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Former top U.S. infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci repeatedly declined to answer questions regarding his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic during a combative Senate hearing on Wednesday.

Appearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the 85-year-old immunologist invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 111 times. The hearing was spearheaded by Republican Senator Rand Paul, a long-time critic who subpoenaed Fauci to testify about the virus’s origins and U.S. funding for research in Wuhan, China.

Fauci defended his silence by accusing the committee chairman of orchestrating a political witch hunt. He claimed Paul harbours an...

Early audiences of “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” have confirmed that the 2024 track “Monopoly” by Russian singer Monetochka features in the superhero film.

Film critic Tamara Khodova announced the inclusion on Telegram after spotting the artist’s name in the end credits. Fans of the Marvel franchise quickly corroborated the news by sharing photographs of the credit sequence across social media platforms.

Khodova noted her amusement at the brief musical cameo. “Spoiler of the day: Monetochka’s song plays in the new Spider-Man,” she wrote to her subscribers. “I hope they paid her a lot of money for those three seconds...

Recording Academy chief executive Harvey Mason Jr has publicly addressed the fallout following a decision by South Korean boy band BTS to boycott the upcoming Grammy Awards.

The controversy began yesterday when the seven group members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook, used their personal Instagram profiles to declare they would not submit entries for this year’s ceremony.

The band expressed a desire for their work to be evaluated purely on its artistic merit rather than being segregated by geographic origin or spoken language. They also used the coordinated announcement to express gratitude to...

After months of talks and years of waiting, Apple Pay and Google Pay may soon be made available in Uzbekistan, Kursiv reported, citing a Central Bank official.

Back in March this year, Uzbekistan amended its strict data localisation laws, enabling most types of personal data to be processed abroad if they meet the country’s information security standards.

“From the moment the amendments were adopted, the Central Bank, commercial banks, Humo and Uzcard immediately started negotiations with Google and Apple on the possibility of launching Apple Pay and Google Pay in Uzbekistan,” Jamshid...

The EU has sanctioned a bank that handles Korona Pay, Russia’s main international money transfer service used by many migrant workers. In response, Uzbek banks are working to help their clients avoid the fallout, according to Kursiv Uzbekistan.

Transfers to Uzbekistan via Korona Pay, also known as Zolotaya Korona (Golden Crown in English), are still occurring. Uzbekistan’s Central Bank confirmed this after the European Union included the payment system’s settlement bank in its latest round of sanctions against Russia.

Otabek Tojiddinov, who leads the Central Bank’s Currency Regulation and Supervision Department, explained that the restrictions are aimed at the bank...

The electronic music landscape has lost a foundational figure following the death of Vincent Pierre Claude Belorgey. Better known globally by his enigmatic alter ego Kavinsky, the producer was found dead at his Parisian residence on Tuesday. He was 50.

While law enforcement officials currently suspect no foul play, earlier reports indicated the musician suffered from severe head pain during his final days. Belorgey leaves behind a profound musical legacy, having almost single-handedly popularised the modern synthwave aesthetic through a meticulously crafted retro-futuristic sound.

From silver screen to studio decks

Born in Seine-Saint-Denis in 1975, Belorgey initially pursued...

Pakistan batsman Shan Masood suffered a fractured finger after being struck by a Jayden Seales delivery on the third day of the first Test in Tarouba.

The injury forced a major reshuffle in the visitors’ batting order. Masood, who scored a century in the first innings, missed the opening hour of fielding on the fourth morning and was unable to bat in his customary No. 3 position.

He eventually emerged at No. 8 after his team suffered a disastrous start to their chase of 211. Pakistan lost three wickets before lunch and another three early in the second session to...

The more contractors involved in developing a company’s IT infrastructure, the harder it becomes to manage projects and assign responsibility. As a result, businesses end up spending time coordinating vendors instead of growing their operations.

Beeline Business brings together connectivity, Azure cloud services, Microsoft enterprise software, and technical support in a single service, enabling companies to work with a single technology partner.

Today, it’s important for companies not only to use modern digital solutions, but also to manage them securely. Over the past year, ensuring software is properly licensed has become part of business risk management: liability has grown stricter...

