News

Israel and Lebanon agreed on a ceasefire through the mediation of the U.S. The parties also agreed to continue direct negotiations and to begin preparations for a broader agreement on safety and conflict regulation.

The U.S. Department of State released a joint statement following the trilateral meeting held on June 2-3 between the representatives of the U.S., Israel and Lebanon.

The statement said that the ceasefire will take effect provided there is a complete halt to Hezbollah’s attacks and the withdrawal of all its personnel from the area south of the Litani River.

Cocaine was found in a vehicle belonging to Metropolitan Hilarion of the Russian Orthodox Church, who was previously detained in the Czech Republic, according to local media reports citing police sources.

Read also: Independent priest and peace advocate hit with drug den case.

According to Deník N, Czech law enforcement officials confirmed to journalists that the Russian cleric serving in the Czech Republic was transporting containers holding a white narcotic substance in his vehicle. After being questioned, the cleric was released and later returned to Moscow.

Subsequently,

Kazakh MP Murat Abenov has backed the position of Nurlan Imam regarding religious sermons on social media, arguing that all “preachers” who are not affiliated with Kazakhstan’s official Muslim authority should be investigated.

Read also: Faith under fire? Kazakhstan to punish religious propaganda on social media.

According to Abenov, only representatives of officially registered religious organizations have the right to preach. In Kazakhstan, the sole officially registered Muslim organization is the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, commonly known as the Muftiate. He said only...

Digital platforms now function as the primary engine for international economic activity. A recent ranking by World Population Review highlights the growing tension between national autonomy and the efficiency of globalized tech infrastructure. From hospital records to financial transactions, the modern digital landscape is largely rented from a handful of American giants.

The challenge of structural dependence

Europe currently faces a significant hurdle, as roughly 70 percent of its cloud market is dominated by U.S. companies. While Germany integrates these tools into its manufacturing sector, it remains tethered to foreign strategic choices. This structural reliance suggests...

The magnetic click of a lockable pouch is becoming the new sound of the American school morning, promising a refuge from digital distraction but delivering a complicated reality of initial rebellion followed by long-term adjustment, according to a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Read also: South Korea to ban smartphones in classrooms.

The research highlights a dramatic shift in the classroom environment following the adoption of magnetically sealed pouches, which require students to secure their devices upon arrival and only unlock them at dismissal. While...

British artist Anouska Samms is not the only creative experimenting with unconventional materials. While her work incorporates real human hair, fashion history offers plenty of even more surprising examples — from spider silk and algae to milk protein and bacteria-grown textiles.

Spider silk: The fabric made from 1.2 million spiders

Spider silk is one of nature’s strongest materials — and one of its most difficult to obtain. Unlike silkworms, spiders cannot be farmed on an industrial scale because they tend to cannibalize one another when housed together.

In Madagascar, however, a team of enthusiasts found...

A controversy has erupted in the Netherlands over human remains that may belong to the legendary French musketeer d’Artagnan, the historical figure who inspired a central character in Alexandre Dumas’ novel “The Three Musketeers.”

The bones were discovered during renovation work at a church in Maastricht. Shortly after the find, however, a dispute broke out between local authorities and archaeologist Wim Dijkman, who participated in the research.

Authorities question excavation procedures

Officials in Maastricht said the excavation was carried out without the required permits and is therefore considered unauthorized. The municipality also alleges that professional...

Kazakhstan ranked first among Central Asian countries in the number of users of the consumer version of ChatGPT. At the same time, 70% of users are no older than 34 years old, OpenAI revealed at a meeting with Kazakhstan’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev.

In particular, users aged 18-24 account for 36.2% of the product’s audience, while Kazakhstanis aged 25-34 represent a comparable share at 35.8%. The user base is evenly split between men and women.

Kazakhstan ranks among the top 30 countries worldwide...

In May 2026, Kazakhstan’s private sector reported growth in business activity for the second consecutive month. The services sector emerged as the main driver of the economy, with rising orders supporting overall expansion. However, mounting cost pressures prompted companies to make the largest workforce reductions in more than two years.

Service sector: Orders increase despite margin pressure

In May, the Freedom Holding Corp. Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for Kazakhstan’s service sector eased to 52.7 from 53.9 in April but remained above the 50-point mark, which indicates expansion in business activity.

Survey respondents attributed the growth to new client acquisitions...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides held one-on-one talks. They discussed key matters of the bilateral cooperation and prospects for strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and the EU.

Tokayev noted that they first met in 2019, when Christodoulides served as Cyprus’s foreign minister. The Kazakh president also noted that the two countries have achieved significant results in diplomatic and economic ties since then.

“We have established embassies in our capitals. Direct flights between the two countries have been launched, along with a number of other important initiatives. At the same...

Freedom Holding Corp. has applied for a banking license in France. As part of its European expansion strategy, the company plans to invest €500 million to launch a digital bank and develop local infrastructure. Freedom Holding CEO Timur Turlov confirmed the plans in an interview with Reuters.

«We have submitted documents to the French banking regulator to obtain a banking license in France. We have also announced €500 million in investments that we are prepared to make over the next five years to develop a digital bank and build digital infrastructure,» Turlov said.

He...

NASA is testing an unusual system capable of turning astronauts’ wastewater into useful resources, such as water, fertilizers and 3D printing materials.

The technology is being developed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. The main idea is that it is costly to constantly deliver water, food and other necessities from Earth, so astronauts will need to learn to use their own resources in a literal closed loop.

The system is currently undergoing tests in a special complex that imitates space-base conditions. In this setup, waste is recycled into plant fertilizers...

