News

The ancient Silk Road city of Bukhara has stepped onto the global culture map with the debut of the Bukhara Biennial, a contemporary art and design festival running through 20 November 2025 across its UNESCO-listed old town.

Curated exhibitions transform historic madrasas and mosques into open-air galleries: Delcy Morelos’s turmeric-scented pyramid, Antony Gormley’s brick human forms with Temur Jumaev, Jazgul Madazimova’s soaring wave of headscarves, Ruben Saakyan’s hidden floral gardens, and Laila Gohar’s rock-sugar pavilion. Uzbek designer-artist Jenia Kim (J.Kim) presents an installation inspired by the city’s whimsical stork scissors.

The Biennial opened with a candlelit gala at the...

Turkmenistan has the potential to serve as a vital link between current global energy challenges and future sustainability goals, Valérie Ducros, Executive Director of the Global Gas Centre, said at the 30th Anniversary International Conference «Oil and Gas of Turkmenistan – 2025.»

Ducros highlighted that sustainable energy development depends on a combination of innovation, international cooperation and human capital, stressing that «access to reliable and affordable energy is the foundation of national security.»

With some of the world’s largest natural gas reserves, Turkmenistan represents «a model for strategic resource management and partnership,» Ducros said.

Uzbekistan has commissioned a new gas distribution facility in the Qarshi district, aimed at improving supply efficiency and ensuring a stable flow of natural gas to consumers, the Ministry of Energy announced.

The system is divided into eight main segments, allowing for more precise monitoring and management of gas usage and account balances across different consumer categories. Officials say the upgrade will help reduce operational losses and improve reliability in regional energy delivery.

The launch comes as Uzbekistan reports strong performance in the gas sector. Between January and September 2025, the country’s gas exports rose 15.4% to $546.2 Mln...

As King Charles III prepares to meet Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this week, the five-month-old papacy is taking clearer shape, largely in continuity with Pope Francis on migration, climate, and social justice.

Despite early stylistic departures, traditional dress, moving into the Apostolic Palace, and outreach to conservative cardinals Raymond Burke and Robert Sarah, Leo has echoed Francis’s priorities. He urged U.S. bishops to «speak strongly» on immigration after letters describing raids and deportation fears, told reporters that backing harsh treatment of migrants is incompatible with a pro-life stance, and reaffirmed the Church’s focus on the climate crisis.

UNESCO will stage its 43rd General Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2025 — the first time in 40 years the gathering is held outside Paris. The move, adopted unanimously by all 194 member states at the 42nd session, is widely seen as recognition of Uzbekistan’s recent cultural and educational reforms.

Uzbekistan has set up an Organising Committee and plans upgrades around logistics, visas, transport and medical services. Authorities expect over 5,000 delegates. Alongside the plenary, Samarkand will host the 14th UNESCO Youth Forum and the 12th Interregional Meeting of National Commissions.

Conference side events will focus on AI in museums...

A mural of Novak Djokovic in Belgrade has been vandalised, sparking outrage from the artist who created it. The incident follows the Serbian tennis legend’s recent relocation to Greece, where he has reportedly settled with his family in the southern suburbs of Athens.

The mural, painted earlier this year by Serbian street artist Andrej Josifovski, known as The Pianist — depicted Djokovic gesturing during the 2024 Wimbledon final. Josifovski shared images of the vandalized artwork on social media, condemning those responsible and vowing to restore it.

«Imagine that great patriot… sneaking around at night and...

Chelsea FC have expanded their partnership with Vietnamese technology company FPT, naming it the club’s official sleeve sponsor across the men’s, women’s, and academy teams for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.

The two sides first partnered in April 2025, when FPT became Chelsea’s global technology solutions partner. The company, one of the Asia-Pacific region’s leading digital transformation providers, will now have its logo featured on the sleeves of all match kits.

Chelsea’s president and COO Jason Gannon and commercial president Todd Kline led the deal, which comes as the club continues to search for a front-of-shirt sponsor.

In...

An Australian man has been charged after allegedly stealing dozens of collectible Labubu dolls worth about A$9,000 ($5,839).

Victoria Police said they raided a property in Melbourne on October 21, where they recovered 43 of the sought-after dolls, including several limited-edition pieces valued at up to A$500 ($324) each. Detectives believe the items were stolen from a shopping centre during four separate burglaries carried out since July.

