The Comic Con Tashkent 2026 geek culture festival took place at Humo Arena on August 15 and 16. The event gathered fans of comics, anime, video games, cinema, TV series, and cosplay. Over these two days, the festival attracted more than 15 thousand visitors, including guests from Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries.
Among the special guests at Comic Con Tashkent 2026 were American actor Sean Fonteno, known as the voice and prototype of Franklin Clinton from the game Grand Theft Auto V; Randy Havens, who played Mr. Clark in the series 'Stranger Things'; Christian Nern, recognizable by his appearance as Hodor from 'Game of Thrones'; as well as creators of the animated series Metal Family, Alina Kovaleva and Dmitry Vdovenko.
The festival program was rich and included meetings with invited celebrities, as well as opportunities to get autographs and take photos. Additionally, an authors' alley operated, featuring 50 artists, designers, and representatives of creative brands. A dedicated zone, named Game Con, provided visitors with opportunities for gaming and various activities.
The central event was the cosplay contest, which had a prize fund of 20 million soms. The jury for the contest was formed by renowned Kazakh cosplayers Lara Nix (Lara Sergienko) and Mari Miyako (Marina Kuzmenko), as well as Uzbek cosplayer MR.EVIL, who previously won at Comic Con Tashkent in 2024 and 2025. Participants showcased costumes of characters from films, series, anime, comics, and video games.
S-Game announced a special nearly twenty-minute gameplay session for Phantom Blade Zero, which will be shown during a dedicated State of Play event this Monday, the 17th. This event aims to detail the combat systems and other aspects of the action RPG.
The broadcast will take place at 7 PM Pacific Time, 10 PM Eastern Time, and 11 PM Brasília Time. According to the studio, the program will present information not covered in the initial trailer released to start pre-sales.
Phantom Blade Zero is scheduled for release on October 29, 2026, and is already available for pre-order for the PlayStation 5. The new State of Play will focus on exposing the gameplay systems, combat, and the game's universe, which the developer calls the 'Phantom World,' in greater depth.
S-Game also plans to reveal new characters crucial to the narrative. A highlight will be the flexibility of builds, with the studio demonstrating various ways players can shape their own styles throughout the journey.
The pre-order trailer has already shown scenes such as fights in a moving cart and a confrontation with The Hunt, the protagonist's former partner. Additionally, actor and martial arts expert Donnie Yen participates in the production of Phantom Blade Zero.
S-Game informed that Yen has been serving as a creative consultant for the project since 2023. His extensive experience in martial arts and action films was applied to the development of the fighting system, aiming to provide a kung fu experience that the studio considers authentic. The actor also performed the facial and motion capture for Mo Yuan, the father of Soul, the game's main character.
Along with the announcement of the special presentation, S-Game confirmed that Phantom Blade Zero can already be pre-ordered on the PlayStation 5. Those who pre-order will gain immediate access to the Treasure Basin items and the Legacy costume, although these can be obtained later through in-game progression.
The game will be released on October 29, 2026, for the PlayStation 5. Before that, the public can watch the special State of Play presentation on August 17, broadcast on PlayStation's channels on Twitch and YouTube. Sony also warned content creators that the broadcast may contain licensed music, which could generate copyright restrictions for clips used in subsequent videos or VODs.
At the Chaudhary Charan Singh prison in Meerut, inmates can listen to their favorite tunes thanks to the internal radio station 'Radio Parwaaz,' which began operating in May 2026. This modern radio station was established with the support of the India Vision Foundation.
Inmates submit requests for their favorite songs by handing notes through guards in the barracks. The broadcast takes place twice a day—morning and evening—and songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s are the most requested. Since prison regulations prevent inmates from seeing each other, they use music to express their feelings.
Women accused of serious crimes, as well as other inmates at the Chaudhary Charan Singh prison, actively request old compositions on 'Radio Parwaaz.' According to prison administration, the most frequently requested songs include 'Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi,' 'Hum Tere Pyar Mein Sara Alam Kho Baithe,' 'Sheesha Ho Ya Dil Ho Aakhir Toot Jata Hai,' 'Bekhudi Mein Sanam,' and 'Ankhiyon Ke Jharokhe Se.'
This radio station, developed by the India Vision Foundation under the guidance of Dr. Kiran Bedi, is characterized by a high degree of modernity. The station's interior is decorated with posters of singers and actors. It features a computer, a mixer, Saregama Carvan equipment, and high-tech speakers. If a desired song is not available in Carvan, it is played via the internet or YouTube. Notably, an inmate serves as the host of the radio station.
Listeners can enjoy the music through speakers installed in the barracks. When ordering a song, only the barracks number is specified. Additionally, inmates who can sing are given the opportunity to come to the microphone and sing themselves.
According to senior prison warden Viresh Raja Sharma, 67 percent of the individuals held in the prison are under 30 years old. Since the launch of the radio station, there has been a significant decrease in the level of depression and internal conflicts among inmates. Inmates undergoing drug rehabilitation also listen to music to pass the time.
This prison also houses women such as Muskan, who killed her husband and placed him in a blue barrel, and her lover Sahil. Ravita, who staged a snakebite killing her husband, and her lover Amardeep, are also here. Furthermore, Gurpreet, who killed a child with her lover, and Damini, who killed her husband with a snakebite, and her lover, are also in this prison. These five women committed murders of their husbands with their lovers. According to prison regulations, they cannot communicate with each other, but currently, they exchange feelings through requested songs.
The prison administration states that it cares about the feelings of all inmates, and anyone wishing to hear a favorite song can request it through the radio station.
The first systematic archaeological survey of the Nir and Garizat areas in Taft district, central Iran, has been completed. During the work, ancient sites, historical fortifications, water management structures, cemeteries, and stone tools were discovered, according to an official representative for heritage in the province.
Mohammadreza Falahati, Deputy Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Crafts of Yazd Province, specified that fieldwork began in May 2026 and covered all designated territories of the two districts over 35 days.
These districts cover an area of about 2350 square kilometers and are considered important for archaeological research due to the diversity of landscapes, water resources, ancient settlements, and historical transport routes, added Falahati.
The survey allowed for the identification and documentation of a wide range of cultural artifacts, including archaeological monuments, castles, defensive structures, historical buildings, water supply and transfer facilities, ancient cemeteries, and other cultural evidence.
One of the most significant results was the discovery and documentation of a large number of historical castles, which highlights the region's role in past settlement networks and defense systems. Among the most notable structures documented within the project is the Fahraabad castle, which, according to the official representative, is one of the largest in Yazd province.
Furthermore, several archaeological mounds were identified, which may provide information about ancient settlements and the cultural development of the region. Falahati noted that further research could shed light on the history of human settlement in this part of Taft district.
Many stone tools were also found during the work. According to Falahati, these finds can provide new knowledge about the prehistoric period in southwestern Yazd province.
The location of all discovered objects was recorded using positioning systems, and separate files containing descriptive reports, photographic documentation, technical surveys, geographical coordinates, and preservation status assessments were created for each object.
An assessment of natural and anthropogenic threats to these sites was also conducted, which will serve as a basis for future conservation, research, and management plans, Falahati reported.
After the completion of fieldwork, the project moved into the data processing phase, which includes map preparation, completion of the spatial database, and drafting the final report.
Given the quantity and diversity of the identified sites, as well as the size of the surveyed area, it is expected that the project will contribute to a deeper understanding of settlement patterns, natural resource use, historical communication routes, and cultural development of Taft district. Taft itself, located in the central Yazd province, is known for its historical and cultural heritage and is associated with the Sufi poet Shah Nematollah Vali in the 15th century.
