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«The Shadow’s Edge,» the latest action thriller by martial arts legend Jackie Chan, is performing well at the box office, earning positive audience feedback and strong ticket sales, according to MovieWeb.

Directed by Larry Yang and inspired by the 2007 Hong Kong film “Eye in the Sky,” the movie centers on a retired investigator drawn into the high-stakes pursuit of a criminal mastermind behind a sophisticated heist.

Early audience reaction has been strong, as indicated by a 97% Popcornmeter score on Rotten Tomatoes based on over 100 verified ratings, according to the article. Commercially, the movie’s success...

China is shifting toward a more assertive strategy with the U.S., blending offense and defense, according to Gu Qingyang, associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.

Although both Beijing and Washington had shown signs of easing tensions in recent months, that optimism faded quickly after China’s Golden Week holiday. In the immediate aftermath, Beijing shifted its posture and rolled out a wave of countermeasures aimed squarely at the U.S.

The Ministry of Commerce placed several foreign companies tied to arms sales to Taiwan on its «unreliable entities list.» New export controls on...

OpenAI’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT may undergo significant changes in operational policy this December, including loosening censorship rules for adult users, according to an announcement by the company’s CEO, Sam Altman, on X on Oct. 14, CNBC reported.

«In December, as we roll out age-gating more fully and as part of our ‘treat adult users like adults’ principle, we will allow even more, like erotica for verified adults,» the post on X read.

Altman also noted in the same post that current versions of the chatbot were intentionally restrictive to address issues...

Alfiya Nurgumarova, CEO of First Media Group, the organization behind recent J.Lo and Backstreet Boys concerts in Kazakhstan, took part in a local podcast on the IZI Talk YouTube channel. The producer behind large-scale concerts with international stars shared backstage stories about organizing such events in Kazakhstan.

She paid special attention to the high-profile Backstreet Boys concert in Almaty.

According to Nurgumarova, the group’s managers surprised her with their simplicity and openness. They turned out to be very cooperative and even selected their hotel themselves, although the higher-end Ritz-Carlton, Almaty was among the suggested options. In the end...

A wedding is one of life’s most significant milestones. Couples across the globe spend months or even years planning their big day. But how much does it actually cost to say «I do»? Prices vary dramatically.

In some countries, a wedding can cost nearly as much as an apartment. In others, it’s closer to the price of a used car. Kursiv.media looked into what weddings are expected to cost around the world in 2025.*

U.S. and Europe: Expensive and stylish

Weddings in the U.S. are among the most expensive in the world. The average cost of a...

Google plans to build a major artificial intelligence (AI) hub in southern India, marking its largest such project outside the U.S., CNBC reported.

Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian announced that the company will invest $15 billion in the project over the next five years. The new data center will help Google meet the growing global demand for cloud and AI computing.

The negotiation process between Google and the authorities of Andhra Pradesh, an Indian state where the project is set to be implemented, took about a year. However, State Minister for Human Resources Development Nara Lokesh described it...

Salt has long held a special place in esoteric and spiritual traditions, valued for its power to purify, protect, and absorb negative energy.

This ancient practice is still visible in modern offices. Some people perform “cleansing” rituals for workplace or career benefits. A practitioner might sprinkle salt on a desk or in office corners, leaving it overnight to absorb stagnant or negative energy believed to affect professional growth.

‘Pollution’ for promotion

A recent case in Kazakhstan highlights how traditional rituals can intersect with modern legal and professional expectations.

A resident of Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region attempted an...

World-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen met with Kazakhstanis at the Kazakh Embassy in Mexico City.

Qudaibergen gave two concerts in the Mexican capital on Oct. 8 and 10, 2025. His performances drew 25,000 attendees and became a significant event for the singer’s fans in Latin America. During the tour, the singer, who is also a Goodwill Ambassador of Kazakhstan, actively promoted the country’s culture and history.

An important part of his visit was the promotion of Kazakh traditions and culture. For example, Qudaibergen and Almurat Turganbekov, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Mexico, exchanged their opening moves in Togyzkumalak, a traditional...

