News

A little-noticed file from the Epstein case materials released by the U.S. Department of Justice late last week was identified by journalist and photographer Evgeny Feldman. The document had largely escaped the attention of English-language researchers, in part because it references Russian cultural material that requires specific contextual knowledge.

A Russian lullaby in Epstein’s notebook

An online archive known as the Epstein Library includes a photograph taken during the search of Jeffrey Epstein’s residence on Little St. James Island. The file, labeled «EFTA00002897.pdf,» shows an open notebook with handwritten notes.

Inside the notebook’s left flap is a sheet...

Chairman of the Migration Service Committee of Kazakhstan Aslan Atalykov has summarized the body’s work in 2025. He reported that the oldest residents to receive passports this year were born in 1915, according to Polisia.kz.

Centenarians from the Kostanay and Aktobe regions accessed the mobile civil-registration service.

«We provide a mobile civil-registration service. A specialist comes to a person’s home with a computer, camera and styluses for signatures and completes the registration on site. This service is most commonly used by senior citizens. The oldest citizen of Kazakhstan registered this year is...

The International Nightlife Association has released its annual ranking of the world’s 100 best nightclubs, with European venues dominating the list. Spain emerged as the clear leader this year, securing the top positions.

Ibiza leads the way

Three clubs in Ibiza claimed the highest spots in the ranking. The Mediterranean island has long been regarded as the global capital of electronic music and club culture, home to venues that set trends across the international nightlife industry.

Ushuaïa Ibiza takes third place

Third place went to Ushuaïa Ibiza, a renowned open-air club that has become one of the island’s...

The fight between former world boxing champion Anthony Joshua and blogger and online entrepreneur Jake Paul was announced in November and finally took place in Miami on Dec. 19.

For Joshua, the bout marked a comeback following a painful knockout loss in the fall of 2024, while for Paul it represented another high-profile challenge. The YouTuber-turned-boxer has managed to defeat several well-known opponents over the past few years, proving that his appearances in the ring are not just about hype, but also about genuine competition.

The early rounds resembled a cautious cat-and-mouse game, with Paul keeping his distance and clearly...

Yevgeniy Kochetov, Kazakhstan’s deputy minister of culture and information, said the government is considering introducing age restrictions on social media for children under 16, citing Australia’s recent move as a possible model.

Social media platforms regulate themselves

Kochetov noted that Australia’s regulations took effect Dec. 10, 2025, prompting an immediate response from online platforms, which introduced age-verification mechanisms.

«We will see and discuss with online platforms whether it would be difficult to regulate this in Kazakhstan,» he said.

Login through eGov

Kochetov also highlighted that Kazakhstan has an alternative option for age verification...

Popular Kazakh blogger and fitness record holder Aitym Zhakupov — often described by fans as the country’s strongest man — has transformed his athletic background into a platform for combating obesity. His social reality show, JanaMen («New Men» or «A Better Version of Myself»), documents dramatic weight-loss journeys and regularly draws millions of views online.

A project that began by chance

Zhakupov has said the idea for the project emerged unexpectedly several years ago. His cameraman at the time, 21-year-old Alisher, weighed about 140 kilograms and struggled to keep up physically during filming. Accustomed to strict training routines, Zhakupov...

On Dec. 19, Ahmed al Ahmed, who became widely known for saving lives during the Bondi Beach mass shooting after wrestling a gun from one of the attackers, received roughly $1.65 million in donations from more than 43,000 people, Reuters reported.

Zachery Dereniowski, a social media influencer and co-organizer of the GoFundMe campaign, presented Ahmed with a giant check, as shown in a posted video. The presentation took place at St. George Hospital, where Ahmed is receiving treatment after presumably being shot by one of the gunmen.

Sarah Dzafce, crowned Miss Finland in September and the country’s delegate to the 2025 Miss Universe pageant in Thailand, sparked accusations of racism in Asia, The Associated Press reported.

The controversy began when an image circulated online showing her pulling the corners of her eyes. The photo, which appeared on social media with a caption referencing «eating with a Chinese,» quickly went viral, first prompting criticism in Finland and then spreading abroad.

