News

ChatGPT developer OpenAI has started testing ads in the chatbot. Users in the U.S. on the Go and Free tiers are already seeing them.

Meanwhile, the chatbot remains ad-free for users on the Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education plans.

The company said ads do not affect ChatGPT’s responses and chat content is not shared with advertisers.

«Keeping the Free and Go tiers fast and reliable requires significant infrastructure and ongoing investment. Ads help fund that work, supporting broader access to AI through higher-quality free and low-cost options...

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said effective engagement with investors requires cooperation among government agencies through a single coordination and decision-making center.

New appointments to oversee investment work

Presidential aide Murat Nurtleu has been appointed coordinator for work with foreign investors, while presidential adviser Asset Irgaliyev will oversee engagement with international financial institutions.

«I have appointed a special assistant who will handle investment matters. Foreign and domestic investors can contact Murat Nurtleu, as the focal point, with any questions they may have. Regarding international financial institutions, Asset Irgaliyev, chairman of the...

The quality of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games medals does not appear to reflect the athletes’ efforts, as some competitors have complained about the issue.

According to the BBC, two American gold medal winners, Breezy Johnson and Alysa Liu, said the ribbons tore off their medals shortly after the awarding ceremony. Johnson displayed the damaged medal during a press conference, noting that it broke when she was jumping in excitement after the competition.

@teamusa @Breezy Johnson’s Olympic gold medal did not pass the jump...

Kazakhstan plans to expand its use of artificial intelligence tools and will establish a joint venture with the Chinese company 01.AI in March. According to Zhaslan Madiyev, Kazakhstan’s minister of artificial intelligence and digital development, the new entity will operate the National Artificial Intelligence Platform.

«Partnership with world-class specialists will be a tool for developing artificial intelligence in the public and quasi-public sectors,» Madiyev said, noting that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev supports the idea of partnering with 01.AI.

ChatGPT analogue

01.AI is a Chinese artificial intelligence company founded by Kai-Fu Lee, a Taiwanese computer scientist...

Drivers struggle with two problems in winter — cold weather and ice on the windshield, whether it’s an electric or gasoline-powered vehicle. In any case, one either burns gas or loses driving range to defrost the windshield. However, it appears a more convenient solution has been invented, according to Autoblog.

The proposed solution

The Canada-based startup Betterfrost Technologies introduced a simple yet unusual technology. Instead of using warm air blowing, the system applies pulsed heat directly to the windshield, targeting the ice interfacial layer roughly 0.01 millimeters thick. This eliminates the grip, causing the ice...

Alatau, Kazakhstan’s new flagship megaproject, is set to become the region’s first fully digital city, featuring blockchain integration and a cryptocurrency-based economy, according to the Almaty regional administration, where the city is located.

International partnerships and investment

During a recent visit to China, a Kazakh delegation concluded agreements worth billions of dollars with global companies, including a construction firm involved in developing the Shenzhen technology hub. Officials hope to attract the company to participate in Alatau’s development.

Read also: Is China’s Shenzhen the blueprint for Kazakhstan’s Alatau city?

Regional authorities emphasized that...

Timur Turlov’s Freedom Holding Corp. (FRHC) released its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 (ended Dec. 31, 2025), revealing $1.688 billion in revenue and $145 million in net profit for the first nine months of the fiscal year. The company also reported strong growth in key metrics following the more subdued results of the previous quarter.

Key figures

In Q3 alone, the holding reported $628.6 million in revenue, which is significantly higher than the previous quarter’s $526.1 million.

Net profit for the quarter amounted to $76.2 million, almost double the second quarter’s result of...

The Deepal S05 electric SUV confirmed its status as one of the safest cars on the market. According to Euro NCAP, the model from the Chinese car maker Changan’s sub-brand successfully passed a series of stringent tests in late 2025 and received a maximum five-star rating. The vehicle was assessed under new protocols, and Deepal proved to be an advanced and human-friendly car.