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has publicly criticised his successor Gianni Infantino and U.S. President Donald Trump following allegations that a Trump-linked investment group wants to purchase the global football governing body outright.

The Swiss administrator took to social media platform X on Tuesday to condemn the growing political and financial ties between Infantino and Trump. Blatter claimed their relationship has escalated to a level that actively threatens the integrity of the sport.

“The close relationship between the FIFA President and the US President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football...

In response to a spate of headline-grabbing thefts that revealed cracks in heritage protection, France is set to pour €30 million ($35 million) over the next three years into fortifying security at its museums and cultural landmarks.

Culture Minister Catherine Pegard has unveiled a national security plan designed to boost surveillance, tighten inspections, enhance staff training and sharpen emergency responses at museums nationwide. The measures aim to outsmart increasingly sophisticated thieves who have set their sights on priceless artworks and historical treasures.

The plan comes on the back of the theft of the 2,500-year-old gold torque of the Lady of...

The South Korean pop juggernaut BTS will not submit music for the 2027 Grammy Awards. All seven members coordinated a unified statement across their personal social media accounts to protest the Recording Academy’s newly introduced Best Asian Pop Music Performance category.

Screenshots of the simultaneous Instagram stories from Jungkook, RM, V, Jimin, Suga, J-Hope and Jin reveal an identical Korean message. The coordinated post highlights their principled stand against segregating art by geography or dialect.

“We have decided not to submit for this year’s Grammys,” the text reads. “Rather than music being categorised by region or...

Uzbekistan will gradually reduce its state agricultural subsidies over the next decade to comply with World Trade Organization regulations.

The Central Asian nation plans to cap these financial aids at $900 mln at the end of a 10-year transition period. Alisher Zakhidov, head of the Department for Financial Support of Agrarian Reforms, announced the target as part of the country’s ongoing accession process.

Zakhidov noted the government has submitted an updated proposal under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture. The document outlines a phased reduction of “Amber Box” support measures, which the international trade body classifies as trade-distorting.

Current...

Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it has charged Telegram founder Pavel Durov with assisting terrorist activity and has placed him on an international wanted list.

A statement released by the FSB on 29 July said the charges stem from an article of Russia’s Criminal Code which deals with helping terrorist activity. The clause carries a maximum prison sentence of 15 years.

The secret service said Telegram failed to remove content banned under Russian law, despite repeated requests. It also accused the platform of letting channels, chats, and bots, which it says are used by Ukrainian intelligence recruiters...

The International Fencing Federation (FIE) announced that a German appellate court in Hamburg ruled in its favour in a legal dispute with Reuters regarding a news report that claimed “almost 3,000 athletes and coaches” had expressed concerns about the federation.

The dispute arose from an open letter sent on May 5, 2026, to IOC President Kirsty Coventry and FIE leadership, calling for an external review of the federation. That same day, Reuters commissioned a report, stating the letter had been signed by “almost 3,000 athletes and coaches.” The story was widely circulated worldwide.

On 23 July...

Emergency teams are frantically searching for survivors in southern Japan after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake killed 13 people and triggered a mall explosion.

Emergency teams are frantically scouring rubble in southern Japan following a devastating 7.1 magnitude seismic event near Kumamoto. The Tuesday disaster has claimed at least 13 lives so far while triggering widespread blackouts across the region.

Roughly 60 minutes after the ground initially shook, a suspected gas blast ripped through the Aeon retail complex. First responders managed to extract eight individuals from the shattered shopping centre but three of those victims later succumbed to their injuries...

The BBC has published a documentary in which 10 women describe encounters with actor and Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman Jared Leto, including four allegations that involve conduct they believe amounted to criminal sexual offences.

The women say the encounters took place between 2002 and 2016, when Leto was in his 30s and 40s. Several say they were teenagers at the time.

According to the documentary, one woman alleges she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom in Las Vegas when she was 17. Another says Leto threatened her with sexual assault after she was left alone with him...

