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Uzbekistan is rapidly emerging as a major travel destination for Japanese tourists, with visitor numbers from Japan surging by 162% in 2025, according to official data. More than 32,000 Japanese travelers visited the country last year, reflecting growing interest in Uzbekistan’s cultural heritage, modern infrastructure and improved accessibility.

The rise forms part of a broader tourism boom. In 2025, Uzbekistan welcomed nearly 12 million international visitors, reinforcing its position as one of Central Asia’s fastest-growing tourism markets.

Officials attribute the sharp increase in Japanese arrivals to targeted promotion, visa liberalisation and infrastructure upgrades. Japanese travel agency Club Tourism...

Uzbekistan is expanding and upgrading its international railway corridors as part of a strategy to strengthen its position as a key transit hub linking Europe, Asia and South Asia, officials said.

The initiative aims to reduce transit times, improve trade flows and offer alternative routes between major global markets.

«We are actively opening new corridors with neighbouring countries and with Asia and Europe. The goal is to unlock the full potential of Uzbekistan as a transit hub, making trade faster, more efficient, and more accessible,» Deputy Minister of Transport Jasurbek Choriyev said.

Malaysia and Uzbekistan are strengthening their bilateral relationship through practical cooperation and shared long-term interests, underscored by a series of high-level visits focused on economic and digital development.

Uzbekistan’s engagement with Malaysia has gained renewed momentum following the country’s wide-ranging economic and institutional reforms launched in 2019. These changes have improved regulatory frameworks, strengthened private sector support and expanded opportunities for foreign partners.

Last week, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Minister of Digital Technologies visited Malaysia, while Syrdarya region governor Erkinjon Turdimov is scheduled to travel to the country next week. Officials say the visits reflect a focus on implementation and...

Kazakhstan has joined China, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as one of the leading contributors to Azerbaijan’s growing tourism sector, underscoring positive trends for 2025 and the years ahead.

According to Azerbaijan’s State Statistics Committee, the country welcomed 2.57 mln foreign visitors in 2025, a modest 2.1% decline year-on-year. Despite the slight decrease, the tourism sector has shown resilience, supported by strong growth from emerging and neighbouring markets, particularly in Central Asia and Asia.

Russia remained the largest source of visitors, accounting for 23.9% of total arrivals, followed by Turkey with 17.7%. Other major contributors included Iran (8.1%), India...

Kazakhstan significantly increased grain export to Uzbekistan in 2025, with volumes rising by 32% year-on-year to 4.5 mln tons, according to Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the country’s national railway company.

Overall freight traffic between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan reached 32.3 mln tons in 2025, marking a 16% increase compared to the previous year. Export shipments accounted for 13 million tons, up 8.5% year-on-year, KTZ said.

KTZ transported a total of 319.9 mln tons of cargo across its network in 2025, representing a 5.5% increase from 2024. Export volumes rose by 7.1% to 89.2 mln tons, reflecting strong demand for...

Uzbekistan has adopted new legislation regulating the use of artificial intelligence, introducing fines for the unlawful processing of personal data and banning legally binding decisions made solely by AI systems.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed Law No. ZRU-1115, amending the Law On Informatisation and establishing a legal framework for the development and application of artificial intelligence technologies in the country.

The law defines artificial intelligence as a set of technological solutions that enable systems to imitate human knowledge and skills, independently learn, search for solutions, and generate results comparable to human intellectual activity in specific tasks. It also outlines...

At least seven people have been killed and more than 80 others are missing after a landslide struck Indonesia’s West Java province.

The landslide hit the West Bandung area, south-east of Jakarta, after several days of heavy rainfall. Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said more than 30 homes were destroyed when landslide material swept through residential areas, causing deaths and displacing residents.

The slide occurred in the village of Pasirlangu at about 2:30 am local time on January 24. Officials have also issued flood, landslide and extreme weather warnings for surrounding areas.

Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Search Agency...

A 12-year-old Australian boy has died in hospital after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour. His family announced this on January 24, amid heightened concern following a spate of shark attacks along Australia’s east coast.