Zaman Bank, Kazakhstan’s Islamic bank, rolled out its first retail product this year — unsecured Islamic consumer loans with a maximum loan amount of 3 million tenge (about $5,500) — while progress on Islamic mortgages remains to be seen, according to the bank’s CEO Gulfairuz Assayeva.

Notably, the bank made headlines in November 2024 when a test payment was successfully processed between Zaman Bank and Afghanistan’s Ghazanfar Bank, marking the first financial transaction since Kazakhstan removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations in late 2023.

Islamic loans

Assayeva said that within two months, the bank...

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi answered questions from women journalists at a press conference at the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi on Sunday. This press event came just days after his first media event, held on Friday, which excluded women, according to CNN.

The second briefing on Sunday was organized after public criticism erupted over the barring of female reporters from Friday’s press conference, which drew condemnation from Indian media organizations and rights groups. The Press Club of India called the move “gender discrimination,” while the Editors Guild of India described it as “an affront to press freedom.”

The upcoming 2026 World Cup sees more first-time qualifiers: following Uzbekistan and Jordan, the national football team of Cape Verde has secured a spot in the tournament, becoming the 22nd team to qualify.

In the final match of the African qualification phase in Group D, Cape Verde swept the national team of Eswatini with a 3–0 scoreline. The goals were scored by Dailon Livramento (48’) from the Portuguese club Casa Pia A.C., Willy Semedo (54’) from Cypriot Omonia, and Stopira (90+1’) from Portuguese S.C.U. Torreense.

With this victory, the Cape Verdean team overtook Cameroon in the standings — a...

The Kremlin-linked Matryoshka disinformation network has reportedly launched a new smear campaign targeting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the lead-up to Armenia’s parliamentary elections scheduled for June 2026, according to The Insider, citing the Bot Blocker Project.

The campaign uses coordinated bot activity on platforms such as X and BlueSky. On these platforms, videos circulate posing as Western media content. These videos accuse Pashinyan of eroding Armenia’s cultural identity and promoting foreign liberal values.

They also allege that his government is advancing a reckless initiative to establish a so-called «Fourth Republic.» This political proposal includes drafting...

The World Health Organization (WHO) released a health advisory after finding three contaminated cough syrups made in India: Coldrif from Sresan Pharmaceutical, Respifresh TR from Rednex Pharmaceuticals and ReLife from Shape Pharma, according to Reuters.

India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization reported the syrups were linked to the deaths of several children under five in Chhindwara district, Madhya Pradesh. Tests found toxic levels of diethylene glycol, nearly 500 times the safe limit.

Officials said there is no evidence the syrups were exported, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration confirmed none reached the U.S. market. The WHO...

On Oct. 13 at 6:23 p.m. Central Time, SpaceX’s 11th Starship successfully launched from Starbase, Texas, marking the final flight before the beginning of the test phase for the company’s next generation of rockets, Reuters reported.

The Super Heavy booster — the first stage of SpaceX’s Starship launch system — executed a controlled descent after separating from the upper stage and achieved a soft water landing in the Gulf of Mexico approximately seven minutes post-liftoff, as part of testing a refined landing-engine configuration before its planned self-termination.

According to SpaceX, Starship reached its planned velocity and trajectory, released...

Most people know that sugary drinks can pack on the pounds — not just around the waist, but in the liver too. But switching to diet sodas might not be the solution either. A new study suggests that both sugary and artificially sweetened drinks could raise the risk of fatty liver disease. The simplest and healthiest choice, researchers say, is still plain water, according to United Press International.

Researchers from Soochow University in China analyzed data from almost 124,000 people and found that those who drank at least one sugary or diet soda a day were more likely...

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences on Monday awarded the 2025 Sveriges Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel to American-Israeli economic historian Joel Mokyr and economists Philippe Aghion of France and Peter Howitt of Canada. The three were honored for advancing the understanding of how innovation and the spread of knowledge drive sustained economic growth.

