News

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni returned to court in New York, a month after reaching an out-of-court settlement in their long-running legal dispute connected to the film «It Ends with Us,» in which they both starred, The Guardian reported.

This time, Lively’s attorneys are seeking legal fees and damages, arguing that a defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, was a retaliatory action prohibited under California law. Baldoni’s legal team disputes that claim.

The legal conflict between the celebrities began in December 2024 when Lively accused Baldoni, who also directed the film, of making...

A documentary film about the renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen premiered in Spain. The project was created by the artist’s Spanish fan club in collaboration with the La Gran Voz Kazaja association and directed by filmmaker David Collantes Rodríguez.

The premiere screening took place at the Palacio de Hielo cinema, attracting over 130 viewers, including representatives of Kazakhstan’s Embassy in Spain, headed by Ambassador Danat Mussayev, members of the Kazakh diaspora, representatives of civic organizations, and the young Kazakhstani singer Zhanel Ali.

At Qudaibergen’s concert in Barcelona, the 15-year-old artist performed with him on the same...

Four wild Przewalski’s horses were released into the Altyn Dala State Nature Reserve on May 25 as part of an ongoing effort to restore the species to Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Ecology reported.

Read also: Are these the most beautiful horses on Earth? Meet the ethereal Akhal-Teke.

The group consists of a stallion named Galvan, brought from Prague, and four mares from Hungary’s Hortobágy National Park. The animals spent a year in spacious acclimatization enclosures under the constant supervision of specialists and veterinarians.

During that time, the horses adapted to local...

Robot dogs have begun serving with the Aktau police in western Kazakhstan and will patrol city streets to help maintain public order, according to Polisia.kz.

Read also: High-tech security: $300K robot dogs are the new face of AI data centers.

The robotic units are expected to help maintain security in public spaces, monitor situations in real time and assist in crime prevention efforts. Equipped with video surveillance cameras, they transmit live data directly to the command center.

The robots can also detect suspicious objects, identify smoke and fire hazards, and automatically...

Social media has been swept by an unprecedented wave of “mourning.” Fans of the hit HBO series “Euphoria” are organizing both real-life and virtual gatherings to honor the memory of one of the show’s most toxic, controversial and yet undeniably memorable characters.

Spoilers ahead. If you haven’t watched the penultimate episode of Season 3, stop reading now.

While much of the international internet celebrated with slogans such as “Evil has been defeated,” Russian-speaking users embraced the event with the enthusiasm of a traditional wake.

@taki7391 FINALLY...

Kazakhstan could become a storage site for Iran’s uranium stockpiles if Washington and Tehran reach an agreement on a nuclear deal, the FT reported, citing Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Existing uranium bank

Grossi noted that a facility for storing low-enriched uranium (LEU) already exists in Kazakhstan’s city of Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk).

He said the material could be stored safely in that IAEA-operated LEU bank, adding that such an arrangement could be acceptable to both the U.S. and Iran.

Grossi added that any final decision would depend on...

Busan local authorities are continuing to address price gouging in accommodation ahead of BTS‘s Arirang World Tour concerts, scheduled for June 12 and 13.

Busan Metropolitan City announced a homestay program for foreign visitors in a press release. For this initiative, rather than relying on publicly run accommodation options such as temples and youth training centers, residents and civic organizations volunteering to provide temporary lodging will be brought on board.

The program will cover stays from June 12 to 14, with applications available at k-popstay.wehome.me and Visit Korea. Accommodation is free of...

A blogger from Kazakhstan shared a humorous reel on Instagram that quickly attracted thousands of likes and comments.

Last week, the blogger and her husband were staying at the same hotel in Istanbul as Kanye West, also known as Ye. Each time they left the hotel, they encountered crowds of fans gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the American rapper.

One day, the couple decided to have some fun. As they passed by, they began greeting the fans as though the crowd had gathered to see them instead.