Nico Antic was attacked on January 18 while jumping off rocks with friends in the Vaucluse area, about 9 km from Sydney’s central business district. He was pulled from the water by his friends and rushed to hospital with critical injuries to both legs.

In a statement, the family said they were devastated by his death. They described Nico as a cheerful...

Uzbekistan rose five places in the Global Firepower ranking of the world’s strongest militaries, placing 53rd out of 145 countries.

Global Firepower estimates that nearly 19 mln people in Uzbekistan fall within labour and mobilisation resources, with about 15.9 mln deemed fit for military service. By this measure, the country ranks among global leaders. The armed forces number about 120,000 active personnel, with roughly 95,000 serving in the ground forces and the remainder in the air force.

Uzbekistan’s military operates 159 aircraft, 87 of which are considered combat-ready. The air force fleet includes 101 helicopters, among them 34 attack...

Uzbek entrepreneurs will be able to access more loans for business development this year. A total of 140 trln soums ($11.6 bn), has been allocated for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said.

The president noted that loan interest rates are currently the same across all regions at 17.5%.

«But conditions and opportunities differ greatly between districts. That is why loans are issued at 12% in 37 ‘difficult’ districts,» he said.

The maximum amount of a concessional loan for family businesses will increase by 1.5 times to 50 mln soums...

Netflix has delayed its live special «Skyscraper Live,» which follows free solo climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to scale Taipei 101, after rain forced a last-minute postponement.

The streamer said the event could not proceed as planned because of weather concerns and has been rescheduled for January 24 at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT, which will be January 25 morning in Taiwan. Netflix said safety remains its top priority.

Producers had previously warned that weather could disrupt the climb despite January being Taiwan’s dry season. Rain was forecast around the scheduled start time, prompting the delay...

Meta Platforms said it will suspend teenagers’ access to its existing AI characters across all of its apps worldwide while it develops an updated version designed specifically for younger users.

In an updated blog post on child protection, the company said teens will lose access to AI characters in the coming weeks and will not regain it until the new experience is ready. Meta said the revised version will include parental controls once it is launched.

In October, Meta previewed tools that would allow parents to disable private chats between their teenagers and AI characters. The move followed strong...

A court in Dubai has sentenced citizens of Uzbekistan, handing eight of them life imprisonment and one person 25 years behind bars. The Uzbek foreign ministry has confirmed the verdict.

«Currently our authorities and diplomatic missions are carefully studying the situation and taking all measures to protect the rights of our citizens,» the ministry said.

The incident took place in Dubai in April 2025, when a fight broke out between two groups. Two Uzbek nationals were killed. Authorities detained 11 people in connection with the incident. Police said the conflict stemmed from a...

Cha Eun Woo’s agency Fantagio has issued an official response to reports alleging the singer and actor was involved in large-scale tax evasion.

On January 22, a media report claimed that Cha, a member of ASTRO, was investigated last year by Investigation Bureau 4 of the Seoul Regional Tax Office on suspicion of tax evasion. The report said the National Tax Service informed him of an additional tax assessment exceeding 20 bn won, or about $13.6 mln, covering income tax and other levies.

Corporation A

According to the report, tax authorities questioned the structure of Cha’s earnings. Although...

Silver prices climbed above $100 an ounce for the first time on January 23 as investors moved into safe-haven assets. Gold also hit another record and edged closer to $5,000 an ounce.

Spot silver jumped 5% to $100.94 an ounce by 18:48 GMT. The metal has risen more than 200% over the past year, supported by difficulties in expanding refining capacity and a persistent shortage of supply.

Spot gold was up 0.6% at $4,964.81 an ounce after touching a record high of $4,988.17 earlier in the session. U.S. gold futures for February delivery settled 1.4% higher at $4,979.70.

Since...

Williams have confirmed they will not take part in the upcoming Barcelona shakedown, saying the decision was made to prioritise maximum performance from their 2026 car.

