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The Tasmanian government has apologized for a decades-old scandal involving human body parts taken during autopsies and kept without the consent of families, the BBC reported.

An investigation released last year found that between 1966 and 1991, 177 human specimens collected during coronial autopsies were transferred to a university museum without approval from relatives or coroners. Some of the specimens were later displayed at the University of Tasmania’s RA Rodda Pathology Museum.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Tasmania’s Health Minister Bridget Archer apologized to affected families for the «distress, anger, pain, grief and trauma» caused by the practices.

The...

Starting May 25, 2026, vehicle registration regulations in Kazakhstan will be changed. The new rules will allow the transfer of existing registration plates to relatives of vehicle owners, and the list of premium plate combinations will be officially expanded, Kolesa.kz reported.

The plates will be allowed for transfer to:

The list of relatives includes parents, children, spouses, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grandchildren, as well as adoptive parents and adopted children.

The Ministry of Internal...

Starbucks Korea has dismissed its CEO following backlash over a promotional campaign launched on the anniversary of the 1980 Gwangju Uprising crackdown, the BBC reported.

The campaign, called «Tank Day,» promoted tumblers from the company’s Tank Series and was widely criticized for appearing to reference the military vehicles used during the suppression of pro-democracy protests in Gwangju.

As a result, the promotion was suspended within hours amid online calls for a boycott of Starbucks Korea and its parent company, Shinsegae. Even President Lee Jae Myung condemned the campaign on social media, saying it disrespected the victims and...

World-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen visited Bangladesh in his capacity as Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the UN Migration Agency.

Humanitarian mission in Cox’s Bazar

According to DimashNews, the artist arrived in Cox’s Bazar on a humanitarian mission. The area is considered one of the world’s largest settlements for forcibly displaced people. Hundreds of thousands of people living there are in constant need of support, ranging from shelter and education to social assistance.

International organizations, in cooperation with local partners, are working...

A video circulating on social media shows an unusual aircraft flying over the city of Alatau, Kazakhstan’s flagship new urban development project modeled after China’s Shenzhen.

The footage sparked speculation among local residents, with some suggesting the aircraft was a military drone, a traffic-monitoring device, or part of a classified test program.

However, authorities in the Almaty region later clarified that the aircraft is an air taxi.

Comic Con Astana has announced its first star guest for its 2026 edition: Danish actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, best known for playing Jaime Lannister in the HBO series “Game of Thrones.”

The festival will take place in the capital of Kazakhstan on Aug. 6-9, 2026.

Organizers say attendees will have the opportunity to meet the actor, take photos, and receive autographs during the event.

Comic Con Astana is an international pop culture festival that brings together fans of films, television series, comics, video games, and modern entertainment culture. Each year, the event features appearances by internationally known...

The Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan `(SAMK) has launched an official website, qurban.muftyat.kz, allowing users to perform qurban, or ritual animal sacrifice, remotely.

Read also: The Qada checklist: How to catch up on your Ramadan days.

Users can select an animal and pay for the service using Kaspi QR. After the ritual is completed, participants receive SMS confirmation, along with photo and video reports.

For Muslims in Kazakhstan and around the world, Eid al-Adha is one of the holiest days in Islam. Known as the «Festival...

A trial has begun in Atyrau, western Kazakhstan, in what media describe as one of the most horrific crimes in the country’s recent history.

Read also: The haunting case of a vanished family in western Kazakhstan.

The defendant, Sultan Sarsemaliyev, appeared in court on charges of killing four members of the same family — his parents-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law — and concealing their bodies. The reason Sultan killed his in-laws has been disclosed during court proceedings.

Sultan admitted the charges against him and said he was prepared to serve a life...

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with the interior ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, as well as China’s minister of public security, who arrived in Kazakhstan to participate in the second meeting of law enforcement agencies in the «Central Asia-China» format.

During the meeting, the participants discussed a wide range of issues related to regional security, including combating transnational crime, drug trafficking, cybercrime and extremism.

Tokayev said that strengthening economic cooperation between the countries of the region is closely linked to security issues.

«Any increase in cargo flows is associated with certain risks. I am...

Kami Rita Sherpa and Lhakpa Sherpa simultaneously rewrote the story of Mount Everest ascents. Kursiv Lifestyle learned how.

Kami Rita, 55, ascended the world’s highest peak for the 32nd time on May 17, beating his world record for the number of Mount Everest ascents.

He completed his first ascent back in 1994. Over the past few decades, Kami Rita has become a living legend among climbers. In 2025, he was recognized by the Guinness World Records for the number of ascents on 8,000-meter peaks.

Before the current expedition, the climber said this season might be his...

According to Vice Minister of National Economy Arman Kassenov, Kazakhstan has the potential to launch a number of projects related to the processing of copper, bauxite, alumina and aluminum worth between $10 billion and $12 billion.

«There are more than 100 leading companies worldwide with deep expertise in the copper sector, and potential projects in Kazakhstan’s copper industry alone are valued at more than $5 billion to $6 billion,» he said during a session of the Senate, the upper house of parliament.

According to Kassenov, copper is the second most important value-added sector in Kazakhstan’s...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a public health emergency of international concern, the BBC reported.

The outbreak, linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has resulted in around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths in the country’s eastern Ituri province. The WHO said the outbreak does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic but warned the actual number of infections could be higher than reported.

The current outbreak is the 17th recorded in DRC since Ebola was first identified there in 1976.

Kazakhstan has officially launched a project aimed at inducing artificial rainfall, becoming the first country in Central Asia to begin the practical application of rainfall enhancement technologies, according to the Ministry of AI and Digital Development.