Top Uzbek grandmasters like Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Javokhir Sindarov faced off against Hikaru Nakamura and other leading Americans at the first WR Chess Masters in Miami. The two-day team event featured both Rapid and Blitz matches between the countries.

Team USA secured a 14-10 win over Uzbekistan in matches held from July 27 to 28, according to WR Chess.

The contest brought together many of the biggest names in world chess. The American line-up featured Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Leinier Dominguez. Uzbekistan relied on its new generation of grandmasters, including Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov, Nodirbek...

Na Hong-jin’s polarising creature feature “Hope” has gained a high-profile supporter in BTS member Jungkook, who publicly praised the film despite its mixed critical reception.

The pop star initially shared his enthusiasm on Instagram on Monday, describing the thriller as “a blast.” He later expanded on his thoughts during a live broadcast, defending the movie against its detractors.

Acknowledging the divided audience reactions, Jungkook revealed he experienced the film in 4DX and found it genuinely entertaining. He specifically highlighted the intense chase sequences, noting they kept his fists clenched throughout, and commended the project’s relentless pacing to his ARMY...

Apple is orchestrating a substantial push into the smart home ecosystem to recapture market share. The California-based technology firm is finalising an all-new smart home hub, an upgraded Apple TV 4K and a refreshed HomePod mini, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

The upcoming hardware relies entirely on Apple’s redesigned AI-powered Siri. This virtual assistant overhaul, which promises vastly improved conversational abilities and deeper ecosystem integration, has reportedly dictated the release schedule for all three products.

The most significant addition to the lineup is an unreleased smart display category. Designed to compete directly with Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s...

Commodity DRAM prices have jumped more than 80% in the first half of the year, squeezing profit margins for electronics manufacturers. Apple is bearing the brunt of this spike as U.S. government restrictions block the company from sourcing cheaper mobile memory chips from Chinese suppliers.

Apple is actively lobbying Washington to lift these sanctions, arguing the current component costs are unsustainable.

To prevent its major client from successfully pivoting to Chinese alternatives, Samsung is overhauling its manufacturing processes to boost its own commodity DRAM supply. The South Korean tech giant aims to increase production at its Hwaseong...

The Soviet-era modernist buildings in Tashkent, on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2026, join the good company of must-sees already inscribed by the organisation. From the serene inner city of Khiva to the breathtaking views of Tien Shan, Kursiv Uzbekistan looks at the other seven places that continue to captivate visitors from all around the globe.  

On July 26, UNESCO added ten modernist architectural landmarks in and around Tashkent to its World Heritage List. This decision was made during the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea.

Impressive as they...

Games Workshop has shared concrete details about its live-action Warhammer 40,000 cinematic universe. The highly anticipated Amazon project is moving to the script stage, bringing in horror specialist Mike Flanagan to help shape the grimdark franchise.

In a recent financial report Games Workshop CEO Kevin Rountree confirmed that Amazon partnered with United Artists to push the project forward. Flanagan has completed the initial story outlines and will begin scriptwriting shortly.

Flanagan’s involvement strongly hints at a dark and terrifying tone for the upcoming series or film. The director built his Hollywood reputation on critically acclaimed horror shows such as...

The French Football Federation has picked Zinedine Zidane as the new head coach of France, signing him to a four-year deal that will see him guide Les Bleus into the 2030 World Cup.

The legendary 1998 Ballon d’Or winner and World Cup hero steps in for Didier Deschamps, who ended his 14-year reign after the 2026 World Cup.

«I’ve often said that there’s nothing greater than the French national team. So it’s a joy and obviously a great source of pride to become the manager of this team,» Zidane has said.  

Philippe Diallo...

Uzbekistan has doubled its commercial exchange with Eurasian Development Bank member states over a five-year period, with overall trade turnover climbing to $19.3 bn by the close of 2025.

Following its official accession as the multilateral lender’s seventh member state last year, Tashkent has integrated deeper into the financial institution’s regional framework. The bank launched full-scale operations inside the country in 2026, actively deploying investment capital and forging industrial partnerships across multiple sectors.

Commercial exchanges with the bloc currently account for nearly 30% of the republic’s total external merchandise trade, surging by roughly $10 bn since 2020 on the...