News

South Korean scientists have developed «smart» contact lenses capable of stimulating mood-related brain regions through the retina and potentially treating depression. So far, the technology has only been tested in animals.

How the technology works

The concept is based on the eye’s direct connection to the brain through the retina, which researchers describe as a promising pathway for noninvasive brain stimulation.

Read also: New study finds ‘significant link’ between poor nutrition and depression.

In the study, researchers divided mice into four groups: healthy mice, untreated mice with simulated depressive symptoms...

Financial analyst Andrey Chebotarev compared a proposal by Lyazzat Ibragimova, head of Otbasy Bank, the sole bank implementing housing construction savings system in Kazakhstan, to the policies of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a post on his Telegram channel.

Criticism of housing tax proposal

Chebotarev added Ibragimova to what he called his «Maduro Index,» which he described as a rating of economic populism. He said the move was prompted by Ibragimova’s proposal to impose higher taxes on Kazakhstanis who purchase three or four apartments. According to Ibragimova, such purchases fuel speculation and drive up housing prices.

Children raised in dysfunctional families often unconsciously repeat familiar relationship patterns in adulthood, according to a Kazakh psychoanalyst Anna Kudiyarova.

Speaking on the Ainur Asanberdi podcast, Kudiyarova discussed the importance of professional therapy and addressed issues related to marriage, emotional dependency and family relationships.

The psychoanalyst noted that many patterns of behavior in marriage are formed during childhood.

«If a child does not properly go through the stage of attachment and adaptation to the parent of the opposite sex, they may later seek a spouse who psychologically replaces their mother or father,» Kudiyarova said...

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has signed a law introducing amendments to Kazakhstan’s animal welfare regulations, according to the president’s press service.

The amendments strengthen state oversight and increase owners’ responsibility for their animals. Under the new rules, regulations governing pet ownership and walking will become stricter. Owners are required to prevent situations in which their animals could injure people or damage property. If violations result in harm or damage, owners will be fully liable for compensation.

Context

On April 8, the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament, approved the amendments in two readings. Lawmakers estimate that replacing the TNR (trap-neuter-return...

South Korean low-cost carrier Eastar Jet has included Almaty in its advertising campaign. The city’s landmarks are set to be displayed in Seoul. This way, the carrier is seeking to increase awareness of Almaty and motivate Korean tourists to choose the city as their destination.

«The advertisement was placed free of charge with the support of Eastar Jet and became part of a joint marketing strategy to promote Almaty’s tourism potential in the South Korean market,» the Almaty akimat, the city’s mayor’s office, said.

Since the beginning of May, the ads...

According to Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kazakhstan is the direct heir to the Golden Horde, a vast empire established by Genghis Khan’s eldest son. He made the statement while speaking at the international symposium «The Golden Horde as a Model of Steppe Civilization: History, Archaeology, Culture and Identity.»

«Our new Constitution, adopted through a nationwide referendum, clearly states that preserving the continuity of the Great Steppe and its thousand-year history is our sacred duty,» the president said.

Speaking about history, Tokayev emphasized that no progress is possible without preserving historical continuity, adding that...

The war involving Israel, the U.S. and Iran has prompted more countries to use the yuan in trade, including oil transactions, according to Madiyar Kenzhebulat, an economist at the BSR research group. These countries include Persian Gulf states that supply oil to China and purchase goods from Chinese manufacturers.

Shift away from the dollar

«Some have long said that the dollar’s era is ending, while others disagree. I do see certain factors supporting that view, such as Arab countries beginning to conduct major transactions or oil sales in yuan,» Kenzhebulat said during the Tenge...

China has decided to make shopping for foreign tourists more convenient by updating the country’s tax refund system, China Daily reported.

The update will make it easier and faster to receive tax refunds for purchases without paperwork.

A key aspect of the update is the expansion of tax refund stores, with authorities encouraging wider coverage in major shopping districts, tourist attractions and ports of entry.

Important amendments include simplifying purchase checks. Starting July 1, goods valued at up to 10,000 yuan will be subject to random checks rather than inspections of every...

Grief travel is emerging as a growing part of the wellness tourism industry, with more people seeking retreats and healing-focused escapes to process loss, trauma, and emotional distress away from everyday life, as reported by Euronews.

Once considered a deeply private experience, grief is increasingly being addressed through shared settings such as retreats, healing circles and guided wellness programs. Industry research suggests growing public openness toward mental health and emotional healing is contributing to the rise of grief-focused travel.

As a result, travel is no longer considered leisure alone, but also a tool for emotional recovery, self-reflection and connection...

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...