For the first time, Almaty will host a major exhibition of works by American artist Bill Viola, one of the most well-known and influential representatives of contemporary video art. The exhibition is scheduled to open on July 1 at the Almaty Museum of Arts, marking the first large-scale presentation of his work in Central Asia.

The exhibition is titled «Bill Viola: The Space of Time.» Visitors will be offered 16 video installations created by the artist over 40 years, ranging from his early works of the late 1970s to large-scale projects of the 2000s. The selection...

Freedom Holding Corp. is eliminating qualifying prefixes such as Bank, Broker and Insurance to consolidate its business lines under the unified Freedom brand, the company said in a statement.

The transition to a single visual identity and communications framework will be gradual across the 21 countries where the company operates. The primary objective is to strengthen Freedom’s market position, improve brand recognition and create a more seamless customer experience.

It is expected that, once the transition is completed, customers will be better able to navigate the company’s integrated products and services.

According to Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov, the...

Economic conditions for Kazakhstani manufacturers remained challenging in May 2026. The Freedom Holding Corp. Kazakhstan Manufacturing PMI registered 49.0 in May, broadly in line with April’s reading of 48.9 and signaling a modest monthly deterioration in business conditions. The sector’s health has now weakened for five consecutive months.

Production contracts as inventories hit record lows

After a brief increase in April, the new orders index returned to contraction. Survey participants cited declining demand and financing constraints as key factors. The renewed drop in new orders led manufacturers to reduce output for the fifth consecutive month. However, the pace of...

Last week, Kazakhstani Olympic figure skating champion Mikhail Shaidorov stated he had not received his salary for several months following his victory at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. After around a week of silence, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports provided an official comment on the situation.

At the beginning, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports Serik Zharasbayev noted that Shaidorov is a legend in Kazakhstan’s sport, and that the ministry supports him in all his endeavors and wishes him great victories.

In addition, the ministry said that the athlete signed a widely discussed contract...

A court in Karaganda ruled that the sale of common stairwells in a multi-story building is illegal. The case began when office owners on the second and third floors realized in 2015 that the staircases they had used for years had turned out to be someone’s private property. A new owner had restricted access to them.

Staircases for sale

It turned out that the common stairwells of the first, second and third floors had been sold as separate property units and had hands several times.

«Investigating the case, the property designated in the disputed sales...

The U.S. and Iran reported new military actions over the weekend, marking the latest exchange of hostilities as negotiations continue to seek an end to the conflict that began nearly three months ago, Reuters reported.

The U.S. military said it carried out strikes on Iranian military targets along the country’s Gulf coast after what it described as aggressive actions by Iran, including the downing of a U.S. MQ-1 drone operating over international waters. According to U.S. Central Command, the operation targeted Iranian air defense systems, a ground control station, and two attack drones considered threats to maritime traffic...

Japan’s Nikkei share average surpassed the 67,000 mark for the first time on Monday, driven by gains in AI-related stocks, Reuters reported.

SoftBank Group, a Japanese multinational investment holding company, was the largest contributor to the Nikkei’s advance, with its shares rising 10.3%. The increase added 618 points to the index’s overall gain of 709 points. Following the rally, SoftBank’s market capitalization climbed to approximately $296.0 billion, surpassing Toyota Motor Corp.’s valuation of around $286.5 billion after Toyota shares fell 4.8%.

The move came after SoftBank announced over the weekend that it plans to invest about $87.3 billion...

Fans of renowned Kazakhstani singer Dimash Qudaibergen united to save forests in Latin America.

According to DimashNews, Qudaibergen turned 32 on May 24. To mark the occasion, his fans in North and South America organized environmental campaigns in his honor.

Fans are now raising funds to restore forests and plant trees in Qudaibergen’s name.

One of the main initiatives was a campaign to support Patagonia’s forests. Fans from Argentina, Uruguay and Mexico donated 82 trees to the Friends of Patagonia Association. The trees will be planted in the area around the Correntoso River, where efforts are...

Planned maintenance work at Kazakhstan’s giant Kashagan oil field could be postponed, according to industry sources cited by PetroCouncil.kz and the energy publication Upstream.