Dzafce apologized and denied racist intent, telling Finnish media the gesture was due to a headache. She said the photo was shared privately without her consent...

The world’s largest «Ice and Snow World» theme park has opened in China’s northern province of Heilongjiang. This year, it surprised visitors by erecting a 23.8-meter-high snowman.

Approximately 5,000 cubic meters of snow were used to create «Mister Snowman,» whose height matches that of an eight-story building. The sculpture took four days of intense work to complete.

«The height was chosen deliberately, as the pronunciation of the numbers 2, 3 and 8 in Chinese can evoke a beautiful message meaning ‘love flying in all directions,’» the snowman creators noted.

A video of the snowman being built quickly went viral...

Japanese trading and investment company Sumitomo Corporation, jointly with Kazatomprom, is developing a project in nuclear medicine, aiming to extract medical isotopes from uranium, the Akorda press service reported.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Shingo Ueno, president and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation, who reported on the joint project with Kazatomprom.

The companies are looking to extract medical radioisotopes from uranium production by-products. Tokayev acknowledged Sumitomo’s commitment to sustainable growth and responsible business practices.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed cooperation prospects, as well as the development of joint projects in transport, logistics, energy, the nuclear...

The U.S. plans to increase scrutiny of travelers’ online activity as part of new border security measures. Under a proposal announced earlier this month, visitors from countries eligible for visa-free entry under the Visa Waiver Program — including most of Europe, Australia, Japan and South Korea — may be required to provide up to five years of social media history and all email addresses used over the past 10 years, the BBC reported.

The proposal is currently open for public comment and is expected to take effect on Feb. 8 next year. While full details have not...

Social media is again abuzz with discussion of Olivier salad, one of the most recognizable dishes across the former Soviet Union. The renewed interest was sparked by a food blogger who posted a video recreating what is believed to be the original 1860s version of the dish served at the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow.

A far cry from the modern holiday staple

The original Olivier salad bore little resemblance to the familiar version made today with boiled sausage, potatoes, and carrots. Food historians widely attribute the dish to Lucien Olivier, a French chef who created it in the...

Google has launched a Kazakh-language version of its Gemini artificial intelligence model, according to an announcement from Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.

Part of global language expansion

The ministry said the move is part of Google’s broader effort to expand language support for one of its most advanced AI products. Kazakh is among 23 new languages added with the rollout of Gemini 3, which Google describes as its most capable model to date. As a result, users in Kazakhstan can now access Gemini’s features in their native language, with functionality comparable to that offered...

Justice and police authorities have shut down a clandestine workshop in Shymkent where counterfeit MacCoffee 3-in-1 instant coffee was being produced in unsanitary conditions.

According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice press service, the imitation of a popular brand was made in a regular garage. Investigators report that the suspect procured raw materials of unknown origin, packed them on-site and sealed the packages with a heat sealer, labeling the product with a third-party trademark.

«The ready counterfeit products were sold through the city’s small shops and retail points. More than 4,000 MacCoffee-labeled stick packs, along with a...

The Trump administration has moved to suspend the U.S. green card lottery, citing its alleged use by the individual accused in the fatal shooting at Brown University and murder of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, according to Bloomberg.

Homeland Security orders pause on Diversity Visa Program

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on X that she has instructed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to temporarily halt the program, formally known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. The lottery allows applicants from countries with historically low immigration rates to seek permanent residency in the U.S.

Suspect’s immigration status under...

Lionel Messi, Inter Miami and Argentina national team forward, received a limited-edition watch worth $1.2 million as a gift during his promotional GOAT India Tour 2025, The Mirror reported.

On the last day of the tour, Messi visited the Vantara Global Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Centre, owned by the country’s richest person, Mukesh Ambani, whose net worth, according to Forbes, is estimated at $105 billion. The footballer was accompanied by the entrepreneur’s son, Anant Ambani, who presented the generous gift.

The Richard Mille RM 003-V2 GMT Tourbillon Asia Edition watch gifted to the eight-time Ballon d’Or...

Researchers have identified submerged remnants of massive stone constructions built by human communities more than 7,000 years ago off the coast of France. The findings, detailed in a recent study in the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology and highlighted by 404 Media, shed new light on early coastal societies in Western Europe.

