Kazakh blogger Aiym Altynbekova (aeka.posh) has removed her hijab after four years. Recently, Altynbekova shared the news with her 1.1 million Instagram followers. She explained that she had been veiled for years and completed multiple Umrah pilgrimages during that time. «Sometimes your path changes, not from fading faith, but from…
Unusual bus stops made from decommissioned fire trucks are increasingly appearing across Kazakhstan. The first of these unique stops appeared in 2022 in Petropavlovsk, northern Kazakhstan, where the body of a GAZ-51 truck that once served with the local Emergency Department was used for its construction. Converted bus stop in…
On Oct. 21, Central Stadium in Almaty will host the UEFA Champions Matchday Three between Kairat and Cypriot club Pafos. Kursiv LifeStyle shows how the buzz in social media comments has surpassed interest in the match itself. The visitors arrived in Almaty in the early hours of Oct. 21. The…
The Almaty city administration has announced the launch of direct flights from Almaty to Tokyo, Japan, in 2026. Air Astana is set to establish a direct air connection between the cities in March 2026. The new route would will be the first regular flight linking Kazakhstan and Japan in recent…
The BBC has released a striking feature on Mangystau, one of Kazakhstan’s most mysterious and visually captivating regions. “The Alien Lands Once Hidden Beneath the Ocean” highlights the area’s stunning natural beauty and otherworldly landscapes. Mangystau’s geological wonders The video follows 27-year-old local guide Gaukhar Yessirkepova on a 700-kilometer journey…
A unique escalator taking passengers up to the summit of scenic Lingshan Mountain in Jiangxi province, eastern China, has opened. According to MetroTV, its length spans an impressive 1,236 meters. The structure consists of 10 sections, each 50 meters long. The new facility is part of an ambitious domestic tourism…
Just off Michigan’s northern coast, Mackinac Island offers a glimpse into a slower, car-free way of life that has endured for more than a century, the BBC reports. Home to around 600 year-round residents and an equal number of horses, this 3.8-square kilometer island in Lake Huron has prohibited motor…
On the frozen surface of Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russian blogger and photographer Daria Bulaeva and her fiancé celebrated a spectacular wedding inspired by the hit series «Game of Thrones.» The ceremony took place on the ice and evoked the grandeur of Westeros royalty. The couple and their guests…
For decades, scientists have debated whether willpower is an exhaustible resource or a renewable skill. The concept of ego depletion, introduced by psychologist Roy Baumeister, suggested that self-control draws from a limited mental energy pool. In his classic experiments, participants who resisted eating cookies later showed less persistence on unrelated…
It is now permitted to work longer than usual in Greece. The country’s parliament has approved a bill enabling employers to set a 13-hour workday, the Athens News Agency reported. Under the new rules, an extended workday will be allowed only three times a month and up to 37 times…
A museum in Wiesbaden, Germany, has seen a surge in visitors after Taylor Swift’s new music video spotlighted «Ophelia,» a painting on display there, the BBC reported. Museum staff reported that crowds flocked in over the weekend as fans arrived to admire Friedrich Heyser’s early 1900s painting. It appears at…
Erlan Kozhasbay, owner of the Gorelnik Visit Center, announced on Threads the completion of a new pedestrian suspension bridge, Arman-Köpir, in the Gorelnik Gorge in Almaty, noting that he had «dreamed of building a bridge — and has done it.» Arman-Köpir is a modern 77-meter suspension bridge connecting the slopes…
«Good Boy,» a new supernatural horror movie, is quickly becoming one of fall’s breakout horror surprises. Directed by Ben Leonberg, the film debuted at SXSW in March 2025 and was released in the U.S. on Oct. 3. Despite its modest $990,000 budget, the movie has earned strong box-office returns and…
«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…
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…
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…
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…
A new attraction for thrill-seekers has opened in China’s Guizhou Province: a dizzying 625-meter bungee jump from the Huajiang Canyon Bridge, which soars above the canyon. Promoted as one of the world’s most extreme sites, it draws adventurers worldwide. The price per jump is reportedly about $400. Organizers said that…
Telegram founder Pavel Durov has revealed the reason behind his icy swim in Lake Kolsai, located in southeastern Kazakhstan, during his journey around the country’s landmarks. The businessman posted a video in his Stories on his Russian-language Telegram channel, where he is seen walking into the water to remove a…
Utility workers in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city, have begun spreading poison to kill rats near residential areas and public spaces, prompting concern about visible red granules in easily accessible locations. Residents are concerned that stray animals, birds, and children could be exposed to the poison, which has also been found…
Jade Henderson, a 32-year-old bodybuilder from Australia, broke the Guinness World Record by doing 733 pull-ups in one hour. She beat the previous record of 725, which Eva Clarke set in 2016, according to the United Press International. During her record attempt, Henderson averaged over 12 pull-ups each minute. She…
The mountains around Almaty in Kazakhstan have seen the installation of the country’s first ascent counter. The automated ascent counter was installed on the summit of Big Almaty Peak at an altitude of 3,680 meters. Its purpose is to collect data on tourism activity by tracking how many people climb…
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), noting that they have developed a new form of molecular architecture. The unique materials discovered by the scientists are capable of…
The Huajiang Grand Canyon Bridge in Guizhou Province, China, is the world’s highest bridge, with its deck rising 625 meters. In addition to its impressive height, the bridge spans nearly 3 kilometers, with a main span of 1,420 meters, according to the Guardian. The bridge links the Liuzhi Special District…