Protecting passengers and other road users

One aspect of the test was the assessment of body crashworthiness. In a frontal collision, the Deepal absorbs energy to minimize damage to the other vehicle. Inside...

The draft of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution should clearly distinguish between human rights and citizens’ rights, according to Professor Viktor Malinovsky, a member of the Constitutional Commission. He said such a distinction would eliminate legal ambiguity and clarify which guarantees are granted at birth and which arise only with Kazakh citizenship.

Malinovsky, a professor at Narxoz University, proposed revising the wording of Clause 3 of Article 14 in the draft Constitution. He said the document should explicitly state that the rights and obligations of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan arise from the fact of...

Kazakhstan became the largest importer of Russian black caviar, spending about $1 million on the delicacy, according to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.

Citing the federal export center Agroexport, the report said Kazakhstan accounted for 27% of Russia’s sturgeon caviar exports in the first 11 months of last year. Belarus ranked second with a 15% share, followed by Armenia at 8%.

Overall, Russia exported about 700 tons of caviar worth roughly $20 million last year. Sturgeon caviar, commonly known as black caviar, made up more than $3.8 million of that total. Based on...

Kazakhstan is willing to supply 20 of the 60 minerals considered critical to the U.S., Kazakh Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev said during the first ministerial conference on critical minerals in Washington, according to the Kazinform news agency.

Delegations from more than 50 countries attended the conference last week. During the event, U.S. Vice President JD Vance warned that the global market for critical minerals is weakening. He said supply chains remain fragile and prices continue to fluctuate sharply, while China accounts for more than 80% of global critical mineral supplies.

Read also:

A video from Aktau, a city on the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan, is going viral in a local segment of the internet — the white swans, considered one of the city’s symbols, have returned for winter.

The birds were spotted at a city promenade. Content creator Azamat Sarsenbayev posted a video of the bevy of noble birds. Hundreds of swans can be seen gathering in a quiet area near the promenade, swimming and sliding on the ice. Users in the comment section highlighted that it’s rare to encounter so many birds in the city.

The international trading platform ITS has completed the regular rebalancing of its flagship ITS World Index, increasing the number of Kazakhstani issuers in the index from two to five.

Who joined the top list?

The index basket, which tracks 50 of the world’s largest corporations, added three new representatives from the domestic market:

The three companies have joined Kaspi.kz (KSPI), a leading Kazakh fintech platform, and the...

In the first month of the year, Kazakhstan’s service sector reported a long-awaited revival in business activity, turning positive for the first time in four months. However, an increase in the value-added tax (VAT) triggered the sharpest price surge since March 2019.

Business revives, but prices rise

The Freedom Holding Corp. Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for the service sector rose to 50.5 points in January from 49.5 in December, indicating a shift from stagnation to growth.

Demand for new orders has increased for 15 consecutive months, with companies introducing new products and updating their business models. After four months of...

Kazakhstan’s top-ranked player, Alexander Bublik, retained 10th place in the updated ATP rankings published today, Feb. 9. He has entered the ATP 500 tournament in the Netherlands in both singles and doubles.

An evident miscalculation by Kazakhstan’s national team coaching staff on the second day of the Davis Cup tie against Monaco in Astana — sending Bublik on court for nearly five hours — resulted in the team’s defeat. In doubles, paired with Beibit Zhukayev (No. 369), and later in singles against Valentin Vacherot (No. 27), Bublik was...

Kazakhstan’s banking sector will remember the year 2025 for a sharp decline in profit growth amid additional taxation and higher minimum reserve requirements. Growth in loan and deposit portfolios also slowed, though less dramatically than financial results.

Total sector assets rose from 61.6 trillion to 70.8 trillion tenge in 2025 (about $135.7 billion), an increase of 9.2 trillion tenge (Kursiv Research calculations based on National Bank data, unless otherwise noted). In relative terms, assets grew 15.0%, slowing from 19.7% growth in 2024.

Asset growth led by the largest banks

Among individual second-tier banks, Halyk Bank...

