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The national football teams of Norway and Portugal have joined the list of qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In their latest matches, the Norwegian team defeated Italy 4-1, and Portugal thrashed the Armenia 9-1 in Porto.

Norway’s national team statistics in the qualifiers are impressive. Eight victories in eight matches with a goal difference of 37:5, with 43% of the goals (16) scored by Erling Haaland. In Italy, at San Siro Stadium, the 25-year-old Manchester City forward scored a brace.

Inter Milan’s Pio Esposito opened the scoring in the 11th minute. In the 63rd...

Sony Pictures has reportedly acquired the screen rights to the Labubu brand and plans to develop it into a full-length film — and, if it’s successful, launch an entire franchise.

It remains unclear whether the film will be animated or live-action. The project is in its early stages, and producers and a director have not yet been named. However, it’s already clear that Sony hopes to replicate the success of «The Lego Movie» and «Barbie» by adapting another popular toy brand for the big screen.

Labubu was created by Chinese artist Kasing Lung. The toys surged in...

One of the notable outcomes of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s recent state visit to Moscow was the signing of an agreement under which Russia will transfer four Amur tigers to Kazakhstan — two males and two females. Why does Kazakhstan need Russian tigers?

The plan to reintroduce tigers to the country has both scientific and historical foundations. Researchers claim that the Amur (Siberian) tiger is the closest living relative of the extinct Turan tiger.

Panthera tigris virgata

The Turan tiger (Panthera tigris virgata), also known as the Caspian tiger, was the apex predator of Central Asia’s...

According to Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov, digital assets have already become a regular part of the market. For this reason, he says, regulation must be transparent and unified, allowing clients to use them safely and intuitively.

Speaking at the Congress of Financiers of Kazakhstan, the businessman noted that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission held a similar stance during the early stages of the crypto market’s development.

«We are neither for nor against digital assets. Digital assets seem to be just another type of asset among many others,» Turlov said, referring to the U.S...

Jackpot seekers in the U.S. have increasingly been turning to artificial intelligence (AI) for advice in hopes of winning, and in some cases, it has paid off.

For example, Tammy Carvey, 45, from Michigan, asked ChatGPT to generate a set of numbers for the Powerball lottery. She played them and won $100,000.

Later, retiree Carrie Edwards in Virginia had a similar experience. She also asked ChatGPT for numbers, which ultimately brought her a $150,000 win.

Before these cases, three university students in Lecce, Italy, developed their own AI-based algorithm. Their program analyzed previous winning numbers, earning...

«Secchu Bijin Zu,» also known as «Beauty in the Snow,» a painting by legendary 19th-century Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai, best known for «The Great Wave off Kanagawa,» was sold at auction for 621 million yen (roughly $4 million), marking a record price for a single work by the artist, The Asahi Shimbun reported.

The nearly one-meter-tall canvas, which depicts a courtesan standing in falling snow and holding an umbrella, went under the hammer on Nov. 8 at an auction in Tokyo. The Sapporo-based furniture retailer Nitori Co. placed the winning bid...

New research reveals that today’s diverse dog shapes and sizes originated at least 11,000 years ago — well before modern breeding practices emerged. Scientists reached this conclusion after analyzing 643 skulls from ancient domesticated dogs and wolves, some of which were as old as 50,000 years. They discovered that dogs’ diversity emerged shortly after dogs split from wolves, according to Reuters.

The findings challenge the long-held belief that significant physical differences in dogs emerged primarily in the past few centuries, coinciding with the rise of formal breeds. However, according to study co-lead author Allowen Evin, substantial...

A photo exhibition has opened in Astana to mark the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. The exhibition features 80 historical photographs highlighting key moments in the UN’s work, many of which have never been published or widely seen before.

Among the images are photographs of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and People’s Artist of Kazakhstan Dimash Qudaibergen.

One photo (below), taken in September 1948, shows the start of construction on the permanent UN headquarters in New York. Acting Secretary-General Benjamin Cohen attended the ceremony and officially launched the project.