In a statement titled «These Labubu Are Not For You You,» Victoria Police said the 40-year-old suspect faces four counts of burglary and two counts of theft. He has been released on...

A major corruption scandal has rocked NATO’s Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), following the release of an explosive investigative report on October 21 that exposed a vast network of bribery and influence peddling.

The report, compiled by a consortium of European investigative outlets, details a «tentacular system of corruption» centered on former NSPA advisors who allegedly acted as intermediaries between defense suppliers and the agency. At least four cases involving individuals of various nationalities were uncovered, with bribes exceeding US$1 mln paid to secure contracts or access confidential tender documents, some linked to U.S. defense interests.

Between February and...

Plans to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 teams are facing resistance from within Conmebol, despite the South American confederation standing to benefit from hosting additional matches.

According to reports, seven of Conmebol’s 10 member nations have expressed concern over the proposal, which is being championed by Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina — the three countries granted one commemorative match each for the World Cup’s centenary edition.

The trio met with FIFA president Gianni Infantino at Trump Tower in New York last month to discuss expanding the event. However, other South American federations fear the move...

Scientists at Uzbekistan’s Centre for Advanced Technologies under the Ministry of Higher Education have decoded the genes of the country’s citizens for the first time. The study revealed dozens of mutations that have never been recorded by global science.

The findings proved striking: hereditary changes were detected in every second child, while 86% of participants carried at least one damaged gene — twice the international average.

Researchers attribute this high rate of genetic variation to frequent marriages between relatives in certain regions, which increase the risk of hereditary conditions such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease in future generations.

Efforts to formally remove Prince Andrew from royal life could face significant legal and constitutional barriers, as any move to revoke his titles may require approval from Commonwealth nations including Australia, Canada and Papua New Guinea, legal experts have warned.

The Duke of York, who denies allegations of sexual assault linked to his association with Jeffrey Epstein, recently agreed to stop using his royal titles and privileges. However, his titles — including Duke of York, Earl of Inverness and Baron Killyleagh — still legally exist.

According to Craig Prescott, a law lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London, completely removing...

Eurostar has announced a €2bn (£1.7bn) order for a new generation of double-decker high-speed trains from French manufacturer Alstom, marking the first time such trains will operate on the UK mainland.

The new Eurostar Celestia fleet will enter service in 2031, each carrying over 1,000 passengers — about 20% more than the operator’s largest current trains. Designed for both comfort and sustainability, the double-deckers will include extra space for wheelchairs, bicycles and additional legroom, with Eurostar teasing «new surprises» for passengers.

Eurostar plans to maintain the fleet at its Temple Mills depot in north-east London, backed by an additional...

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has banned two gambling advertisements featuring Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton and the Chelsea Football Club logo, ruling that they could attract the attention of children.

The ads, run by betting firms Kwiff and Betway, were investigated after complaints were lodged earlier this year. Betway’s advert on YouTube, seen in May, showed football fans wearing Chelsea shirts, while Kwiff’s post on X in July promoted the British Grand Prix with an image of Hamilton.

Both companies were found to have breached advertising rules prohibiting the use of public figures or imagery likely to...

Chinese automaker Yangwang has claimed the Nurburgring lap record for a production electric sports car with its U9 Xtreme, clocking an impressive 6 minutes 59.157 seconds on the 20.8 km circuit in August.

Driven by professional racer Moritz Kranz, the 2,959-horsepower, quad-motor U9 Xtreme shaved five seconds off the previous production EV record set by the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. While Xiaomi’s prototype later posted a faster 6m22s, Yangwang retains the official record since its car is commercially available — albeit in a limited run of just 30 units.

The record-breaking U9 features upgrades including a new cooling system, titanium-alloy...

A cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), owned by India’s Tata Motors, has cost the British economy around £1.9 bn ($2.55 bn) and affected more than 5,000 organisations, according to a new report by the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC).

The independent, not-for-profit body, which includes cybersecurity experts such as the former head of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, said the losses could grow further if JLR faces delays in restoring production to pre-hack levels.

«This incident appears to be the most economically damaging cyber event to hit the UK, with the vast majority of...

