid Nematov, Akmal Mozgovoy, Igor Sergeev and several others for the competition.

A number of players from the extended squad, including Jaloliddin Masharipov, Khusniddin Alikulov and Abbosbek Fayzullaev, will miss the training camp due to injuries.

The FIFA Series tournament will take place in Tashkent in late March, with Uzbekistan drawn alongside Venezuela, Gabon and Trinidad and Tobago.

The FIFA Series is a global initiative...

Brazilian-Italian footballer Jorginho has said his 11-year-old daughter was left distressed after an encounter involving pop singer Chappell Roan at a hotel in Sao Paulo.

In a post on Instagram, the 34-year-old midfielder said his daughter had been excited after learning the singer was staying at the same hotel during her visit for Lollapalooza Brazil. He wrote that she had even made a sign in anticipation of seeing an artist she admired.

According to Jorginho, his ex-wife Catherine Harding and their daughter Ava Law were having breakfast when Roan passed by their table. He said the child briefly walked...

Robert Mueller, the former FBI director and special counsel whose investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election shaped much of Donald Trump’s presidency, has died aged 81.

His family confirmed he passed away on Friday night, though no cause of death was immediately disclosed. They asked for privacy as they mourn his loss.

Mueller led the FBI from 2001 to 2013, taking charge just days before the September 11 attacks and overseeing a major transformation of the agency into a counterterrorism-focused organisation. He is survived by his wife of nearly 60 years, Ann Cabell Standish, their two daughters...