International music festival Park Live Almaty has announced its first headliner for the 2026 event — the virtual band Gorillaz.

Almaty will host the festival from Aug. 21 to 23, marking the third edition of the event in the city. The full lineup has not yet been revealed, but the main announcement is already here: Gorillaz will perform on Aug. 22, 2026.

Park Live continues its formula of mixing international artists with local talent. Organizers say they aim to strengthen Almaty’s reputation as regional music hub. Last year, the festival drew more than 40,000 attendees.

Gorillaz...

In the city of Manas, Kyrgyzstan, a man was taken to the hospital with severe mouth injuries. The tip of his tongue and part of his lower lip were missing.

According to doctors, there were no bruises or other marks on the man’s tongue that would indicate a beating. He arrived at the hospital on his own. It was later determined that an 18-year-old woman was responsible for the injuries. She claimed she accidentally bit him during a kiss.

Almaz Abdyldaev, head of the hospital’s face surgery department, said the man was admitted to the emergency room with...

UFC welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena said Shavkat Rakhmonov is no longer the division’s top contender because he has not fought since defeating Ian Machado Garry in 2024. Della Maddalena believes the welterweight landscape has changed during Rakhmonov’s absence due to a knee injury, according to MMAFighting.com.

The 29-year-old Australian champion says fighters like Sean Brady and Garry have stayed active and improved, making it difficult for Rakhmonov to keep the No. 1 spot without competing. He states that inactivity causes contenders to fall behind, but he is ready to face Rakhmonov if the UFC sets...

Spanish tennis player Carlos Alcaraz won both sets against Lorenzo Musetti (6-4, 6-1) and is leading the Jimmy Connors Group at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Regardless of the results of the remaining matches, Alcaraz will retain his World No. 1 ranking at the end of the 2025 season.

Kursiv.media previously outlined the conditions under which Italian Jannik Sinner could overtake Alcaraz in the rankings. The first scenario involved Alcaraz losing to Musetti. However, it took the Spanish player just one hour and 23 minutes to win: 3-0 in break...

Kazakhstan can supply nuclear power plants with uranium for decades, according to Gumar Sergazin, deputy chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Atomic Energy.

The country currently boasts about 1 million tons of natural uranium reserves, Sergazin reported at a recent Senate briefing.

«Our uranium reserves will last for more than 60 years,» he added.

He also noted that several areas, where reserves have not yet been explored, remain.

In parallel with maintaining substantial reserves, Kazakhstan is also negotiating with Finland for uranium supplies to support two nuclear power plants currently under construction...

The BBC has apologized to U.S. President Donald Trump for the way a «Panorama» episode edited his Jan. 6, 2021, speech, combining separate lines in a way that suggested he directly called for violence on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on that day. The broadcaster acknowledged that the edit was misleading and stated that the 2024 program would not be shown again, but it rejected any suggestion of compensation, the BBC reported.

Trump’s lawyers have threatened to sue the BBC for $1 billion unless it retracts the program, apologizes and pays damages. The issue also led to the...

On Nov. 13, France’s national football team swept Ukraine 4-0 at the Parc des Princes (Kylian Mbappé 55’ (P), 83’; Michael Olise 76’; Hugo Ekitke 88’), thereby securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The UEFA World Cup qualifying group stage is entering its decisive phase. According to the regulations, only the group winners qualify directly for the World Cup. The runners-up will get a second chance in the playoffs.

The first European team to clinch a place at the tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico was England. On Nov. 13, France followed...

TikTok blogger Azamat Aitaliev criticized a Kazakh-style meat dish, commonly known as beshbarmak, at Daididau, the Astana restaurant owned by Dimash Qudaibergen’s family.

In the video, he said he used to visit the restaurant often but was disappointed this time. The dish’s presentation, he noted, didn’t match the photo on the menu: The meat was dry, the kazy — a traditional horse sausage — was cold, and the plates were dirty.

The video quickly drew negative reactions from social media users. Many commenters attacked Aitaliev with insults, accusing him of being overly picky and trying to...