Submerged ruins near Sein Island

The underwater remains lie close to Sein Island, a small Breton island in the Atlantic Ocean. Composed primarily of granite, these submerged features rank among the earliest known large-scale stone constructions in France. Their existence may even be connected to the long-standing...

During his visit to Tokyo, Japan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with professional sumo wrestler Yersin Baltagul. Born and raised in Kazakhstan, Baltagul is currently competing in Japan under the ring name Kinbōzan Haruki, the president’s press service reported.

Baltagul has represented Kazakhstan for the past 10 years and has achieved notable success in the sport. He took up sumo after graduating from a university in Japan.

Tokayev said that Kazakhstanis are proud of the wrestler’s accomplishments. He also noted that during his audience with Emperor Naruhito, they discussed Baltagul’s successes, describing this as further recognition of the athlete’s...

European Union leaders have agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion ($105 billion) support package for 2026 and 2027. They reached this compromise without using frozen Russian assets. The deal came after long negotiations at an EU summit late Thursday, according to CNN.

This funding is intended to help Ukraine address its budget and military needs, which have increased as U.S. support has declined. The IMF estimates Ukraine will require about €137 billion over the next two years. The EU aims to provide about two-thirds of that through joint borrowing.

The EU plans to raise the...

Askar Zhanasbayev, an athlete from the city of Semey, continues to strengthen his reputation as one of Kazakhstan’s top bodybuilders. After winning the prestigious Arnold Classic Europe Championship last year — named after Arnold Schwarzenegger — he followed up with a strong second-place finish at the Binous Classic in Dubai.

Rising international recognition

Zhanasbayev’s success in Dubai quickly drew public attention. Following the competition, he gave several interviews, and by the next day, passersby were recognizing him on the streets and asking for photos.

A French court sentenced anesthetist Frédéric Péchier to life imprisonment for poisoning hospital patients, 12 of whom died, according to the BBC.

A court in Besançon, eastern France, found that Péchier put toxic substances into intravenous infusion bags, which caused cardiac arrests or severe bleeding in several patients. The victims were between four and 89 years old. The youngest, a four-year-old child undergoing routine tonsil surgery in 2016, survived two cardiac arrests.

Péchier came under investigation in 2017 after irregularities were discovered in infusion bags linked to a 36-year-old patient who suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during spinal surgery...

On Dec. 17, Real Madrid’s forward Kylian Mbappe scored a brace against Talavera of Spanish third-tier league Primera Federación in the Copa del Rey. As a result, the Frenchman moved closer to Cristiano Ronaldo’s record for the most goals within a calendar year for the club, Sports Illustrated reported.  

Copa del Rey

Round of 32, Dec. 17

Talavera vs. Real Madrid: 2-3

Goals: Nahuel Arroyo 80’, Gonzalo Di Renzo 90+1’; Mbappe 41’ (P), 88’, Manuel Farrando 45+1’ (AG)

The goals were Mbappe’s 57th and 58th in 2025 for Real Madrid...

It’s easy to get swept up in beauty industry hype, as flashy marketing and a lack of clear information often blur the truth about how cosmetics work. To clear things up, Kursiv LifeStyle asked experts to help us bust five of the most persistent myths.

Myth No. 1: The more active ingredients, the better

When examining ingredient lists, keep in mind that concentration is more significant than the sheer number of active ingredients. Too much acid or too many actives, for instance, may dry out the skin or even damage its protective barrier.

The best move? Pick products...

Online education platform Coursera announced on Wednesday that it will acquire rival Udemy in an all-stock transaction, valuing the combined company at approximately $2.5 billion. The deal comes as the online learning sector continues to consolidate following a post-pandemic slowdown and increased investor scrutiny, Reuters reported.

Under the terms of the agreement, Udemy shareholders will receive 0.8 shares of Coursera for each Udemy share held, implying a valuation of about $930 million for Udemy. Following the announcement, Coursera shares rose around 4%, while Udemy shares surged nearly 22%.

The companies said the combined platform is expected to be...