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Norway’s national football team striker Erling Haaland attended the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Sartoria show with his girlfriend, Isabel Haugseng Johansen. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at how the popular footballer is connected to the fashion world.

The couple attended the event in Sicily, where scenes from «The Godfather» were filmed. The athlete wore a Dolce & Gabbana look featuring cream-colored trousers and a brooch, while Johansen wore a semi-transparent dress with a plunging neckline embellished with teardrop-shaped beads.

Starting July 18, provisions will enter into force establishing the digital tenge as a digital form of the national currency and recognizing it as legal tender. The relevant provisions are set out in a law on issues concerning the regulation and development of the financial market, communications and bankruptcy.

The National Bank of Kazakhstan will have the exclusive authority to issue, put into circulation and redeem digital tenge. All digital tenge transactions will be processed through the National Bank’s digital tenge platform.

A digital account will be opened upon the customer’s application...

British singer PinkPantheress is set to make her feature film debut after joining the cast of a new, untitled project from filmmaking duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as the Daniels, the Oscar-winning directors of “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

PinkPantheress has joined the cast of the upcoming Universal Pictures film, which remains shrouded in secrecy. The ensemble also includes Matt Damon, Sandra Oh, Charles Melton, Michael Gandolfini, and several other actors.

For the 25-year-old singer, whose real name is Victoria Walker, the project marks her first feature film role.

PinkPantheress rose...

The foundational identity of modern Kazakhstan is being rewritten to emphasize its deep roots in the medieval Ulus of Jochi, better known as the Golden Horde. Zhaksylyk Sabitov, director of the Institute for the Study of the Ulus of Jochi, detailed this historical continuity in a recent interview to Kazpravda, noting that the nation’s new Constitution now legally recognizes the traditions of the “Great Steppe” as the cornerstone of its independence. This legal shift asserts a direct lineage from nomadic empires and the Golden Horde to the modern Kazakh state.

A medieval...

Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ), the national railway operator and a subsidiary of Samruk-Kazyna, plans to list its common shares and global depositary receipts (GDRs) on the Astana International Exchange (AIX), the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX), according to a document the company published following its June 29 shareholders’ meeting.

Charter updated for Hong Kong listing

At the meeting, Samruk-Kazyna approved a revised version of KTZ’s charter, replacing the previous version adopted on May 27, 2022.

According to the document, the updated charter incorporates the listing requirements of the HKEX. The company’s...

East Kaz Alloys plans to conduct geological exploration for chromium ore at the Saburkhan-3 site in the Zharma district of Kazakhstan’s Abai region.

“The site is located 160 kilometers southeast of the regional center, Semey, and 9 kilometers from the district center, the village of Kalbatau… The work will focus on chromium exploration within the Charsky ultramafic belt,” according to planning documents reviewed by Kursiv.media.

Exploration plan

The exploration area covers 49 blocks totaling 59.9 square kilometers. East Kaz Alloys received its exploration license on Nov. 4, 2022.

The company plans to excavate...

“Spider-Man” star Tom Holland revealed that he once decided to message Norwegian footballer Erling Haaland, but the striker ghosted him. The actor shared the funny story during an appearance on «The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.»

Holland said he saw the Norwegian forward at the Monaco Grand Prix in June and decided to «shoot his shot.»

«That is exactly the type of humbling experience that is important for actors. You know, you are like: ‘I’ll text him, I’ll take him to dinner.’ Not even a response,» Holland said.

The actor noted...

Women-owned small and medium enterprises across Europe and Central Asia continue to face a persistent financing gap, according to a new study by the World Bank. The study identifies 49 distinct barriers that prevent these entrepreneurs from accessing necessary debt and equity finance, ranging from deep-seated social norms to conflicting institutional incentives.

Read also: Kazakhstan could benefit from greater female participation in the economy, expert says.

The research utilizes a user-centric “journey mapping” framework to track the financing process from the perspective of women seeking funds. The report highlights that while...