The shakedown is scheduled to run from January 26 to 30 at the Circuit Barcelona-Catalunya and will give teams three days to run their new cars. It is intended to supplement the standard pre-season testing in Bahrain and help teams adapt to the revised regulations.

Williams will not be present in Barcelona but will instead carry out private testing ahead of the first official pre-season test in Bahrain from February 11 to 13.

At least 5,002 people have been killed in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide anti-government protests, according to activists, who warn the true toll may be far higher as a near-total internet blackout enters its third week.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said most of the dead were demonstrators, including at least 43 children, and reported more than 26,800 arrests since protests erupted in late December.

Iranian authorities have denied higher casualty figures and rejected claims of impending mass executions, even as some detainees face charges that carry the death penalty.

The unrest has fueled growing...

Italy and Germany support an international agreement to control raw material prices in an effort to reduce China’s influence over global supply chains, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Friday.

Speaking at an Italian-German business forum in Rome, Tajani said Europe could not accept a situation in which China effectively sets prices for key raw materials.

Tajani said Rome and Berlin were working on a common strategy and hoped other countries would join the initiative.

He added that Italy and Germany were set to issue a joint statement on raw materials later in the day...

The Royal Navy has intercepted and closely monitored Russian vessels transiting the English Channel, sending what UK officials described as a clear warning to Moscow that its naval movements are being tracked.

Patrol ships HMS Mersey and HMS Severn, supported by a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron, shadowed the Russian corvette Boikiy and the oil tanker MT General Skobelev during a two-day operation carried out in coordination with NATO allies. The vessels were first intercepted as they entered the Channel, with UK forces taking over monitoring duties from allied warships that had tracked them through the...

The official trailer for Masters of the Universe from Amazon MGM Studios has quickly climbed into YouTube’s trending videos, racking up more than 13 mln views in less than 24 hours after its release on January 22, 2026. The strong early response has made it one of the most-watched trailers of the day.

The film is based on Mattel’s iconic He-Man franchise set in the world of Eternia and is directed by Travis Knight. Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Adam/He-Man, while Jared Leto takes on the role of the villain Skeletor. According to the storyline, Prince Adam, who was sent...

F1: The Movie, the high-budget Formula 1 drama starring Brad Pitt, has emerged as one of the surprises of the 2026 Oscars after securing a Best Picture nomination despite mixed reviews from critics.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski, the film received four nominations in total at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing and Best Sound.

Released in June 2025, the $300 mln production grossed more than $631 mln worldwide, becoming Apple TV’s biggest box office hit to date.

While the nomination has sparked debate over the film’s artistic merits, industry insiders say...

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has received a baby box from the Scottish Government as officials in Scotland seek to support his plans for a similar scheme in the city.

Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary, Shirley Anne Somerville, said the gesture was intended to help Mamdani develop a proposed «baby basket» policy aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures for new parents. The initiative featured in the 34-year-old mayor’s election campaign, with Mamdani previously citing Scotland, Finland and Chile as successful examples.

The Scottish baby box programme, launched in 2017, provides every new parent with essentials such as clothes, books and health items...

Uzbekistan has joined the Gaza Board of Peace because it has vital interests in the Middle East, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s foreign policy adviser, Abdulaziz Kamilov, said in an interview with Uzbekistan 24.

Kamilov said the board’s aims align with Uzbekistan’s priorities. He added that the country pays close attention to the region due to security risks, including the threat of extremism.

He noted that some Uzbek citizens previously joined extremist groups abroad and later returned, attempting to destabilise the country. Uzbekistan has ensured their return and provided support for their social reintegration.

Tashkent joined the board on January...

The death toll from the fire that swept through Karachi’s Gul Plaza shopping centre has risen to 67, police have confirmed.

Seventy-seven people are still listed as missing by their families after the blaze began on Saturday evening, officials said. The fire took more than 24 hours to bring under control, and the scale of the damage has slowed recovery efforts as teams search through the remains of the 6,500 square metre complex.

Some of the bodies recovered are only partial remains. Authorities have counted 67 skulls and identification is ongoing. So far, 15 victims have been identified.

Gul...