A New York woman died after falling into an uncovered manhole on a street in Midtown Manhattan, The Associated Press reported. The incident happened late Monday near the intersection of Fifth Avenue and East 52nd Street. According to police, 56-year-old Donike Gocaj fell into the hole shortly after parking her…
A brown bear attempted to break into a guest house where tourists were staying in Zhongar-Alatau National Park. Kursiv LifeStyle learned the details. The incident occurred on May 9 in Attapkan Gorge; however, representatives of the national park have only now provided comment. The footage shows a steel door crushed…
Japan is facing a widespread allergy problem linked to a post-World War Two reforestation policy that reshaped much of the country’s landscape, the BBC reported. During the war, large areas of forest around major cities were cleared, as the country relied on wood for energy and construction materials. To quickly…
A Kazakhstani man has put a sneaker worn by American rapper Flo Rida up for sale for $100,000. Reportedly, the artist personally gifted it to his wife during a performance at Solana Fest in Astana. On May 17, world-renowned artists, including Timbaland, Busta Rhymes, John Newman and Flo Rida, performed…
South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet has included Almaty in its advertising campaign. The city’s landmarks are set to be displayed in Seoul. This way, the carrier is seeking to increase awareness of Almaty and motivate Korean tourists to choose the city as their destination. «The advertisement was placed free…
China has decided to make shopping for foreign tourists more convenient by updating the country’s tax refund system, China Daily reported. The update will make it easier and faster to receive tax refunds for purchases without paperwork. A key aspect of the update is the expansion of tax refund stores,…
Grief travel is emerging as a growing part of the wellness tourism industry, with more people seeking retreats and healing-focused escapes to process loss, trauma, and emotional distress away from everyday life, as reported by Euronews. Once considered a deeply private experience, grief is increasingly being addressed through shared settings…
The Tasmanian government has apologized for a decades-old scandal involving human body parts taken during autopsies and kept without the consent of families, the BBC reported. An investigation released last year found that between 1966 and 1991, 177 human specimens collected during coronial autopsies were transferred to a university museum…
Starbucks Korea has dismissed its CEO following backlash over a promotional campaign launched on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising crackdown, the BBC reported. The campaign, called «Tank Day,» promoted tumblers from the company’s Tank Series and was widely criticized for appearing to reference the military vehicles used during…
Kami Rita Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa simultaneously rewrote the story of Mount Everest ascents. Kursiv Lifestyle learned how. Kami Rita, 55, ascended the world’s highest peak for the 32nd time on May 17, beating his world record for the number of Mount Everest ascents. He completed his first ascent back…
Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan, is home to a distinctive house museum established by local craftsman Yuri Kostanyants, who previously served as a helicopter commander in civil aviation and now hand carves Kazakh khans (rulers), batyrs (legendary warriors), and scenes from the history of the Great Steppe from wood. Kursiv Lifestyle took…
Two U.S. citizens were taken into custody in Japan after an incident at a zoo near Tokyo that recently drew international attention because of a young macaque named Punch, who went viral after videos showed him holding a stuffed toy following rejection by his mother, Euronews reported. Police said one…
Fans of renowned Kazakhstani singer Dimash Qudaibergen from five Latin American countries have released a collaborative music video cover of the artist’s «Fire.» According to DimashNews, Dears from Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador participated in the project. The cover was created by the Diffusion Team. The authors…
Bear encounters have been widely reported in Japan, with a surge in sightings making headlines in 2025, and continued reports into 2026, which has already seen one confirmed fatal case linked to bear activity. The media called last year a record year for bear attacks on humans. Japan had to…
Colombia plans to reduce its wild hippo population, which originated from animals brought to the country in the 1980s by Pablo Escobar. Officials now classify the hippos as an invasive species that threatens local ecosystems and nearby communities, The New York Times reported. The population has grown from four animals…
Kazakh blogger Medet Zhanatuly traveled to China’s Shaolin Temple and spent nearly a month there, studying kung fu and meditation. He posted videos of his training sessions with the monks on Instagram. The videos garnered millions of views, with followers comparing the blogger to characters from Bruce Lee and Jean-Claude…
For the first time in its history, the FIFA World Cup final will feature a halftime show. The upcoming 2026 World Cup final will include performances by prominent pop singers Madonna and Shakira, and the globally recognized K-pop group BTS, FIFA and an international education and advocacy organization, Global Citizen,…
Federal authorities have arrested a tourist accused of hurling a large rock at an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, an incident that sparked outrage after it was captured on video, The Associated Press reported. Officials said agents with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration took 38-year-old Igor Lytvynchuk into custody near…
Metallica’s performance in Athens was so powerful that it was detected by seismographs in Greece. The iconic band opened the European leg of its M72 World Tour with a concert at OAKA Stadium, which drew over 90,000 people. Given that Metallica hadn’t performed in Greece for almost 16 years, it…
Users on social media have once again remembered «The Simpsons» following the hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship. Several users noted that a 2012 episode featured a similar plot. Kursiv LifeStyle takes a closer look at that installment of the series. Season 23, Episode 19, is the installment…
The proposed «Golden Dome» missile defense system, introduced by President Donald Trump, is expected to cost about $1.2 trillion over two decades, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office. This is significantly higher than earlier projections of $175 billion, the BBC reported. The system is designed to protect the…
The giant African harvester ant (Messor cephalotes), a species native to East Africa and mentioned in the Bible, has become part of a growing illegal international trade driven by collectors and hobbyists, The Guardian reported. A single queen can establish a colony that grows to hundreds of thousands of individuals,…
The photos of a strange snack spread on Reddit and social media, puzzling hundreds of netizens. Several users joked that it would be best for Italians not to see this. The photos show pizza slices used as bread to form a sandwich with grilled meat and sauerkraut, ironically captioned «Fusion…
Two Miami-Dade police officers are suing Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for defamation, saying their film «The Rip» uses real-life details that damage their reputations, according to the Associated Press. Sgts. Jason Smith and Jonathan Santana filed the lawsuit in federal court in Miami against Artists Equity, the production company…