American journalist and influencer Candace Owens said in an interview with TASS that she considers her investigation into Brigitte Macron, the wife of French President Emmanuel Macron, complete.

Owens has repeatedly promoted the theory that France’s first lady was born male. However, those claims have not been substantiated and have been repeatedly denied by the Macron family.

“The investigation is over: there is no doubt that Brigitte Macron is a man. It’s not going to look good for me if I’m just making a stupid conspiracy. I’ve looked into this...

A post by a BTS fan on Threads caused a stir — Kursiv LifeStyle explains how a woman managed to meet BTS member Jung Kook after he sparked a fan hunt for himself.

Fatima, a user from Kazakhstan, shared a photo with the singer on Threads. She can be seen with Jung Kook on an evening street in South Korea.

The post went viral. Before that, the artist had posted a series of stories from an evening jog. Jung Kook captioned one of the videos with «Catch me — get a selfie...

The childhood playground may hold the secret to your future spouse’s tax bracket, though it likely won’t predict their skin color. While sharing a neighborhood can bridge the gap between the rich and the poor at the altar, it does remarkably little to break down long-standing racial barriers in American marriage, according to a new study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).

Researchers analyzed a massive dataset of 31.1 million individuals, linking federal tax records to census data to understand why Americans rarely marry outside their social or racial circles. The numbers remain stark: only...

Central Asian countries continue to expand their international reserves, with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan increasingly relying on gold as a key reserve asset.

According to a recent review by Halyk Finance, Kazakhstan’s international reserves reached $67.8 billion in April, while Uzbekistan’s climbed to $70.9 billion. The main drivers of this growth were rising global gold prices and continued gold purchases by central banks.

Gold dominates reserve portfolios

Kazakhstan has become one of the countries with the highest share of gold in its international reserves. Gold currently accounts for approximately 78% of the country’s reserves. Uzbekistan...

Kazakh dancer Madina Beisekeyeva has announced her appearance in the third season of the HBO series “Euphoria,” marking her acting debut.

Beisekeyeva shared the news on Instagram, posting stills from a recent episode and writing: “Watch me on Euphoria S3. My acting debut.”

Based on the scenes she shared, Beisekeyeva appears to portray a character named Tiny Tigress. The role is also listed in the episode’s...

Kyrgyzstan’s GDP continues to grow at double-digit rates. Since 2022, growth has been driven by expanding trade flows, a steady inflow of capital and remittances, and a construction boom supported by government spending. However, this growth model is producing side effects that are beginning to emerge in the form of declining re-exports and rising inflation, which is approaching overheating levels.

Economic growth remains strong

In the first quarter of 2026, Kyrgyzstan’s GDP grew 10.1% year over year, reaching 429 billion soms ($4.9 billion at the current exchange rate). Although robust, the growth rate slowed from 12.6% in...

Prominent international influencers arrived in the Almaty region — Jordanian travel documentary creator Joe Hattab and American creator Joshua Platillero, known online as @megaamerican.

Prominent Kazakh travel content creator Dastan Mukhamedrakhim served as the host and guide at key tourist locations. Together, they embarked on a scenic tour of Almaty to showcase Kazakhstan’s beauty and flair to a global audience.

Foreign guests actively shared the first photos...

Legendary American actor and director Clint Eastwood has retired from the film industry at the age of 96, according to his son Kyle Eastwood, who said that his father no longer plans to direct films and has officially retired.

«Now he’s retired, he’s 95 years old. But I’ve been very lucky to be able to work with him on a lot of films,» Kyle said, adding that he has many fond memories of working with his father.

Clint Eastwood turned 96 on May 31. Despite his age, he had remained one of Hollywood’s most...

Renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen has published a list of concerts scheduled through the end of 2026. Kursiv LifeStyle reports on the artist’s upcoming shows.

According to the DimashAli creative center, the new tour has already begun. The organizers noted that these are only the first dates announced so far. The city hosting the opening concert has not yet been announced.

The tour will cover Europe and Latin America. European concerts are scheduled in Kraków (Oct. 18), Düsseldorf (Oct. 24) and Madrid (Oct. 30).

He will then perform in Mexico. Concerts are scheduled in Mérida (Nov...

The Greek island of Syros is looking for volunteers ready to take care of cats in exchange for free accommodation near the sea. Kursiv LifeStyle found out the details.

The program is organized by the animal welfare organization Syros Cats. Volunteers are offered free accommodation, breakfast and coverage of utility bills in exchange for about five hours a day, five days a week, caring for local cats.

The applications will be available starting in September. Organizers are looking for both individual volunteers and couples older than 25 years old, ready to spend...

More than a thousand people dressed as Marilyn Monroe gathered in Palm Springs, California, setting a new world record.

The unusual event, organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the actress’s birth, took place in Downtown Park near the famous eight-meter-tall statue of the Hollywood star.

According to organizers, 1,037 people dressed as Monroe gathered at the venue. This became the largest gathering of Marilyn Monroe lookalikes in history, surpassing the previous record of 254 participants. The figures have already been submitted for official registration in the Guinness World Records.

Read also: Greek getaway...

According to Freedom Holding Corp.’s Form 10-K filing for fiscal year 2026, which ended March 31, 2026, the company’s revenue has increased more than 26-fold since its Nasdaq listing, reaching $2.19 billion. Furthermore, the company has doubled its net profit from $76.2 million in 2025 to $153.3 million in 2026.

As Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov noted, the company has successfully completed another fiscal year despite significant investments in developing the Freedom ecosystem.

«Our client base is growing rapidly, once again confirming the effectiveness of our strategy. We’re building an institutional infrastructure with a...