The National Bank of Kazakhstan has released a video showing how it tests the paper and security features of the national currency, the tenge, before new banknotes are put into circulation.

As part of the process, specialists create an artificial substance that replicates the dirt and grime banknotes accumulate during everyday use. Each sample is weighed before the mixture is applied and then placed in testing equipment that simulates the wear and tear of circulation to measure how the paper changes over time.

China’s economic growth slowed in the second quarter as weak domestic demand and geopolitical uncertainty outweighed the country’s strong export performance, the BBC reported.

Official figures showed the world’s second-largest economy expanded by 4.3% between April and June, down from 5% in the first quarter and below Beijing’s annual growth target of 4.5% to 5%. The latest data covers the first full quarter since the start of the conflict between the U.S. and Israel on one side and Iran on the other.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics said the economy is facing growing external instability and uncertainty, while...

Almaty authorities plan to launch the city’s first light rail transit (LRT) line by the end of 2027. The previous target was the first quarter of 2029. Kursiv LifeStyle looks at what is currently known about the project.

The Almaty City Mobility Department told 24.kz that preparatory work is already underway. Crews are removing rails left over from the city’s former tram system along Bauyrzhan Momyshuly and Tole Bi streets to prepare the route for the new tracks. According to the Almaty Mayor’s Office, the first LRT line will be 18 kilometers...

The murder of a Kazakhstani citizen earlier this year in Istanbul led intelligence and law enforcement agencies in three countries to uncover a transnational organized crime group allegedly controlled by a crime boss who is serving a prison sentence in the U.S. The group specialized in extorting businesses. Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has revealed details of the operation, which was carried out jointly with law enforcement agencies in Georgia and Turkey.

Murder in Turkey and first arrests

The large-scale investigation began after the murder of Kazakhstani citizen Arif Ismailov in Istanbul. Through operational cooperation between...

The second finalist of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be determined on July 15 as Argentina takes on England in Atlanta. The winner will face Spain in the final after it defeated France 2-0 in the first semifinal on July 14.

While the first semifinal was a rematch of Spain and France’s recent UEFA Euro 2024 showdown, Argentina and England have a much longer history. The two sides have met five times at the FIFA World Cup — in 1962, 1966, 1986, 1998 and 2002 — with England winning three of those encounters and Argentina two. But the bare...

The Freedom ecosystem has long since transcended the boundaries of traditional fintech. Today, the company is testing drone grocery delivery, investing in robotics, developing HealthTech and selling millions of airline and concert tickets. How can dozens of disparate services be combined into a single SuperApp? Why are delivery drones still more expensive than human couriers, even though they are the future? And how does the startup spirit survive within a huge corporation? Freedom Lifestyle Group CEO Alexey Lee spoke with Kursiv.media about hyper-personalization, the prime era of Kazakhstani events and the right to make mistakes.

— Alexey, the Freedom ecosystem...

Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation Committee of the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of China held talks in Beijing on strengthening bilateral cooperation in civil aviation.

More flights and destinations

The two regulators agreed to increase the number of weekly scheduled passenger flights operated by carriers from both countries from 124 to 152. The list of major Chinese cities to be served by flights to and from Kazakhstan has been expanded to 11, including Chongqing, one of China’s largest logistics and industrial hubs.

The two sides also discussed launching direct flights between Astana and Shanghai, including services to...

Leonie Cassel, the youngest daughter of Monica Bellucci and Vincent Cassel, opened the Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda show.

Leonie wore a vibrant dress embellished with artificial flowers and accessorized it with an oversized cross necklace. Her hair was decorated with baby’s breath, and she carried a matching bouquet.

Monica Bellucci watched her daughter from the front row and shared highlights from her runway debut on Instagram.

The...

Kazakhstan’s tenge weakened after the National Bank announced plans to end the requirement for quasi-state-owned companies to sell a portion of their foreign currency earnings, although analysts said the measure’s actual impact on the exchange rate is likely to be limited.

