News

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...

Airports across parts of Asia have stepped up health surveillance after an outbreak of the Nipah virus in India’s West Bengal state, where five cases have been confirmed, officials said.

Thailand, Nepal and Taiwan have introduced heightened screening measures for travellers arriving from affected areas. In West Bengal, around 100 people have been quarantined after the virus was detected in a hospital, with several healthcare workers among those infected.

Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has increased health checks at major airports including Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang and Phuket, monitoring passengers for fever and related symptoms. Travellers showing signs of...

Harry Styles is on track to secure his third UK number one single with his latest release, Aperture, according to early chart data.

The song, released on January 22, marks the pop star’s return after nearly four years without new music and follows his previous chart-toppers Sign of the Times (2017) and As It Was (2022). Aperture currently leads the Official Charts Top 10 midweek rankings.

Styles announced his comeback earlier this month alongside a new music video and confirmed that Aperture is the first single from his upcoming fourth studio album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally...

Gold prices have surged past the $5,000 per ounce mark, hitting fresh record highs as investors seek safe-haven assets amid mounting global uncertainty.

Spot gold was trading around $5,095 an ounce on Monday, after briefly topping $5,100 earlier in the session. The precious metal has gained more than 12% over the past month and over 80% year-on-year, driven by geopolitical tensions, volatility in Japan’s bond market and growing concerns over the global economic outlook.

Analysts say uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy, including renewed tariff threats, alongside weakening confidence in traditional assets such as government bonds, has pushed investors...

Fresh tensions have surfaced in the Beckham family after Brooklyn Beckham publicly challenged long-running narratives surrounding his relationship with his parents and their treatment of his wife, Nicola Peltz.

In a recent social media statement, the 26-year-old disputed claims that Nicola rejected a Victoria Beckham–designed wedding dress ahead of their 2022 ceremony, saying instead that his mother withdrew from making it at short notice. The account contrasts with Nicola’s earlier interviews, in which she described designing her main gown with Valentino as a «dream.»

Brooklyn also alleged that Victoria Beckham behaved inappropriately during a dance at the wedding and «hijacked...

Caracas — Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez has sharply criticised what she described as excessive pressure and «orders from Washington,» as tensions continue following U.S. actions this month in the South American nation.

Speaking to oil workers in the eastern state of Anzoategui on Sunday, Rodriguez said Caracas would no longer accept directives from the United States and urged that Venezuela’s political differences be resolved internally rather than under outside influence, according to officials and regional media reports.

Rodriguez’s remarks come amid heightened diplomatic strain between Caracas and Washington over the recent capture of former President Nicolas Maduro

The Philippines has expressed alarm over increasingly heated public exchanges with China amid their long-running territorial dispute in the South China Sea, warning that the rhetoric could undermine efforts to manage tensions diplomatically.

Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs said it made «firm representations» to the Chinese ambassador and embassy, conveying serious concern over the escalation of exchanges between officials from both sides. While cautioning against actions that could derail dialogue, the department reiterated its support for Philippine officials defending the country’s maritime claims.

The comments follow China’s move last week to summon Philippine Ambassador Jaime FlorCruz in protest...

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation into Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot built into Elon Musk’s social media platform X, over concerns that its image-editing tools were used to create explicit images of real women and minors without consent.

According to Handelsblatt, the probe will examine whether X took sufficient steps to mitigate the risks associated with the creation and spread of such content. The investigation is being conducted under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which imposes strict obligations on large online platforms to prevent illegal and harmful material.

If the Commission finds that X...

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent a message of congratulations to India on its Republic Day, describing China and India as «good neighbours, friends and partners,» according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.

Xi said relations between the two countries have steadily improved over the past year and stressed their importance for maintaining global peace and prosperity. He reiterated Beijing’s long-held view that cooperation is the best path forward, referring to China and India as the «dragon and the elephant dancing together.»

The Chinese leader expressed hope that both sides would expand exchanges and cooperation while properly managing...

Uzbekistan’s stock market recorded positive momentum between January 16 and January 23, with most highly liquid shares on the Tashkent Stock Exchange closing higher and the UCI index rising by 1.01%.

The strongest growth was seen in preferred shares of Ipoteka Bank, which jumped 69.79%. Shares of SQB climbed 28.51%, while ordinary shares of Aloqabank gained 25.40%.

Trading in shares of SQB and Ipoteka Bank was temporarily suspended from January 21 as the exchange reviews the reasons behind the sharp rise. Over 10 trading days on the Main Board, ordinary shares of the two banks surged by...

At least 18 people have died after a ferry carrying more than 350 passengers and crew sank in waters off the southern Philippines. The Philippine Coast Guard said 317 people from the MV Trisha Kerstin 3 have been rescued, while at least 24 others remain missing.

The cargo and passenger ferry was travelling from the southern island of Mindanao to Jolo island when it sent a distress call at 1:50 am local time on January 26.

Officials have launched an investigation into the cause of the sinking. Survivors told authorities the sea was rough at the time of the...

Former South Korean prime minister Lee Hae-chan, a long-time political heavyweight and key figure in the country’s democratic evolution, has died while on an official trip to Vietnam, authorities in both countries said.

Lee was 73. He died on January 25 in Ho Chi Minh City after suffering a heart attack, despite receiving emergency medical treatment, according to a South Korean presidential advisory body.

President Lee Jae Myung paid tribute, describing him as a defining figure in South Korea’s democratic history.

“He dedicated his life to protecting and growing democratic values through our turbulent modern...

VEON Ltd. (Nasdaq: VEON), a global digital operator («VEON» or, together with its subsidiaries, the «VEON Group»), unveiled the new network operations center for Beeline Uzbekistan in Tashkent, in a ceremony attended by Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, and Kaan Terzioglu, VEON Group CEO as well as Beeline Uzbekistan board members and its executive team. Today, VEON also launched BuildX, its new software development and artificial intelligence company in Uzbekistan.

Beeline Uzbekistan’s Network Operations Center (NOC) in Tashkent serves as a digital command hub, providing around-the-clock oversight of more than 5,850 base stations and ensuring connectivity for...