The 35-day maintenance campaign, covering both offshore and onshore facilities, was scheduled to begin June 1.

Shareholders reportedly weighing postponement

According to Upstream’s sources, shareholders in the North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC), which operates the field, are considering delaying the work, which would allow Kashagan to maintain production of about 400,000 barrels per day through June and July.

The reported discussions come amid heightened uncertainty in global oil markets...

Turkish mining company CoreX Holding plans to increase explored resources at the Manka gold deposit in East Kazakhstan from 195,000 ounces to more than 400,000 ounces of gold, according to the company’s annual report cited by qazba.kz.

The company plans to begin mining operations at the deposit in 2026 and targets annual production of up to 187,000 ounces of gold.

Exploration program expands resource estimates

In its annual report, CoreX Holding said it completed a comprehensive underground drilling program to define reserves and estimate resources at the Manka deposit.

In addition to the 3,000 meters...

Kazatomprom, the world’s largest uranium producer, reported net profit of 13.9 billion tenge (approximately $27.9 million) in the first quarter of 2026, according to the company’s unaudited financial statements. The figure represents a 56% decline compared with the same period in 2025.

Read also: Why KazMunayGas and Kazatomprom are Kazakhstan’s ultimate cash cows.

The company’s revenue declined 28% year over year to 154.2 billion tenge, driven by a 40% drop in sales volumes.

At the same time, the average price of natural uranium increased 12% in January-March to...

Two Indian students died at the Fedorov Reservoir in Karaganda, Kazakhstan, after attempting to save each other while swimming in a prohibited area, authorities said.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of May 30 at an unequipped section of shoreline where swimming is not permitted.

Rescue attempt ends in tragedy

According to the Department of Emergency Situations of the Karaganda region, the victims were young men born in 2004 and 2005.

Read also: Indian student fatally falls from dormitory window in Karaganda.

Preliminary findings indicate that one of the students entered the...

For Kazakhstan’s SME sector, the end of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 marked a period of adaptation not only to tight monetary conditions, but also to a series of fiscal and regulatory changes. On one hand, business activity was constrained by high borrowing costs as inflationary pressures persisted. On the other, small businesses were preparing for the replacement of simplified taxation systems with a unified Special Tax Regime. Together, these factors significantly affected SME operations and business behavior.

Monetary tightening and lending slowdown

Throughout 2025, the National Bank of Kazakhstan gradually tightened monetary...

Mikhail Shaidorov commented on the controversy surrounding delayed salary payments, an unsigned contract and questions about his preparations for the new season. The Olympic champion thanked the people of Kazakhstan for their support and said he did not want the situation to become a public conflict, but could not allow his name to be «dragged through the mud.»

Honors certificate still not received

According to Shaidorov, he still has not received his Honored Master of Sports certificate, despite meeting the requirements in 2025 by winning a silver medal at the World Figure Skating Championships.

Daterao Jugal Sudhir, a senior manager at The Walt Disney Company, was sentenced to prison after cannabis-infused gummies were found in his possession at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, according to TASS.

The Indian citizen was convicted of narcotics possession and drug smuggling.

Prosecutors requested a prison sentence of 6 1/2 years and a fine of 500,000 rubles. The court, however, handed down a lighter sentence of 2 1/2 years in prison and a fine of 30,000 rubles.

Defense cites medical use

The defense said Sudhir had been prescribed the THC-infused gummies following brain surgery. In...

A dog of the Kazakh Tazy breed named Akbakai came into the spotlight at the international Ethnosport Culture Festival in Istanbul. The dog from Balkhash attracted the attention of attendees, received a medal and even drew interest from visitors who wanted to buy it. Kursiv LifeStyle explains how the Kazakh Tazy captured the hearts of guests at the ethnofestival in Turkey.

According to the press service of the Karaganda regional administration, participants from nearly 20 countries spent four days in Istanbul competing and showcasing their traditions. Kazakhstan was represented at the festival...