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has consolidated her power after her conservative governing coalition won a landslide victory in a national election, securing a two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament, The Guardian reported.

The result was widely viewed as a strong public endorsement of Takaichi’s leadership, following her call for a snap election shortly after taking office in October 2025. Financial markets reacted positively, with Japan’s Nikkei share average surpassing the 56,000 level for the first time at the start of trading. South Korea’s Kospi rose 4.4%, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.8% and Australia’s S&P/ASX...

Kazakhstani tennis player Anna Danilina climbed one place in the updated WTA doubles rankings, returning to the top 10. Paired with Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunić, she is preparing to participate in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open 2026, alongside Elena Rybakina.

Following the 2025 final, Moscow-born Danilina, who has been representing Kazakhstan since 2011, was ranked eighth. However, she ended the year in 15th place. After reaching the final of the 2026 Australian Open, Danilina moved up to 11th and soon returned to the top 10. She outperformed Latvia’s Jeļena Ostapenko, who failed to defend...

The Seattle Seahawks won their second Super Bowl title with a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, relying on a dominant defensive performance to secure the championship, the Associated Press reported.

Seattle’s defense forced multiple turnovers, recorded six sacks and scored a decisive interception return for a touchdown. Quarterback Sam Darnold threw one touchdown pass and avoided turnovers, while running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 135 yards and was named Super Bowl MVP. Kicker Jason Myers converted all five of his field-goal attempts, setting a Super Bowl record.

The Patriots struggled offensively for much of...

The premiere of the «Voice Beyond Horizon,» executive produced by world-renowned Kazakh singer Dimash Qudaibergen, was a real standout. The first episode garnered 102 million viewers and topped Chinese rankings, according to Dimashnews.

Qudaibergen’s show breaks records

According to Hunan TV, the show ranked first among regional satellite channels across the CVB, CSM and CSM71 networks. It also topped the KuYun and Huanwang real-time rankings.

«Voice Beyond Horizon» went abuzz on social media. The first episode was broadcast by Kazakhstan’s Embassy in China and by the outlet China Daily, whereas official...

The European Commission said TikTok’s design — which includes features regulators describe as addictive — may violate the European Union’s Digital Services Act and provide insufficient protection for users. The assessment reflects preliminary findings from an investigation published Feb. 6.

Infinite scrolling

Regulators said features such as infinite scrolling effectively pull users deeper into the app. New content loads automatically, encouraging people to spend increasing amounts of time on TikTok, often without realizing it.

The commission believes this design can promote compulsive behavior and place users’ attention on «autopilot.»

Risks for teens

South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb mistakenly transferred 620,000 bitcoins to users — coins worth more than $42 billion at current prices. The incident was caused by human error rather than a cyberattack.

An error costing billions

According to the South Korean newspaper Chosun, the mistake occurred during the distribution of rewards for participation in one of the exchange’s promotional events.

Instead of the South Korean won intended for users, the employee responsible for the payout mistakenly entered bitcoin into the system.

A total of 695 recipients received the cryptocurrency. Bithumb said the incident was an...

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has sharply criticized the Spanish government’s recent initiative that would ban children under 16 from using social media, warning that measures presented as child protection could undermine freedom of speech and user privacy.

Read also: Code, power, and exile: The untold story of Pavel Durov and Telegram.

In a recent post, Durov said the proposed regulations could turn Spain “into a surveillance state.”

Criminal liability and censorship

Durov also objected to plans that could impose criminal liability on platform managers who fail to promptly...

A 2025 study by J.D. Power China on the quality of new energy vehicles produced unexpected results, according to CarNewsChina. Aito, Mercedes-Benz and Tesla ranked in the top three, while China’s most popular brand, BYD, placed slightly below the industry average.

The survey covered 57 brands and more than 5,700 owners who had driven their vehicles for between two months and one year.

A clear leader

The standout performer was the Aito M9, developed within the Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance with participation from Huawei. The model posted top results across several classes.

In...