Kalamkas-Khazar Operating LLP (KKO), a joint venture equally owned by Russia’s Lukoil and Kazakhstan’s KazMunayGas (KMG), remains on the U.S. sanctions list, according to the PACE Telegram channel.

At PACE’s inquiry, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said that no official request has been submitted to remove the project from the sanctions list.

U.S. sanctions against Lukoil and its subsidiaries have reportedly extended to KKO, the operator of the Kalamkas-Sea and Khazar fields in Kazakhstan’s sector of the Caspian Sea, located about 120 kilometers from the Kashagan field.

Kazakh state-owned investment and development company Baiterek Holding and Malaysian automotive company PROTON have signed a memorandum of cooperation to develop the automotive industry in Kazakhstan and establish a national carmaker.

Data on the brand name and the timeline for its establishment has not yet been disclosed.

The document was signed by the holding’s Chair Rustam Karagoyshin and PROTON Vice President for Corporate Strategy Ainol Azmil Abu Bakar.

«Cooperation with PROTON opens new opportunities for the development of Kazakhstan’s automotive industry. The experience and technologies of our partners will form the basis...

According to Freedom Bank CEO Gulfairuz Akhmetova, Kazakhstan has the potential to develop a single QR code solution for all Central Asian countries — a move she says would benefit both tourists and entrepreneurs.

Speaking at the Central Asia Fintech Summit, where Kazakhstan officially launched its interbank unified QR code, Akhmetova noted that such systems are a global trend. Freedom Bank released its own QR service earlier this year.

«I think Kazakhstan is in a position to become the conductor and hub for a single QR code for all of Central Asia. Look at...

Australian police have charged a woman and her daughter over an alleged scheme that defrauded almost $46 million from people of Vietnamese descent, as reported by the BBC. The charges were made following an ongoing investigation leading up to their arrest.

The 53-year-old mother, who claimed to be a fortune teller and feng shui master, was arrested alongside her 25-year-old daughter at their home in Dover Heights, Sydney. Police say both women were part of what they describe as a «highly sophisticated» fraud and money laundering syndicate.

Investigators allege that the mother convinced people in financial hardship to...

Slaughter to Prevail, the internationally recognized Russian deathcore band, is set to perform in Almaty in February 2026.

The concert is scheduled for Feb. 12 at Almaty Arena as part of a major world tour, where the band will present their new album «Grizzly.» Tickets are already available, starting at 25,000 tenge (around $47.60).

Slaughter to Prevail gained international recognition for its slamming sound, signature deathcore style, striking image and the outstanding vocals of frontman Alex Terrible (Aleksandr Shikolai). The band’s tracks, including «1984,» «Viking» and «Demolisher,» have accumulated millions of streams.

Kazakhstan has formally launched a unified interbank QR payment system, enabling customers of participating banks to make purchases at any terminal using a single QR code.

The service debuted at the Central Asia Fintech Summit 2025.

Freedom Bank, Bank CenterCredit, and Home Credit Bank were the initial participants. Halyk Bank, Altyn Bank, and Bank RBK joined later.

The unified system lets users send or receive payments between any participating banks. To make a purchase, users open their bank’s mobile app, scan the QR code on a participating merchant’s terminal, and confirm the payment.

For...

Samsung is set to release its new trifold smartphone in December 2025, Yonhap reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

The launch event is reportedly scheduled for Dec. 5, followed immediately by domestic sales. The sources also noted that during the initial release, the devices will be exported to China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, with shipments expected to total between 20,000 and 30,000 units.

The unfolded display is reported to measure 10 inches. The device features three sections, allowing it to fold twice. The new device is expected to be priced at around...

American football star Tom Brady surprised fans with a revelation: his current dog, Junie, is a clone of his late pit bull, Lua, whom he once shared with his ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen.

Lua died in December 2023, but blood samples had reportedly been taken from her shortly before her death for cloning purposes. Nearly two years later, Brady revealed that Junie was created from those cells as an exact genetic copy of his beloved pet.

The cloning was carried out by Colossal Biosciences — a biotech company in which Brady is an investor — and Viagen Pets and...