Read also: Why Tajikistan’s 1,300 lost glaciers matter to 80 million people.

The project is intended to increase reservoir water levels and improve water supplies for agricultural regions in southern Kazakhstan. Full-scale implementation reportedly began May 17, 2026.

Project developed with UAE meteorological center

The initiative is being carried out in cooperation with the...

Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan, is home to a distinctive house museum established by local craftsman Yuri Kostanyants, who previously served as a helicopter commander in civil aviation and now hand carves Kazakh khans (rulers), batyrs (legendary warriors), and scenes from the history of the Great Steppe from wood. Kursiv Lifestyle took a closer look at the former pilot’s hobby.

Kostanyants turned to woodcarving after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when he had to leave aviation behind. Later, joinery became his life’s work. Currently, Kostanyants’s collection houses hundreds of works dedicated to the...

Two U.S. citizens were taken into custody in Japan after an incident at a zoo near Tokyo that recently drew international attention because of a young macaque named Punch, who went viral after videos showed him holding a stuffed toy following rejection by his mother, Euronews reported.

Police said one of the men climbed over a barrier and entered a restricted area surrounding the monkey habitat on Sunday, while the second recorded the incident on video. The pair identified themselves as a 24-year-old student and a 27-year-old singer.

Videos shared online appeared to show a person in a costume...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia reported new drone incidents on Sunday as tensions linked to the ongoing Iran war continued despite a ceasefire that took effect in April, according to Reuters.

UAE officials said a drone strike caused a fire at the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant after hitting an electrical generator outside the facility’s inner perimeter. Authorities said there were no injuries or radiation leaks and that safety levels at the plant remained normal. The UAE defense ministry added that two additional drones launched from the western border were intercepted. Officials described the incident as...

In the updated WTA rankings published today, May 18, Kazakhstani tennis player Anna Danilina climbed three places to reach fifth in doubles, whereas Elena Rybakina stayed second in singles.

Last week, at the WTA 1000 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia, Danilina, paired with American Asia Muhammad, reached the quarterfinals, where they were defeated by the Russian duo Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who later won the title.

Danilina is taking part in the WTA 500 2026 Internationaux de Strasbourg, paired with Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova. She will be the only representative of Kazakhstan at the tournament, since Rybakina...

Fans of renowned Kazakhstani singer Dimash Qudaibergen from five Latin American countries have released a collaborative music video cover of the artist’s «Fire.»  

According to DimashNews, Dears from Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica and El Salvador participated in the project.

The cover was created by the Diffusion Team. The authors said that the work expressed love and inspiration that fans draw from the artist’s music. In the video, they sought to express emotions, sincerity and overall dedication to Dimash’s work.

One particularly moving aspect of the project was the story of a...

German automaker Mercedes-Benz Group may return to defense production amid shifting geopolitical conditions in Europe, CEO Ola Källenius said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

He said that the world had become a more unpredictable place, and he thought it was clear that Europe needed to strengthen its defense capabilities. He added that if they could play a positive role in that process, they would be ready to do so.

Defense sector seen as potential growth area

At the same time, Källenius said any return to the defense sector would depend on economic viability. According...

A Kazakh student who developed an artificial intelligence system for early cancer detection has received an award in the U.S.

The results were announced at the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) 2026, held in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the press service of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education.

Read also: Can we truly end cancer as we know it?

Kazakhstan took part in the competition with seven students, who presented a total of five projects. Arnur Artykbay, an 11th-grade student at the Nazarbayev Intellectual School of Physics and Math...

The outcomes of the eighth convocation of Kazakhstan’s Parliament will be released shortly. The report will most likely include statistics on meetings held, as well as laws reviewed and adopted. Against that backdrop, we considered it worthwhile to examine not only what lawmakers did, but also what they said — and how they said it.

Read also: Kazakhstan to introduce vice president and rename its parliament.

After all, Parliament itself, as its name suggests — from the French parlement and the verb parler («to speak») — is fundamentally a place for...

Former Russian security agent Dmitry Senin claims he spent eight years hiding from Russia’s intelligence services. During his second escape from Russia, Senin crossed the border into Kazakhstan while hiding inside the carcass of a dead cow, The Telegraph reported.

Read also: Inside Soviet recruitment: Kazakhstan’s former security chief claims Trump was a KGB asset.

Senin fell out of favor in 2016 after passing information to fellow Federal Security Service (FSB) officers about a suspicious luxury apartment in Moscow linked to high-ranking police official Dmitry Zakharchenko. Authorities later discovered $120 million...

Gulaiym Rakhmonova, the ex-wife of renowned Kazakh UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov, announced the newest addition to her family. She shared the news on social media, posting a photo of her newborn from the maternity hospital.

Rakhmonova was pregnant with her fifth child during the investigation and trial related to the fatal car accident involving her. In March, a court sentenced her to five years in prison, but deferred the sentence for the same period.

Breaking her silence

Earlier, Rakhmonova broke her silence in a candid interview on TV host Ruslan Otepbay’s YouTube channel...

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged greater adoption of a common Turkic alphabet, alongside closer cooperation in science, education, and artificial intelligence. He made the remarks at an informal summit of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Turkestan, Kazakhstan.

«It is essential to expand the use of the 34-letter Turkic alphabet and to support scientific and educational initiatives in participating countries. The development of artificial intelligence technologies that support the languages and cultural heritage of the Turkic world is of particular importance,» Erdogan said.

Notably, the Turkic countries agreed to adopt...