This year’s laureates’ work redefined long-term economic growth by showing that technological progress and creativity drive prosperity. Aghion and Howitt used Schumpeter’s idea of «creative destruction» to demonstrate that economic growth stems...

A boy from Uzbekistan who didn’t manage to attend the Kairat vs. Real Madrid match received a ball signed by Real Madrid and Chelsea legend Claude Makélélé, delivered by Uzbek businessmen.

The story of a boy and his father who arrived in Almaty for the legendary match tugged at the hearts of many. They had bought tickets on Viagogo.com for $1,175, but they turned out to be fake — something they discovered only on-site. The dream of a boy named Armin was crushed, and the tears of the young fan, shown in a video, went viral.

On Monday, Israel’s military announced that all 20 remaining hostages held by Hamas have been released. Their release occurred at the start of the first phase of a cease-fire agreement, marking a new stage in efforts to end the two-year war in Gaza, according to United Press International.

The hostages were released in two groups on Monday. Both groups were first handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross, then transferred to Israeli forces for medical checks. Many reunited with their families at hospitals on the same day.

Israeli authorities stated that, as part of the agreement...

The club football calendar continues to pause for national team matches in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Pafos, the upcoming opponent of Kairat on matchday three of the UEFA Champions League, has sent seven players to their national teams.

Cyprus vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Oct. 9, 2-2) and San Marino (Oct. 12, 4-0)

Sweden vs. Switzerland (Oct. 10, 0-2) and Kosovo (Oct. 13)

Romania vs. Moldova (Oct. 9, 2-1) and Austria (Oct. 12, 1-0)

Serbia vs. Albania (Oct. 11, 0-1) and...

Kazakh boxer Angelina Lukas appeared on the YouTube show TalkLike, where she spoke candidly about what she described as a fight against a transgender opponent and shared her views on LGBT representation in sports.

According to Lukas, she competed in a 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament in Jordan, where she faced an opponent from Thailand who she believed was transgender.

«In 2020, after I won the Zharylgapov tournament, I went to a qualifying tournament in Jordan. In my first fight, I faced an opponent from Thailand. Based on physical characteristics and appearance, I believed...

Ticket sales for matchday three of the UEFA Champions League between Kazakhstan’s Kairat and Cypriot Pafos started on Oct. 13 at 12:30 p.m. on Freedom Ticketon, as reported by the ticket sales platform’s press service.

The seller also noted that it was actively combating scalpers and enhancing its technical capabilities.

«Based on the experience of organizing large-scale events, the company has enhanced its technical capabilities, improved UX scenarios in the app, and introduced additional tools to monitor traffic and security,» the press service said in a statement.

Last week, Pafos launched official two-day charter...

China has accused the U.S. of «double standards» after President Donald Trump threatened to impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said such actions could prompt «countermeasures,» adding that China «is not afraid» of a potential trade conflict, according to the BBC.

The comments followed Trump’s remarks on Friday, when he criticized China’s tightened export controls on rare earth materials, accusing Beijing of «hostile» behavior and suggesting he might cancel an upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

However, Trump later sought to ease tensions, saying on social media that the...

American singer Katy Perry and former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continue to fuel romance rumors after photos of the two embracing surfaced in media.

According to the Daily Mail, Perry was lounging on a yacht deck in a black swimsuit while Trudeau was shirtless and wearing jeans. The photos appear to show the pair hugging and kissing on the upper deck. The outlet reported that the images were taken off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.

The pictures, reportedly captured by a tourist on a passing whale-watching boat, emerged in late September. One eyewitness told the publication that...

The Dutch government has made what it describes as a rare move to step in at Nexperia, a China-owned semiconductor manufacturer based in the Netherlands. Officials say they acted because of risks to national and European economic security, according to the BBC.

Following this decision, officials invoked the Goods Availability Act after observing «acute signals of serious governance shortcomings» with the company’s operations. The Act is a significant legal tool because it enables the government to intervene in extraordinary situations to protect the interests of national economic security.

The government aims to ensure that Nexperia’s chip supply remains...