Over the past two trading sessions last week, the U.S. dollar rose against the tenge on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE), reaching 477.4 tenge. By early Friday, however, the dollar had fallen to about 464 tenge.

Analysts at Freedom Broker said the shift in the exchange rate followed comments by National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov that the...

Chinese company Wuhan Xiangyu Dingsheng Construction Engineering plans to build a greenhouse complex for growing flowers and ornamental trees in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan region, according to the regional administration.

The project also includes a dedicated retail center for flowers and ornamental plants.

Regional officials said the project is expected to support landscaping and urban greening efforts, promote the development of the floriculture and ornamental horticulture sectors, and create new jobs.

Representatives of Wuhan Xiangyu Dingsheng Construction Engineering said the greenhouse complex will cultivate a wide range of flowers and ornamental trees using modern agricultural technologies and automated control systems.

This week, Kazakhstan’s National Bank will lift the requirement for quasi-state-owned companies to sell 50% of their foreign currency earnings on the domestic market, a measure introduced last year to support the tenge.

National Bank Governor Timur Suleimenov said the requirement was adopted as a temporary anti-crisis measure when the tenge experienced significant exchange rate volatility.

“It was, so to speak, an anti-crisis response. We plan to lift it…” Suleimenov said. “It won’t fundamentally affect the balance of supply and demand in the foreign exchange market. Companies still need to sell foreign currency because...

The Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Kazakhstan’s Atyrau region sentenced Sultan Sarsemaliyev, 30, to life in prison after finding him guilty of the murders of four of his wife’s relatives.

Read also: The haunting case of a vanished family in western Kazakhstan.

Judge Zarema Khamidullina said Sarsemaliyev will serve his sentence in a maximum-security correctional facility.

Sarsemaliyev told the court he understood the sentence. Under Kazakhstan’s legal procedures, he has 15 days to appeal.

Defendant expresses remorse but blames victims

In his final statement, Sarsemaliyev said he repented before God...

Spain’s national football team winger Lamine Yamal shared his expectations ahead of the 2026 World Cup semifinal against France.

Yamal turned 19 the day before one of the tournament’s biggest matches. The footballer spent his birthday with the Spain squad. The day began with a training session before he stepped into the spotlight at the pre-match press conference.

The athlete said that he doesn’t feel pressure ahead of the semifinal. According to him, football is still a game.

«There are much harder things in life than a football match. It’s a game...

The summer heat set a new temperature record for July 14 in Astana, Kazhydromet, Kazakhstan’s national hydrometeorological service, reported.

According to meteorologists, the previous record high for July 14 was 35.3°C, set in 1992. This year, temperatures began rising the day before and peaked at 39.5°C on July 14, surpassing the previous record by more than 4°C.

Second summer record

Astana has already set another temperature record this summer. On June 23, the temperature reached 36.8°C, breaking the previous record for that date by 0.4°C.

Read also: Kyzylorda heat: Is it really possible to cook an egg...

Today, July 14, at 8:48 p.m. Astana time, a Soyuz-2.1a rocket carrying the Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with a unique crew member from the U.S. on board.

From Mount Everest and SpaceX to the Soyuz mission

The third member of the International Space Station Expedition 75 crew is 49-year-old NASA flight engineer Anil Menon, an active U.S. Space Force colonel. Previously, he served in Afghanistan as a U.S. Air Force flight surgeon, overseeing critical care air transport, and later provided medical care to climbers on Mount Everest.

A viral video claiming that the heat in Kyzylorda is intense enough to cook in the sun is rapidly gaining traction on social media in Kazakhstan. To demonstrate the extreme heat, a local resident attempted to cook scrambled eggs outdoors using nothing but the sun’s energy.

A culinary experiment on a scorching street

TikTok user @darkhan_1988 posted the video, which quickly attracted widespread attention.

«It’s 58 degrees Celsius in Kyzylorda. Nothing helps. Don’t go outside — stay home,» the user says in the video.

In the video, the man takes a regular frying pan...