World

Dubai International Airport (DXB) was once a humble stopover for luxury flying boats making arduous journeys from the UK to far-flung parts of the British Empire, such as India and Australia. In the 1960s, it had a simple desert sand runway used as a refueling stop for airliners heading to more exotic destinations. Today, however, Dubai is a key pillar of the industry, and DXB is its beating heart. In 2024, over 92 million passengers passed through its gleaming, marble-floored halls and brightly lit shopping malls.

The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran, along with Tehran's response, has disrupted approximately one-third of global helium supplies. This gas is critical for medical applications such as MRI scans and for high-tech industries including semiconductor manufacturing.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has stated that former President Raul Castro is involved in talks between the island and the United States. This announcement comes amid soaring tensions between the two states, as nationwide blackouts persist due to an oil blockade implemented by US President Donald Trump.

Uzbekistan's State Security Service (SSS) has uncovered cases of smuggling and illegal trade in precious metals during operational activities across several regions of the republic. Preliminary estimates indicate that the total value of the seized assets exceeds 900 million soms.

A group of Uzbek citizens who violated Sweden's migration legislation have been deported and returned to Tashkent. Their expulsion was due to illegal residence in Sweden, breaches of visa requirements, or overstaying their permitted duration. The repatriation process was coordinated through cooperation between the competent authorities of Sweden and Uzbekistan, ensuring the safe return of the individuals to their home country.

Monaco has claimed the top spot globally for the number of registered patents (inventions) per capita, based on statistics from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). With over 307,000 patents per 100,000 people, the figure significantly outpaces other nations. The 2024 ranking, published by Visual Capitalist, considers active patents relative to population size.

The ongoing conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has intensified, resulting in civilian casualties as strikes expand geographically. On Wednesday evening, two teenagers were killed in an assault on a residential area in Shiraz County, Iran, with the IRNA news agency identifying them as Ilya and Amir Hossein Sharafi from Kafri village. Hours later, on Thursday, the Israeli military announced it was launching a "wave of extensive strikes" targeting the city of Isfahan in central Iran.

A private passenger bus collided with a tipper truck in the Markapuram district of India's southern Andhra Pradesh state in the early hours of Thursday morning, triggering a massive fire that quickly engulfed both vehicles. The bus was traveling from Nirmal in Telangana to Nellore in Andhra Pradesh at approximately 6:00 AM local time when the accident occurred. Authorities reported that at least 35 passengers were on board at the time of the collision.

U.S. television network CNN, citing American intelligence sources, reported that Iran is strengthening the defense of Kharg Island in the Persian Gulf. According to the sources, Tehran has been deploying additional military personnel, air defense systems, and defensive barriers to the island in recent weeks. These measures are allegedly aimed at preparing for a potential U.S. attempt to seize control of the strategically important site, highlighting escalating tensions in the region.

A week into the war launched by the United States and Israeli regimes against Iran, attacks on Gulf neighbors are taking their toll. Kuna Khuntia, a 25-year-old from India's Odisha state, worked as a pipe fitter in Qatar's capital, Doha. His father, Jaya Khuntia, last spoke to him on the evening of March 6. Kuna told his father, "I am safe here, don't worry." However, the next day, his roommate called the family to report that Kuna had suffered a heart attack after hearing the sound of missiles and debris from interceptions falling near their residence and was later declared dead.

A tragic accident in Bangladesh has left at least 24 people dead after a bus carrying dozens plunged into the River Padma. The incident occurred when the bus, traveling from a southwestern district to the national capital, Dhaka, attempted to board a ferry but fell into the river. According to police and the Fire Service and Civil Defence, the bus overturned and sank nearly 30 feet (9 meters) into the water.

Alexey Likhachev, head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, stated that the small nuclear power plant (NPP) project in Uzbekistan's Jizzakh region will bring Russian enterprises orders worth 2 trillion rubles, equivalent to $24.7 billion. This announcement comes a year after the head of Uzbekistan's atomic energy agency Uzatom, Azim Akhmedkhadjayev, promised that the construction cost of the small NPP would not exceed $2 billion.