Chinese researchers have unveiled a breakthrough battery system that could allow lithium cells to operate safely for thousands of hours, paving the way for more durable and stable power sources for electric vehicles and energy grids.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, introduces a new class of electrolytes known as deep eutectic gel electrolytes (DEGEs) made with fluorinated amides. These materials help prevent leakage, overheating, and the formation of dangerous needle-like lithium structures that often compromise battery safety and lifespan.

Batteries built with this new electrolyte, based on 2,2,2-trifluoro-N-methylacetamide, cycled stably for over...

Uzbekistan has been ranked 70th globally and first in Central Asia in the international Government Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index 2024.

According to the ranking, Kazakhstan placed 76th, Tajikistan 131st, Kyrgyzstan 134th, and Turkmenistan 153rd. The presidential press service noted that the government has adopted a dedicated resolution on AI development, establishing the legal foundations for this field.

More than 30 pilot AI projects have already been launched across public services, finance, public safety, and transport.

In 2024, Uzbekistan approved its National Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy through 2030, under which a special centre was created within the Ministry of...

Uzbekistan’s foreign trade turnover reached $59.8 bn in the first nine months of 2025, according to the National Statistics Committee.

This represents an increase of $11.1 bn, or 22.9%, compared with the same period a year earlier.

Exports totalled $26.7 bn, showing a strong rise of 33.3%, while imports amounted to $33.1 bn, up by 15.6%.

The country now trades with 206 international partners. The largest shares of Uzbekistan’s trade turnover were held by China (19.1%), Russia (15.7%), Kazakhstan (5.8%), Turkey (3.6%), and South Korea (2.2%).

Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan’s trade volumes reached $51.4 bn for the...

Uzbekistan’s real estate market continues to demonstrate stable year-on-year growth, according to the Center for Economic Research and Reforms (CERR). In September 2025, the total number of housing purchase and sale transactions reached 24.2K, up 13.7% compared with the same month last year. The strongest annual growth was recorded in Syrdarya (+35.6%), Bukhara (+20.2%), and Tashkent city (+31.2%).

In the third quarter of 2025, a total of 75.5K property transactions were concluded nationwide — 13.6% higher than during the same period in 2024 and 11% more than in the previous quarter. The highest quarterly increases were seen in Bukhara...

In Karakalpakstan, investors who put more than $100 mln into artificial intelligence infrastructure will pay an electricity tariff of just five cents per kilowatt-hour, president Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced.

Starting next year, satellite internet operators will begin operating in Uzbekistan, providing high-speed connectivity to remote regions. For the first five years, these companies will be exempt from land, property, profit, and VAT taxes.

The president stressed that Uzbekistan must create attractive conditions for investors and expand the number of modern supercomputer clusters and data centres to accelerate digital transformation.

Kursiv also reports that Uzbekistan plans to launch...

OpenAI has launched ChatGPT Atlas, an AI-driven web browser built around its popular chatbot, directly challenging Google Chrome’s dominance in the market.

The launch signals OpenAI’s latest step in expanding beyond chat into users’ wider digital activity. With over 800 mln weekly ChatGPT users, the company aims to integrate AI into everyday browsing and gather insights into how people navigate the web.

The browser, now available globally on Apple’s macOS, will roll out to Windows, iOS and Android later. ChatGPT Atlas allows users to open a sidebar to summarise content, compare products or analyse information from any site. A paid...

Uzbekistan plans to launch 100 artificial intelligence (AI) projects in 2026, according to the press service of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The president emphasised that the successful development of AI depends on three main factors — infrastructure, open data, and human resources. Over the past eight years, the country has built 300,000 kilometres of fibre-optic lines, providing mobile coverage to 99% of settlements. To support data storage and processing, seven data centres have already been launched.

The upcoming artificial intelligence projects will be implemented in healthcare, energy, banking and finance, customs, taxation, transport, mining, and agriculture.

To meet the...

A modern medical cluster worth nearly $150 mln will be built in Tashkent, according to Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Health. The project involves South Korean investors, Korea Eximbank, and the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF).

A contract to construct a multidisciplinary medical centre for adults was signed between the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan and the Kyeryong consortium, which serves as the general contractor. Of the total cost, $124 mln will be provided by the Korean side through EDCF loans, while Uzbekistan will contribute $25.8 mln.

The new facility will accommodate 300 hospital beds and create over 700 jobs. As...